No one felt like yelling, "Hail! Hail!" but the gang was all here as training camp began.

Although they lost their sacred cow status months ago, the Pistons' core group remains whole as they take one last shot at a championship.

"We look the same," said point guard Chauncey Billups, one of several prominent Pistons whose name was floated in trade rumors that were never fulfilled this summer. "I think we'll probably play a little different but we look the same."

President of basketball operations Joe Dumars ripped his players shortly after last season for not having the same hunger as Boston during the Eastern Conference finals and strongly suggested big changes were coming. His "no sacred cows" proclamation put all of his stars on notice.

Now, the Pistons have to prove they can take the next step with virtually the same pieces.

"That's good," center Rasheed Wallace said. "That keeps it going. We've been to the mountaintop with this core group, and it's just good to know Joe has the confidence that we can get back there."

Actually, Dumars' confidence in his core group wavered, but he ultimately decided there wasn't a good deal to be made. That might have left some bruised egos, though his regulars shrugged off the fact they were on the trading block.

"I wasn't worried at all," said Wallace, who reported to camp in his "playoff weight" of approximately 260 pounds. "I'm not saying that I knew he wasn't going to trade me, but if it happens, it happens. I've been in this business long enough to know things like that can happen. You've just got to go to the next city and keep on playing."

There are some differences, mostly notable at the top. They have new leadership in Michael Curry, who has replaced Flip Saunders as head coach. Curry is emphasizing more individual instruction, conditioning with highly regarded strength coach Arnie Kander and intense five-on-five drills.

"It's definitely a good change to me at the helm," Curry said. "Everyone's hungry, especially the younger guys. Just playing with them since the beginning of August up here in the practice facility, I've seen the hunger in a lot of the guys' eyes, and that's always good to have."

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