Return of Chucky

The chain of events that led to the Pistons winning the 2004 NBA title and challenging for the next several was put in motion on July 4, 2000, less than a month after Joe Dumars assumed the presidency. That’s when Grant Hill agreed to a free-agent deal with Orlando, which resulted in Joe D negotiating a sign-and-trade with the Magic that brought Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins to Detroit.

With Monday’s confirmation that Atkins is joining the Pistons for the start of training camp on Tuesday, on the heels of Ben Wallace returning as a free agent, the Pistons have now come full circle.

Atkins and Maceo Baston, an NBA veteran who played at Michigan, are both coming to camp with non-guaranteed deals and probably face long odds to crack the opening night roster. Dumars has said that he expects to open the season with a 14-man roster unless someone’s play convinces him otherwise.

Atkins, who spent an injury-plagued season with Denver last year, didn’t get to stay around long enough to celebrate the 2004 title with the Pistons. He was part of the package Dumars assembled to pry Rasheed Wallace away from Atlanta in a three-team deal just hours before the trade deadline.

Media day will be held later this afternoon at the Pistons’ practice facility. We’ll have coverage later tonight and throughout camp on Pistons.com as John Kuester and eight new faces start practicing at 10 a.m. Tuesday.