- While Pistons projects Luke Kennard and Henry Ellenson figure to make an impact on the team eventually, they’ll have to beat out defensive-minded veterans Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver for minutes, Keith Langlois of the team’s official site writes. Both Tolliver and Bullock provide plenty of intangible skill that make life easier for the second unit.
The Pistons have made a pair of roster cuts, waiving Landry Nnoko and Derek Willis, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). Both players are on track to join the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s G League squad, as affiliate players.
Nnoko, a 6’10” center, joined the Pistons this summer after spending last season playing in Italy. As for Willis, the 6’9″ forward went undrafted out of Kentucky this year before accepting a training camp invite from Detroit.
The pair of roster moves bring the Pistons’ roster count to 17, with two of those players on two-way deals. Detroit now has 15 players on NBA contracts, so no further cuts are necessary before opening night, though that doesn’t guarantee that the team won’t make any additional moves.
If the Pistons do end up making another cut, veteran point guard Beno Udrih would likely be next on the chopping block, since he’s the only other player on the roster with a fully non-guaranteed salary.
- Veteran Anthony Tolliver is likely to nab a rotation spot over second-year player Henry Ellenson, but the young Pistons power forward is making that a tougher call, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com explains. Coach Stan Van Gundy told Langlois and other media members after Ellenson scored 16 points against the Hawks in a preseason game this weekend that Ellenson has made a strong impression in training camp. “He’s probably been the most consistent of anybody,” Van Gundy said. “Every time we play, every time we practice, he really hasn’t had – I don’t remember a bad day since the start of camp. I think his confidence is sky high. He’s really focused on what he has to do. He’s playing very, very well.”
- The Pistons have added Bostjan Nachbar to their international scouting staff, overseas expert David Pick tweets. Nachbar played for three NBA franchises from 2002-08 after the Rockets made him a mid-first-round selection in 2002.
Many teams remain interested in trading for Pistons center Andre Drummond, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Ellis talked to several talent evaluators around the league, who say that at age 24, Drummond still has the potential to become a successful big man despite questions about his energy and defense. Teams don’t seem reluctant to take on Drummond’s contract, which will pay him more than $105MM over the next four seasons.
The people Ellis spoke with don’t believe the Pistons are currently shopping Drummond, athough they were over the offseason and before February’s trade deadline. However, he cites two potentially interested parties in Knicks GM Scott Perry, who was an assistant GM in Detroit when Drummond was drafted, and Clippers executive VP Lawrence Frank, who coached the Pistons when Drummond was a rookie.
There’s more this morning out of Detroit:
- Henry Ellenson‘s impressive preseason could mean more minutes for the second-year big man, Ellis adds in the same piece. Coach Stan Van Gundy said Ellenson is “playing at a high level” after he scored 16 points in 17 minutes Friday. He is competing with Tobias Harris, Jon Leuer and Anthony Tolliver for playing time at power forward.
- The competition at power forward will keep Stanley Johnson at small forward, which may not be his best position, Ellis writes in a separate story. Many observers believe Johnson would excel as a stretch four, but Van Gundy expects nearly all of Johnson’s minutes this season to come at small forward. “We just don’t really have a need for another [power forward],” Van Gundy said. “There may be some defensive things late in the game where teams go small and we could go small with him, but we’ve got enough stuff we could run without having him to spend a lot of time there. I’m not going to confuse him and have him having to work and know all the sets at [power forward].”
- Point guard Reggie Jackson is ready to take on a larger leadership role this season, Ellis writes in a another story. Now one of the oldest players on the team at 27, Jackson wants to erase the nightmare of last year when knee problems forced him to miss the start of the season and the team wasn’t able to incorporate him smoothly once he returned. Part of the problem was physical, as assistant coach Tim Hardaway says Jackson never fully recovered. “He’s the catalyst,” Hardaway said. “He wants to come out here and be the man. He can be the man, but first he has to be healthy. Once he’s 100% and shape, everybody’s going to see a different Reggie because last year he was hurt all the time.”
- It won’t be easy for Stan Van Gundy to narrow his Pistons rotation down to eight or nine players, especially considering how Henry Ellenson has played of late, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. The head coach will need to find a way of balancing the minutes for Ellenson, Anthony Tolliver, Tobias Harris and Jon Leuer, all of whom can play the four.
- The Nuggets‘ signing of Paul Millsap (24%) and the Pistons‘ trade for Avery Bradley (17%) were regarded by NBA GMs as the most underrated acquisitions of the summer.
[SOURCE LINK]
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Detroit Pistons.
Signings:
- Langston Galloway: Three years, $21MM.
- Eric Moreland: Three years, $5.479MM. First year partially guaranteed ($750K). Second and third years non-guaranteed.
- Reggie Bullock: Two years, $5MM. Second year non-guaranteed.
- Anthony Tolliver: One year, $3.29MM.
- Luis Montero: Two-way contract. Two years.
- Dwight Buycks: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Beno Udrih: One year, minimum salary. Exact details not yet known.
- Landry Nnoko: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
- Derek Willis: One year, minimum salary. Exhibits nine and 10.
Trades:
- Acquired cash ($1MM) from the Rockets in exchange for Darrun Hilliard.
- Acquired Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick from the Celtics in exchange for Marcus Morris.
Draft picks:
- 1-12: Luke Kennard — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Aron Baynes
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Michael Gbinije (waived)
- Darrun Hilliard
- Marcus Morris
Other offseason news:
- Moved to downtown Detroit, from Palace of Auburn Hills to Little Caesars Arena.
- Jason Maxiell retired as a Piston.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap and under the tax. Carrying approximately $115MM in guaranteed salaries. Hard-capped. Only minimum salary exception available.
Check out the Detroit Pistons’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
Head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy, along with GM Jeff Bower, had a tough dilemma following a very disappointing 2016/17 campaign: Should they give shooting guard and restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a long-term contract?
Entering the offseason, the general consensus was that the Pistons would either lock up Caldwell-Pope or they would match an offer sheet, as long as the monetary burden wasn’t overwhelming. Caldwell-Pope was the team’s best perimeter defender, matching up with the opponent’s top offensive guard, regardless of whether that player was a point guard or shooting guard. He could also shadow some threes in smaller lineups.
A few factors swayed Van Gundy and Bower in another direction. First, Caldwell-Pope’s spotty offensive production was an issue. In 31 of the 76 games he played last season, Caldwell-Pope scored 10 or fewer points.
Second, the Pistons were already saddled with burdensome contracts for starters Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, Tobias Harris and backup Jon Leuer. Giving Caldwell-Pope $20MM or more annually would push a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season into luxury tax territory. Third, they found a better solution, at least in the short term.
The Celtics needed to unload some salary in order to sign Gordon Hayward and the Pistons swooped in and traded for versatile Avery Bradley to replace Caldwell-Pope. Bradley becomes a free agent after this season, though Detroit’s brass has already indicated its desire to re-sign Bradley.
The Pistons renounced their rights to Caldwell-Pope once they agreed to the deal. As it turned out, Caldwell-Pope had a harder time finding long-term security than expected. He signed a one-year, $18MM contract with the Lakers and will return to the free agent market next summer.
- Count Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy among those who believes that getting rid of the NBA Draft altogether would address the tanking issue, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- The Pistons have assigned assistant coach Aaron Gray the task of focusing on the skill development of big men, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Rex Walters, formerly the head coach of the Grand Rapids Drive, will hold a similar role with the backcourt.
- After four months resting and recovering from knee tendinitis, Reggie Jackson has officially returned to contact practice. The Pistons guard was able to get through his most recent test pain-free, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes, but will need to work his way back into game shape. “I’m happy to be feeling good each and every day. The best thing is to wake up and be pain-free; even if [I’m] sore, it’s really body soreness and nothing with the knee. My legs may be a little fatigued because I’m getting back to the swing of things,” Jackson said.
- Citing mental maturation and a commitment to improving, Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy is optimistic about third-year forward Stanley Johnson‘s progress, Keith Langlois of the team’s official site writes. Van Gundy also praised rookie Luke Kennard‘s performance at training camp thus far.