Pistons lose Reid to Achilles surgery

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the NBA's Detroit Pistons Tuesday said veteran backup power forward Don Reid has undergone successful surgery on his ruptured right Achilles tendon and will be lost for the 2002-03 season.

The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Robert Teitge at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit. The seven-year NBA veteran is expected to be in a cast for six weeks, then will begin the post-op rehabilitation process,

Reid suffered the injury in the second quarter of Sunday night's preseason contest against the Miami Heat in Tampa.

"Everybody in this locker room knows how big a loss this is," said guard Michael Curry after that contest. "There's nobody, no fan, no media person, no nobody that knows how valuable Don was for our team. Whenever the energy is low, he's the guy who comes in and picks us up. He's a great teammate, and we're going to pull for him to get healthy."

"It's really a shame," said team president Joe Dumars. "He had been playing as well as he's played in a couple of years."

"It appeared that Don was going to be a key player for us this season," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "He wasn't going to start or be in the regular rotation, but we were going to depend on him for his physical play and energy."

In five preseason games, the 6-8 Reid averaged 1.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest. He has been acquired from Denver along with Mengke Bateer and a future first-round draft choice in exchange for Rodney White on Oct. 1, 2002.