Top Bloggers: Braden Shackelford On The Pistons
Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow.
Today’s interview is with Braden Shackelford of Fansided’s Piston Powered, where he serves as editor. You can follow Braden on Twitter @Shack_attack03, and click here to check out his stories.
Hoops Rumors: Brandon Jennings isn’t expected back from his torn left Achilles tendon until mid-to-late December. Right now, Detroit sees Jennings as a strong sixth man when he returns, but one has to imagine that they’ll be listening to trade offers if he looks sharp. Do you envision the Pistons trading Jennings before the trade deadline?
Braden Shackelford: Jennings has actually said he likes Detroit and willing to accept a role off the bench. Then again, he is in a contract year and coming off of a serious injury, so what else can he say? If Jennings comes back strong, I fully expect the Pistons to explore offers for him. But, if he’s healthy, why not see if he’s willing to return as a long-term sixth man too? At the right price, Jennings would be a great sixth man in Van Gundy’s offense.
Hoops Rumors: Greg Monroe says that he simply wasn’t wanted back in Detroit. Do you think the Pistons should have made a better effort to retain him?
Braden Shackelford: Yes, the Pistons should have tried, but I’m not sure it would have mattered. Even if the Pistons decided to offer Monroe a contract, I doubt he’d accept. As a free agent he can choose who he plays for. Why sign with Detroit knowing that there’s a good chance you could be flipped at any time? Sure the money was a little better if he signed with the Pistons, but Monroe said it’s not about the money.
Monroe was a bad fit next to Drummond, but the Pistons could’ve flipped Monroe later on for a piece that did fit the nucleus of the team. The argument for not pursuing Monroe is that money would’ve been tied up, hindering the pursuit of other free agents. Of course, the Pistons swung and missed on all of their free agent targets early, so it wouldn’t have been a huge deal.
Hoops Rumors: After giving Reggie Jackson a hefty $80MM deal, it’s clear that the Pistons think very highly of him. Exactly how good is Reggie Jackson and where do you think he’ll rank amongst the league’s top point guards after this season is through?
Braden Shackelford: Statistically, Jackson has a very good chance of finishing as a top ten point guard. In 27 games under Van Gundy he averaged [17.6 PPG and 9.2 APG] and it’s not far fetched to think he can do the same this season. He’s also reportedly been working on the mechanics on his jump shot, which is his most glaring flaw. I think Jackson has a very good chance at making the All-Star team this season, but it remains to be seen just how high his ceiling is.
Hoops Rumors: Speaking of big contracts, the Pistons gave Aron Baynes a three-year, $20MM deal that includes a player option after year two. Many consider that deal to be an overpay. Where do you stand on that?
Braden Shackelford: I would say that it wasn’t a great deal, but not because of the salary, but rather the terms of the contract. $20MM over three years with a rising salary cap isn’t overspending – it’s the player option on the deal that makes this a reach. If Baynes doesn’t live up to the salary he will opt-in and play an extra season at a salary he isn’t worth. If he outperforms his contract, he will opt-out and get more money in free agency. His contract puts the Pistons in a lose-lose situation.
Hoops Rumors: Now that you’ve had a few months to watch summer league action and digest things, how do you feel about the Pistons’ decision to draft Stanley Johnson over Justise Winslow?
Braden Shackelford: I love the pick. The Pistons would’ve been happy with either player, but Johnson’s personality – tough, confident, competitive, hardworking – really embodies the city of Detroit. He felt underappreciated, falling all the way to the eighth pick and he’s on a mission to prove he’s the best player in the draft. I don’t know that he’s the best player in the draft, but he has a chance to make a tremendous impact in his first season. I expect him to be in the Rookie of the Year discussion all season long.
Hoops Rumors: Do you think Markieff Morris will end up in Detroit this year? If so, what do you think the Pistons would have to give up?
Braden Shackelford: I don’t think it would take a [big] package of players to land Markieff Morris. He’s a really good player, but his attitude brings his value down. We answered this question in-depth on PistonPowered and came to the conclusion that the risks far outweighed the reward. There are a number of factors to consider here, but one thing that tipped the scales was that Marcus Morris said he wanted to grow as a player, something he felt he couldn’t do playing next to Markieff. The Pistons like what they have in Marcus and getting away from his often troubled brother is probably the best thing for him.
Cavs, Tristan Thompson Still $14MM Apart
There’s still a $14MM gap between the Cavs and Tristan Thompson as the start of training camp nears, sources tell ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst. The Cavs have held firm with their offer of $80MM over five years while Thompson’s camp wants a max deal worth $94MM over the same span, according to Windhorst’s sources. Talks have been stagnant since early July, he adds, and there isn’t much optimism on either side.
If no deal is reached by the end of the week, Thompson may sign the Cavs’ one-year qualifying offer of nearly $6.8MM to become an unrestricted free agent next year. His agent, Rich Paul, recently claimed that if Thompson will not re-sign with the Cavs long-term in 2016 if he signs that offer. Paul also has reportedly heard from three NBA teams that are willing to offer his client a max salary next summer if he hits unrestricted free agency. The agent reportedly believes he can get a max deal from the Raptors for Thompson, a Toronto native, but it’s unclear if they are one of the three.
Windhorst writes that Thompson’s camp is very aware that Cavs big men Kevin Love (shoulder), Anderson Varejao (Achilles) and Timofey Mozgov (knee) are all coming into training camp after surgeries. That additional leverage has only strengthened Thompson’s resolve to stand by his desire for a max deal.
The value of Thompson’s qualifying offer is nearly $10MM less than what he would make on the starting salary of a max deal, but the power forward could nonetheless benefit financially from taking the qualifying offer if max offers from other teams are indeed waiting for him next year. Max salaries go up in accordance with the salary cap, and with the cap set to spike for 2016/17, next summer’s projected maximum for a player with Thompson’s experience is $20.4MM. With 4.5% raises over a four-year contract, the best terms he could get if he doesn’t re-sign with Cleveland, a max deal with a new team next summer would be worth a total of $87.108MM, based on that $20.4MM starting salary projection. Combined with the qualifying offer, Thompson would make almost as much going that route as he would signing a five-year max with Cleveland this year.
Recently, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron looked at different contract scenarios for the former No. 4 overall pick. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer told Hoops Rumors earlier this month that there was little communication between the two sides and he also cited a ~$14MM schism in proposals.
Warriors To Sign Tony Mitchell
The Warriors have agreed to sign forward Tony Mitchell, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The forward was a former No. 37 overall pick of the Pistons in 2013. Agent Brian Elfus of Impact has confirmed the deal, Charania adds.
Mitchell was one of the top players coming out of high school in 2010, but academic issues cost him his true freshman season in 2010/11. As a redshirt freshman, he put up 14.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 3.0 blocks per game for North Texas, leading him to consider entering the draft. He wound up staying one more season with the Mean Green before finally going pro and becoming a second-round draft choice of Detroit.
Despite his tremendous athleticism, Mitchell has yet to make his mark at the NBA level. In 2013/14, the forward saw just 3.8 minutes per game for the Pistons with averages of 1.0 PPG and 1.2 RPG. This past season, Mitchell did not see a single second of NBA action as Pistons coach/exec Stan Van Gundy kept him in the D-League for seasoning to start the year. A late December trade sent Mitchell to the Suns, but he dropped from the roster early on in the New Year. In February, Mitchell signed on with a Puerto Rican club when there was ostensibly little or no NBA interest.
Cavaliers To Sign D.J. Stephens
High-flying swingman D.J. Stephens has agreed to a training camp deal with the Cavaliers, a league source tells Hoops Rumors. Stephens appeared in three contests for the Bucks while on a 10-day contract in 2013/14 and he’ll now look to get back to NBA action with Cleveland in 2015/16.
Last fall, Stephens inked a non-guaranteed minimum-salary camp deal with the Pelicans and was among the team’s final cuts about a week before Halloween. In December, the Keith Kreiter client signed on with Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg, where he enjoyed a starting role. In 31 games (28 starts) between the VTB United League and Eurocup play, the 24-year-old averaged 7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 57.7% from the floor in 22.7 minutes per game. The defensive specialist also tallied 21 steals and 26 blocks over the course of 31 appearances last year.
Stephens went undrafted out of the University of Memphis in 2013, even though his 46-inch vertical leap at the draft combine set an all-time record that still stands, as DraftExpress shows. He never averaged double figures in points during his four years at Memphis, but he used his athleticism on the other end of the floor, winning the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award in his senior season. In 2013/14, the strong defender played in 25 combined games with Ilisiakos BC of Greece and Anadolu Efes of Turkey and averaged 8.4 PPG and 7.0 RPG in 23.8 MPG.
Hoops Links: Turner, Mudiay, Davis
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown…
- Hooptrends.com caught up with Pacers rookie Myles Turner for a Q&A.
- The Sports Quotient examined five non-lottery rookies who should shine.
- The Love Of Hoops produced a piece on players with the best bargain contracts in 2015.
- Real Ball Insiders discussed if Emmanuel Mudiay can bring relevancy back to Denver.
- Thebirdwrites.com discussed Anthony Davis‘ improvement on defense.
- Slcdunk.com looked into the Jazz‘s strategic advantage.
- Raptorshq.com caught up with DeMarre Carroll.
Please send submissions to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Deal Between Rockets, Chuck Hayes Falls Apart
11:18am: Andrews expressed surprise at how the deal came undone, Berman also tweets. The Rockets are one of the teams that wants Hayes in a non-playing capacity, as Andrews reveals to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
“I think when we came up with the agreement, after that point, they had some other activity, the Ty Lawson trade, the Jason Terry signing,” Andrews said. “That put Chuck in a precarious situation. The result of that squeezed him out of the equation. They had some cap stuff they were concerned with. We didn’t get into a lot of details. It’s a tough situation. It’s very disappointing. This is the business. These things happen. I commend them for telling us now as opposed to dragging us through camp. We’ll explore if there are other teams interested. He wants to continue to play. There’s multiple teams that want him to join his staff, including the Rockets, if that’s what he wants to do. He wants to continue to play.”
10:59am: The dissolution of the agreement appears to have rankled the Hayes camp, as comments Andrews made to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston indicate (Twitter link). “We are extremely upset and disappointed. We know this is a business,” Andrews said.
AUGUST 27TH, 10:46am: The center won’t be signing with the Rockets after all, agent Calvin Andrews tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Andrews cited “limited roster flexibility” and “other financial considerations,” a hint that the unraveling of the deal had to do with the dilemma the Rockets face with No. 32 overall pick Montrezl Harrell. Hayes, 32, has received multiple offers for coaching and front office positions, and while he has interest in going that route eventually, he remains focused on continuing his playing career for now, Andrews said.
JULY 30TH, 11:33am: Hayes’ deal includes a partial guarantee, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
JULY 29TH, 9:18pm: The Rockets have agreed to terms with free agent center Chuck Hayes on a contract, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It’ll be a one-year veteran’s minimum deal.
The 10-year veteran big man played his first six NBA seasons with Houston, and GM Daryl Morey has shown a fondness for reunions with his former players. The market for the 32-year-old was been quiet this month after coming off a season of career lows – Hayes averaged just 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game across 29 appearances. He was a starter his last two seasons in Houston.
Hayes made nearly $5.959MM in 2014/15, so he’ll be taking a significant pay cut this season.
And-Ones: Euroleague, Aldridge, Huertas
For the first time on North American soil, two Euroleague powerhouses will go head to head when Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv and three-time European champs EA7 Emporio Armani Milan meet this fall. As Maccabi announced recently, the two squads will play at Chicago’s United Center on October 1st before heading to Madison Square Garden on October 4th.
Adding some intrigue to the games, Hoops Rumors has learned that it is very likely that Dragan Bender, whom Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress projects as a top-five pick in the 2016 draft, will be making the trip to the U.S. The Croatian star, who is signed to Adidas, did not take center stage at the Nike-run U19 World Championship games in June, but he’ll now get his chance to shine in NBA territory. Bender, who doesn’t turn 18 until November, has been wowing scouts for a long time with his play for Maccabi’s junior squad.
Euroleague teams have played exhibition games against NBA clubs in the past, but American fans will now be treated to one of Europe’s premier basketball rivalries. In 2014, Maccabi downed Milan in a playoff series to advance to the Final Four and eventually win the Euroleague title. In 1987 and 1988, Milan beat Maccabi in back-to-back championship games that featured legends such as Bob McAdoo and Mike D’Antoni, among others.
Here’s more NBA-related news:
- The key to perhaps the most significant free agent coup of the summer was Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka, who “got the deal done” between LaMarcus Aldridge and the team, Aldridge tells USA Today’s Sam Amick. Udoka, a long-ago teammate of Aldridge’s with the Trail Blazers, took a flight with the power forward after San Antonio’s pitch meeting and cleared some of the doubts in his mind as he weighed the Spurs against signing with the Suns. “Everybody was making this big fuss about how I’m not going to be able to take shots anymore, or be the scorer that I am, and he was just telling me, ‘We need a guy to score down there. Tim [Duncan] is older, and we need a guy to command a double team down there,’” Aldridge said in part. “So I was like, ‘Maybe I’m not a Spur, because I’ve been averaging 23 [points per game] for the last three to four years, and maybe I don’t fit into y’all’s system of let’s all average 17 [points per game].’ And he was like, ‘No, we’re not trying to change who you are and make you average 16 or 17. We want you to be you, because you’re going to help us be better and vice versa.’ He kind of reaffirmed that they didn’t want to change me, and that who I am is OK.”
- Point guard Marcelo Huertas, who had planned a jump to the NBA this season and had been expected to draw significant interest, has instead agreed to sign with Galatasaray of Turkey, according to the team (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi). Agent Gerard Darnes late last month denied reports that Huertas had a deal with the team at that point, though it appears that’s now the case.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hoops Links: Heat, Saunders, Barnes
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown…
- Shaw Sports says the Heat are looking dangerous.
- The Sports Quotient is concerned about Flip Saunders.
- The Love Of Hoops discussed four players with options.
- Real Ball Insiders ran down possible break out players, including Harrison Barnes.
- Pounding The Rock likes the Spurs’ flexibility.
- Clips Nation wonders if Jose Calderon could be a fit for the Clippers.
- Indy Corn Rows says the Pacers should deal for Markieff Morris.
- Bullets Forever is ready for Tomas Satoransky.
Please send submissions to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Links: Jazz, Randle, Nets, Spurs
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown…
- Hoop Trends gave us their all-time starting five for the Jazz.
- Lakers Outsiders wonders where Julius Randle‘s ceiling is.
- The Brooklyn Game sees big things for Bojan Bogdanovic.
- The Sports Quotient says Kyle Anderson will become a star for the Spurs.
- Queen City Hoops broke down the Hornets‘ 2015-16 schedule.
- NBA Press Break looked at the Eastern Conference’s contenders.
- Swarm And Sting pondered Frank Kaminsky‘s role this season.
- Raptors HQ considered a deal for Markieff Morris.
- Welcome To Loud City discussed Kevin Durant‘s foot procedure.
- House Of Houston wonders what’s next for James Harden.
Please send submissions to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Hoops Links: Lakers, Schröder, Raptors
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown…
- Lakers Outsiders pondered whom L.A. should add to the roster.
- 3 and D says Dennis Schröder is the Hawks’ key to success.
- NBA Press Break says James Johnson should start at the 4 for the Raptors.
- Trade Street Post wonders how everyone will get along in Charlotte.
- Hoop Trends discussed the Celtics’ depth.
- Nets Daily looked at the agents who represent players in BK.
- Swarm and Sting wonders who’s getting cut in Charlotte.
- Baseline Buzz pitted Jeremy Lin against Kemba Walker.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.