Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Howard, Morris, Brown, Kilpatrick

February 4th, 2016 at 9:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Conflicting reports abound on whether the Rockets have explored trading Dwight Howard lately and whether they have a desire to move him. The Rockets have engaged teams about Howard but set a high asking price, league sources told Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), a notion that runs counter to the idea that Houston hasn’t had any Howard trade talk since December, as a source told Calvin Watkins and Marc Stein of ESPN.com and as we passed along Wednesday night. The trade market for Howard is relatively limited anyway, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears, and that apparently extends to free agency, at least as far as the Mavericks are concerned. Dallas doesn’t have interest in giving the center a maximum-salary deal, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick, though Howard’s former teammate and recruiter extraordinaire Chandler Parsons spoke to Amick about his desire to play again with Howard, as Amick relays. See more from the Western Conference:

Marcus Morris said Wednesday that what twin brother Markieff Morris wants hasn’t changed since he made his offseason trade demand, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Marcus has weighed in on his brother’s feelings about the Suns already this season but Markieff, who recanted his trade demand at the start of training camp, largely dismissed his brother’s previous remark.
Lorenzo Brown is back with the D-League affiliate of the Pistons following the recent expiration of his second 10-day contract with the Suns while Sean Kilpatrick has returned to the Sixers affiliate after his second 10-day deal with the Nuggets lapsed, notes Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter links).
Erick Green is set to become a free agent tonight after the expiration of his 10-day contract with the Jazz. Keep track of all the short-term deals around the NBA with our 10-Day Contract Tracker.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/3/16

February 3rd, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pistons have been linked to soon-to-be free agents Ryan Anderson and Al Horford as well as trade candidate Markieff Morris, as the team reportedly looks to upgrade its power forward slot. While the team maintains that it is happy with incumbent power forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Tolliver, the franchise likely wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to add an impact player. When explaining to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that the team was in no hurry to make a move, GM Jeff Bower said, “That upheaval creates upheaval throughout the locker room,” Bower said. “When you do make changes like that, you’d like to think you’re doing it for more than just minor, insignificant shuffling. Sometimes you need a major shakeup, but usually when those scenarios exist, you have a group you don’t think is functioning well and you don’t see a long-term lifespan with them.”

Ilyasova has been solid enough as the starter thus far this season, but his averages of 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds are hardly earth-shattering. At 28 years of age, Ilyasova has likely peaked and it would be unfair and unrealistic for the Pistons to expect much more production from the veteran going forward. As a backup, Tolliver has been serviceable, but his 38% mark from the field is unacceptable for a big man in today’s NBA. Tolliver will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and only $400K of Ilyasova’s $8.4MM salary is guaranteed for 2016/17, so Detroit will certainly need to make a decision regarding the future of its four spot, though that may not occur until the summer.

This brings me to the topic for today: Who should the Pistons target to be their power forward for next season?

Anderson would be a solid addition, though with him reportedly in play for a maximum salary deal, he may not be the best value on the market. However, he would be a fine complement to center Andre Drummond, who needs more help from the team’s perimeter shooters if he wants to grow as an offensive player. Horford has the best track record among the potential targets mentioned, but I’m not certain he and Drummond would be a good fit together in the team’s offense. Drummond didn’t mesh well with former teammate Greg Monroe, and though Horford’s game is a bit more mobile than Monroe’s, I’m not so sure they wouldn’t have similar compatibility issues if paired together in Detroit. As for Morris, while he would certainly embrace the opportunity to rejoin his brother, it may not be the best move for the Pistons’ locker room given Morris’ difficulties in Phoenix.

But what say you? Who would be the best fit at power forward alongside Drummond in Detroit? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

Central Notes: Meeks, Love, Christmas

February 2nd, 2016 at 3:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have been linked to soon-to-be free agents Ryan Anderson and Al Horford as well as trade candidate Markieff Morris, but they’re satisfied with incumbent power forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Tolliver, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. That doesn’t mean they won’t seek an upgrade in the offseason, when Tolliver’s contract expires, but GM Jeff Bower made it clear to Ellis why the team is in no rush to make a deal now.

“That upheaval creates upheaval throughout the locker room,” Bower said. “When you do make changes like that, you’d like to think you’re doing it for more than just minor, insignificant shuffling. Sometimes you need a major shakeup, but usually when those scenarios exist, you have a group you don’t think is functioning well and you don’t see a long-term lifespan with them.”

See more on the Pistons amid the latest from around the Central Division:

Jodie Meeks will face limitations for the rest of this month after encountering a setback in his recovery from the broken foot he suffered at the start of the season, and he’s unlikely to play much this season, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter links). “For practical matters, it’s really hard to see him being able to get back and make much of a contribution this year,” Van Gundy said.
David Blatt didn’t prioritize making Kevin Love comfortable in the Cavaliers offense, but in Tyronn Lue‘s brief time as Blatt’s replacement, Love already looks more comfortable than he’s ever been since joining Cleveland before last season, writes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas to the D-League, the team announced. The 36th overall pick from the 2015 draft has spent the vast majority of the season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and he’s still yet to play in an NBA regular season game.

Nets Notes: Ferry, Cap Exception, Jackson

February 2nd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Danny Ferry is no longer a viable candidate for the Nets GM job, sources tell Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis previously heard that Ferry wasn’t “the likeliest candidate” not long after the former Hawks and Cavs GM emerged as a contender, in spite of his support from former GM Billy King. The candidacy of John Calipari is on the wane, Lewis also hears, which jibes with earlier reports from Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that Calipari wasn’t under serious consideration and from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who wrote that owner Mikhail Prokhorov hadn’t shown a willingness to pay the $120MM over 10 years that Calipari reportedly wants. See more from Brooklyn:

It appears the NBA granted Brooklyn’s request for a disabled player exception to compensate for the loss of Jarrett Jack, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports indicates within a look at the team’s situation heading into the February 18th trade deadline. That would give the team a $3.15MM cap exception to sign, trade for or claim a player whose contract doesn’t run past this season.
The Nets felt as though the Thunder “bamboozled” them last year when negotiations on a trade involving Brook Lopez and Reggie Jackson fell apart in the final hour before the deadline, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said Monday that he thought his team had no chance to trade for Jackson two weeks before the deadline-day swap that sent the point guard to Detroit, as Mazzeo relays.
Restricted free agents are more likely than longer-tenured unrestricted free agents to look for a team that will give them minutes and opportunities rather than a strong chance to win, arguest Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM, who suggests five soon-to-be restricted free agents the Nets should consider this summer.

D-League Notes: Dunleavy, Dinwiddie, Harrison

February 1st, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have assigned veteran small forward Mike Dunleavy to the D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors as he continues to rehab from a back injury that has kept him out all season, the club announced on Monday. Dunleavy will practice there during the Bulls’ West Coast swing but will not appear in a game, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. The most prominent player to appear in a D-League game this season was Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who played one game with the team’s affiliate in Grand Rapids in December while rehabbing from an Achilles tendon injury.

In more news involving the D-League:

Pistons point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has averaged 16.7 points and 6.1 assists in 10 games since he was assigned to Grand Rapids on January 7th. But coach Stan Van Gundy has no plans to bring him back to Detroit in the near future. “Right now, with three healthy point guards, there’s not much reason to bring him back here and sit in street clothes out there,” Van Gundy told the assembled media over the weekend, including Hoops Rumors. “I think it’s better for his development that he gets a chance to play and practice every day.”
The Hornets reassigned rookie point guard Aaron Harrison to the D-League’s Oklahoma City Blue on Monday, the NBA club announced on its website. Harrison, who played one game with the Blue in January, has appeared in 13 games for Charlotte. The Hornets do not have their own D-League affiliate.
Hawks center Edy Tavares has returned from his D-League stint with the Austin Spurs, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Tavares was assigned to Austin on January 27th.
The Spurs recalled point guard Ray McCallum from Austin, the team tweets. McCallum has appeared in 20 games with San Antonio this season and seven with its D-League affiliate.
The Timberwolves recalled power forward Adreian Payne from the D-League’s Erie BayHawks, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). The team’s PR department later confirmed the move. Payne has appeared in 30 games with the Timberwolves and three with the BayHawks this season.

Central Rumors: Cavs, Meeks, Vasquez

February 1st, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

All-Star small forward LeBron James, point guard Kyrie Irving and power forward Kevin Love admitted fault of their own even as they laid out expectations for their teammates during a sometimes contentious players-only meeting the Cavs had in the immediate wake of David Blatt’s firing, as reported by Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Accountability and double standards were key issues in the meeting that GM David Griffin asked reserve shooting guard James Jones to organize, as McMenamin, Windhorst and Lowe detail. The net effect appears to have been positive, based on the team’s 4-1 record since and the input a pair of sources gave the ESPN scribes.

In other news around the Central Division:

Pistons shooting guard Jodie Meeks has suffered a setback during his rehab from a broken right foot, David Mayo of MLive.com tweets. Meeks met Monday with surgeon Martin O’Malley, who determined that the foot had not fully healed, Mayo continues. Meeks must stop practicing, which he began doing last week, and he also has to cut his rehab activity, Mayo adds. Meeks was expected to miss 12-16 weeks after he was injured during the team’s home opener but the club was hopeful of getting him back by the All-Star break.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, who is also the team’s president of basketball operations, doubts he would trade for a player that becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports. Detroit has been linked to Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson, who is in his walk year, but Van Gundy doesn’t want to mortgage the future for a player who might depart after this season. “I’m not willing to yield an asset right now — even for a guy I really like — if he’s unrestricted and we could lose him in the summer for nothing,” Van Gundy told the team’s beat reporters. “That would be a step back in our building, even if it’s a minor one. We’re not going to give up a pick for a guy. If we were going to make a trade, it would be a for a guy who’s still got contract time left after next year, that we know we’d have.”
Bucks point guard Greivis Vasquez expects to play again this season, Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Vasquez, who underwent right ankle injury in mid-December, is not close to returning but Vasquez remains optimistic, as he told Gardner. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to, but I needed to get healthy,” he said. “I know I’m going to come back before the season is over. Hopefully, we rack up a few wins and I can help.”

Central Notes: Ellis, Cavs, Pistons

January 31st, 2016 at 6:26pm CST by Will Joseph

Monta Ellis, whom the Pacers signed this past offseason, is still averaging the fewest amount of points per game since his rookie season, but he has experienced an uptick in scoring recently because of treatment to his right knee, Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star relays. Ellis, 30, is averaging 18.4 points per game over his last 10 outings. Ellis recently had fluid in the knee drained, according to Buckner.

“It’s been night and day with having that knee drained as far as his energy and just the way he’s moving,” Pacers star Paul George said. “It’s a lot easier, and it’s a lot better for him. He went the whole length of this game of constant pressure on their team. You definitely notice that. I think for Monta, this is something that’s been reoccurring, so he’s dealt with it before, and he knows the difference between the two.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue has improved the team’s morale because of his straight-forward approach to handling roles, rotations and expectations, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer explains. On the court, the Cavs are playing faster and have scored at least 110 points in four straight games.
Despite referring to this season as the most difficult challenge of his professional career, Mo Williams is not interested in playing for another team and will not request a trade, Haynes reports in the same piece. The Cavs point guard is out of the rotation and played in only five games in January. “Nah, man. I’ve moved my family around enough,” Williams told Haynes. “I’m sticking this thing out.”
Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings is still adapting to coming off the bench after playing in 17 games so far since returning from an injury, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays. “It’s basically just me,” Jennings said. “I have to show up with a lot of energy. My role is different and I know that. I have to approach the game differently. I have to be ready and when my number’s called I have to be able to perform.”

And-Ones: Hield, Pelicans, Drummond

January 31st, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The rapid improvement of Buddy Hield‘s 3-point shot leaves Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com skeptical that Hield will bring his record setting accuracy to the NBA level, as Pelton writes in a collaborative piece with ESPN.com’s Chad Ford. The Oklahoma shooting guard is taking 8.3 shots from behind the arc and converting 52.4% of them. The senior hasn’t made more than 39% of his 3-pointers in any other season for the Sooners. Still, both scribes project Hield to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

Here’s more from around the league:

Hield would be a good fit for the Pelicans and he is a realistic target for the team in the upcoming draft, Jeff Duncan of The Time-Picayune opines. The Pelicans are 18-28 on the season, owning the seventh worst record in the league, as our Reverse Standings page shows.
The Hawks are expected to recall center Edy Tavares from the Austin Spurs of the D-League as soon as today, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Andre Drummond, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, was the first Piston to be selected to the All-Star game since Allen Iverson, who was voted in by the fans in 2009, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. Ellis notes that Drummond’s accomplishment represents a sign that the team is taking the right steps forward. The last time the Pistons had an All-Star was also the last time they made the postseason.

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Lue, Turner, Van Gundy

January 30th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is downplaying the possibility of a major deal before next month’s deadline, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “We’re comfortable with this group,” Hoiberg said. “Unless something earth-shattering comes up, I don’t anticipate anything happening.” Chicago’s trade prospects have been limited by the shoulder injury to Joakim Noah and the acute appendicitis that struck Nikola Mirotic.

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

Cavaliers GM David Griffin thought Tyronn Lue had the potential to become a great NBA coach ever since Lue’s first interview, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Griffin decided to go with 54-year-old David Blatt over Lue, who was 37 at the time, but that first impression stuck with Griffin when he decided to make a coaching change last week. Pluto also notes that Blatt’s problems relating to players carried over into this season, and many players believed Lue was ready to be the head coach.
The Pacers have established an identity by making rookie big man Myles Turner a starter, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. After spending the first half of the season working toward a small-ball approach, Indiana replaced Lavoy Allen with Turner in the starting lineup Thursday and responded with a blowout of the Hawks. “It’s something I believe will be good for us,” said coach Frank Vogel. “We dominated the glass, dominated with defense, and I think this team will be able to score the ball better than any team we’ve had.”
The Pistons are suffering from “midseason malaise” and coach Stan Van Gundy’s abrasive style is starting to wear on the players, David Mayo of MLive writes in his mailbag column. Mayo says the players and Van Gundy could use some time apart from each other, but the team has a crowded schedule until the All-Star break. The columnist also credits GM Jeff Bower with making the bulk of the personnel decisions, leaving Van Gundy free to concentrate on coaching.

Central Notes: Noah, Anderson, Turner

January 29th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls would have preferred to have traded Joakim Noah rather than Taj Gibson, hoping to extract value of some sort from Noah before he has the chance to depart in free agency this summer, executives from around the league said to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The injuries to Noah and Nikola Mirotic have made a Gibson trade even less likely, sources confirmed to Stein. Noah is expected to be out four to six months while Mirotic isn’t likely to return until after the All-Star break.

Here’s the latest from out of the Central Division:

The Pistons have interest in Ryan Anderson as a free agent this summer but not as a trade candidate, preferring not to have to relinquish assets to snag him, sources tell Stein in a separate piece. ESPN colleague Zach Lowe of ESPN.com previously reported that Detroit was eyeing the Pelicans stretch four.
The Pacers have elected to go with a bigger lineup after experimenting with a small-ball approach earlier in the season, a move that has benefited 2015 draftee Myles Turner, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star notes. “You don’t know when you’re dealing with a rookie, a 19-year-old player, how soon it’s going to come,” coach Frank Vogel said. “There’s going to be some ups and some downs but if you look at this at what we think Myles can be. … This is what this team should look like out there.“
The Bulls‘ backcourt tandem of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler are still working on developing on-court chemistry, since the two haven’t shared much time on the floor together thanks to Rose’s many injuries, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. Butler is excited about the potential of the duo, telling Johnson, “I love playing with him [Rose]. He’s super aggressive. He’s taking great shots. That’s what we need. As long as I follow his lead in that attacking style, we’re going to be really good.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.