Pistons Notes: Jackson, Johnson, Leuer
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson, who has yet to play this season and has missed the last month after having treatment for tendinitis in his left knee, will begin basketball activities Monday, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports. It seems like Jackson is on track because the original timeline for his recovery was 6-8 weeks, as Beard points out. Jackson was the team’s leading scorer last season. It appears he will be able to return later this month, Beard surmises.
Here’s more out of Detroit:
- As Jackson continues his recovery, offseason addition Jon Leuer and second-year player Stanley Johnson have bolstered the Pistons’ bench, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. The Pistons picked up Johnson’s option for the 2017/18 season last month, and he seems to be playing with a better mix of confidence and focus, Langlois adds.
- The Pistons inked Leuer to a four-year, $41MM deal over the summer, and now coach Stan Van Gundy wants to see the 6’10” forward shoot more, Aaron McMann of MLive.com relays. Interestingly, however, through six games, Leuer is averaging 9.3 points on 51 percent shooting and he is attempting nearly eight shots per game, as McMann notes. Van Gundy wants Leuer to be more aggressive in looking for his shot, McMann adds.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/5/16
Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:
- The Knicks assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, earlier today so they could practice with the team, according to their Twitter feed. New York has since recalled all three players.
- The Pistons have assigned Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Ellenson has only appeared in two games for Detroit, while Gbiniji has only seen action in one.
- The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today so he could participate in practice, per a team press release. The practice has commenced and the team has subsequently recalled the forward.
Johnson Struggling With New Role
- Second-year player Stanley Johnson is struggling thus far this campaign and the Pistons‘ coaching staff is trying to position the swingman to adapt to being an all-around player with one strength first — then progressing to other areas, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “He has been a primary scorer his whole life and it’s tough for him to not play that way,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “Right now, that’s not the best way to play. I’m not trying to hold the guy back or limit him. What I’ve tried to point out to him is his development. The guy I’ve tried to use as an example with him who came in the league the same way is Jimmy Butler.”
Drummond Expected To Play Heavy Minutes
- Forward Lance Thomas is off to a rough start after being re-signed this offseason to a four-year, $27MM deal by the Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post points out. He is averaging 3.3 points on 33% shooting in 20.6 minutes and his defense hasn’t been good enough to make up for his offensive woes, Berman continues. New coach Jeff Hornacek has stuck with Thomas in the rotation even though European rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas might be a better option, Berman adds.
- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue admits he wasn’t paying much attention during the free agency period, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports. Lue was impressed when he found out about the Celtics’ signing of Al Horford, making Boston of one the main threats to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference, Fedor adds. “Whenever you are able to acquire another All-Star automatically you are going to get better,” Lue told Fedor. “That’s a great piece in going in the right direction.”
- Wizards rookie point guard Tomas Satoransky may have already moved ahead of Trey Burke in the rotation behind starter John Wall, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Satoransky played 10 second-half minutes against the Raptors on Wednesday in place of Burke, who was acquired in a trade with the Jazz this offseason, Buckner adds. “It’s definitely something that’s going to be considered,” new coach Scott Brooks told Buckner. “Tomas brings a lot of energy and brings some toughness and has good size and athleticism. He’s played that position his entire life.”
Ex-Piston Lorenzo Brown Headed To Russia
Point guard Lorenzo Brown will sign with Russia’s Unics Kazan in the Euroleague, league sources informed Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter links).
Brown was forced to consider other options after being a late training camp cut by the Pistons. He battled Ray McCallum for the third point guard spot behind Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, a competition that McCallum won. It turned out to be a moot point when coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy opted to claim Beno Udrih off waivers from the Heat just before the season opener and waive McCallum.
Detroit signed Brown to a 10-day contract late last season and then decided to keep him during the postseason, when it was swept in the opening round by the Cavaliers. Brown, who had a non-guaranteed deal, never appeared in a game with the Pistons.
Brown’s last NBA action came in January, when he was on two 10-days with the Suns. He averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 assists and 1.1 turnovers in 7.6 minutes per game across eight appearances with Phoenix.
Brown spent much of the season with Detroit’s D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 assists and 2.9 turnovers in 33.3 minutes per game. The relationship between the Pistons and the former N.C. State standout, who was the 52nd pick in the 2013 draft, dates to the 2014 preseason, when Brown was on Detroit’s training camp roster.
Brown, 26, appeared in 29 games with the Timberwolves in 2014/15, including seven starts, and played 26 games for the Sixers in his rookie year.
NBA D-League Affiliate Players For 2016/17
Throughout the offseason, and in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams before the season can be designated as affiliate players and assigned to their D-League squads.
The players have some say in the decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re free to turn down their team’s request to have them play in the D-League. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system is appealing to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll maintain NBA free agency while they play in the D-League.
There are a few other rules related to D-League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a D-League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned. Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, so clubs like the Hawks, Nuggets, or Clippers have no place to send affiliate players.
With all that in mind, here are the NBA D-League affiliate players to start the 2016/17 season:
Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs)
Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers)
Pistons Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Bullock, Van Gundy
The Pistons will look ahead to summer to resolve the contract situations of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Detroit failed to reach extensions with either player by Monday’s deadline, so they will both become restricted free agents on July 1st. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said the team had hopes of striking a deal with Bullock almost up to the cutoff point at 11:59pm Eastern Time. “We knew with [Caldwell-Pope] a little bit earlier in the day, Bullock went pretty much through the day, but we just didn’t get either one done,” Van Gundy said. “From our perspective I would say it’s disappointing, but not in any way frustrating or crippling in any way, but we would have liked to have gotten them done and we didn’t.” There is speculation that Caldwell-Pope, who has been Detroit’s starter at shooting guard the past two seasons, could get more than $20MM per year on the open market.
There’s more tonight out of Detroit:
- Bullock is eager to get a taste of free agency after watching the huge contracts that were handed out this summer, relays Aaron McMann of MLive. The 6’7″ swingman could be on the move again after playing for three teams in his first three NBA seasons. He got into 37 games with the Pistons last season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per night. Bullock sees free agency as a chance to earn a nice raise from the $2,255,644 he’s making this year. “We didn’t come to a decision, and I’m just continuing to look forward to this season,” Bullock said. “Obviously playing more games, trying to do the right things when I’m out on the floor and allow myself to have another chance to sign another contract.”
- Van Gundy isn’t a believer in resting players who are physically able to play, McMann writes in a separate piece. Warriors coach Steve Kerr has announced that he plans to give members of his rotation a night off during intense parts of the schedule, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has taken heat for doing that in the past. “That’s up to each coach, I guess, in each organization,” Van Gundy said. “Look, I’m not one to do it. Our guys get paid to play 82 games. Everybody that’s healthy for us will play for us every single night. But that’s just us.”
- Auburn Hills Mayor Kevin McDaniel believes the Pistons’ move to downtown Detroit “does appear inevitable,” but he tells Benjamin Raven of MLive that he’s looking on the bright side. The Palace, which has been the team’s home for nearly 30 years, may be converted into a commercial mixed-use facility, which may create even more revenue.
Jennings On Pistons, Jackson
- Brandon Jennings, who is now a member of the Knicks after signing with them this summer, said he knew his time with the Pistons was limited as soon as Detroit acquired Reggie Jackson, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I knew it was over once they got Reggie Jackson,’’ Jennings said. “Just the fact my Achilles injury — nobody knew what to expect from me, how long it would take to come back. Achilles injuries are career-ending injuries. I already knew what time it was.’’ The Pistons traded Jennings to the Magic prior to last season’s trade deadline in the Tobias Harris deal.
Van Gundy Would Be "Surprised" By Extension For KCP Or Bullock
- Stan Van Gundy continues to express pessimism about reaching an agreement with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Reggie Bullock. Van Gundy said this afternoon he’d be “surprised” if the Pistons lock up either player today, per Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link).
Ish Smith, Beno Udrih Holding Own In PG Role
- With Reggie Jackson ailing, the Pistons have asked Ish Smith and Beno Udrih to carry the load at point guard early, and those players are delivering, writes Aaron McMann of MLive.com. Smith signed with the team this summer and Udrih was just claimed off waivers last week, but the duo has held its own early in the season for Detroit, as McMann details.