Game Thread: Bucks/Pistons

Game Info: 6:30 in Detroit

Radio: 620 WTMJ is supposed to be carrying the game on the radio, and watch NBA.com for free audio streams.

Another game, another reunion with an old friend.  Three days after Ramon Sessions made his Minnesota debut against his former club, Charlie Villanueva was supposed to do the same for Detroit.  Alas, A. Sherrod Blakely from MLive.com reports he's expected to be a spectator tomorrow night due to a strained hammy. Joe Alexander is expected to miss out as well for the same reason.

Villanueva watched Detroit down Miami 87-83 at the Palace on Monday in their opener.  The Pistons' started Rodney Stuckey, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown, though the night's best efforts came from Will Bynum and Chris Wilcox off the bench.  Ben Gordon also came off the bench and scored 11 on just 2/9 shooting.  For more, check out Detroit Bad Boys and Motown String Music for more on the Pistons.

The Bucks meanwhile got it handed to them 117-103 by Minnesota on Sunday.  Ridnour, Redd, Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova and Bogut got the starting nod, though Hakim Warrick made a good case for the starting PF spot with a 24 point debut--in contrast to Ilyasova, who fouled out in 13 minutes.  The Bucks got owned inside by Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, but the bright side was the return of Redd and Bogut, who made it safely their first game action in about eight months.

What to watch for:

• I'd be thrilled if Bogut and Redd play well, but mostly I'm just happy to see them start to get their legs without suffering any setbacks.
• The starting forward spots are up for grabs, so the Warrick/Ilyasova and Mbah a Moute/Delfino competitions will be interesting to keep an eye on.
• Brandon Jennings faces a steep learning curve as he attempts to unseat Luke Ridnour as the starting point, so all in all his debut was fairly respectable.  At this point Ridnour's experience and predictability would seem to give him the edge in the short term.
• Scott Skiles was pretty blunt about Minnesota's domination on Sunday, so it'd be nice to turn the tables a bit.  The Bucks were also brutal last year in the preseason, but this year they can't blame everything on Skiles' new system.  We know they'll struggle to make shots, but how about conceding fewer than 56 free throws?  Thanks!