"Before it's all said and done, I think he will," Saunders said. "No one thought Larry Bird would get involved in anything. It's the ones a lot of times that you least expect, those are the ones that end up really jumping into it full force."

After a stormy season a year ago in which he was out of shape and often seemed disinterested, Wallace has taken his present job more seriously this season. Being around so many younger players has re-energized Wallace.

"Overall, he's been consistent," Saunders said. "He relishes the opportunity to play with the young players and kind of nurture them along. 'Coach Wallace' has done a pretty good job along those lines."

--Saunders has a 4-2 record in the past three seasons against the Timberwolves, whom he coached for 9 1/2 seasons. That includes a 2-1 record at Minnesota's Target Center. The Pistons play both halves of the two-game season series against the bumbling Timberwolves in the final month.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We tried some things we figured could be successful and they were. With 10 games left, you can't really move (up the standings) and there are not that many meaningful games. But a game like this is because of the way we lost to them last time and we could see this team in the playoffs." -- Point guard Chauncey Billups on beating the Cavs after losing by 16 in Cleveland earlier in March.