Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Love, James, Jackson, Bucks

April 19th, 2015 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The playoffs will shed a lot of light on Kevin Love and his future in Cleveland, writes Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report. Love can become a free agent by opting out this summer, and although he has stated his intentions are to remain with the Cavaliers, some around the league wouldn’t be convinced of that unless Cleveland wins the title this year, as Skolnick details. He has become the third option in Cleveland and his usage rate has fallen to 21.7%, the lowest since his rookie season in Minnesota. “Obviously, he went there with LeBron to win a championship,” former Timberwolves assistant Bill Bayno said of the offseason deal that sent Love to Cleveland. “I think he had an idea his role would be a little different, I don’t think he knew it would be this different.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

LeBron James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com that he will take responsibility for giving Love a bigger role in the offense during the postseason. “I think Kevin has not had the season that he’s accustomed to having the past few years,” James said, “but in order for us to win, Kevin Love has to play at a high level, and it’s my job to help him get to that point as well.” Like Love, James can opt out and become a free agent this summer, but there seems to be little chance of him leaving Cleveland.
The Pistons finally started getting the production they expected from Reggie Jackson toward the end of the season, according to Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Acquired from the Thunder in a deadline deal, Jackson averaged 20 points, 11 assists and 4.8 rebounds over his final 16 games in Detroit. “If you look at his numbers over the last third of the year, he’s going to be top seven or eight point guard in the league over that time,” said coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. Jackson will be a free agent this summer, but he is expected to stay in Detroit.
The Bucks are running short on time to start building their new arena, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The franchise is under an NBA-imposed deadline to have a new facility completed or near completion by 2017. With government budgets due by the end of June, funding must be secured quickly. “The arena is a two-year process,” said Michael Fascitelli, a member of the Bucks’ ownership group who is leading the arena development. “Every day is critical.”

Central Notes: Watson, Van Gundy, Monroe

April 16th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unrestricted free agent C.J. Watson would like to return to the Pacers next season, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays (Twitter link). “I don’t even know yet,” Watson answered when asked if he would return to Indiana.”Hopefully I’ll be back here. I like it in Indy. I love the team and the atmosphere of the city. We’ll see what happens. It’s not really in my hands. So we’ll see.” The 30-year-old appeared in 57 games for Indiana this season, averaging 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 24.9 minutes per night.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Pistons owner Tom Gores says his belief in coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has only grown since he brought the veteran coach aboard, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “I believe in Stan more today than the day I hired him,” said Gores. “Stan is his biggest critic. I’m very happy with him as a coach. I’m also very happy with him as president of basketball operations. We had the bad start. I think we’ve done what we need to accomplish this year.”
Gores also relayed that remaining in Detroit should be appealing to free agent Greg Monroe, Langlois adds. “He’ll have ownership and a coach that is behind him and a real base for his life going forward,” Gores said. “He has the ability to establish a foundation for us. But he’s a professional. Whatever Greg does, it’s going to be up to him. But he’s a real pro. He’s been with us a long time. I’ve never seen him do the wrong thing. He always does the right thing and I hope we can land Greg. And if we don’t, whoever lands him will be a very lucky franchise.“
While he’s excited at the prospect of free agency, Monroe would have preferred the scenario where he was settled in with the Pistons for the long haul, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes. “You guys have been around here for the past couple of years,” Monroe told Ellis. “I much rather would have been settled in here. That didn’t happen, and I’m in this position.” Monroe is referring to Detroit failing to offer him an extension back in 2013, and not the contract he reportedly turned down last offseason.

And-Ones: Drummond, Price, Afflalo

April 15th, 2015 at 10:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons owner Tom Gores gave Andre Drummond a vote of confidence during tonight’s contest against the Knicks, calling the big man a “max player,” David Mayo of MLive.com relays (Twitter link). Drummond, who is set to earn $3,272,091 next season, is eligible to ink an extension this summer, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the Pistons will offer him one, since the team would have the right to match any offer sheet the big man were to sign as a restricted free agent in 2016. Detroit could be wary of taking that chance given how the team is likely to lose Greg Monroe, who reportedly declined to ink an extension of his own with the club, as a free agent this summer, though that is merely my speculation.

Here’s more from around the league:

Arron Afflalo will let his playoff performance dictate whether he picks up his $7.75MM player option for next season with the Blazers, as a source close to the swingman tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops that he’ll opt out if he plays well.
One executive who spoke with Scotto for the same piece pegged Danny Green‘s value at $6MM a year. The Spurs swingman is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Ronnie Price indicated that his desire is to remain with the Lakers, even if it is as a third-string guard, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “I enjoyed being a voice in the locker room. I enjoyed being able to help younger guys. I helped great veterans that can help me. I’d be selfish not to extend that knowledge to players that are younger than me,” Price said. “Of course you want to play. That’s why we do what we do. You want to play. You never know what’s ahead. Whatever role is my role, I’ll embrace it whether it’s being here or the third guard.” Price will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Suns forward Markieff Morris believes that the team needs to add players with more experience to its roster, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic tweets. “Veteran leadership for sure,” Morris responded when asked about Phoenix’s needs. “We have to have more older guys around so we can keep this thing intact.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Latest On Greg Monroe, Knicks

April 15th, 2015 at 12:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 12:19pm: Monroe praised Knicks president Phil Jackson in comments to New York reporters today, but he reiterated that he can envision himself re-signing with the Pistons this summer, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (All Twitter links). “Anyone who has had as much success as [Jackson] has … it’s not hard to be comfortable with the decisions they make,” Monroe said. “[Jackson’s] been where everybody dreams about going when they play in this league. He knows and understands what it takes to win.”

TUESDAY, 9:38pm: Greg Monroe‘s agent David Falk said that his client has yet to make out a list of the teams he is interested in signing with this summer, but indicated strongly that the Knicks are expected to be one of Monroe’s top choices, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. New York’s fans will get a taste of Monroe on Wednesday night when the Pistons and Knicks square off in the final game of the 2014/15 season for both squads.

League executives told Berman that of all the free agents on the Knicks’ radar, Monroe has the best chance of coming to New York. An unnamed NBA executive added that the big man signing with the Knicks is “about as close to a done deal as you can get.” These notions displeased Falk since teams and players cannot officially negotiate with each other until July 1st, Berman adds. “It’s so silly,’’ Falk said. “It’s factually incorrect and completely unsubstantiated.’’ The agent also acknowledged that he intends to discuss his client with New York, the Post scribe notes. “We are well aware the Knicks have cap space and we will sit down with them at the appropriate time,’’ Falk told Berman. “Now is not the appropriate time.’’

Falk also indicated that Monroe has not made up his mind about where he would like to play next season, noting that his client didn’t risk playing for the Pistons’ qualifying offer this season to pass up a shot at exploring all of his options, Berman relays. “He didn’t do what he did so he could short-circuit the process,’’ Falk said. “It goes against the grain of everything we did. We haven’t even made a short list of teams he’s interested in yet. After the season, after he unwinds, we will sit down, have a few dinners, a few drinks, a few meetings and I’ll present him a number of different teams and I’ll find out what fits his priorities. Which team, which geographical area, which coach he wants to play for. The money will be the same everywhere. Does he want to be the best player on a younger team? Or a complementary player on a championship contender?’’

It won’t be necessary for Monroe to visit the cities of the teams that he is interested in, Falk says, since Monroe has already been to all of them during his time in the league, Berman relays. The big man is expected to make his decision within the first 24-48 hours from the free agent signing period commencing in July, the Post scribe notes. “There’ll be no tours, no parades, no balloons,’’ Falk said. “This is a business decision about where he wants to go to work. He’ll have a wide range of teams and options and he’ll start examining them after April 15th.’’

As for how well Falk believes that Monroe would fit with the Knicks’ triangle offense, the agent said, “Do I think he’d be a good fit for the Knicks? Absolutely. He’d be a good fit for 30 teams. Can he work in the triangle? Sure. He played the Princeton offense at Georgetown. He could play in the rhombus. He’d be a great fit for any system.’’

Monroe is set to complete his fifth season in the league tomorrow night after being selected No. 7 overall by Detroit back in the 2010 NBA draft. Through 377 career games the 24-year-old is averaging 14.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.6 blocks. His career slash line is .505/.000/.692.

Eastern Notes: Calderon, Farmar, Pistons

April 14th, 2015 at 9:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It’s been a difficult first season in New York for Jose Calderon, who has only appeared in 42 contests for the Knicks this season, averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 assists in 30.2 minutes per night. Though the team was reportedly shopping him prior to February’s trade deadline, the point guard still believes that he has a future with the team, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “I really want to stay here,” Calderon said. “I think they want me here. That’s the feeling I got. I think I really can help this team next year.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Jordan Farmar said that the Cavaliers expressed interest in signing him after his release from the Clippers in a buyout arrangement, but playing time concerns led him to ink a deal with Darussafaka Dogus of Turkey, David Pick of Eurobasket.com relays (Twitter link). “I wanted to play,” Farmar told Pick. “Enough of being an NBA backup.”
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is already gearing up for what should be an active offseason for the franchise, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Discussing Detroit’s free agent strategy this summer, Van Gundy said, “You’ve got to study those guys and know where you want to go. A lot of it depends on Greg Monroe and Reggie Jackson and all of that when you get to free agency and who you have in the draft and what you think their timetable might be. So there’s a lot of things you have to consider, but in the meantime you’ve got to evaluate [free agents] and have an idea.“
Van Gundy also indicated that the Pistons‘ planning extends beyond this summer, Langlois notes. “One of the things we do after the season – one of the first things – is look at our budget, salary wise, not only for the coming year but what that’s going to mean going out,” Van Gundy said. “You’ve got to have some planning. If we’re going to pay this guy X amount of money in year two, three four and five and then we’re going to pay this guy X amount of money, what are we going to have left to build our team? I know [GM] Jeff Bower has already done a lot of work on it, but I haven’t really looked at it. It’s easy to say you’re so much under the cap, but going out, if you’re giving people raises where is it going to put you the next year? There’s got to be a lot more careful planning than what we’ve done to this point.“

Central Notes: Butler, Monroe, Wiggins

April 12th, 2015 at 4:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Caron Butler, whose salary ($4.5MM) for the next season is non-guaranteed, would like to remain with the Pistons next season, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Butler adds that if he is released, he would only consider signing with true contenders.

“I’m in a good situation,” Butler said. “So it’s a great opportunity to come back and continue the thing on. Or, if not, obviously the best thing for me is to contend. It’s either one or the other. But I won’t be looking for another situation to start over with some guys and stuff like that again. It’s either do this or contend for it all.”

While President of Basketball Operations and coach Stan Van Gundy has praised Butler for adjusting to his role on the Pistons, he was non-committal about whether the the team will bring back the 35-year-old next season. “A lot of things will determine that, where we think we’re going to be salary structure-wise and everything else,” Van Gundy said. The Pistons only have slightly more than $27.8MM in guaranteed salary on the book for the 2015/16 season, as our Salary Commitment page indicates.

Here’s more from Detroit

President of Basketball Operations and coach Stan Van Gundy reiterated that he and Greg Monroe have stayed away from business discussions during the season, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. “Greg and I have not spent any time talking about that,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t think it would be appropriate, number one, to be focusing on anything beyond the rest of the season until the season’s over.”
Monroe was slightly surprised he wasn’t able to sign an extension under Detroit’s old regime, Mayo writes in the same piece. “I thought I did enough and conducted myself in a way to at least get an offer. As people always say, it’s one thing if the player says no. But if I was never even offered anything, that says more to me than any explanation. I don’t really need an explanation once you get to that point where there wasn’t even an option for me,” Monroe said.
Andrew Wiggins appears to be the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award and Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer reviews his season as well as the seasons for some of the players whom the Cavs have traded away this year.

Central Notes: Meeks, Pistons, George

April 11th, 2015 at 6:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pistons president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy has not soured on Jodie Meeks despite Meeks’ inconsistent season and expects the shooting guard to be much improved next season, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. Meeks suffered a stress fracture in his back during training camp and it affected his conditioning even after he returned on December 12th, Langlois continues. Meeks, who was signed to a three-year, $18.81MM contact as a free agent last summer, has shot 34.5% on 3-point attempts after making 40.1% of his long-range attempts with the Lakers last season. “With a good summer, there’s no reason he can’t get back to the level that we thought he could play at,” Van Gundy said to Langlois.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have some tough decisions to make on a number of players whose contracts are non-guaranteed next season, Brendan Savage of Mlive.com writes. “We know some that fit into the long-term plan,” Van Gundy said. “Others, we have to figure out where they fit into the long-term plan. We know we’re going to draft two people, at least, in June. And then free agency starts and that also brings trade responsibilities. So we will not come back with the same roster.” The contracts of Caron Butler, Anthony Tolliver, Shawne Williams and Quincy Miller contain non-guaranteed salary for the 2015/16 season.
Van Gundy is impacting the team more as an executive than as a coach, Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press opines. Sharp cites the Reggie Jackson trade as one that will shape the team for years to come, provided he re-signs with Detroit.
Paul George played a significant behind-the-scenes role for the Pacers while he recovered from his broken leg, according to Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders. George, who has played three games since returning to action, gave his teammates insights on how to defend certain opponents and the optimal ways to score against them. “He’s always giving input on how to guard people,” center Roy Hibbert told Camerato. “His IQ is pretty high just because he’s been able to excel at a high level on both ends.” George also gave advice to his teammates through in game observations, Camerato adds. “He’s out there teaching us, in huddles, and it’s important,” guard Rodney Stuckey said in the story.

Dana Gauruder contributed to this post

Central Notes: George, Mohammed, Pistons

April 10th, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Paul George is looking at the remaining games on the Pacers‘ schedule as a “test drive” to see how well he has recovered from the devastating leg injury he suffered last summer while scrimmaging for Team USA, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. “That’s exactly what it is [a test drive], it’s just seeing where I’m at and then getting ready for more rehab this summer and getting ready to build off these last couple of games of the season,” George said. “It’s been tough. There were days when I told myself I wanted to shut it down and get ready for the summer. But it’s great having the staff that we have here to push me here and keep my going. I’ve had days when I’m sure they hated me. And I hated them. But we got through it and they did a great job with being in my corner.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

Veteran big man Nazr Mohammed has been making his presence felt on the Bulls with his vocal leadership, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Mohammed’s spark and guidance was integral in snapping Chicago out of its stupor after a terrible second quarter against the Heat last night when the Bulls were outscored 33-12, Friedell adds. “I think you got to be accountable and you got to play for each other,” guard Aaron Brooks said. “I think one thing that Naz brought up was you’re letting your teammate down when you’re not getting back or you’re not helping. You’re not letting the coach, you’re not letting the fans. You’re letting your teammate down, and you got to have your brother’s back.” The center is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Pistons are likely to target a forward in the first round of this year’s NBA draft, David Mayo of MLive.com opines in his weekly mailbag. Detroit currently is in line for the No. 8 pick, according to Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings. Potential targets at that spot for the team could include Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, and Frank Kaminsky, Mayo notes.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy hopes to go to Spain after the NBA season ends to get a first-hand look at guard Mario Hezonja and power forward Kristaps Prozingis, both of whom are projected top 10 picks this year, Mayo adds.

Latest On Tyus Jones, Draft

April 10th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones is “proceeding toward plans” to declare for this year’s draft and is setting up meetings with agents, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. Jones is No. 21 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 24 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The Minnesota native, who turns 19 next month, told Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune on Wednesday that he hadn’t made up his mind about leaving school, fresh off his Most Outstanding Player award-winning performance in the Final Four. NBA personnel recently told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that Jones’ stock doesn’t stand to climb much higher than it already is, making the case that he should declare this year.

The 6’1″ Jones has averaged 11.8 points in 33.9 minutes per game this season, but he’s been most impressive with his skills as a pure point guard, juxtaposing 5.6 assists against 1.9 turnovers per contest. He’s also displayed a decent outside touch, hitting 37.9% of his three-pointers for the season, though he could stand to work on his perimeter shooting, as Eddie Scarito wrote as he ranked him 20th in the latest Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings.

The Pistons, Pelicans, Sixers, Magic and Rockets have paid particularly close attention to Jones, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has reported. Jones breaks the mold of recent highly regarded NBA prospects from Duke, almost of whom have played other positions. Fellow point guard Kyrie Irving came from Duke, but he saw action in only 11 games in his lone season as a Blue Devil.

And-Ones: Wolves, Monroe, Noel

April 7th, 2015 at 10:04pm CST by Will Joseph

After the season, Chase Budinger’s contract with the Timberwolves will be down to one year at $5MM and Kevin Martin’s deal will go to two years for $14.4MM, making it easier for Minnesota to find trade partners for both players this summer, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. The Wolves were exploring ways to deal both players, as previous reports indicated and as Deveney confirms. There were conflicting reports about Minnesota’s willingness to trade Martin, but while coach/executive Flip Saunders likes him and won’t give him up easily, the Wolves aren’t expecting significant return for either Martin or Budinger, according to Deveney. In the same story, Deveney notes that the Wolves’ biggest question mark heading into the summer is if Saunders will remain coach or return to solely a front office role.

Here’s more from around the league:

Speaking of the Wolves, they came pretty close to originally signing Arinze Onuaku back in mid-January, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets, but Minnesota instead went with Miroslav Raduljica, who played five games with the team. The Wolves officially inked Onuaku earlier today, a few months later.
Kevin Seraphin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, told J. Michael of CSNWashington.com that he is adjusting to his smaller role within the second unit. He hasn’t scored more than 12 points in a game since January 19th. The big man said in January that he would like to re-sign with Washington.
Reggie Jackson’s production increased and the Pistons played well without Greg Monroe, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but the team is determined to make things work with the big man expected back on the court Wednesday, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. The Pistons were 7-4 without Monroe. Jackson is a restricted free agent this summer and it’s a distinct possibility that the Pistons will match any potential offer he receives from a different team, so it is much more likely that he is with Detroit next season than Monroe is, Mayo adds.
Cameron Payne, who announced Monday he will enter the draft fresh off finishing up his sophomore season with Murray State, has signed with agent Travis King of Relativity Sports, HoopsHype tweets.
Sixers rookie Nerlens Noel has quickly emerged as one of the league’s top big men because of his defensive efficiency, Wesley Share of RealGM.com writes. Noel, unlike many other rookies who were drafted in the first round, will hit free agency in 2017, and not 2018, because he signed his rookie scale contract before sitting out the entire 2013/14 season with an injury.