After six weeks playing in Detroit, Carlos Arroyo is beginning to earn the praise of the Detroit Staff, most importantly, Joe Dumars.

''He's the most creative guy we have on the team - instantly,'' said Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, after watching Arroyo score 13 points in 18 minutes in Detroit's 97-88 victory over the New York Knicks last Tuesday. ''This team needed another general on the floor, and he's a general when he's on the floor. I just think he's a perfect fit, and I am so happy to have him here.''

His numbers are down, however Arroyo is making the most of his limited playing time, giving the Pistons solid contributions night in and night out.  

''He's a natural point guard, simple as that,'' said Pistons assistant Gar Heard. ''He looks to make plays before he looks to shoot the ball.''

Dale Davis got his wish on Saturday when he obtained his release from the New Orleans Hornets, now will he return to the place where he spent the first nine seasons of his career?

Davis requested a release from the lowly Hornets in order to sign with a playoff team, and the Indiana Pacers certainly are interested.  According to Davis' agent James Wells the Pacers are the forward's first choice, and Mark Monteith of the Indianapolis Star reports that he could sign by Tuesday.  However, the Pacers are not the only team interested in his services with Detroit and San Antonio also are trying to lure the 14-year veteran.

"He's really fond of Indiana," said Wells, who acknowledged the Pacers' mutual interest. "It's a class organization and he had a good run when he was there.

"We just need to sit down and make a decision."

He was traded from Golden State to New Orleans on Thursday in the deal that sent Hornets guard Baron Davis to the Warriors.

One man has the ability to change the atmosphere in an arena and after 10 years of futility, Baron Davis has Warriors fans hoping that the Oakland Coliseum can once again become an arena of glory.

He only scored 10 points, he only threw 8 assists, but it was clear that Chris Mullin has scored himself a legitimate All-Star, one of the best 2 or 3 point guards in the entire NBA.  A player that will make Mike Dunleavy, Mickael Pietrus and Troy Murphy that much better and a player that will give Jason Richardson a reason to believe.

The Warriors gave the defending champion Pistons a fierce battle.  Within minutes of Davis entering the game, he and Carlos Arroyo got into a shouting match, instantly making himself a man that his teammates can rely on to do whatever it takes to win.

The Pistons were too professional for the Warriors on this night, as Golden State went with a small line-up that created mismatches all over the court, freeing up Detroit for open jump shot after open jump shot.

All 5 Pistons' starters were in double figures, led by TayShaun Prince's 25 and Rasheed Wallace's 17.

Richardson also scored 25 points for the Warriors.

Baron Davis will suit up for Sunday's game versus the defending champion Detroit Pistons, but he will be coming off the bench.

Davis has a bruised Achilles tendon and will see limited minutes, but he is excited about playing for Golden State.

"This is a fresh start," Davis said. "I'm 25 years old, I haven't even reached my peak. It's just been a frustrating season because I've been injured, and I haven't been in a situation where I could really concentrate on getting healthy.

"Once your mind is clear, it's easy to get the body right."

The defending champions beat last season's runners-up in a 111-90 blowout.  It was the Pistons' sixth straight and 11th in 12 games, was their second lopsided win over the Lakers in two weeks. They beat them by 22 points at Detroit on Feb. 10.

Tayshaun Prince scored 26 points, Chauncey Billups added 23, and the Pistons never trailed in the rematch, same as in the previous meeting.

Richard Hamilton had 18 points and eight assists, Rasheed Wallace had 19 points, and Ben Wallace had 13 rebounds for the Pistons.

``We played great. We shared the ball, we took care of the ball,'' Detroit coach Larry Brown said. ``We defended well, got out on the break. It was a great team effort.''

It was good news for Detroit fans Monday when Pistons guard Carlos Delfino practiced for the first time in two months after undergoing two surgeries on his right knee.

"I feel great," Delfino said. "It's like when you're young and you start to ride the bike. It feels great to run again on the floor, to be confident in my knees. ... I feel great."

Delfino said he won't be ready tonight against New York, but there's a chance he will return during the six-game West Coast trip that begins Friday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

"I will take it step by step," Delfino said, "but I feel close to playing. I try to be ready as close as possible, OK?"

The Oregonian, via the Detroit Free Press, is reporting that a tattoo on Piston forward Rasheed Wallace's right arm could be the topic of a court case.

Matthew Reed from TigerLilly Tattoo and DesignWorks filed suit last week in U.S. District Court, seeking damages and to stop Nike from running an ad that centers around Wallace's large distinctive Egyptian-themed tattoo that depicts the Pistons forward and his family and the tattoo's creation.

Reed claims Wallace came to him for such a tattoo in 1998, when he played for the Trail Blazers. Reed said he researched the idea, came up with a design and put it on Wallace's arm for the bargain price of $450, hoping to benefit from the exposure.

Reed claims he became aware last year of the Nike ad, which he claims violates the copyright he holds to "the Egyptian Family Pencil Drawing."

According to the lawsuit, Wallace told Nike and ad company officials either that he owned the intellectual property rights to the tattoo image or shared them with Reed.

The New Jersey Nets were 12-13 heading into Saturday's game since acquiring Vince Carter, and the superstar made sure that they would get back to .500 against the Pistons.  Carter scored 41 points, as the Nets blew out the Pistons by a final score of 107-85.

Carter, who finished 10 points shy of his career high, scored 20 of his points during a 29-9 run bridging the third and fourth quarters that turned a 63-61 edge into a 92-70 lead.

``This was the bar that we had to see how good we are against. We wanted to see where we are as a team, and that was a great effort,'' Carter said.

The Nets are playing without Richard Jefferson who was knocked out for the remainder of the season by Detroit's Chauncey Billups, so the victory was extra sweet for a Nets team that has been forced to compete at half-strength.

The Detroit Pistons activated Horace Jenkins on Friday, giving them 12 players on the roster.

Jenkins, a point guard, has averaged 3.7 points and 7.8 minutes in six games this season.

The Central Division-leading Pistons (28-18) play Saturday at New Jersey.

Given the chance to return to Kobe and the Lakers in Los Angeles, eight time championship coach Phil Jackson has decided to turn down the opportunity and remain in Australia on vacation the New York Daily News is reporting. As a result assistant Frank Hamblen has been installed as the new head coach of the Lakers on an interim basis.

Jackson told the Los Angeles Times in yesterday's editions that he was approached about returning to the city where he started his five-year tenure with three consecutive titles, and that he was "mulling that over in my mind." But in the end, he saw the Lakers as substantially worse off than the team he left last June after its loss to Detroit in the Finals.

Kobe Bryant reportedly gave his blessing to the Lakers to try to save their season by luring Jackson out of retirement. But persons familiar with Jackson's thinking said that he was still leery of working with Bryant, his chief nemesis, in addition to having reservations about taking over what is essentially a .500 team devoid of a second superstar. However, the Lakers will consider rehiring him this spring.

Rudy Tomjanvich made his decision official on Wednesday after revealing to GM Mitch Kupchak that he needed to resign because he was worn down, physically and mentally, by the pressures of the job.

"This is all about me and how I'm wired," said Tomjanovich. "I have dealt with all kinds of stress and tough situations. I went from this energetic, pumped-up guy, to all of a sudden being sapped of a lot of energy. Why this happened now, and why my body couldn't take it now, I don't have the answer."

Tomjanovich, who was in the first year of a five-year, $30 million deal, will stay on in a consultant role, which will primarily entail scouting.

Both the Lakers and the New York Knicks, two of the major NBA markets, will now be in direct competition for a new head coach this offseason, with Detroit's Larry Brown already linked to both jobs despite having 3 1/2 seasons left on his contract.