And then there were 13. The Pistons have cleared the three training camp additions of Jake Voskuhl, Brian Hamilton and Walker Russel Jr. With the preseason over and Detroit's regular season starting on the 26th, the official roster appears to be finalized.
Detroit will start the season with two open roster spots that aren't likely to be filled in the days ahead. Some teams prefer to keep an open roster spot for late season acquisitions or to facilitate trades, but in the short term, nothing is imminent for Detroit.
Voskuhl, Hamilton and Russel Jr., we hardly knew ye.
The question remains if Greg Monroe and the 37-year-old Ben Wallace can manage all 48 minutes at the center position. Jason Maxiell is likely to round out the rotation at center, but beyond Monroe, Detroit is quite weak in the middle. Prior to the season, Wallace was considering retirement, noting the fact that he will need more time between games to rest up. Maxiell is also troubling, as he is both undersized and a defensive liability at center. Now that Detroit is down to a 13-man roster without a newly acquired center, the hunt for such a player should intensify.