In Rickey Paulding?s first act as a Piston, he dove to the floor and rescued a loose ball which led to a fast-break basket.

That?ll endear you to a team really quick.

?How about that,? said assistant coach Dave Hanners, whose Pistons hammered a hapless Bucks squad, 74-58, Tuesday in the first game of the Minnesota Pro Summer League. ?He jumped right on the floor and made a play. I was so proud of him.?

Paulding, the Pistons? second-round pick last month, finished with 10 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes.

?I was just trying to play hard,? he said. ?I felt good. We just tried to play together and do it on the defensive end.?

Apparently it doesn?t matter who?s wearing the Pistons? uniforms, the style remains the same. The Pistons punished the Bucks with a swarming defense.

In the first quarter, the Pistons blocked seven shots (four by Detroit native Ken Johnson) and badgered the Bucks into 1 for 21 shooting.

The Pistons led 25-9 after the onslaught.

?These are good guys and they are really trying to do the right thing,? Hanners said. ?I know Coach (Larry) Brown would be happy. They shared the ball, they defended and they played with great effort.?

The Bucks shot 30 percent and made 21 turnovers.

Johnson, the Ohio State grad and former Miami Heat center, finished with five blocks and seven rebounds.

Johnson is well aware that the Pistons might have an opening for another big man, with Mehmet Okur likely leaving for Utah.

?I am just focusing on playing hard and doing the absolute best I can,? he said. ?Whether that gets me here or somewhere else, we?ll see.?

Former Orlando Magic forward Zaza Pachulia scored 20 points for the Bucks.