''He's the most creative guy we have on the team - instantly,'' said Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, after watching Arroyo score 13 points in 18 minutes in Detroit's 97-88 victory over the New York Knicks last Tuesday. ''This team needed another general on the floor, and he's a general when he's on the floor. I just think he's a perfect fit, and I am so happy to have him here.''

Arroyo is in the midst of his newest opportunity, joining the Pistons after falling out of favor in Utah, where he played 2 1/2 seasons for the Jazz.

Though he isn't a starter, Arroyo's positive influence can't be measured in a box score, Dumars said.

The Pistons' record since Arroyo arrived might have something to do with it. They have won seven straight and 12 of their last 13 and are 35-19 for the season.

The players are quick to mention Arroyo's speed and footwork, how he slashes and cuts up the court like a football tailback. The coaches rave about his passing, his knack for trying to make

everyone around him better.

''He's a natural point guard, simple as that,'' said Pistons assistant Gar Heard. ''He looks to make plays before he looks to shoot the ball.''

Acquired Jan. 21 in a trade that sent center Elden Campbell and a first-round draft pick to the Jazz, Arroyo is averaging 6.9 points and 4.1 assists (through Friday) since joining the Pistons. But besides providing backcourt depth behind Chauncey Billups, Arroyo has injected a much-needed dose of energy into the defending NBA champions, Dumars said.

Arroyo is finally feeling as good about himself as he did last summer, when he engineered one of the biggest upsets in Puerto Rican sports history at the Athens Olympics. Arroyo scored 24 points and had seven assists in a 92-73 victory over the United States in a preliminary round, giving the U.S. its first loss since professionals were added to the Olympics in 1992.

The son of a lawyer (father) and schoolteacher (mother), Arroyo and his fraternal twin, Alberto, began playing basketball in Fajardo at age 5. They were taught the basics by their father, who would instruct them before his adult-league pickup games.

Carlos, who described himself as more ''dedicated to his dream'' than his brother, went on to Florida International University, where he became the second player in school history to score more than 600 points in a season when he averaged 21.2 (17th in the nation) his senior year.

But when the 2001 NBA draft rolled around, Arroyo watched in disappointment. He had been sidelined with a broken foot just before a vital pre-draft camp in Chicago, he said, and ''I knew then that it would be hard for me to make it.''

Undrafted, Arroyo wasn't giving up. He contacted the Toronto Raptors and was impressive enough to be signed as a free agent in October 2001. But he got little playing time - averaging 5.6 minutes in 17 games - and was waived in January 2002.

Two months later, after a four-week stint in Spain, his NBA career began again, revived by a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets. Nineteen days later, they signed him for the rest for the season.

''Carlos kept proving he belonged in the league,'' said Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter. ''That was the most impressive thing, that his persistence kept paying off.''

When Arroyo signed a one-year contract with the Jazz in September 2002, he thought he had found his perfect match. After he averaged 12.6 points last season, the Jazz rewarded him with his first multiyear deal. And Arroyo finally had what he always wanted: stability.

It didn't last long.

By December, after the Olympics, Arroyo had fallen to fourth in coach Jerry Sloan's guard rotation.

''I don't think they got the best of me,'' Arroyo said, before adding, ''I don't think they let me give them the best of me.''

But Arroyo dismisses it all now.

''Nothing you can do about the past,'' he said.

Now Arroyo is in the midst of making the most of his two new beginnings, one professionally with the Pistons, the other with his family. His wife, Xiomara, is three months' pregnant with their first child. They live in Miami.

Arroyo is even getting used to his teammates' sense of humor - or what forward Ben Wallace calls ''our joking around.''

For instance, when Arroyo arrived at his locker after the victory over the Knicks, he looked surprised to find several reporters waiting for him. But he was more surprised - and a teensy bit embarrassed - when a smiling Billups began bellowing: ''Puerto Rican prince, right there!''

On the other side of the locker room, Wallace offered an observation about Arroyo's playmaking - a style that fans have surely noticed by now.

''You have to be really alert when he's out there; you never know when he's going to be passing you the ball,'' Wallace said. ''You might get caught up watching Carlos do his thing out there, and the next thing you know, you get it in the face.''