Jerry Stackhouse was joking around after the Pistons' light workout Thursday.
  "This is different from last year. We have a good team," he said. "I think I could sit out a few more games and we would still have success."
  The assembled media laughed along with him, but Coach Rick Carlisle didn't think it was so funny. Yes, the Pistons are 5-1 without Stackhouse. But that statistic is a mirage.
  "The reality is, our guys have done a great job of being able to win games without Stack," Carlisle said. "But we have been fortunate that the five games we won were against teams with a combined winning percentage of 36 percent."
  The Pistons have beaten Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Chicago and Cleveland, and have lost to Atlanta without Stackhouse.
  "Our guys have done a good job gutting out some tough games," Carlisle said. "We need Stack, but we need Stack at 100 percent."
  Right now, Stackhouse, nursing a bruised left hip and a strained right shoulder, figures he's about 90 percent.
  "I want to get back healthy," he said. "For me, 90 percent is OK, but it's not where I want to be."
  Stackhouse said he would decide at game time whether or not he will play tonight against Utah.