<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">AUBURN HILLS -- Flip Saunders blew his whistle in the middle of a sloppy scrimmage Thursday morning and sent his players off the court and into the locker room. Then, after a brief talk, he sent them home. "I wasn't upset or anything like that," Saunders said. "We've gone really hard and we only have 16 guys in camp and they've gotten a lot of reps. It got a little sloppy at the end I just wanted them to get out of here." Thursday's practice was the Pistons' third in 26 hours, and fifth since Tuesday. Saunders said the team had a sharp, intense scrimmage Wednesday night and good conditioning session Thursday morning. Once they re-started the scrimmages, however, it was clear the legs and spirits were mostly spent. "The first three days this year have been far better than the first three days were last year," Saunders said. "It's a really fine line between pushing it and wearing them out too much. When it's just not there and you keep going, sometimes that leads to diminished returns." A highlight in recent scrimmages has been the play of 37-year-old Dale Davis. He was dominating Nazr Mohammed, scoring five straight baskets during one stretch Thursday. "I think Dale has gotten more reps these last three days than he did all of last year," said Saunders, who expects Davis to be in the rotation, particularly early in the season. "He's a freak of nature in a lot of ways, to be his age and have his body in such great shape. He's been very impressive." Of course, Saunders was quick to point out Mohammed might be a little weak. He's a devout Muslim and has been fasting in recognition of Ramadan. Mohammed said he typically loses more than 10 pounds before the end of the month. It's part of the reason why he's started slowly throughout his career.</div> Source
