There's Something In the Water In Detroit ...

... and trainer Arnie Kander put it there. From the Detroit Free Press:

He and assistant Dave Boyer balance the pH levels of each player's water using alkaline drops. On the road, they forgo tap water and buy bulk supplies of their favored bottled water at grocery stores, then they pH balance it at the hotel before the game.

Sometimes, Kander even uses a machine to change the angles of the bonds in the water molecules.

"Ask anyone who has drank the right water," he said, "the right bond angle, the right temperature, the right alkalinity, and they'll say they can't go back."

Does it actually make a difference? Sure, why not? I mean, at the very worst, the psychological effect of thinking it helps has to count for something. But I wouldn't it past Kander for being onto something real.

As I mentioned last week, Kander has been credited for turning around Chris Webber's season, and he's probably one of the biggest reasons why the Pistons have enjoyed such success keeping their top players on the floor -- last year the team set the NBA record for most consecutive starts by the same starting five (67). A few players have been nicked up here and there this season, but over the last several years they've managed to avoid any type of catastrophic injury that seems to hit most teams sooner or later.

As his profile in the Free Press explains, Kander's background stems from a natural curiosity in how the body works -- as a high school athlete, he turned to taking ballet classes because a coach suggested it might help him jump higher. Over the years, he's become an expert in analyzing a player's movement and tweaking mechanics to reduce stress and the chance of injury. Just ask Webber, or better yet, ask Antonio McDyess, who was relegated to the NBA's scrapheap after a seemingly never-ending series of knee injuries before signing with the Pistons and emerging as one of the league's most productive sixth men.

Kander's unsual methods are almost entirely based upon natural, homeopathic solutions he's developed over the years. He's being tested right now with several key members of the team suffering from the flu -- Flip Murray battled a fever last before the last game, Rip Hamilton and Chris Webber missed it altogether and Dale Davis missed practice today due to illness -- but it'll be a surprise if he can't get at least a couple of those guys ready to play by tip-off tomorrow in Chicago.