Chris Nelsen

Special to the Free Press

Reggie Jackson's status has been in limbo the past couple weeks.

But after Thursday's practice in Auburn Hills, Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy ended the speculation, saying his point guard will be shut down — officially — for the team's last four regular-season games.

The Pistons begin a road trip at Houston on Friday night, then travel to Memphis on Sunday.

"He won't play these last four," Van Gundy said. "The plan is to let him step away, clear his mind and go into the off-season without a bad taste in his mouth."

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Van Gundy left open a small possibility that Jackson could return. A small possibility.

"You never know," Van Gundy said, drawing a laugh from media members. "If you got injury stuff (to other players)."

Jackson, who missed the opening 21 games with left knee tendinitis, never returned to last year's form. Ish Smith replaced him in the starting lineup against Chicago on March 22, and Jackson was inactive two games later at New York. He hasn't played since.

"Reggie was struggling, and for good reason; a lot of stuff out of his control," Van Gundy said. "It was weighing on him and we thought, at that time, being fresh-minded would not only be good for him, but us being fresh-minded would help."

Smith, who sparked the Pistons to an 11-10 record without Jackson to begin the season, drew praise from his coach.

"Ish has had an outstanding year," Van Gundy said. "He's one of the guys you can really, really count on."

The Pistons (35-43), who sit No. 11 in the Eastern Conference, can be eliminated from playoff contention with Chicago and Indiana wins Thursday night.

"You think of everything you could have done," Van Gundy said. "We've got to really look at ourselves as a team. We just didn't show up (the past few weeks) and be competitive."

New biggest fan: Van Gundy wore a Georgetown sweatshirt to Thursday's practice, saying he's now the program's biggest fan. Former Hoyas and NBA great Patrick Ewing was named Georgetown's new head coach this week.

Van Gundy hired Ewing as an assistant when he coached the Orlando Magic.

"For five years, he had my back in Orlando and I had his back," Van Gundy said. "He's a team guy. He wasn't worried about anyone else. He didn't care if the media liked him. I think it's one of the reasons it's taken him so long to get a head job. He didn't care if opposing coaches or players liked him. He cared about him, how he played and people in his organization."

Van Gundy said Ewing's opportunity was long overdue.

"There's guys that come along that you really appreciate; there are very few like Patrick," Van Gundy said. "There's not five people walking the planet that I have more respect for than Patrick Ewing. He's got the whole package. I'm all in on Patrick Ewing. I didn't give a crap about Georgetown, one way or another, until two days ago. Now, it's a team I'll follow every single game."

More minutes: Van Gundy plans to get his reserves more playing time in the final four games, most notably Henry Ellenson and Boban Marjanovic. Michael Gbinije also could see more minutes, although he's sick and was not expected to travel to Houston.

"I want to see those guys operate with our (regular) guys," Van Gundy said. "I don't want to just throw those guys out there as a group 36 minutes a night. We will try to work our rotation so they're out there with those other guys and see how they fit into the picture."

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