It's time for Lindsey Hunter to pay up.

All through the playoffs last season, he played on a badly sprained left ankle, buying time with an assortment of tapings, therapies and treatments.

So today, Hunter begins restitution. He will have arthroscopic surgery on the ankle, performed by Dr. Arthur Manoli at St. Joseph's Hospital in Pontiac, and miss most, if not all, of training camp.

"It's just basically to get in there and clean it up," said Arnie Kander, the Pistons' physical therapist. "It's possible he can get back before the end of training camp. But, with Lindsey, considering his style of play, we're not going to rush it. We will take our time and make sure it's 110 percent ready."

The injury to Hunter opens the door wide for fifth-year point guard Carlos Arroyo to win a spot in coach Flip Saunders' rotation.

"No question this is a good opportunity for (Carlos)," Saunders said after putting the Pistons through a lively two-hour practice Tuesday morning. "He's coming into a situation where he's starting from square one, not having to play catch-up in the system. That's going to help him."