PIMP THESE KICKS: Create custom shoes for the Detroit Pistons as they go to work on another championship

BY JOE GUY COLLIER
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

'Sheed needs a new pair of shoes.

Big Ben, Rip and the rest of the crew are going to work in the NBA Finals for the second straight year. This is your chance, Pistons fans, to design a pair of kicks worthy of the defending champs.

Use the outline provided on this page in any way you like -- color it in, paint it, plaster it, use it to make a 3-D sculpture. The hotter, the better.

Your custom kicks will be featured in an upcoming Free Press story, and the top three sneaker designers will be awarded $150 each to buy a new pair of shoes.

E-mail designs to features@freepress.com; "Kicks Contest" should appear in the subject field. All digital files must be in JPEG or PDF format; an electronic version (PDF) of the shoe outline is available at http://www.freep.com/pdf/2005/shoe_template.pdf.

Entries may also be mailed to the Detroit Free Press, c/o Kicks Contest, 600 W. Fort Street, Detroit 48226.

All design entries must include your name, complete address, daytime and evening phone numbers, and a snapshot of the shoe's designer. Entries must be received by 6 p.m. June 14.