Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Sign Jordan Bachynski For Camp

September 28th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 11:24pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

SEPTEMBER 25TH, 5:56pm: The signing has indeed taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make an announcement.

SEPTEMBER 16TH, 12:14pm: The Pistons and former Arizona State big man Jordan Bachynski have agreed to a non-guaranteed deal, a source tells Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be the first official NBA contract for the 7’2″ Bachynski, who was with the Raptors and Magic for summer league this year. He’s the 20th Piston with either a signed contract or a verbal agreement to join the team, meaning the Pistons are at the preseason roster limit.

Bachynski, now 26, averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and an impressive 4.0 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game as a senior for the Sun Devils in 2013/14. He played four games with Turkey’s Ekishehir Basket early last season before surfacing stateside with the D-League affiliate of the Knicks. The Westchester Knicks gave him limited burn, as he notched 6.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 19.0 MPG. He managed even less playing him in summer league, averaging 4.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.4 BPG in just 10.0 MPG across eight appearances.

Detroit was one of several NBA teams to work him out prior to the 2014 draft, though he went unselected. Bachynski’s odds of sticking with the Pistons for opening night don’t look strong, since the Pistons have 17 fully guaranteed contracts, more than any other team in the league, as I examined last month. The team also has Adonis Thomas, who has a $60K partial guarantee, and Eric Griffin on a non-guaranteed deal, as our roster count shows.

Do you think Bachynski deserves a spot on an NBA regular season roster? Leave a comment to tell us.

Pistons Sign Eric Griffin To Camp Deal

September 28th, 2015 at 11:23am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 11:23pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

2:30pm: It’s a one-year deal for the minimum with limited injury protection, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. That indicates that it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.

SEPTEMBER 14TH, 10:46am: The signing took place Friday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the Pistons have made no formal announcement.

SEPTEMBER 1ST, 9:34pm: The Pistons have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent small forward Eric Griffin, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal are unknown, but Charania does add that the pact is non-guaranteed, which means that it is likely a minimum salary training camp arrangement, though that is merely my speculation.

The 25-year-old will certainly have his work cut out for him in order to remain on the roster for the beginning of the regular season. Detroit currently has 18 players on its roster, which isn’t uncommon this time of the year. What is unusual is that 17 of those players possess fully guaranteed pacts, and if Griffin were to make the final cut, then the Pistons would need to eat a total of three fully guaranteed salaries in order to clear a slot for him. It is possible that Detroit inked Griffin with an eye on sending him to its D-League affiliate for the 2015/16 campaign, though that is merely my speculation.

Griffin went undrafted out of Campbell University back in 2012. He was a camp invitee for the Mavericks last season, and the forward later inked a deal to play in Puerto Rico for Leones de Ponce. He played summer league ball for both the Clippers and the Cavaliers this offseason.

Pistons Notes: Drummond, Van Gundy, Morris

September 27th, 2015 at 5:45pm CST by Will Joseph

The question of whether to grant Andre Drummond an extension will be key for the Pistons, who would like their cornerstone center to delay signing until next year, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Drummond is entering the final year of his rookie contract and the Pistons have just more than a month to sign him to an extension in the five-year, $120MM range, Mayo adds. If not, he can become a restricted free agent next summer. The reason the Pistons would rather Drummond wait to sign, according to Mayo, is because until Drummond actually signs his contract, only his cap-hold figure of about $8.2MM would be factored into the Pistons’ 2016/17 payroll for salary-cap purposes, not the $21MM he actually figures to make that season. Mayo’s entire list of things to watch is a worthy read.

Here’s more out of Detroit:

With only three players still remaining on the Pistons from May 2014, which was when Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy was hired, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press runs down all of the teams’ moves since then.
Van Gundy, in an interview with Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, said he understands why Marcus Morris would be upset, but also adds that the situation should not be an issue going forward. Morris has bruised feelings toward the Suns after being traded away and separated from his brother.

Central Notes: Dunleavy, Morris, Bulls

September 25th, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy underwent a successful low back microdiscectomy procedure earlier today at Rush University Medical Center and he is expected to be out of action for 8-10 weeks, the team announced. Dunleavy had experienced some occasional back discomfort over the summer which had recently worsened, according to the release. If his recovery goes as planned, Dunleavy will likely miss between 12-15 contests.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Marcus Morris views his new start with the Pistons as a means to finally carve out a niche for himself in the league, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “In Phoenix, I thought I should have started at the three,” Morris told Langlois. “The guy that’s there now [P.J. Tucker] might have been a better defender, but as an all-around three, I thought I was the best we had. And I thought a lot of players thought that, too. But there’s a lot of opportunity here. I have a chance to come in and start right away. I’ve been in the league for five years. It’s nothing new to me. I have started my share of games. It’s not like I’m new to it. The only thing that’s new is that it’s the East Coast now.”
The Bulls return virtually the same core as last season, and if the change in coaches from Tom Thibodeau to Fred Hoiberg doesn’t nudge the team to the next level, it may be time for Chicago to attempt to pry Carmelo Anthony away from the Knicks, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Friedell does note that the size of Anthony’s contract would be a gamble for Bulls, and the team would likely have to part with a number of talented players to make the deal work financially, which would make such a trade a risky proposition for Chicago.
If the Cavaliers can remain healthy as a unit and are able to secure home court advantage in the playoffs, the team is likely to secure the NBA title in 2015/16, the crew at Basketball Insiders opine in their season preview.

Northwest Notes: Rubio, Donovan, Matthews

September 25th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves GM Milt Newton poured cold water on persistent Ricky Rubio trade rumors, telling Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press that the front office is “not talking to anybody about trading Ricky” and that the team expects the point guard to play an integral role.

“He’s one of the best facilitators in the NBA,” Newton said. “We’ve got a young team of guys that are athletic, that are going to get up and down. And we’re going to utilize those talents that they have. Who better than Ricky to be the one leading the charge, pushing the pace, pushing the ball and getting our guys easy opportunities and getting the ball where they can be their best? We’re looking to him to be that person.”

Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher said earlier this month that the Wolves had lost faith in Rubio and had gauged the market for him, though Bucher added that he heard trade talks weren’t ongoing. Since then, Newton assumed control of the front office from the ailing Flip Saunders, who’s on a leave of absence as he recovers from cancer treatments. See more from the Northwest Division:

Thunder GM Sam Presti said this week that he didn’t have any influence in Billy Donovan‘s assistant coaching hires, moves that complement the first-year NBA head coach with veterans Monty Williams and Maurice Cheeks, as The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel details. “Billy, great quality about him, he did not know Monty, and he did not know Maurice Cheeks,” Presti said. “He interviewed those guys. He really liked them. He felt like they could help. He was totally aligned with our vision for an organization. One of the things that make him able to do that, he naturally and intrinsically gravitates to those kinds of people. Those guys have been great together. We’re grateful those guys were willing to jump in. Both those guys have accomplished a lot.”
The Trail Blazers had no reason to pay a premium to retain Wesley Matthews once LaMarcus Aldridge left, given Matthews’ torn Achilles and the rebuilding phase that Portland is entering, contends Shaun Powell of NBA.com in his review of the team’s offseason. Jabari Young of Comcast SportsNet Northwest presented a different take on that in our latest installment of The Beat.
The max deal Matthews signed with the Mavs appears on the list of the five worst contracts for the future that Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports compiled. Also on the list is Enes Kanter, who signed an offer sheet with the Blazers that the Thunder matched, and former Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson, now on a five-year, $80MM deal with the Pistons.

Pistons Notes: Jennings, Baynes, Anthony

September 22nd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Doctors have cleared Brandon Jennings for full basketball activities, and a return by late November or early December is possible, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link). That’s in contrast to a Monday report that Jennings was not close to receiving clearance as he recovered from his torn left Achilles tendon. Jennings, who’s set to make more than $8.344MM this year in the final season of his contract, has been the subject of trade speculation, though Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has expressed optimism that Jennings and fellow point guard Reggie Jackson can share the floor. See more from Motown:

Pistons offseason signee Aron Baynes knows he has championship experience to impart from his time with the Spurs, but he has no intention of becoming an overbearing locker room presence, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. The Pistons inked Baynes, a career reserve, to a three-year, $19.5MM contract in July.
Baynes said Monday that he will be ready for the start of training camp a week from today despite undergoing ankle surgery this summer, Ellis notes in the same piece.
Van Gundy made it clear to Joel Anthony that he wanted him back, so when the Pistons chased others, including Baynes, in free agency, Anthony’s desire to re-sign with Detroit didn’t waver, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com chronicles. Van Gundy plans to use Baynes at power forward against teams that use two traditional big men, Langlois writes, so that would create a role in the rotation for Anthony, who signed a two-year, $5MM deal. “He didn’t have to tell me, ‘We’re trying to get this person,’ as if he has to walk on eggshells with me,” Anthony said of Van Gundy. “I was comfortable with how he was going forward. It’s still a good situation for me. There’s still opportunities for me and that’s what’s important.”

Injury Notes: Jennings, Melo, Durant, Love

September 21st, 2015 at 8:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Brandon Jennings is “not close” to being cleared, sources tell David Aldridge of NBA.com. He is currently shooting and running on a treadmill at 60% of his body weight, but the Pistons need to see more before he’s cleared to begin non-contact drill on the court, Aldridge adds. Jennings ruptured his left Achilles tendon last January and the Pistons have made a few additions at the point guard position since. Detroit traded for Reggie Jackson at last season’s deadline and handed him a five year, $80MM deal this offseason. The team also added Steve Blake to reinforce the position. Jennings will make slightly over $8.34MM during the 2015/16 season, which is the last year of his current deal.

Here are some more injury notes that Aldridge passed along in his column:

Carmelo Anthony looks like he’ll be ready for the start of training camp. He has been playing full-court, 5-on-5 with his Knicks teammates for the last few weeks.
Kevin Durant has been cleared to participate in training camp. The expectation is that he will be ready to handle a full workload of minutes once the regular season starts.
Kevin Love has not yet been officially cleared to return from a dislocated left shoulder injury that he sustained in the first round of the playoffs last season, but he has made significant progress.
New addition Wesley Matthews has not done any full-court work yet, but the expectation is that he will be cleared to start doing some work on the floor when Dallas opens camp next week.

And-Ones: Vaughn, World Peace, Pistons

September 21st, 2015 at 5:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn will be joining the Spurs in a player-personnel role, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports.

The Magic fired Vaughn in February in the midst of his third season as coach after having served a brief apprenticeship as an assistant coach with the Spurs. Vaughn could eventually find his way back to the bench as an assistant coach, Wojnarowski writes, but there are no openings for him now.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Although a deal does not seem imminent, Cerruti Brown of the AmeriLeague announced that he will speak to free agent Metta World Peace about a possible deal, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). There’s a good chance that the veteran small forward will come to an agreement with the Lakers before camp, however.
It’s unlikely the Pistons would trade shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a few reasons, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Caldwell-Pope, Mayo adds, still could be a major part of the Pistons’ future. What’s more, Caldwell-Pope’s defense makes him a valuable commodity and he is an improving player on a rookie contract, so it would take a strong offer to move him, according to Mayo.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Parker, KD, Heat

September 21st, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics are hoping that their depth will be enough to power them to success since they are lacking in star power, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. Celtics GM Danny Ainge understands the importance of having elite players, but he also pointed to the Spurs’ 2013/14 championship team as a team that won it all while not necessarily having the most talent.

“History has shown us that you need stars — or at least some level of stars,” said Ainge. “But I do believe you can win with really good players. Teams in the past that have won haven’t had the best players.”

Of course, that was a roster anchored by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, so it’s not as though it was a team of no-names. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference..

The Greg Monroe signing drew a ton of attention this summer, but if the Bucks enjoy success in 2015/16, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders believes that Jabari Parker’s return could be an even bigger factor for Milwaukee. Parker and Monroe, he adds, could consistently combine for 30-40 PPG, something the Bucks sorely missed last season.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com says that the Wizards are right to be setting the table for Kevin Durant in the event that he wants to leave OKC. The Wizards offer more than the comforts of home for OKC, thanks to John Wall, Bradley Beal, and a solid collection of bigs.
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat could trade Chris Andersen, Mario Chalmers, and a second-round pick to the Pistons for Brandon Jennings. While a healthy Jennings would be a quality a backup point guard to Goran Dragic, Winderman isn’t sure if Detroit will be motivated to move him upon his return.

Top Bloggers: Braden Shackelford On The Pistons

September 21st, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow.

Today’s interview is with Braden Shackelford of Fansided’s Piston Powered, where he serves as editor. You can follow Braden on Twitter @Shack_attack03, and click here to check out his stories.

Hoops Rumors: Brandon Jennings isn’t expected back from his torn left Achilles tendon until mid-to-late December. Right now, Detroit sees Jennings as a strong sixth man when he returns, but one has to imagine that they’ll be listening to trade offers if he looks sharp. Do you envision the Pistons trading Jennings before the trade deadline?

Braden Shackelford: Jennings has actually said he likes Detroit and willing to accept a role off the bench. Then again, he is in a contract year and coming off of a serious injury, so what else can he say? If Jennings comes back strong, I fully expect the Pistons to explore offers for him. But, if he’s healthy, why not see if he’s willing to return as a long-term sixth man too? At the right price, Jennings would be a great sixth man in Van Gundy’s offense.

Hoops Rumors: Greg Monroe says that he simply wasn’t wanted back in Detroit. Do you think the Pistons should have made a better effort to retain him?

Braden Shackelford: Yes, the Pistons should have tried, but I’m not sure it would have mattered. Even if the Pistons decided to offer Monroe a contract, I doubt he’d accept. As a free agent he can choose who he plays for. Why sign with Detroit knowing that there’s a good chance you could be flipped at any time? Sure the money was a little better if he signed with the Pistons, but Monroe said it’s not about the money.

Monroe was a bad fit next to Drummond, but the Pistons could’ve flipped Monroe later on for a piece that did fit the nucleus of the team. The argument for not pursuing Monroe is that money would’ve been tied up, hindering the pursuit of other free agents. Of course, the Pistons swung and missed on all of their free agent targets early, so it wouldn’t have been a huge deal.

Hoops Rumors: After giving Reggie Jackson a hefty $80MM deal, it’s clear that the Pistons think very highly of him. Exactly how good is Reggie Jackson and where do you think he’ll rank amongst the league’s top point guards after this season is through?

Braden Shackelford: Statistically, Jackson has a very good chance of finishing as a top ten point guard. In 27 games under Van Gundy he averaged [17.6 PPG and 9.2 APG] and it’s not far fetched to think he can do the same this season. He’s also reportedly been working on the mechanics on his jump shot, which is his most glaring flaw. I think Jackson has a very good chance at making the All-Star team this season, but it remains to be seen just how high his ceiling is.

Hoops Rumors: Speaking of big contracts, the Pistons gave Aron Baynes a three-year, $20MM deal that includes a player option after year two. Many consider that deal to be an overpay. Where do you stand on that?

Braden Shackelford: I would say that it wasn’t a great deal, but not because of the salary, but rather the terms of the contract. $20MM over three years with a rising salary cap isn’t overspending – it’s the player option on the deal that makes this a reach. If Baynes doesn’t live up to the salary he will opt-in and play an extra season at a salary he isn’t worth. If he outperforms his contract, he will opt-out and get more money in free agency. His contract puts the Pistons in a lose-lose situation.

Hoops Rumors: Now that you’ve had a few months to watch summer league action and digest things, how do you feel about the Pistons’ decision to draft Stanley Johnson over Justise Winslow?

Braden Shackelford: I love the pick. The Pistons would’ve been happy with either player, but Johnson’s personality – tough, confident, competitive, hardworking – really embodies the city of Detroit. He felt underappreciated, falling all the way to the eighth pick and he’s on a mission to prove he’s the best player in the draft. I don’t know that he’s the best player in the draft, but he has a chance to make a tremendous impact in his first season. I expect him to be in the Rookie of the Year discussion all season long.

Hoops Rumors: Do you think Markieff Morris will end up in Detroit this year? If so, what do you think the Pistons would have to give up?

Braden Shackelford: I don’t think it would take a [big] package of players to land Markieff Morris. He’s a really good player, but his attitude brings his value down. We answered this question in-depth on PistonPowered and came to the conclusion that the risks far outweighed the reward. There are a number of factors to consider here, but one thing that tipped the scales was that Marcus Morris said he wanted to grow as a player, something he felt he couldn’t do playing next to Markieff. The Pistons like what they have in Marcus and getting away from his often troubled brother is probably the best thing for him.