(SportsNetwork. Trent Brown Jersey .com) - Is it too late for the Detroit Pistons to throw a going away party for Josh Smith, who was surprisingly released by the team on Dec. 22. The Pistons were 5-23 at the time, but they have been one of the hottest teams in the league since they cut the 10-year veteran, winning nine of their next 10 games, including a seven-game winning streak following Smiths departure. Highlighting the run were road wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, with the victories over the Spurs and Mavericks coming in back-to-back games. Since the Pistons made that somewhat shocking move of dumping Smith, theyve seen massive jumps in the games of Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Heres a detailed look at how each of them fared while playing with Smith and since he was given his walking papers: BRANDON JENNINGS With Josh Smith / Without Josh Smith Games - 25 / 10 Minutes Per Game - 28.8 / 27.9 Points Per Game - 12.6 / 20.3 Field Goal Pct. - 36.8 / 46.9 3-PT FG Pct. - 32.7 / 42.1 Assists - 6.4 / 7.0 Turnovers - 2.3 / 1.7 Rebounds - 1.1 / 2.9 Steals - 0.96 / 1.4 GREG MONROE With Josh Smith / Without Josh Smith Games - 26 / 10 Minutes Per Game - 28.9 / 30.3 Points Per Game - 14.6 / 16.1 Field Goal Pct. - 48.1 / 50.4 Rebounds - 8.8 / 11.9 Assists - 1.6 / 2.3 Steals - 0.61 / 1.3 ANDRE DRUMMOND With Josh Smith / Without Josh Smith Games - 28 / 10 Minutes Per Game - 29.8 / 29.3 Points Per Game - 12.9 / 12.3 Field Goal Pct. - 48.2 / 54.5 Rebounds - 12.5 / 14.3 Steals / 0.92 / 1.6 During his tenure with the Pistons, Smith handled the ball a lot and often initiated the offense. As it turns out, that probably stunted the growth of Jennings as a point guard, as he now relishes the responsibility given to him by coach Stan Van Gundy to be the leader and to be held accountable. And the coach is obviously thrilled with the early results. Hes really been terrific here lately, Van Gundy said. He plays with great aggressiveness and great confidence, and sometimes youre (wincing) about some of his shots. Im not trying to put a leash on him, because hes playing great. Youve got to let those guys play. And hes playing as well as Ive seen him play since he came into the league. In a matter of three weeks, the Pistons have gone from a sure-fire lottery team to one that should be able to compete for a playoff spot with so many subpar teams in the Eastern Conference fighting for the lower seeds. And while the Pistons are on a roll, the two marquee teams in their division are struggling. LeBron James was back in the lineup on Tuesday night after missing eight games with back and knee injuries, but that didnt stop the Cavaliers from dropping their sixth straight game as they lost at the Phoenix Suns, 107-100. The Cavs were 1-7 during James absence and have lost nine of 10 overall to fall to 19-20. For those who dont check the standings on a daily basis, you might be shocked to find out that Cleveland is one game back of a Milwaukee Bucks team that won just 15 games last season and lost its standout rookie Jabari Parker for the season with a torn ACL on Dec. 15. With more than half the season still left, the clock hasnt run out on the Cavs righting the ship. But if we dont see a significant improvement over the next month, it would be hard to imagine theyll come close to living up to the preseason expectations. Keep in mind in James first season in Miami, the Heat stumbled to a 9-8 start, but quickly turned things around in a big way, and were 30-9 after their first 39 games. As for the division-leading Chicago Bulls, they dont have quite as many as concerns as the Cavs, but there have been some troubling signs lately. Over the past two weeks, Tom Thibodeaus team has suffered three embarrassing home losses. The Bulls dropped a 96-82 decision to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 30. The Utah Jazz won 97-77 on Jan. 7, and the Orlando Magic, minus Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier, went into Chicago on Monday and beat the Bulls, 121-114. You can make an excuse every night in this league if thats what you choose to do, whether its new players, the schedule, the start, whos out, whos in, an angry Thibodeau said after the loss to the Magic. Theres an excuse every night. You cant do that. We have to make good. Either youre in the circle or youre out of the circle. You want to be in? Lets go. You dont want to be in? Thats fine, too. Lets go. Thibodeau also should be concerned with the play of Derrick Rose, who hasnt come close to resembling the player he was prior to all his injuries. The Bulls point guard is averaging 17 points, 4.9 assists and 3.3 turnovers this season, and is shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and hitting 25.4 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers are a far cry from his MVP season in 2010-11, when he averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 3.4 turnovers, and shot 44.5 percent from the field and hit 33.2 percent of his 3s. Rose recently said the Bulls are good enough to win a championship this season, but I dont see that happening unless his play increases dramatically. Adrian Clayborn Jersey . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th, as Bayern bounced back from Wednesdays 1-0 loss at FC Basel in the Champions League. Adrian Clayborn Patriots Jersey . "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing. http://www.patriotsfootballfansonline.com/Black-Jason-McCourty-Patriots-Jersey.html?cat=1032 . Simon (10-3) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks in 6 1-3 innings to break a tie with the Dodgers Zack Greinke and Cardinals Adam Wainwright for the NL lead in victories. Simon went to spring training as a relief pitcher and moved into the starting rotation when Mat Latos was recovering from elbow and knee surgeries.TORONTO -- His family isnt too happy about it but former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva says he cant wait to return to the cage after a lengthy layoff from a gruesome leg injury. The 39-year-old Brazilian is due to make his comeback Jan. 31 against Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in Las Vegas. Silva (33-6) has not fought since breaking his leg last December in a fight against middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168. The Brazilian star collapsed in the cage after his leg essentially shattered when Weidman checked his kick. "Im just dying to return to the Octagon and do the thing that I most love in my life," Silva said Friday through an interpreter on a media conference call. His family doesnt share that view, however. "To tell you the truth, theyre not too happy but they respect my wish and now theyre coping with it," he added. Asked about their objections, Silva replied: "I dont think anybodys family would like to see their family going to war and with mine it wouldnt be different." Silva had surgery the night of the Weidman fight to stabilize his broken left leg, with a 40-centimetre-long rod inserted into the tibia below the knee. His fibula was also broken in what he called "a mere accident." Silva says the injured leg is at 95 per cent and improving, promising it will be 100 per cent when he makes his comeback against Diaz. The rod may came out at a later date. He said he never contemplated retirement in the aftermath of the injury. And he said there was no hesitation when it came to delivering his first kkick back in the gym. Danny Shelton Patriots Jersey. Silva said there are no limitations on his leg although he is not kicking as hard as he usually does. "Hes going to wait to kick hard at the day of the fight," said the interpreter. The 30-year-old Diaz (27-9-1) last fought in March 2013 when he lost a decision to then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Silva said he expects the fight with Diaz to be one of the best standup battles of the year. "Nick Diaz is a guy that walks forward. Hes got great boxing skills and hes going to come to fight. So the fans can expect a great fight." Asked whether he had sights set on regaining his 185-point title, Silva said his first priority was to see how he performs against Diaz. "Right now its not my priority but its not out of the question to fight for the title," said the Brazilian, who has seven fights left on his contract. Silva lost his title to Weidman at UFC 162 in July 2013. The second-round knockout ended a 17-fight winning streak that included 10 successful title defences. Silva was complimentary towards Weidman, calling him "a great champion." "Very talented. The guys for real," he said. In a conference call earlier this week, Diaz said he did not enjoy fighting and was a non-violent person. Its just something he had to do. Silva saw things a little differently, saying NASCAR drivers dont go out and burn rubber when they arent competing. "Its just a sport," he said of mixed martial arts. "Its a violent sport but it is what it is." White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '