Thunder Players Still Irked At Reggie Jackson
- Some Thunder players still have raw feelings about Reggie Jackson, who pushed his way off the team and into the trade that sent him to the Pistons last season, as Royce Young of ESPN.com details. Russell Westbrook disapproved of Jackson’s animated celebration at the end of Detroit’s win Tuesday over Oklahoma City. “Yeah, I did actually,” Westbrook said. “Honestly, I think that was some real [expletive]. I don’t appreciate it for our team and our organization. I don’t like it at all. But it is what it is. We’ll see him down the line. We’ll take care of that when we get there.”
Pistons Sign Lorenzo Brown To Second 10-Day
The Pistons have signed point guard Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day contract, the team announced via press release. His initial 10-day pact expired overnight. The latest deal costs $55,722 and covers five games, against the Thunder, Mavericks, Bulls, Heat and Magic. Detroit is a game up in the loss column on Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The first 10-day contract was essentially an insurance policy for the team, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy conceded, as Reggie Jackson nursed a virus and Spencer Dinwiddie dealt with a deep bone bruise in his ankle. Neither Jackson nor Dinwiddie currently appear on the CBSSports.com injury report, and fellow point guard Steve Blake is also healthy, but the Pistons are nonetheless keeping Brown in their 15th roster spot for the time being.
Brown has yet to appear in a game with Detroit. He averaged 2.5 points in 7.6 minutes per game across eight appearances on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Suns earlier this year. The 25-year-old who was the 52nd pick in the 2013 draft has spent most of the season with the Pistons D-League team. Detroit is plenty familiar with him not just from his D-League experience but also from his 2014 preseason stint on the Pistons NBA roster.
Van Gundy Has Faith in Beyer
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy believes assistant coach Bob Beyer would make a great head coach should Beyer receive an opportunity, David Mayo of MLive writes. “He’s outstanding,” Van Gundy said. “I mean, in every aspect. He’s a great X-and-O guy; he’s a great teacher; really organized; knows the league; and he’s got great rapport with the players.”
Stan Van Gundy Discusses Offseason Goals
The Pistons as a franchise feel that their core is set and intend to focus this offseason on finding players whose positions and skill sets complement their current roster, David Mayo of MLive writes. “We’ve got to really look at our roster, realistically, and decide where we want to go,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “And also, you’re assessing the guys, quite honestly, in terms of value, so that when deals are presented, you’ve sat and talked and have a value on all of your guys.” Van Gundy added that “maybe quicker, more athletic” defenders and off-the-dribble creators are on the team’s shopping list for the summer, Mayo relays.
Stan Van Gundy Keeping Eye On Brandon Jennings
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he’ll “keep an eye” on Brandon Jennings this summer in the hopes that the soon-to-be free agent finds the right situation, as MLive’s Aaron McMann relays. Van Gundy said in January that he could envision re-signing the point guard, despite the presence of entrenched starter Reggie Jackson, before Detroit traded Jennings to the Magic last month. It’s unclear whether Van Gundy is thinking about a reunion with Jennings, but it’s nonetheless apparent that the Pistons boss has affection for him, lauding his commitment and positive locker room influence. “The one thing, and some people probably think you’re full of crap,” Van Gundy said. “We said to him all along — he and his agent [Jeff Schwartz] — that if we traded him, we would try very hard to get him into a good situation. He had played for [Magic coach] Scott [Skiles] before, and the Magic really wanted him. It sounded to us like he was going to get an opportunity there. That was important to us because I’ve got great respect for Brandon and for what he did for us last year.”
Tobias Harris Thanks Magic For Trade To Pistons
Tobias Harris just signed a four-year, $64MM deal with the Magic in July, but he took it in stride when the team traded him to the Pistons at last month’s deadline, observes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. “I’m not mad at Orlando for the trade,” Harris said Tuesday. “Actually, if I was to sit here and be upset, that would be selfish, wouldn’t it? All they did was put me in an amazing situation. Truthfully, I thank them for that. I mean, I loved my time there, but business is business, and I think being here has been great for me.”
'Melo Says He Was Told Pistons Would Draft Him In '03
Anthony told Beck in January that he was disappointed that the Pistons passed him up with the second overall pick in 2003, saying that he’d been told Detroit would take him. It’s not clear who told Anthony that the Pistons would draft him instead of Darko Milicic, the center the Pistons fatefully selected when the time came. Regardless, the bond between James, Anthony, Wade and Paul is strong, and it’s made an impression on Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, who’s mentored all of them with the USA Basketball program.
Jodie Meeks Likely Out For Season
Jodie Meeks probably won’t return to the court before the end of the season, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged today, according to Aaron McMann of MLive. Meeks hasn’t played since October, and though it appeared recently that he would make his debut, a shoulder injury he suffered in practice last week has made that possibility remote, as McMann details. Meeks had come almost all the way back after suffering a broken foot in the team’s second game of the season. The Pistons activated him for games on March 12th and 14th, though he didn’t see any action in those contests, McMann points out. Van Gundy didn’t have plans to use Meeks in the rotation anyway, so his continued absence shouldn’t be a killer for Detroit, which is just percentage points behind Chicago for the last playoff spot. See more from the Central Division:
And-Ones: Baynes, Kilpatrick, Early
Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy cannot understand why Aron Baynes has so many social media critics, he told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors. Van Gundy signed Baynes to a three-year, $20MM contract last summer to back up All-Star center Andre Drummond and believes he’s gotten his money’s worth. “Some of you guys tell me that some fans on comment boards don’t like him. I don’t know what they’re watching,” Van Gundy said. “He’s certainly one of the top backup centers in the league. You compare him to the other backup centers, he’s been absolutely terrific. He plays with great passion and emotion.” Baynes scored a career-high 21 points against the Nets on Saturday.
- Sean Kilpatrick‘s offensive ability earned him some long-term security, Nets interim coach Tony Brown told the media, including Hoops Rumors, over the weekend. The shooting guard agreed to a multiyear deal that includes a guarantee for next season after his two 10-day contracts with the team expired. “He’s very effective shooting from deep and he’s been getting some good looks off the dribble,” Brown said. “Obviously, the new deal for him is well deserved. They’re thinking down the road, for the future of the ballclub, that he’d be a nice piece to have on the roster.”
- The anticipation for next season is growing in Philadelphia as the current season winds down, Sixers coach Brett Brown told Brian Seltzer of NBA.com. “Names get associated with prospective draft picks that we’re studying now that the [NCAA] Tournament’s going on,” Brown said. “The end is near where you’re looking at our existing players and how we’re going to respond to some of the people that are out of contract. You start talking a little bit more seriously about some of the free agent strategies. You start talking a little more seriously about the Joel Embiid situation, and Dario [Saric] situation, how it all fits.”
- Former Bucks and Pelicans point guard Nate Wolters is leaving his Turkish team Besiktas, international journalist David Pick tweets, citing a source. Wolters chose to play overseas in July after playing for the Clippers’ summer league team.
- The Trail Blazers recalled shooting guard Luis Montero and power forward Cliff Alexander from the D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors on Sunday, the team informed Mike Richman of The Oregonian. Both rookies appeared in four games with the Warriors’ D-League affiliate during their assignment and have played seven games apiece for the Blazers this season. Alexander will likely be active for the Blazers’ game against the Mavericks on Wednesday because big man Meyers Leonard is out indefinitely with a dislocated shoulder, Richman adds.
- The Knicks assigned small forward Cleanthony Early to their D-League affiliate in Westchester on Monday, the team tweets. The Knicks activated him on Sunday for the first time since he was shot in the right knee during a December 30th robbery.
Arthur Hill contributed to this report.
Brown Will Provide Insurance; Drummond's Defense Questioned
Dealing with illness and injury in their backcourt, the Pistons signed Lorenzo Brown today as “insurance,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told Aaron McMann of MLive. Starting point guard Reggie Jackson is dealing with a viral issue, while reserve Spencer Dinwiddie is recovering from a deep bone bruise in his ankle. With Steve Blake as the only healthy point guard, the Pistons gave a 10-day contract to Brown, who was playing for the Grand Rapids Drive in the D-League. “I watched Reggie the other night and he was sick, and Spencer’s not 100%,” Van Gundy explained. “You start saying, ‘We might want to get that covered.'” Brown was in Detroit’s training camp before the start of last season had two 10-day contracts with the Suns earlier this year. Van Gundy likes Brown’s familiarity with the Pistons’ system, but he doesn’t plan to use him in a game unless there’s an emergency.
- Van Gundy lashed out at his defense, especially center Andre Drummond, after surrendering 118 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks, writes David Mayo of MLive. The coach expects better rim protection from Drummond, who will be a restricted free agent this summer after agreeing to pass on an extension. Drummond is considered a virtual lock to stay with the Pistons on a max contract. “He’s not contesting shots at the rim,” Van Gundy said. “You look at the per-minute stuff and he’s 38th in the league in blocks per minute. I mean that’s just — maybe he can’t be in the top three or four but you don’t need to be 38th.”