Pistons Links: Spurs oldsters get the better of the Pistons youngsters, team grades for midway point, and draft talk

‘Young Tony' helps Spurs beat back Pistons -- San Antonio Express News

Tony Parker was the dude on Tuesday night. He went anywhere he wanted and usually did not have a hand in his face when shooting. Part of Tony's magic is due to San Antonio's well oiled offense that has existed for the last 300 years, Detroit's less than focused effort Tuesday night, but overall it's due to Tony Parker being Tony Parker -- changing speeds and shifting his body poetically, lulling defenders to sleep (or lulling them to have concrete blocks for feet) with his methodical, concise dribbling and having so many different types of shots in his arsenal that it's impossible to count because I just can't count that high. And I can count really high, mind you.

Young Tony was joined by Younger Tim, Youngish Manu and a couple of other 30-somethings who would not let the Spurs lose.

It was the kind of night one might expect the Spurs' old guys to struggle, not star. They were playing less than 24 hours after winning in Brooklyn, having endured a travel night that kept everyone up past bedtime.

For 38-year-old Manu Ginobili, getting to sleep Tuesday morning wasn't difficult. He began snoring when his head hit the hotel pillow at 4 a.m., and didn't wake up until almost lunchtime.

"The problem with that is it messes with the nap afterwards," Ginobili said.

This, perhaps, is the height of Old Guy Problems.

Report Card Grades for Every NBA Team Entering Season's Midway Point -- BR

Full Pistons portion here. Hint, they don't receive any kind of A or C grade.

This isn't a particularly deep roster, and it still remains to be seen if Jackson and Drummond can maintain their torrid paces for an entire season without too much help surrounding them. But thus far, they've been enough for the Pistons to find themselves right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Who's No. 2 behind Ben Simmons in our latest NBA mock draft? -- Fox Sports

I haven't been keeping up with NCAA hoops this season save for the occasional Michigan Wolverines or Michigan State Spartans box score peek. I graduated from the former, but haven't been a good fan recently. Though as February draws near I will go all out and binge on YouTube with NCAA prospect videos and all the nerdy written analysis I can get my hands on. Then March Madness will happen and my production will go to the dogs even more. For now I'm not sure who a handful of these guys are.

Anyone remember Cheikh Samb? He got his start in the NBA with Detroit in 07-08 and was involved in a certain trade that wasn't kind for Detroit.

Anyway, thanks to Mr. Cheick Diallo for bringing up the Samb memories, although extremely vague they are.

19. Detroit Pistons: Cheick Diallo, freshman forward/center, Kansas. All energy. All heart. All sorts of running and bouncing all over the court. But very little basketball IQ ... yet. What Diallo is right now is a down-and-dirty shot blocker, defender and rebounder who coaches praise for his non-stop motor

I sure do know a few guys like Felder, Caris Levert, Denzel Valentine and Deyonta Davis. Nigel Hayes too.

25. Chicago Bulls: Kahlil Felder, junior point guard, Oakland. He might be a smaller version of Isiah Thomas - the Hall of Fame Piston, not the Isaiah Thomas of today's Celtics. Yes, 5-foot-9 height will always put him at a disadvantage, but I can't find a single thing about this kid's game that I don't love. He could end up leading all of college basketball in scoring and assists.

City Council joins All-Star push for Pistons' Drummond -- Detroit News

Council members declared Tuesday a "special day" in honor of the 22-year-old New York native before unveiling a mannequin dressed in a Drummond jersey. It will be on display in the City Hall lobby for the rest of the week.

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We are all getting older, every day, every second. It's not a bad thing. That's the lesson for today, obviously. Go out there and be happy about being old (er).