Baynes 'better' than expected in his Pistons debut

The Detroit Pistons received some good news Wednesday night, and it wasn't the 114-91 thumping of the Chicago Bulls that improved their preseason record to 2-3.

It was the debut of backup center Aron Baynes, who is recovering from off-season ankle surgery.

The Pistons took it easy with Baynes, who only played 13 minutes. But coach Stan Van Gundy was surprised at Baynes' effectiveness in scoring five points on 2-for-3 shooting. He added two rebounds.

"I actually thought he was better than I thought he was going to be," Van Gundy told pistons.com. "He hasn't played in so long. I thought he looked fine. Better than I expected."

The Pistons signed Baynes to a three-year, $20-million contract. He had spent his three previous NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, the Pistons' opponent at 4 p.m. Sunday, when they conclude a stretch of four straight road exhibitions.

"Dust the cobwebs off, as it were," Baynes said to pistons.com. "It's one of those things: The more you play, the more comfortable you get. The wind will come back, as well, so that will allow us to do even more than what you're capable of right now. Just getting out there and getting the reps up and down with the guys will be the biggest thing for me getting comfortable."

Another gem: It's beginning to look like swingman Reggie Bullock is putting a headlock on a roster spot.

He excelled in leading the Pistons with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting (3-of-4 from three-point range) on Wednesday. He scored nine points in the Pistons' decisive 15-0 run early in the fourth quarter.

Bullock is averaging 12.3 points and shooting 60% in three preseason appearances.

"He was great defensively and he made shots," Van Gundy said. "You couldn't have a much better preseason than what he's had."

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.