Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Eliminated: Ellenson Shows Promise

April 8th, 2017 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Charlotte’s loss to the Celtics tonight officially extinguished the Pistons‘ faint playoff hopes, writes Aaron McMann of MLive. Detroit entered the night with the possibility of sneaking into the postseason through a multi-team tiebreaker, but both the Pistons and Hornets had to win all their remaining games for that to happen. Coach Stan Van Gundy has been realistic about the team’s fate for some time now, McMann notes, deciding two weeks ago to shut down point guard Reggie Jackson for the season and giving more time to the team’s younger players. Detroit faces several important decisions this offseason, with the most pressing one involving restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Pistons rookie big man Henry Ellenson posted a double-double Friday night with 15 points and 11 rebounds in his first start of the season, notes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Van Gundy recently said that Ellenson and Boban Marjanovic “can be real contributors next year,” especially with backup center Aron Baynes expected to sign elsewhere in free agency. Friday’s game was just the 16th with the Pistons for Ellenson, who has spent most of the year in the D-League. “He can put it on the floor. He made the one good baseline drive and dish to Boban. He’s got offensive skill,” Van Gundy said. “The guy’s a good player. He’s like a lot of our guys right now. He’s got to shoot the ball more consistently. But he’s a talented offensive guy.”

Boban, Ellenson Will See Increased Minutes

April 6th, 2017 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons center Boban Marjanovic and rookie power forward Henry Ellenson will get a long look during the last four games of the season, Aaron McMann of MLive.com reports. Marjanovic, who signed a three-year, $21MM contract as a free agent last summer, has played sparingly behind Andre Drummond and Aron Baynes. Marjanovic could have a bigger role next season if Baynes opts out of the final year of his contract. Ellenson, the team’s first-round selection last June, has spent most of the season with the team’s D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich. “We will still play our main guys, but we’ll get Henry and Boban in there every night,” coach Stan Van Gundy told the team’s beat reporters.

SVG To Change Rotation

April 6th, 2017 at 4:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons are all but eliminated from playoff contention and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy plans on using the last few games to evaluate the team, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “We’ll try to get to 10 guys a night,” Van Gundy said.

Reggie Jackson Unlikely To Play Again This Season

April 6th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Having missed the team’s last five games, Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson isn’t expected to return to the court before the end of the regular season, head coach Stan Van Gundy confirmed today. According to Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link), Van Gundy said injuries to other Pistons could change his plan, but he doesn’t expect to play Jackson again this season.

It has been a rough year for Jackson, whose knee issues delayed his 2016/17 debut and have nagged at him all season. Coming off a career year in which he established new career-highs in PPG (18.8) and APG (6.2), the former Thunder point guard has seen his numbers slip across the board this season. He has posted 14.5 PPG, 5.2 APG, and a .419 FG% for the Pistons in 52 games (50 starts).

Jackson’s name was also mentioned several times in trade rumors during the days and weeks leading up to the deadline, with one Ricky Rubio-related rumor gaining enough traction that Van Gundy was forced to publicly shoot it down.

After this season, Jackson will still have three years remaining on his contract, with his salary set to increase to $16MM for 2017/18. That figure will continue to rise to $17MM+ and $18MM+ respectively in the final two years of his deal, so it will be interesting to see whether the Pistons make an effort to part ways with the former first-round pick this summer, or if they hope he can get healthy and bounce back next season.

With Jackson expected to miss the rest of the season, Ish Smith will continue to start at point guard for Detroit, with Beno Udrih backing him up.

Jackson Should Have Sat Sooner; Pistons Not Eliminated Yet

April 4th, 2017 at 5:58pm CST by Austin Kent

After a disappointing season in which he never quite replicated the impact he had on his team the previous year, Reggie Jackson has been bumped from the Pistons lineup. Per Aaron McMann of MLive, head coach Stan Van Gundy thinks that the decision to sit the guard should have come sooner. “I think [sitting him] probably should have happened earlier, and I don’t think we were real fair with him in that,” he said.
The Pistons are aware that they face an uphill battle to sneak into the postseason but head coach Stan Van Gundy is eager to compete anyway. “Right now, you continue to fight,” Van Gundy told MLive’s Aaron McMann. “We know the deal. We’ve got a couple of teams — we pretty much have to go undefeated, and we need a couple of teams to lose three more games. It’s not easy, but nothing’s impossible in this league.“

Caldwell-Pope's DUI Won't Affect Offers; Udrih Wants To Coach

April 2nd, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Arthur Hill

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s DUI arrest this week won’t factor into the bidding when he hits free agency, writes David Mayo of MLive. Caldwell-Pope can still expect offers topping $20MM a year, as he will be among the top players on the open market. And the Pistons will still be willing to match any offer sheet that their restricted free agent presents. Coach Stan Van Gundy exhibited his forgiving nature by keeping Caldwell-Pope in the starting lineup for the first game after the incident.

The Pistons are determined not to let Caldwell-Pope leave with nothing in return, Mayo notes. They might be willing to entertain thoughts of a sign-and-trade, but the fourth-year guard would have to agree to any deal and it would have to happen before he has an offer sheet.

Veteran Pistons guard Beno Udrih wants to coach when his playing days are finished, relays Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Udrih, 34, was claimed off waivers at the start of the season because of Reggie Jackson‘s knee problems. Almost immediately, he was sharing pointers with newly appointed starter Ish Smith. “He’s a very, very smart basketball guy and makes some very, very good points,” Van Gundy said of Udrih. “It’s always nice to have those guys around.”

Stan Van Gundy: We Believe In KCP

March 31st, 2017 at 9:33pm CST by Milo Taibi

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy briefly discussed the OWI arrest of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, speaking to KCP’s character while declining to mention a potential punishment from the team.

“You know, obviously we’re aware of it,” Van Gundy told reporters, including Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “Look, I’ve been around KCP for three years. He’s a guy we really believe in, not only as a player but a high-character guy. We’re aware of the situation, and we’ll let things run its course.”

The decision on whether Caldwell-Pope faces discipline may very well come from Van Gundy, who is not only the Pistons’ coach but also president of basketball operations. According to an Auburn Hills police report, Caldwell-Pope was alleged to have smelled of intoxicants when pulled over, and fumbled with his words after being asked to recite the alphabet (source: David Mayo, MLive.com).

Caldwell-Pope was in action tonight against the Bucks; perhaps an indication that a stern punishment isn’t to be expected. As Aaron McMann of MLive.com points out, the league has shown a no-tolerance policy when it comes to drunk drivers. Former Pistons big man Greg Monroe received a two-game suspension after driving impaired in 2014, and Detroit assistant coach Tim Hardaway was docked three games over the summer following a DWI charge.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Arrested For DUI

March 30th, 2017 at 11:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Police arrested shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope early Wednesday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, according to Derick Hutchinson of Click On Detroit. KCP was pulled over at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Auburn Hills and was put through a sobriety test, which he failed.

The 24-year-old was “very cooperative,” authorities tell Hutchinson. The incident came just hours after the Pistons lost to the Heat in a game where KCP went 2-10 from behind the arc.

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy recently said if KCP doesn’t return to the team, it’ll be because the front office made that decision. As a restricted free agent, KCP can’t join another team unless the Pistons decide not to match an offer sheet he signs.

“We only don’t have [KCP] next year if we decide we don’t want him next year. There’s no team out there that can decide they’re going to have KCP next year–it’s on us,” Van Gundy said. “It will be our decision this summer whether he’s in Detroit next year. Other people can want him but they need us to acquiesce if they’re going to have him.”

Prior to the arrest, Caldwell-Pope was looking at a receiving a massive raise on his 2016/17 salary, which is worth slightly less than $3.68MM. It remains to be seen how the incident will impact the market for his services. Should he decide to simply accept his qualifying offer, he’ll make just under $4.96MM, though he would be eligible to become a restricted free agent after the season.

The shooting guard is averaging 14.1 points per game, but he’s sporting a below average player efficiency rating of 13.4. His Real Plus/Minus ranks 25th in the league among shooting guards, though at times this season, he’s looked like a foundational player. As a result of his inconsistencies, pegging the value of his next contract was always considered a difficult task; The DUI adds one more variable to the complex situation.

Jackson: I've Felt Like 'A Shell Of Myself' At Times

March 29th, 2017 at 4:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are reportedly considering shutting down Reggie Jackson for the rest of the season, and if it happens, it would be the end to an extremely disappointing 2016/17 campaign for the team’s starting point guard. Jackson, who got off to a late start this season due to a knee injury, admits that he has felt like “a shell” of himself at times, per Aaron McMann of MLive.com.

Even if the Pistons sneak into the playoffs, it has been a very disappointing season in Detroit, and major changes could be on the way this summer. As David Mayo of MLive.com writes, everything will be considered and everyone will be evaluated by the Pistons.

SVG: Sitting Jackson "My Call"

March 28th, 2017 at 8:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pistons executive/coach Stan Van Gundy said he was his call to sit Reggie Jackson over the last couple games, as Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. “It has strictly been my call all the way. Reggie wants to be out there,” Van Gundy said. Earlier today, it was reported that the team may shut Jackson down for the remainder of the season.