MLive AUBURN HILLS -- Pennies are at the bottom of the monetary food chain, so it should come as no surprise that the ill-fitting practice jerseys worn by players at the bottom of the NBA pecking order are called . . . you got it, pennies. A year ago, Maurice Evans was among the penny-wearing, NBA-wannabes in the Sacramento Kings' training camp. But he worked his way into the playing rotation, became a key contributor off the bench and parlayed that success into a multi-year contract with the Detroit Pistons. Now, the player who at one point was at the end of the Kings bench is being counted on to be a regular contributor for the best team in the Eastern Conference the past two seasons. For Evans, being in Detroit only makes sense, considering he has joined a team that has several players who were discarded by other teams. "These guys have been in the (NBA) Finals two years in a row," Evans said. "So that's a lot of mistakes by NBA personnel." Evans, who went undrafted out of the University of Texas in 2001, got his first taste of the NBA that year in Minnesota under Flip Saunders, who now coaches the Pistons. Saunders said he could tell then that the 6-foot-5-inch guard/forward could be a decent NBA player, but the best thing for him would be to spend a couple years overseas. "We followed him when he went overseas, and we followed him when he went to Sacramento," Saunders said. "I've always liked Mo. He came out (of college) early, and he just needed to get playing time. That's what Europe did for him." Evans didn't just play, he dominated the competition, becoming the Eurobasket Player of the Year, all-star game MVP and the Eurobasket All-League Import Player of the Year. Source
