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Free Agent Stock Watch 2018: Detroit Pistons

April 10th, 2018 at 6:00pm CST by Austin Kent

The Pistons made it clear with their midseason blockbuster that they’re interested in competing in the Eastern Conference right away. While we won’t truly know the outcome of the Blake Griffin trade until the roster logs a full, reasonably healthy season together, there’s no denying that the franchise is committed to this core for better or worse.

With over $117MM already on the books for 2018/19, president Stan Van Gundy and general manager Jeff Bower have little room to get cute in free agency this summer. For that reason, the Pistons will have to rely primarily on in-house upgrades, and any reinforcements that do come from elsewhere will need to be modest.

James Ennis, SF, 28 (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $6MM deal in 2016
The Pistons brought Ennis aboard in one of their deadline-day deals, seemingly desperate to pad their core with solid veterans. While Ennis is typically a glue guy, capable of knocking down shots and contributing defensively, it’s hard to imagine that he showed enough during his half-season in Detroit to justify a raise — or even a similar contract to his current deal. The Pistons could benefit from having Ennis’ toughness on the perimeter as they look to establish themselves in the East, but they could probably seek out that skill-set on the cheap if they want to trim their overall payroll.

Jameer Nelson, PG, 36 (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2017
One can’t fault Van Gundy for turning to a former pupil to help his current team take the next step, but the acquisition of Nelson has to be considered – by and large – a disappointment. The veteran point guard only played seven games during his time with the Pistons and was usurped on the depth chart by Dwight Buycks. With Reggie Jackson back in the fold for 2018/19, the team will already have three relatively capable options at the point, leaving little room for Nelson.

Anthony Tolliver, PF, 32 (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $3MM deal in 2017
It was a disappointing season for the Pistons, but one consistent presence that helped provide stability as the club dealt with injuries and personnel turnover was Tolliver. Fresh off the second-highest scoring year of his 10-year career, Tolliver will be an intriguing free agency option for contenders looking to add veteran leadership. He stepped up in 2017/18, showing that he’s more than just a solid locker-room presence, shooting 43.3% from beyond the arc while registering an offensive rating of 125. If the Pistons truly plan on breaking into the postseason picture next season, they’d be wise to bring the 32-year-old combo forward back, since he can fit into whatever role or position the team needs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons Owner Still Mulling Van Gundy’s Status

April 9th, 2018 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons owner Tom Gores is still undecided whether he’ll retain coach and team president Stan Van Gundy for the final year of his contract, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports.

Gores met with the media during the team’s home finale on Monday night. The team has failed to make the playoffs in three of four seasons with Van Gundy running the show. Gores reiterated he would make the final decision after a postseason meeting with Van Gundy.

“We’re going to meet next week and discuss what’s going on. At the same time, he’s dedicated the last four years and Stan and I are partners,” Gores told Beard and other media members. “There’s no way I would make a decision without talking to Stan and he’s been really busy with the season. That’s a decision Stan and I make.”

Gores vowed to make some changes, even if Van Gundy is retained. But Gores still likes the idea of having a coach with personnel power.

“We’re not winning. It’s just that simple,” he said. “Whatever mistakes we’ve made or why we haven’t won, we have to evaluate that. I see value in the front office and the coach being connected.”

Injury Updates: Embiid, Bullock, Hill, Ross

April 8th, 2018 at 8:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid has been cleared to begin light non-contact conditioning as the Sixers center continues his recovery from a concussion and orbital fracture, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. If he’s symptom-free from there, he can resume
on-court activities without contact, Pompey continues. The injuries occurred on March 28th and he had surgery on March 31st. The team is hopeful he can return at some point during the opening round of the playoffs, Pompey adds.

In other injury-related news from around the league:

Pistons shooting guard Reggie Bullock has been shut down for the rest of the season due to a swollen left knee, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports. Coach Stan Van Gundy has Bullock’s knee had gotten worse in recent weeks. “First, they want to see how he responds to rest, but then it’ll be anything from an injection to a scope, which would be the most serious, at four to six weeks, but nothing long-term,” he said. Bullock emerged as a starter this season, averaging 11.3 PPG and making 44.5% of his 3-point tries.
Cavs guard George Hill is hopeful of returning to action Monday after participating in practice on Sunday, according to AmicoHoops.net. Hill sat out the last two games with a sprained left ankle. “It was good to get back out there and get up and down the floor a little bit,” he said. “So, we’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”
Magic swingman Terrence Ross played 10 minutes Sunday and had a 3-pointer and two assists in his first game since late November, John Denton of the Magic’s website reports. Ross has been sidelined most of the season with a right knee injury and bone bruise. “I felt good and it was a tribute to all of the workouts and the work with the strength (and conditioning) coaches,’’ Ross said. “Just being able to play is the victory. It felt really good.’’

Pistons Shut Reggie Bullock Down For Season

April 6th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Austin Kent

Now that the Pistons have been eliminated from playoff contention, they’ve shut guard Reggie Bullock down for the remainder of the campaign. Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes about the veteran’s career year.

Drummond Fined $15K; Nnoko Named G League DPOY

April 5th, 2018 at 8:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets forward Quincy Acy and Pistons center Andre Drummond were fined $25K and $15K by the NBA earlier this week, according to the league. The two players engaged in a shoving match during Sunday’s game in Brooklyn, resulting in ejections for both.
Grand Rapids Drive center Landry Nnoko, who was in camp with the Pistons in the fall, was named the NBA G League’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2017/18. Peter J. Wallner of MLive.com has the details.

Pistons Notes: Griffin, Ellenson, Jackson, Smith

April 5th, 2018 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons’ faint playoff hopes were officially snuffed out on Wednesday night, when Detroit’s loss to Philadelphia eliminated the club from postseason contention. While the Pistons don’t have a ton to play for in the season’s final four games, injured star Blake Griffin continues to push for a return from his ankle injury and Stan Van Gundy hasn’t ruled out that possibility, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details. Still, Detroit’s head coach doesn’t sound desperate to get Griffin back on the court.

“I don’t know if that’s going to come or not,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve only got six days left. Four games in six days. Whether we see him again, I have no idea. But it’s certainly no better than 50-50.”

With Griffin still on the shelf for now, expect to see plenty of Henry Ellenson down the stretch for the Pistons, writes Langlois.

Here’s more out of Detroit:

How different might the Pistons’ season have looked if Reggie Jackson had been able to stay healthy? As Ansar Khan of MLive.com notes, Detroit had a 25-16 record in games Jackson played, which is a stat Van Gundy could point to when he meets with owner Tom Gores after the regular season ends.
Although the Pistons are officially out of the playoffs, there are still some important developments to watch down the stretch, says Rod Beard of The Detroit News. As Beard observes, Ellenson, Luke Kennard, and Stanley Johnson should get a significant chunk of minutes in the club’s final four games — and the Pistons could get to .500 without compromising their lottery position by winning their remaining games.
Ish Smith has seen action with 10 different teams in eight NBA seasons, but he has finally found a home with the Pistons, Beard writes in another piece for The Detroit News. Smith has one more year left on his contract with Detroit after this season.
With the 2017/18 season now in the books for the Grand Rapids Drive, expect two-way players Kay Felder and Reggie Hearn to be with the Pistons the rest of the way, tweets Beard.

Tolliver Shows New Dimension On Offense

April 2nd, 2018 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons veteran power forward Anthony Tolliver has added elements to his game this season, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. “It’s really amazing the way he has been able to improve, particularly offensively,”coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Now when people close out on him, he can put the ball on the floor and attack. Not too many guys improve after 30.” Tolliver returns to the free agent market in July after signing a one-year deal with Detroit last summer.

Five Traded 2018 Draft Picks With Protections To Watch

April 2nd, 2018 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

A ton of 2018’s first- and second-round picks have been included in trades already, and many of those traded picks have protections on them. In those instances, the pick only changes hands if the protection conditions are met — for example, the Hawks traded their second-round pick to the Clippers, but included top-55 protection on it, meaning L.A. would only receive it if it falls between 56 and 60. Given Atlanta’s record, that obviously won’t happen.

For many of this year’s traded picks, there’s not much drama left related to those protections. Either they definitely won’t change hands, like that Hawks second-rounder, or they definitely will — like the Rockets‘ first-round pick, which is headed to Atlanta with top-three protections on it.

However, there are a handful of traded draft picks whose status remains up in the air. The season’s final few games will determine which teams end up with those picks, or whether they change hands at all.

Let’s dive in and take a closer look at five of those protected picks worth watching down the stretch…

Pistons‘ first-round pick (to Clippers; top-4 protection)
- The Pistons are likely to finish the season 12th in the lottery standings, so this pick is extremely likely to end up with the Clippers. But that could change if Detroit lucks out in the lottery — at No. 12, the Pistons would have a 2.5% chance of jumping into the top three and keeping their pick.
Bucks‘ first-round pick (to Suns; top-10 protection and 17-30 protection)
- As of today, the Bucks’ 41-36 record has them tied with the Heat for the 15th or 16th pick in the draft. That would mean the Suns receive Milwaukee’s selection. That could change though, if the Bucks get hot to finish the season, pushing the pick back to 17th or 18th overall. Milwaukee has games left against Boston, Philadelphia, and three lottery teams, so that scenario is in play. If it happens, Milwaukee would keep its 2018 first-rounder and owe the Suns a protected first-rounder (protected for 1-3 and 17-30) in 2019.
Timberwolves‘ first-round pick (to Hawks; top-14 protection)
- At 44-34, the Timberwolves are up one game in the loss column on the ninth-seeded Nuggets, and two on the tenth-seeded Clippers. The Wolves’ remaining two games against Denver will be crucial for determining whether they make the playoffs and lose their pick or miss the playoffs and keep it (they’d owe their 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder to Atlanta in that case).
Thunder‘s first-round pick (to Timberwolves; top-14 protection)
- The 45-33 Thunder are slightly better positioned than Minnesota to clinch a playoff spot, but that could change quickly — Oklahoma City has games against Golden State, Houston, and Miami on tap, and doesn’t hold a tiebreaker edge over most of the other Western Conference playoff contenders. I expect the Thunder to hang onto a playoff spot, but if they don’t, they’ll keep their 2018 first-rounder and owe their 2019 lottery-protected first-rounder to Minnesota. Interestingly, if the final playoff spot comes down to the Thunder and Wolves, Minnesota could end up with two first-round picks for 2018 or none.
Bucks‘ second-round pick (to Nets if in 31-47 range; to Suns if in 48-60 range)
- As is the case with their first-round pick, the Bucks’ second-round selection is right on the edge here, currently projected to be 45th or 46th. A strong finish for the Bucks could mean that second-rounder lands with Phoenix, but for now it seems more likely to head to Brooklyn.

And-Ones: Upshaw, Pitino, NCAA Tournament, Players’ Health

March 30th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by marksuleymanov

Grand Rapids Drive player Zeke Upshaw passed away this past Monday after he collapsed during the final minute of a weekend game against the Long Island Nets. It was a tragic and unexpected event for a 26-year-old professional player who displayed no signs of health issues.

Per a report from USA Today, Upshaw suffered a “sudden cardiac death.” The medical examiner who was assigned Upshaw’s case said he discovered ” cardiac abnormalities” but an in-depth investigation into his depth will take several weeks.

Upshaw had played internationally before spending the past two seasons with the Piston’s G League affiliate. The Pistons honored Upshaw with a posthumous call-up to honor his contributions to the organization.

Check out more news and notes out of the basketball world:

The New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League reportedly offered former Louisville coach Rick Pitino their head coaching position, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. There has been virtually no NBA interest in his services with the lone conversation between his reps and an NBA team (the Bucks) initiated by Pitino’s side, Stein noted.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com examines which injuries will have the biggest impact as the postseason nears. The list includes injured All-Stars the likes of Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant. Powell also looks at players out for the rest of the year (DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Roberson) and Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN looks at a diverse pool of 11 players who could impact the NBA’s future. All of Pelton’s choices are 28 years old or younger, and some are expected to be lottery picks in the 2018 NBA draft.
Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago looks at which NBA prospects benefited from a further look during the NCAA tournament.

Blake Griffin Has Bone Bruise, Out At Least A Week

March 30th, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Pistons star forward Blake Griffin has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right ankle, the team announced today in a press release. Griffin will be re-evaluated in a week. With just 13 days left in the regular season and Detroit all but eliminated from the postseason race, it wouldn’t be surprising if Griffin doesn’t play again this season.