Pistons links: A new era could be here; Jodie Meeks' recovery; and it's showtime for Reggie Bullock

Pistons' last 3-0 start marked an end of an era -- Detroit Sports Nation

Tuesday officially marks the seven year anniversary of the Chauncey Billups trade. With this year's Pistons squad off to a hot start, standing at 3-0 for the first time since Billups was sent packing, have we finally emerged from the darkness? After head coach Stan Van Gundy all but wiped the slate clean, just three players remain from when he took over in 2014, there's suddenly a sense of organizational stability not felt since the Flip Saunders years. I know, it's still early, but it might finally be time to move into a new era of Pistons basketball.

It's been a long time coming.

3-Man Weave: Pistons for real? -- CBS Sports

Zach Harper thinks the Pistons can play:

Their starting lineup is shredding though. Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris, Ersan Ilyasova and Andre Drummond together are outscoring opponents by 23 points per 100 possessions in the first three games. They get them out to a fantastic start, maintain the lull when the bench sprinkles in, and then dominate the second half to keep control of the contest. The Pistons can play. We don't know if they can sustain an injury to a starter, but they can play.

Pistons' Jodie Meeks' road to recovery requires patience -- Detroit Free Press

Meeks was in good spirits Monday despite seeing his year interrupted by an injury for the second-straight season.

"I just talked to the doctor and he said the surgery went well," Meeks said. "If it had to have happened, it was good that it was a clean break and it is able to heal pretty fast, so we'll see what happens."

But feet injuries are common. Think Kevin Durant and Yao Ming.

"One is the pounding that they do on their feet," orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Drakos told the Free Press last week. "Playing 82-plus games a year on a hardwood floor and as a general rule these are big individuals so there is a lot of body weight. You can see six or 10 times your body weight in terms of forces on your feet pounding."

The time is now for Detroit Pistons' Reggie Bullock -- PistonPowered

Reggie Bullock will have a strong game tonight against Indiana -- I'm feeling at least three triples!

The opportunity does not come without some added pressure. There are no excuses anymore. Bullock is no longer a rookie on a roster full of veterans trying to win a championship like he was in LA. He can't claim that his coach never gave him a fair shot, because his shot is coming, and he has a coach that clearly believes in his abilities. The only factor that will dictate Bullock's playing time now is his play.

Whether Bullock can play in this league, we will soon find out.

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