The Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets are playing live on the NBA preseason schedule for the rare morning matinee on Wednesday, as the newly-named team formerly called the Bobcats host at Time Warner Cable Arena at 11 am ET for an early game as Greg Monroe matches up with Lance Stephenson and the new-look team with coverage on NBA.com of the matchup.
The Pistons come into the game after losing their first game of the preseason to the Washington wizards and that was a close matchup by only two points. The team has Monroe coming back after signing a one year deal and he led the way with 10 rebounds, while Andre Drummond was tops with 21 points. Drummond and Monroe are the building blocks for this team and now more pressure is on them to perform, as Jodie Meeks will be out two months with an injury.
The team next matches up with the Magic on the road after playing against the Hornets and the Pistons are looking to get into a groove to start the season. Detroit was not a good team last year and with Stan Van Gundy taking over they have the chance to rebound this season. The team was ranked third in rebounding last season with Drummond and Monroe leading the way and both of those players are expected to continue their development this season.
The Pistons are hoping to keep Monroe after he hits the free agent market again, but they will have some competition from teams like the Knicks, Lakers and Celtics. The team will have to find a way to get Monroe the ball more and Josh Smith may end up with less playing time.
The Hornets come into the game after winning over the Magic and they will play against the Washington Wizards next on the schedule. The Bobcats made the playoffs last season and now the team is called the Hornets and they feel that after adding Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson the past two off seasons, they can compete in the east for a playoff spot. The team did not get a win as the Bobcats after getting swept by the Heat last season in the first round, but they feel they have a good foundation to build on with Kemba Walker.
The team ranked fourth in the NBA last season in point allowed per game and that was very impressive and now they have the chance to try and get back to the postseason. Meeks will be out for up to eight weeks with a back injury and he comes in after signing a three year deal with the Pistons after playing with the Lakers last year.
Check here for the live coverage for the Pistons and Hornets from NBA.com with score updates.