The Detroit Pistons are hoping to have guard Chaucey Billups back in uniform in time for the team's battle with ex-Piston Jerry Stackhouse and the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.  Perry Farrell of the Detroit Free Press reports that Billups has a severely sprained right ankle and has missed four starts because of the injury and one because of a suspension for an incident with a referee after the 114-75 loss at Dallas on Nov. 9.

"We've been a long time without Chauncey," said Carlisle. "I think he's getting to the point where he'll get back soon, although I don't expect him back this weekend. Perhaps Wednesday, but I don't look past two or three days. I know he's feeling a lot better. He's out shooting and doing some things."

It should be a big night for both teams with bragging rights on who got the better end of the Richard Hamilton-Jerry Stackhouse trade up for grabs.  Hamilton has been better than expected for the surging Pistons this season, while Stackhouse has been streaky while providing the veteran guard the team needs to win along side Michael Jordan.

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Dallas Mavericks are one win away from tying the NBA record for the best record to start a season. After their 102-82 win against the Pistons last night, they are 14-0. The record is 15-0.

The Mavericks go for that record Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers. A victory at Conseco Fieldhouse will tie them with the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols for the best start. The Mavericks also improved to 7-0 on the road. The franchise record for consecutive road wins is eight.

Last nights? win was even more impressive because the Mavericks carved up one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference on their own court. The Mavs demolished the Pistons by 39 points in Dallas 18 days ago. After last night?s win in Detroit, the Mavs swept the season series by a combined 59 points.

Right now, the Mavericks can't get any better in one regard. The only way to improve on 14-0 is to reach 15-0.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News writes that despite the fact that the Knicks are 1-0 since Latrell Sprewell returned to the starting lineup, the trade rumors swirl faster.

Responding to a report from ESPN Insider, Isola writes that a proposed trade with Detroit that would send Clifford Robinson, Corliss Williamson and Hubert Davis to the Knicks for Sprewell is ?not true?. Isola states that the Knicks and Pistons discussed a trade for Sprewell over the summer before Jerry Stackhouse was traded to Washington.

The AP reports on the Nuggets 74-53 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Illness prevented the Mailman's appointed rounds last week in Utah's loss to the Pistons.

On Friday night, Karl Malone suited up, but it was to no avail as the Pistons played one of their best games of the young season in an 86-75 victory at the Palace.

It was the first time the Pistons swept a home-and-home series with the Jazz since the 1988-89 season. With a 7-2 record, the Pistons are off to their best start since going 10-1 to begin the 1996-97 season.

Bad start? Don't start badly.
   
It's a basketball palindrome, sort of, and a prescription for what ails the Jazz. But they haven't solved the puzzle -- and the results are reaching historic levels.
   
The Jazz's awful first month hit a new low Friday, when -- you will never guess -- a terrible first quarter preordained yet another loss, this time 86-75 to the Pistons in a decidedly unfriendly Palace of Auburn Hills. Utah dropped to 3-7 for the first time in John Stockton and Karl Malone's careers, a quandary the Mailman plans to use as motivation.