And-Ones: Jones, All-Stars, Draft Picks, Inglis
The Timberwolves have assigned rookie point guard Tyus Jones to the D-League, the team tweeted tonight. The former Duke star was drafted 24th overall by the Cavaliers in June and then shipped to Minnesota in a draft-night trade. He has played just 14 minutes in two games with the Wolves, with 1 point, 1 rebound and 1 assist. Minnesota officials had previously announced their intention to have Jones spend part of the year in the D-League to get more playing time. Jones will be sent to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Jazz. Wolves GM Milt Newton will address the situation Sunday, according to a tweet from the team.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- Pistons center Andre Drummond heads a list of most likely first-time all stars compiled by Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. With Drummond averaging more than 18 points per game and leading the league in rebounds, Brigham considers the fourth-year center a shoo-in for the February 14th contest in Toronto. Potentially joining him from the Eastern Conference are Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis, the Hornets‘ Kemba Walker, the Celtics‘ Isaiah Thomas and the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside. Brigham’s five picks for the Western squad are the Warriors‘ Draymond Green, the Spurs‘ Kawhi Leonard, the Suns‘ Eric Bledsoe and/or Brandon Knight and the Jazz’s Derrick Favors.
- LSU’s Ben Simmons looks like the clear No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, Brigham writes in a separate story analyzing the top six contenders for that honor. Brigham cites the Australia freshman’s versatility on offense, where he possesses the skills of a point guard but the 6’10” frame of a power forward. Also on Brigham’s list are Kentucky freshman Skal Labissiere, California freshman Jaylen Brown, Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, Providence junior Kris Dunn and Utah sophomore Jakob Poeltl.
- The Bucks recalled Damien Inglis from the Canton Charge of the D-League, tweets Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He was sent to Canton on November 22nd.
- The Raptors recalled Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright from Raptors 905, the team tweeted today. Neither was active for today’s game with the Warriors.
Pistons Rumors: Monroe, Drummond, D-League
Greg Monroe‘s decision to leave Detroit in free agency was set in motion when the franchise declined to offer him an extension in 2013, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. During that summer, former Pistons president Joe Dumars made a big-money offer to Josh Smith and swung a trade for Brandon Jennings, but elected not to lock Monroe up long-term. Monroe developed a strong relationship with Stan Van Gundy, who replaced Dumars in 2014 and became both coach and president of basketball operations, but Monroe felt like his decision was already clear. “Us parting ways from my eyes and a guy like Stan, it was mutual,” Monroe said. “They were going in a different direction, and it was probably time for me to go separate ways. I was talking to him, and he was just kinda giving me advice about my decision, honestly. He was telling me what he thought about the teams that he knew I had interest in, and that’s basically it.” Monroe signed a three-year, $51MM deal with Milwaukee in July.
There’s more news out of Detroit:
- Monroe became a champion of small-market teams when he chose the Bucks over high-profile suitors like the Knicks and Lakers, but that didn’t figure into his decision, Ellis writes in the same story. “Obviously bigger markets have more opportunities, but at this point in my life, I’m focused on basketball,” Monroe said. “I just want to be in best situation for me as far as winning games. At some point, I do want to get into other endeavors, but I’m not going to be on any commercials or anything.”
- Monroe tells Terry Foster of The Detroit News that he is elated at the progress of former teammate Andre Drummond, who has become one of the NBA’s top centers in his fourth season. Through 20 games, Drummond is the NBA’s leading rebounder with 17.0 per contest. Monroe got to watch Drummond develop his game in practice and said it was a mutual learning experience. “I definitely tried to help him as much as possible,” Monroe said. “And I definitely learned some stuff from him.”
- Having 15 players with guaranteed contracts limits the Pistons when it comes to D-League callups, writes David Mayo of MLive. Responding to a reader’s question, Mayo speculates that Detroit might look to upgrade at power forward or maybe acquire backcourt scoring by the trade deadline. But he said any move is unlikely to involve a D-League callup, given the current state of the roster.
And-Ones: Brown, D-League, Simmons
The burden of the Sixers‘ long rebuilding process is weighing on coach Brett Brown, who believed the franchise would be further along than it currently is, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. “I do feel the enormity of it from time to time,” Brown told Lowe. “I wouldn’t be telling you the truth if I said that I had thought in year three, this was the group I’d be coaching. I didn’t realize the roster would play out like it has — that last year would be almost a redshirt year, with Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.”
Philadelphia’s plan of bottoming out and rebuilding through the draft has rankled more than a few executives around the NBA, though no further discussions regarding reforming the draft lottery process are expected to take place until the next session of collective bargaining between the league and the NBPA occurs, which will not happen until 2016 or 2017, Lowe notes in the same piece.
Here’s what else is happening around the league:
- The Pistons have assigned Spencer Dinwiddie and Darrun Hilliard to their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, the team announced. The moves were first reported by David Mayo of MLive.com (via Twitter).
- LSU forward Ben Simmons tops the latest 2016 NBA draft rankings from Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. Simmons overtook Kentucky center Skal Labissiere, who is now third on Givony’s draft board, with Duke swingman Brandon Ingram now slotted second.
- Former Warriors center Andris Biedrins, who last played in the NBA with Utah during the 2013/14 season, said he wasn’t sure if his playing career was officially over during an interview with Leta.lv (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). “I am staying in shape, nothing crazy, but I work out three-four times per week,” Biedrins said. “It’s tough to say if I have put basketball aside. At the moment I don’t have the wish to play. Maybe after half year or a year I will want to play, but not now.” Biedrins also noted he was a big fan of Knicks rookie, and fellow Latvian, Kristaps Porzingis. “Kristaps Porzingis? How you cannot follow him? I am very happy for Porzingis, he has been fantastic. I know how difficult it is. I hope he keeps up like that,” Biedrins added.
- The Thunder have assigned point guard Cameron Payne to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release.
Eastern Notes: Redick, Patterson, Monroe
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
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
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
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
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
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, 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
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.