Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Redick, Patterson, Monroe

December 5th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Cavaliers have been hit hard by injuries to begin the season and have struggled a bit as a result, but the team would be remiss to believe that the return to health of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert will cure all that ails them, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. LeBron James apparently shares Haynes’ opinion, saying, “I hope we don’t think that way. It’s never that way. When you get your guys back, you prepare just as you prepare before. There’s only one guy ever in the world that everything will be all right when he comes back and that’s Jesus Christ. Other than that, you can’t bank on nobody being OK.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick was shocked when the Magic dealt him away to the Bucks in 2013, and though he is happy playing in Los Angeles he still has fond memories of his time in Orlando, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. “If you have a family, if you have a wife, it’s just a great place to play,” Redick said. “L.A. can be a little more stressful in that regard. My wife and I joke all the time, like, ‘Man, life was simple in Orlando. The rent was so low. We didn’t have to deal with traffic or state income tax.’ There’s all these other things out here. But playing in Los Angeles, playing in a big market, playing for a high-profile team — those are things that I wanted in free agency. I wanted the chance to win. So I’m happy, man.“
The Hawks have assigned Lamar Patterson to the D-League, and he will report to the Spurs’ affiliate in Austin as part of the flexible assignment rule, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays (via Twitter).
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy appreciated the abilities of Greg Monroe, who departed as a free agent and inked a deal with the Bucks this past offseason, but he couldn’t justify tying up a large chunk of the franchise’s cap space between Monroe and Andre Drummond, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel writes. “I think Greg played some at the four obviously and was good, but his best position is at center,” Van Gundy said. “He knew that. We knew that. What of your resources are you going to tie up at basically one position? Or were you willing to play with two centers in a league that’s going the other way? It didn’t have anything to do with the person, really. It was the situation where we had to make a decision. I miss Greg, I do…. He’s a great rebounder, and a great competitor and teammate.“

Dahntay Jones Joins Pistons D-League Team

December 4th, 2015 at 1:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Longtime NBA shooting guard Dahntay Jones has joined the D-League affiliate of the Pistons, the team announced, according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest and Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (All Twitter links). Jones, an 11-year NBA veteran, spent the second half of last season with the Clippers and was with the Nets during the preseason. The Grand Rapids Drive opened a roster spot when they waived Pistons camp invitee Adonis Thomas, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury, the team announced (Twitter link).

The Clippers reportedly kept Jones around last season in large measure because of his locker room presence, as he averaged less than a point in 3.7 minutes per game across 33 regular season appearances. Brooklyn picked him up in September and gave him significant playing time during the preseason, as he posted averages of 7.5 points in 24.5 minutes per game, but the Nets cut him before opening night anyway. The Drive announced Thursday that they’d pulled off a trade with the affiliate of the Raptors to acquire Jones’ D-League rights (Twitter link). Jones, 34, is atypically old for a D-Leaguer, but playing on the circuit gives NBA scouts a chance to keep an eye on him.

Thomas joined the Pistons NBA roster in July on a deal that included a $60K partial guarantee after Stan Van Gundy gave him assurances that he’d have a legitimate chance to make it to opening night. However, Achilles tendon issues kept him out for all but one of Detroit’s preseason games, and the Pistons waived him before the start of the regular season. After clearing NBA waivers, Thomas rejoined the Drive, the club with which he finished the 2014/15 season.

2016/17 Salary Cap Projection: Detroit Pistons

December 3rd, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.

The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise, and we’ll continue onward with a look at the Detroit Pistons:

Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $47,377,414*
Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $900,000
Non Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $11,855,067
Total Projected Salary Cap Commitments: $60,132,481

*Note: This amount includes the $5,400,000 due Josh Smith and the $452,049 owed to Aaron Gray, both of whom were waived via the stretch provision.

If the salary cap were to fall in line with the projection of $89MM, Detroit would have approximately $28,867,519 in cap space, or $34,867,519 if the cap were to be set at the higher mark of $95MM. Again, these are merely predictions until the exact cap amounts are announced, and they are not meant to illustrate the exact amount that the team will have available to spend this coming offseason.

Detroit will also need to make a decision regarding Andre Drummond, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. If the Pistons wish to retain the right to match any offer sheets the player were to receive the team would need to submit a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683. That amount would merely be a place holder until the player either inked a new deal or signed his qualifying offer, which would then set Drummond up for unrestricted free agency the following offseason.

Trades and long-term free agent signings made during the season will also have a significant impact on the figures above, and we’ll be updating these posts to reflect the new numbers after any agreements and deals have been made official.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Pistons Notes: Jennings, Johnson, Morris, Tolliver

December 3rd, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Jennings, set for free agency at season’s end, is willing to accept a bench role upon his return from a torn Achilles, which is reportedly three or four weeks away, writes Terry Foster of The Detroit News. Reggie Jackson‘s five-year, $80MM deal has firmly entrenched him as the starting point guard.

“Always in my head [I am a starter],” Jennings said. “But sometimes you’ve got to take the back seat and do what is best for the team.”

Jennings said he’d go after the Sixth Man of the Year award if he can’t find his way into the starting five at some point, Foster adds. See more from the Motor City:

Stanley Johnson made winning a starting job at the beginning of the season a priority, but now he, too, is OK with coming off the bench, MLive’s David Mayo notes. He’s seeing 21.3 minutes per game so far this season but came close to 30 minutes in a win against the Rockets this week. “I’m always competing for a starting position,” Johnson said. “Since I got here, I’ve always said that I’m always competing for a starting position. But I’m not going to be the player who comes off the bench and says, ‘Aw, I should start.’ Thirty minutes is 30 minutes; 35 minutes … it doesn’t matter what minutes you’re playing as long as you’re still getting your minutes. If I can have starter’s production in my bench minutes, I think I’m doing the same thing as starting.”
Wednesday’s game against the Suns didn’t evoke much emotion for Marcus Morris, who was upset this summer after Phoenix traded him to the Pistons. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press has the details. “Like I said before, I’m in Detroit,” Morris said. “No thoughts of being in Phoenix come to my mind anymore.”
It’s a key season for Anthony Tolliver, who’s poised to hit free agency this coming summer, as Mayo examines in a separate piece. The 30-year-old Larry Fox client has carved out an NBA career in large measure because of his outside shooting, but he contends that he can do more than just nail 3-pointers, as he tells Mayo. He’s been an important scorer off the bench for the Pistons since they traded for him nearly a year ago, Mayo writes, but his points per game, as well as his vaunted shooting, are off this season.

And-Ones: Gasol, Bryant, Jennings

December 2nd, 2015 at 10:32pm CST by Will Joseph

There is a distinct possibility that Pau Gasol will opt out of his contract after this season with the Bulls because he’d likely get at least two years of guaranteed money by doing so, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes in response to a reader’s question. Gasol has not been featured as prominently in Fred Hoiberg‘s offense as he was under Tom Thibodeau, but since he’s still playing effectively, that should not factor much in Gasol’s decision, Johnson adds. Gasol will be a name to watch, according to Johnson, when the trade deadline nears if the Bulls believe they will lose him for nothing, however.

Here’s more from around the league:

Kobe Bryant shot down the idea that he would consider coaching after he retires as a player, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times tweets. “Coaching, me? That’s about the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” Bryant said, per Bresnahan. A transition to coaching seemed unlikely, anyway, given Bryant’s ultra-competitive demeanor. Bryant has said he plans to delve further into storytelling through different forms of media after this season.
Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January, is still three or four weeks away from seeing the court and thus his return is not imminent, coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports (Twitter link).
The two-year contract worth $11MM that the Mavs signed point guard Deron Williams to over the summer is looking like a bargain one month into the season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com details. While Williams said he would like to be more consistent, he has shown flashes of dominance, MacMahon writes. Williams is averaging 14.8 points and 5.8 assists per game.

And-Ones: Kaminsky, Draft, Warriors

November 29th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Hornets owner Michael Jordan liked the experience Frank Kaminsky received as a four-year player at Wisconsin and the team has been satisfied with the rookie’s progress so far, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel relays.

“After summer league, you could see what he could become,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Particularly on the defensive end, he’s made such great strides. I think Michael’s big point about him is that so much of the draft now are guys that are freshmen. Frankly, when you’re watching a lot of the college tape, the difficult challenge of the draft is they’re good players, but even on their college teams they’re the third or fourth-best guy.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

LSU freshman Ben Simmons, a point forward, who is listed at 6’10″ and 225 pounds, is already gaining traction as a favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. Simmons, who is projected to play small forward in the NBA, is averaging 16.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks through his first five games this season, as Kennedy notes.
Harrison Barnes will be out at least one week after spraining his left ankle, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group details. The Warriors determined Barnes did not suffer a fracture, Leung adds.
Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, whom the Pistons exercised their team option on for the 2016/17 season last month, continues to earn major minutes because of his defensive ability, David Mayo of MLive.com writes.

Central Rumors: Jackson, Bucks, Bulls

November 29th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Will Joseph

It’s still too early to declare a winner in the three-way trade that sent Reggie Jackson from the Thunder to the Pistons, but Detroit certainty should not be called the loser in the deal, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. There was a lot of verbal jabbing from some Thunder players (most notably by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant) regarding Jackson’s return to Oklahoma City for a game Friday. Yet Jackson, as Ellis points out, is averaging 18.2 points, eight assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 43 games he has played since joining the Pistons (heading into action Sunday). The Pistons re-signed Jackson to a five-year, $80MM contract in the offseason.

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Jackson heard a lot of boos from the crowd as the visiting Pistons lost to the Thunder, the team Jackson spent his first three seasons with, on Friday, but he anticipated that reaction, David Mayo of MLive.com relays. “I kind of love to be hated. It’s flattering,” Jackson said. “I think it’s the greatest kind of love. It’s love and spite at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything to build some memories here, so obviously, if they booed me, that means I did something special.”
The Bucks‘ slow start can partly be attributed to their drop in defensive efficiency this season compared to last season after Milwaukee signed Greg Monroe and traded center Zaza Pachulia, Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com details. Monroe, as Smith notes, is a talented offensive player, but Pachulia is a rugged defender and is adept at switching on pick-and-rolls — which is something the Bucks appear to be missing, Smith adds.
Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., who underwent back surgery in September after re-signing with Chicago during the summer, will visit a doctor on Monday after experiencing soreness, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relays. “We should have a better update after that,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. Dunleavy had been increasing his individual workouts without incident as recently as last week, according to Johnson.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Hornets, Celtics

November 29th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has made strides on the defensive end and his team is taking notice, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. “Phenomenal. That kid is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league — KCP locks up,” teammate Reggie Jackson said. “It’s not a fluke. What KCP does on defense night in and night out is not a fluke.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Steve Clifford, who recently agreed to an extension with the Hornets, believes he is lucky to work for Michael Jordan because Jordan has perspective that most owners do not, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “There are things that we do that I feel we’ve improved on because of input I’ve gotten from him. But he’s great,” Clifford said. “I think he may be the easiest owner to work for, and because he has a feel for what four [games] in five nights is, what five in seven nights is, I could give you five or six examples of situations where things have gone badly, where he — because he played — he’ll call and be much more reassuring than, ‘Why did we play so poorly?'”
With Marcus Smart expected to miss a couple weeks, rookie Terry Rozier could see an increased role, A.Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “He’s a guy that I have faith to put in,” coach Brad Stevens said. The Celtics have excellent depth on their roster, but if Rozier can prove he belongs in the rotation, the team could look to trade one of its veterans to open up minutes for the Louisville product, although that is merely my speculation.

Central Notes: Jackson, Thompson, George

November 28th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson‘s departure from Oklahoma City last season wasn’t a clean break-up, and his former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were candid in expressing their displeasure with Jackson taking his desire to depart the Thunder public, Royce Young of ESPN.com recounts. After Friday night’s victory over Detroit, Durant made some interesting comments regarding Jackson’s standing on the Pistons, Young notes. When asked about the job the Thunder did guarding center Andre Drummond, Durant said, “Steven Adams did a great job on their best player, and Andre Roberson did a great job on their second-best player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Russ did his job.”

Jackson, who was booed mightily by the Oklahoma City crowd, responded by saying, “I love to be hated. It’s flattering, the greatest honor of them all. It’s love and spite all at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything and build some memories here,” the ESPN scribe relays.

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

Cavs big man Tristan Thompson, a native Canadian, was rumored to be a target of the Raptors if he was unable to agree to a long-term deal with Cleveland over the summer, but the power forward says that he didn’t consider the possibility of joining Toronto during his contract impasse, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “I never thought about it,” Thompson said. “My whole thing was to focus on getting better and whenever my situation was handled, my business was handled, that’s when I was going to get back on the court. Whenever it was, so be it. I’m glad it’s here in Cleveland.” Lloyd also noted that Thompson doesn’t appear to be overly motivated to play for a Canadian-based team, with Thompson adding, “As a kid I always watched the Raptors growing up and was a fan of the Raptors. When we were in the playoffs our first couple years I definitely cheered them on … But I’m a Cleveland guy and that’s where my heart’s at.”
Derrick Rose, who knows a thing or two about recovering from a serious injury, is amazed at Pacers swingman Paul George‘s return to an All-Star level this season, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “It’s been great,” Rose said of watching George. “If anything, it gives kids, it gives people that are going through the same situation hope because who would have known that he would have come back this way? Seems like he’s a better player. He’s understanding the game a little bit more, he’s putting the team on his back in situations where he doesn’t let them go and be down big, so he’s taking the right shots. I think it’s helping him grow as a basketball player.“

Pistons Notes: Jennings, Van Gundy, Jackson

November 27th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard Brandon Jennings cannot go full speed yet and remains weeks away from returning, coach Stan Van Gundy told the gathered media this week, including Hoops Rumors. Jennings, who is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January, has been participating in practices but is still targeted to return sometime next month. “He doesn’t have his quickness back,” Van Gundy said. “He’s a ways away but he’s getting there. He can do pretty much everything. It’s just getting back into being able to play at that tempo. There’s definitely been progress but he’s still a ways away.” When he returns, Jennings will likely move ahead of Steve Blake and Spencer Dinwiddie on the second unit.

In other news around the team:

Van Gundy believes opponents should be able to use the Hack-A-Dre strategy at any point in the game or not at all, he declared during the same press conference. Opponents will sometimes resort to intentionally fouling center Andre Drummond, a career 40% free throw shooter, off the ball. The strategy is only useful until two minutes remaining in a quarter, when off-the-ball infractions result in a free throw plus possession. “I don’t like rules that apply to just the last two minutes of a game,” Van Gundy said. “To me, let’s play with the same rules for 48 minutes. If we can grab guys in the first 46 minutes, let us grab guys in the last two or don’t do it at all. And I don’t like the replay rule in the last two minutes. It’s like the other calls don’t matter. A call at 2:05 affects a game as much as 1:55 but we’re not going review that one.”
Van Gundy has gone to a nine-man rotation, expanding the role of first-rounder Stanley Johnson. With backup shooting guard Jodie Meeks sidelined since the first week of the season with a broken right foot, Reggie Bullock got the first crack at the role. But Bullock made just one basket in 10 games and Van Gundy is reluctant to give rookie second-rounder Darrun Hilliard a rotation spot. Thus, Johnson is now the primary backup at both small forward and shooting guard. Neither Bullock nor Hilliard played against the Thunder on Friday night.
The Pistons made the quickest improvement of the three teams involved in the blockbuster that netted point guard Reggie Jackson, David Mayo of MLive.com opines. The Thunder and Jazz also achieved their objectives in the trade deadline deal but the Pistons got the point guard they coveted without giving up a major piece, Mayo continues. They traded two players who are now reserves for the Thunder, point guard D.J. Augustin and small forward Kyle Singler, and two future second-round picks. Jackson signed a five-year, $80MM contract this summer as a restricted free agent.