01-31-2007, 01:48 PM
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Flying commercial instead of on Roundball One, the Pistons' private jet, just wasn't the same for Amir Johnson.
"It was a real small plane," Johnson said. "I had to put magazines in front of my knees, in front of the chair, so my knees wouldn't hurt."
And Sioux Falls, S.D., didn't have much to offer Johnson outside of basketball.
"There's not too much to do out there, really," Johnson said. "Not really much except to stay in the hotel and chill, watch some movies. I went to the movies out there. That's about as much fun as I had, really."
But, as the Pistons' second-year forward would admit, his recent 12-day trip to the NBA Development League to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce wasn't that bad. Johnson talks as if he had a blast.
It's easy to understand why. Johnson was finally able to participate in an organized game, six total. The 19-year-old, who was drafted 56th overall in 2005 out of Westchester (Calif.) High, just wants to play. He has appeared in only seven Pistons games in two seasons.
"I was fine down there," said Johnson, who's listed as 6-feet-9, 210 pounds. "I actually asked Joe (Dumars) if I could go back down there if I don't play in a lot more games, just to keep my energy up, because I felt good coming back from the D-League to here in practices. Running down the floor, I felt real good. I have no problem going down there to play."
Dumars, the team president, didn't comment on whether Johnson will return to the D-League this season. But he said Johnson has tremendous upside.
"He is definitely a part of our long-term plans, and we see him as one of our core young guys going forward," Dumars wrote in an e-mail. "Amir is a great kid, and he works hard every day."
Johnson said he is fine that the Pistons are bringing him along slowly.
"I feel like it's a good idea," Johnson said. "I'm coming out of high school. Again, I'm skipping the whole college level. I have no problem with that. It's a learning process."
At least he gets to learn from some of the best: Rasheed Wallace, Nazr Mohammed, Dale Davis, Chris Webber and Antonio McDyess.
"He is young and learning every day," Dumars said. "But he also shows flashes of doing some really good stuff on the floor."
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