Barry Smitherman and his son arrived early at the Detroit-Washington exhibition game on Oct. 11, not to check out the Pistons but to see a movie star.

"We don't care about the Pistons," Smitherman, 42, said. "My son (William, 5) just wanted to see Michael Jordan. William loved him in 'Space Jam.'"

The Smithermans weren't alone. Although many true basketball fans were among the sellout crowd of 22,076 that night at The Palace, a large segment came to see a multimedia megastar ? and it wasn't Pistons rookie Zeljko Rebraca.

"We wanted to see 'MJ,'" said 32-year-old Sahiem Jones, who plopped down $160 so he and his 5-year-old son Nicholas could attend.

It is official. The 53-29 record is ancient. The first-round playoff victory over the Jazz is history. And the marathon is about to begin.
     I expect that Tuesday?s meeting with Detroit will be a difficult opener, for a number of reasons:
     

The Pistons appear to be very much together with their new, young coach, Rick Carlisle, who is already very well respected around the NBA.
     
They seem to be focused on the goal of returning the playoffs -- and the Mavericks know what a powerful motivation that can be.
     
Detroit really does have some talent. Jerry Stackhouse is one of the finest offensive players in the league and Ben Wallace is one of the finest rebounders in the league. Michael Curry will play defense and really get after you. They have acquired a proven veteran in Clifford Robinson, and they have picked up a guy who always seems to play well when he gets close to home in Dallas, Corliss Williamson from Arkansas.
     
Oh, and a reminder: This is a Detroit team that came into Dallas last year and emphatically beat the Mavericks.
     Another a concern of mine: The Mavericks last played on Tuesday, Oct. 23, so they will have gone a week without a game against any outside competition. They didn?t have any choice ? the scheduling of the rodeo at the American Airlines Center made that decision for them. (I wonder if Nellie would have preferred to have played Friday or Saturday night?)
     Will the Mavericks return this season with the comparably degree of hunger that has been evident since the end of the 1999-?00 season, when they closed with a 31-19 record? We begin to find out Tuesday against Detroit, as the trek begins ? and continues later in the week with games at Philadelphia, at Toronto, at Memphis. By this time next week, Dallas will have four games under its belt, and we will have a much better feel for this edition of the Dallas Mavericks.
     Me? I am like a 61-year-old kid in a candy store. Walking into the American Airlines Center on Tuesday will, for me, be just like walking into the St. Joseph?s Grade School gymnasium for my first game when I was eight years old. You cannot simulate the emotion, the excitement and the enthusiasm of game night
     I hope all of you feel the same way.

The NBA welcomes two new faces and two recycled ones to its coaching fraternity this season, and all four of them are sure to have headaches by Halloween.

Rick Carlisle, a head coach after years as an assistant, must convince Jerry Stackhouse to be a more complete player in Detroit.

John Lucas, who has coached Philadelphia and San Antonio, has a challenging rebuilding project in Cleveland.

Maurice Cheeks, the other newcomer, will have to instill his grace into the talented mess that resides in Portland.

Doug Collins, the fiery former coach of Chicago and Detroit, has the most intriguing and perhaps most challenging job of the four: trying to rebuild the Washington Wizards while battling the expectations that come with having the unretired Michael Jordan.

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets kept Tierre Brown over veteran Damon Jones to give Jones an opportunity to sign with a team that would give him playing time.  The Detroit Pistons are close to signing Jones to a guaranteed contract for $565,000, according to agent Lamar Holt.  Had Jones stayed, he'd have been buried on the injured list; Tierre Brown now has that job.  The Rockets showcased Jones for the Pistons on Tuesday, playing him 22 minutes in which he got 12 points and 8 assists.

Ben Wallace isn't the type of player to take it easy on a play, let alone an entire practice.

So even as his right wrist throbs with pain, Wallace is still holding his own in practice.

But there comes a point when being tough isn't necessarily the smartest thing to do. Which is why the Detroit Pistons will think long and hard about having Wallace, their best rebounder, sit out tonight's preseason game against Houston and possibly the preseason finale Friday at New Jersey.

Power forward Ben Wallace said he expects to have X rays taken on his sore right wrist today in Houston before the Pistons play the Rockets.

Wallace was injured in a collision with Alonzo Mourning during the third quarter of Friday's victory over Miami, and the wrist has been sore since.

Wallace hasn't missed practice, taking shots and free throws left-handed.

When Rick Carlisle got the Detroit Pistons' head coaching job, there was no lengthy search for assistant coaches.

Sixteen years as an NBA player and an assistant coach prepared him for what to look for in putting together a staff to rebuild the Pistons.

Carlisle is known for his offensive ingenuity, so he knew hiring a defensive specialist was a must. He also needed someone who worked well with players in a variety of situations. And he needed someone with an extensive basketball background who could help fill a number of roles.

Doug Collins was actually the first to get it. George Karl was equally infected. Alvin Gentry and George Irvine, too.
  Now, Rick Carlisle has it.
  Call it Michael Curry fever. Coaches, once exposed, can't seem to function without it.
  "I am looking for an ingredient of chemistry, of intensity, just some intangible fire to go with our first group," Carlisle said. "Michael Curry gives us something different. He is a high-energy, veteran guy who doesn't make mistakes. We need a more verbal presence out there and he brings that. He was the first guy to take hard fouls in the preseason and that sets the tone for the team."

New head coach Rick Carlisle knows that he has some tough decisions to make and that not everyone is going to like those.
  He may have already made his first -- benching forward Corliss Williamson in favor of Michael Curry.
  Williamson did not play Thursday night against Washington and only played seven minutes against New Jersey Tuesday.

When you've been around the NBA as long as Cliff Robinson has, any sign of slippage is viewed as a victory for Father Time.

Yes, Robinson, 34, has shot a dismal 15 percent (3-for-20) from the field in three preseason games.

And yes, Robinson, a former all-league defender, looked completely helpless Tuesday against New Jersey's Keith Van Horn (18 points) and Kenyon Martin (17 points).

But Robinson, even with his struggles during the preseason, is still seen as an integral part of the Detroit Pistons.