The Pistons have a dilemma with 17 players signed to fully guaranteed contracts and only 15 regular season roster spots available, as I examined Wednesday, and the situation would appear to make it especially challenging for Adonis Thomas to stick for opening night. The free agent signee is the only player on the team without a full guarantee, with only $60K promised to him. Still, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy assured him he’ll have a shot, as MLive’s David Mayo chronicles.
“The day I signed my contract, he told me, ‘Hey, I know you’re looking at the roster, at 17 guaranteed guys, and you’re the only non-guaranteed guy or partially guaranteed guy.'” Thomas said. “He said that anything can change. He said, ‘We’re looking to make some changes soon. We’re not really focused in on who’s on the roster right now. We’re going to let go of maybe some guaranteed guys, or we’re making some changes soon, or trades could be made.'”
Indeed, the Pistons will have to make a trade before opening night or use the stretch provision no later than this coming Monday to avoid eating two full guarantees this season, or three if they want to keep Thomas. There’s more on Thomas amid the latest from the Motor City:
- The Pistons starting thinking of signing Thomas late last season, when he was playing for their D-League affiliate, Mayo writes in the same piece. “I think them having a D-League team is going to be something special,” Thomas said to Mayo. “It’s a great chance to develop guys. And I can even speak for myself, being able to be in the system, being able to be ready, you can be on call at any time.”
- Brandon Jennings, whose health looms over Detroit’s roster decisions, said he’s unsure if he’ll be recovered from his torn Achilles tendon in time for the start of training camp, adding that he doesn’t envision returning to his usual level of play until December at the earliest. The point guard made his comments on The Point Game Podcast with Vincent Goodwill and Jabari Young of Comcast Sports Net, as Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press transcribes. A report from July said that Jennings expected to be ready for camp, so it appears his thinking has changed.
- Jennings also told Goodwill and Young that he’d accept a backup role behind Reggie Jackson. “Bringing in Reggie Jackson was smart,” said Jennings, who’s set for free agency after the season. “I’m supposed to be out, really, for nine months, and they need a point guard. … My main thing is just to get healthy. Hey, if I have to come off the bench and be the sixth man or whatever, I’m fine with that. Man, I just want to play basketball again. I just want to get back on the court and have fun.”
Like the direction Pistons are going, but man does SVG have (will have) a lot of dead money on the books. Hope he doesn’t keep doing that.
I think their lineup will be
1. Reggie, Blake, Dinwiddie
2. KCP, Meeks, Jennings,
3. Morris, Stan Johnson, Bullock, Hillard
4. Ersan, Tolliver
5. Drummond, Baynes, Joel Anthony
Bullock is intriguing bc team option and young, Hillard and Dinwiddie both drafted #38 past two drafts by SVG. If anyone is gone I would say one of those two guys.
Dead—
Josh Smith (14mil this and next year)
Aaron Gray (1.3mil)
Cartier Martin (1.2mil)
Danny Granger (2.1)
While it’s true that you don’t want to accumulate too much dead money, cutting ties with Josh Smith was worth it for the Pistons. His continued presence would have impeded the rebuilding process.
Yea I realize that but I was just saying hopefully it’s not a trend of rash decisions and then releasing. Other than clippers off the top of my head, can think of many teams eating more than 2 guaranteed contracts per season