Poll: Can The Pistons Make The Playoffs?
Addition by subtraction is an overused phrase in the sports world but sometimes it holds true. The Pistons were struggling during the first two months of the season, and the team decided that a change was necessary. Josh Smith signed a four-year, $54MM contract with the Pistons during the 2013 offseason but after playing just 105 games with the team, Detroit waived him.
At 5-23, the 2014/15 season seemed to be a good opportunity for Detroit to tank and end up with a valuable pick in the 2015 draft. However, the team responded by winning four straight games and its unified play has drawn comparisons to the Raptors of last season. Toronto traded Rudy Gay midseason and earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference with stellar play in the second half of the 2013/14 campaign. It’s early but the Pistons are only four games behind the Heat for the eighth seed and only four teams in the Eastern Conference have longer win streaks than Detroit’s current four game streak.
There remains a lot of uncertainty with this team. Although starting point guard Brandon Jennings has emerged as a leader since Smith’s departure, the 25-year-old is reportedly on the trade block. There have been rumors of Greg Monroe being dealt since he signed his qualifying offer, but the fifth-year forward would have to approve any trade since he essentially has a de-facto no-trade clause in his contract. After the shocking release of Smith, it’s clear that Stan Van Gundy isn’t shy about moving on from players whom he inherited from the previous regime.
Still, the Eastern Conference isn’t strong beyond its top five teams and to earn a lower seed, teams will most likely not even need a record above .500. The Pistons have the talent to compete with any contender for the eighth seed and 35 of their 49 remaining games are against Eastern Conference foes. Will Detroit keep up its current play and reach the postseason this year?
Will Detroit Make The Playoffs?
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Yes 53% (546)
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No 47% (482)
Total votes: 1,028
Pacific Notes: Green, Lakers, Clippers
Gerald Green would like to play more minutes but he understands the Suns‘ game plan, writes Paul Coro of The ArIzona Republic. “It’s frustrating at times, I’m not going to lie, because I’m a basketball player, but I know everybody has made sacrifices on this team,” Green said. “I just don’t want to be the only person who is pouting about it. Certain games aren’t going to be my game. Certain games aren’t going to be other people’s games. As long as we win with the main goal to make the playoffs, that’s all that matters.” Green entered Friday averaging 30.0 points per 48 minutes, which is the 13th highest scoring rate in the NBA. The seven-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and with his superb offense play, he may have offers from other teams with the promise of more playing time, although that is just my speculation.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers have assigned Jordan Clarkson and Tarik Black to their D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team announced via Twitter. The duo will play tonight against the Reno Bighorns.
- The Clippers have lost four out of their last eight games but with Spencer Hawes returning from injury, optimism surrounds the team, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “He adds a lot to our team,” said coach Doc Rivers. “It’s valuable for everybody to stay healthy, when you think about it. When he’s out, it obviously stretched us a little bit. We had to put lineups on the floor that we really didn’t want to put on.” The Clippers currently own the sixth seed in the conference with a record of 22-11.
- The Warriors sit atop the Western Conference with a record of 26-5 but it wasn’t too long ago that the team was considered a non-contender, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle discusses. Just three seasons ago, Golden State finished the year with only 23 wins and seemed destined for a long rebuild but the signing of Andre Iguodala, the shrewd drafting by front office executives and the progression of their stars, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, have propelled the team into the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
Central Notes: Blatt, Sanders, Cavs
There are some insiders around the league who believe that the Cavs‘ David Blatt is coaching for his job this month, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes. Amico opines that Blatt could be fired by mid-January if the team takes a nosedive without LeBron James in the lineup the next two weeks. Cleveland is also missing Anderson Varejao, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- With Larry Sanders out indefinitely for personal reasons, Zaza Pachulia says that the Bucks need to move on without him, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “It’s a very important time of the season, so we should concentrate on the team, to play the right way and win as many games as possible,” Pachulia said. “That’s our job and we’re going to continue to work hard. Whenver Larry comes … obviously his locker is still here …he’s going to address it. It’s up to him. But we know it’s a personal reason. That’s all we heard.“
- With speculation beginning to grow that Blatt is on the hot seat in Cleveland, Terry Pluto of The Northeast Ohio Media Group believes that adding a big man would do more to help the Cavs improve than bringing in a new coach would.
- Tristan Thompson is taking all the talk about the Cavs needing a rim protector to heart, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Thompson is determined to up his game and quell the criticisms of Cleveland’s interior defense, Haynes notes. “I know I can block shots and I’ve got to do it,” Thompson said. “That’s part of my job as a big. That’s one of the reasons I was drafted because I blocked three shots a game in college so I got to continue doing that in the NBA. So I was disappointed in myself that I wasn’t being called a rim protector. I just got to do my job.”
Jazz Set To Sign Elijah Millsap
5:15pm: Utah has a deal in the works with Millsap, according to Stein, while Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune also hears that Millsap will be joining the Jazz (Twitter links).
5:02pm: The Jazz are eyeing Elijah Millsap for a callup from the NBA D-League, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Millsap currently plays for the Bakersfield Jam, the Suns’ D-league affiliate. Utah would likely ink Millsap to a 10-day contract, which cannot occur until Monday, the first day that the league allows such arrangements, though that is just my speculation. This move would be in response to Patrick Christopher suffering a dislocated right kneecap Friday night. It isn’t yet known how long Christopher will be out, and he will have an MRI once the swelling goes down. Alec Burks is also lost for the season, making the Jazz thin in their backcourt.
Utah currently has the league-maximum 15 players on its roster, with 12 of those deals being fully guaranteed, so a corresponding roster move would need to be made in order for the team to ink Millsap. It is unclear whom the Jazz would release to clear space for the 6’6″, 27-year-old guard out of UAB. Potential candidates include Christopher, or Joe Ingles, since the deals for both players are non-guaranteed. Toure’ Murry has a partially guaranteed deal, but with the Jazz hurting for bodies in the backcourt, it would be surprising to see him waived.
Millsap, the younger brother of Atlanta’s Paul Millsap, has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game since going undrafted in 2010, but he did see action for the Bucks during the preseason this past fall. He spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors shortly before he went to camp with Milwaukee. In 19 games this season for Bakersfield, the younger Millsap is averaging 20.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. His slash line is .442/.339/.763.
Southeast Notes: Durant, Marble, Wizards
There has been much speculation already about Kevin Durant returning home to play for the Wizards when he becomes a free agent in 2016. Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, who is also a native of the Washington, D.C. area, said he spoke with Durant recently about the possibility of the Slim Reaper eventually donning a Wizards uniform, Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com reports. “I’ve talked to him about it, but I probably can’t tell you what he said,” Lawson said. “We talked about it. Everybody going home and playing for their respective cities. It would be cool, especially playing with the people you grew up with. I grew up with KD. It would be fun to play with them on one team.”
Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Lawson can also become a free agent in 2016, but the Wizards appear to be set at the point for years to come with John Wall, Standig notes. As for his own thoughts on returning home to play, Lawson said, “Now, playing away, it’s cool. I haven’t really thought about coming home to play. Think about it more during free agency, but I haven’t really thought about it. But being away, makes you want to come back even more sometimes.“
- Devyn Marble said that he approached his recent D-League assignment with the Erie BayHawks as an opportunity to regain his timing and confidence, John Denton of NBA.com writes. Marble ultimately thinks that the two-game stint will better prepare him to get back into the Magic‘s rotation this season, Denton adds. “It felt good and I had a lot of fun. I was able to play a lot of minutes and get some time that I hadn’t been getting,’’ said Marble. “I always look at everything as an opportunity and look at the positives. So I didn’t have a bad attitude at all while I was there. I wanted the opportunity to play and to work on my game and I was able to do that.’’
- The Heat organization’s ability to develop young big men and turn them into useful rotation pieces has dried up in recent years, but Hassan Whiteside‘s progress this season offers some hope for the future, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “I’m very pleased and encouraged by how much he has grown in the last five weeks since he’s been with us,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It has been a specific, detailed plan. He’s embraced the work.”
D-League Notes: Kuzmic, Johnson, Young
The D-League has become an integral part of the NBA’s process of developing younger players, as well as a source for locating hidden gems to bolster rosters during the course of the season. You can easily stay on top of which players are coming and going from the D-League all season by checking out our 2014/15 D-League Assignments, Recalls tracker, which is updated daily. You can also find this page anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.”
Here are the latest D-League moves:
- The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This will be Kuzmic’s third trip of the season to Santa Cruz.
- Toure’ Murry has been recalled by the Jazz from the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was his second assignment to Idaho this season, and in seven D-League games Murry has averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.
- The Celtics have assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, the team announced. This will be Young’s eighth trip of the season to the D-League.
- Nick Johnson has been assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ D-League affiliate, the team has announced (Twitter link). This will be Johnson’s second stint in the D-League of the season.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Bogdanovic, Sixers
Celtics coach Brad Stevens didn’t want to delve into Rajon Rondo‘s comments that he “hadn’t played defense in a couple of years,” prior to Friday night’s contest against the Mavs and his former player, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “I don’t know the context of the discussion, I don’t know the seriousness of his answer,” Stevens said. “So I don’t really have a reaction to that. He’s a really good player and I’m certainly not here right now to be critical or analytical of his comments to the media. Like everybody else, I’m excited for him that he has a great opportunity in Dallas.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- It is in the Knicks‘ best interest to shut Carmelo Anthony down for the remainder of the season, Filip Bondy of The New York Daily News opines. Since New York’s season is already lost, it makes little sense to risk chronic knee issues for ‘Melo, plus sitting its best player will aid the franchise in securing a higher draft pick, Bondy notes.
- The Sixers‘ Luc Mbah a Moute is much more than just a mentor for Joel Embiid; he’s quickly become the player that holds Philadelphia’s locker room together with his leadership, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- Nets rookie Bojan Bogdanovic has been an afterthought in coach Lionel Hollins‘ rotation the past month thanks to the strong play of Sergey Karasev, Roderick Boone of Newsday writes. “It’s not what Bogey’s [Bogdanovic] done, it’s what he’s not done,” Hollins said. “You’ve got to play and compete, and go out and play well, and Karasev has shown me a lot in practice. We were struggling, I gave him a shot and he played well. It’s also a product of Bogey just hitting a wall and just not being aggressive.“
- If Nerlens Noel projects as a center long term, it could throw a wrench into the Sixers‘ plans to pair him and Embiid together in their frontcourt, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. “Look at what a lot of teams do with their four men,” coach Brett Brown said. “They’re away from the basket. Most of the fours nowadays can almost shoot threes. If that’s your world, naturally you’re pulled away from the basket. That was Nerlens’ problem when we played him at four. He’s so used to just running to the rim, he’d lose Dirk Nowitzki, he’d lose perimeter people. It wasn’t natural for him. Maybe he can guard a five player [better]. I don’t know. I think it’s all a work in progress. But he really is a presence at the rim.“
Mavs Notes: Rondo, Ledo, Carlisle
Mavs coach Rick Carlisle believes that the Rajon Rondo trade was beneficial for both Boston and Dallas, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com relays. “The trade has been great for both teams,” Carlisle said. “Boston’s in a much stronger position moving forward. They’ve got three more assets to add to their collection, and they’ve got more draft picks and we’ve got an experienced point guard and we got a young player in Dwight Powell that we really like too. And you like trades to be good for both teams, and I really believe this one is and will continue to be as history unfolds.”
Here’s more out of Dallas:
- If the remainder of the Mavs’ season goes well, then Dallas will have the best shot at signing Rondo when he becomes a free agent this summer, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. The stiffest competition for the veteran point guard’s services will be from the Knicks and the Lakers, Deveney notes. Rondo’s preference would be to play for a winner, and the Mavericks are set up to contend for the next few years. “Depending on how things go from here, obviously, Dallas would get the first word,” a league source told Deveney.
- The Mavericks have assigned guard Ricky Ledo to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This will be Ledo’s seventh trek to the D-League this season.
- Rondo is now playing for a contender, to solidify his reputation, and to prove that he is worthy of a max contract when he hits free agency this summer, Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com writes. “This second half of the year is a very big one for Rajon,” Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “Dallas is getting a player who is very motivated to prove he’s a max guy.”
Western Notes: Kings, Wolves, Lakers
The Kings have quickly become a mess of a team since former coach Mike Malone was fired, Robert Windrem of Nets Daily writes. Sacramento’s problems include DeMarcus Cousins, who was reportedly upset with the dismissal of Malone, not playing up to par, especially on the defensive end, and the players finding out about Tyrone Corbin being signed as coach for the rest of the season from the media, which didn’t sit well with them at all, Windrem notes.
Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:
- The Wolves‘ 2013 draft night trade of Trey Burke for Shabazz Muhammad is beginning to pay off thanks to Muhammad’s marked improvement this season, Andy Greder of The Pioneer Press writes. “We’re talking a guy that has been inserted into the starting lineup and is becoming a guy that is a major factor in what we are trying to accomplish,” president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said.
- One of the Wolves‘ recent additions, Troy Daniels, is starting to pay dividends thanks to his deft outside touch, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. “He is going to have opportunities,” Saunders said. “He brings something that we lack, perimeter shooting, the ability to stretch the floor a little bit.”
- The main reason that the Lakers hired Byron Scott as their coach this past summer was because of his relationship with Kobe Bryant, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. Few other coaches would be have been able to get Bryant to agree to skipping practices, taking games off, and the minutes restriction that Kobe is currently under, Markazi adds.
Emeka Okafor To Delay Return Until 2015/16?
With numerous teams around the league seeking frontcourt help, the pool of available players may just get a tad thinner. Veteran center Emeka Okafor is giving strong consideration to delaying his comeback from a neck injury until next season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Stein’s sources say that Okafor, who missed the entire 2013/14 campaign after he suffered a herniated disk in his neck, could wait until this summer before inking a deal with a new team in order to give himself more time to continue strength and conditioning work.
According to Stein, numerous teams with a need for a rim protecting big man, including the Cavs, Mavs, and the Heat, have interest in signing Okafor if he decided to play this year. Prior to the season, nearly half of the teams in the league reportedly had interest in the services of the 32-year-old veteran out of Connecticut. Okafor had reportedly auditioned for the Clippers back in August, but the two sides did not reach a contract arrangement.
Okafor’s last action came during the 2012/13 season when he averaged 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per contest for the Wizards. Prior to the beginning of the 2013/14 season, the Wizards dealt Okafor to the Suns for Marcin Gortat. Both sides were aware that Okafor was likely to miss the entire season with his injury, but Phoenix was interested in Okafor’s expiring $14.5MM contract to use as a potential trade chip, though no deal involving Okafor ever came to fruition for the Suns.
In nine seasons, Okafor’s career numbers are 12.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. His career slash line is .512/.000/.584.