<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">AUBURN HILLS -- The unsung heroes of the Pistons' 2006 training camp, without question, were Scott Perry and George David, the Pistons' directors of player personnel and scouting. That's because the stars of this otherwise uneventful camp were two players Perry and David unearthed deep in the 2005 draft -- Jason Maxiell (drafted 26th overall) and Amir Johnson (56th) -- and another, Flip Murray, whom they were the first to discover at a small Division II school (Shaw University) in 2002. Maxiell, expected to be the 11th man again this season, seized a spot in the Pistons' regular-season rotation with a series of powerful performances. He led the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds and blocked 1.13 shots. His ability to produce in the low block despite being undersized (6-foot-7) could add a dimension the Pistons have lacked since Corliss Williamson left after the 2003-04 season. "The thing you like to see," said coach Flip Saunders, "is, here's a guy who put in a lot of time in the summer, lost 15 pounds and changed his body. He came in more aggressive, more explosive and quicker. He came in with the idea of, 'Yeah, there are a lot of guys ahead of me, but I am going to make the coach have to make a decision. I am not going to make the decision for him because I am going to play well enough to show him I can be productive when I am on the court,' and that's what he's done."</div> Source
