http://0rz.tw/b42NI Samb remains big question mark Pistons must decide whether to sign Senegalese center or leave him to further develop overseas. Chris McCosky / The Detroit News LAS VEGAS -- The Pistons are facing a dodgy decision regarding Cheikh Samb, the 7-foot-1 Senegalese center they acquired on draft day last year. His contract with Barcelona expired on July 1, thus they can sign him and keep him on their roster this year without having to buy him out of his Spanish League contract. Ideally, they would like to have him on the 15-man roster and let him play most of the season for their Development League affiliate in Fort Wayne. There is evidence, however, that he still might not be ready and would be better served spending at least another year overseas. The Pistons could still retain his rights, but they would eventually have to pay the buyout to Barcelona or whatever team he plays for. "For me, it doesn't matter," Samb said on Sunday. "If I go to Barcelona -- good. If I stay here -- good. I just know every time I have to do better. I have to work hard and do better." （說得好啊 心態正確！） In the Pistons' first summer-league game on Saturday, he had four points and six rebounds in the first quarter and then seemed to gradually wear down. He finished with six points and seven rebounds. On Sunday, the Pistons played the Celtics in an organized scrimmage and it appeared Samb still hadn't recovered. Early in the game, Celtics' forward Leon Powe took him into the post and spun, knocking Samb completely out of the play, and scored. One possession later, Gerald Green dunked right through Samb's block attempt. A few possessions later, a visibly exhausted Samb was removed from the scrimmage. "He's going to get it," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of Samb. "The physicality of the NBA gets to young guys early, especially young big guys. I think they are always off-balance when they are long like he is. He got to a good move a couple of times but had no balance. "The next thing they have to learn is how to set up their shot. Wherever they were before, college or wherever, they could just turn and shoot over guys. In our league, you have to get the ball before you can get a shot up. "Young bigs are like young quarterbacks. They come in and they underestimate the closing speed of NBA players." Samb, 23, has been playing basketball for only four years. He came to Barcelona when he was 19 in a package deal with his younger brother Mamadou Samb -- who in two years is expected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. When Barcelona came to sign Mamadou in Senegal, their mother, raising 21 kids, said the only way they could take him is if they signed his older brother. "I saw him (Cheikh) in Africa and I thought, 'This kid might have something,'" said Tony Ronzone, the Pistons director of operations and chief international scout. "His father died, but he was like 7-foot-3. Cheikh is 7-1 and might still be growing. He's still raw but he's getting better and better." The question for the Pistons will eventually be, would it be best to waste a roster spot on him this year or let him develop another year overseas and risk paying the buyout? "He's doing what we expect right now," said John Hammond, Pistons vice president of basketball. "I think it's workable. He's put on 20 pounds from last year at this time, but it's important for him to add strength and he knows that." Hammond said Samb needed to add both upper and lower body strength and Ronzone said the Barcelona team has a highly-regarded strength coach. "He's like the Arnie Kander of Spain," Ronzone said. "The Spanish League is like four times better than NCAA ball. Cheikh just wants to learn and get better. He knows he has to get better and he knows he will get better either here or over there." Samb played in a Tier-II level Spanish league last season and there is no guarantee he would make the Tier-I team in Barcelona this year -- something else for the Pistons to ponder. "He's going to be fine," Hammond said. "Look, a kid like this that has only been playing for four years, everything he's doing now is natural. He blocks shots naturally. He goes after the ball and rebounds naturally. He has a natural shooting motion. He just has to learn the nuances of the game, and that's why he's here." Piston enemy When the 27th pick rolled around, the Pistons had to pick between two players they liked equally. Turns out those two players were former high school teammates Arron Afflalo and Gabe Pruitt , who were watching the draft together. （活塞選了比較帥的那個 ^^） Pruitt was certain the Pistons were going to call his name. So was Afflalo, who didn't even work out for the Pistons. Imagine the shock when Afflalo got the call. The Pistons felt in the end that picking Pruitt and Rodney Stuckey would be redundant. "I thought it was going to be totally different," said Pruitt, drafted later by the Celtics. "I am happy where I am at, but that is something I will keep inside me whenever I play the Pistons. It'll make those games fun and it's something I can use as fuel to work that much harder." （Pruitt已經放話了 XDD 那小王子是不是也該對22支沒選他的球隊有同樣的心態） Pruitt, who played AAU ball with Amir Johnson , gave the Pistons a glimpse of what they passed on in the scrimmage Sunday. He keyed a 14-4 run at one point, scoring six points and distributing four assists. --

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