Joe Smith is home with his beloved Timberwolves with a six-year, $34-million deal in his pocket. And until he suffered an injured calf muscle last week, he was starting on the third-best team in the NBA.
  But there is still a trace of bitterness in Smith's voice when he talks about what he went through last season, and last summer.
  "When I chose to come to the Pistons, I said I wanted to be somewhere long-term," he said Monday. "Unfortunately, in the off-season, none of that happened."
  The Pistons signed Smith to a one-year, $2.2-million contract in November 2000, after his $86-million contract with the Timberwolves was declared null and void by the NBA.
  He averaged 12.3 points and seven rebounds for the Pistons but shot a career-low 40 percent. The Pistons renounced Smith last summer and decided not to pursue re-signing him.
  "I guess they wanted to go another route," Smith said. "That opened the doors for me to come back here."
  But Smith said he was surprised and disappointed by the Pistons' lack of interest.