Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Sign John Lucas III To Second 10-Day

February 12th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Chuck Myron

FEBRUARY 12TH: The team has indeed inked Lucas to another 10-day deal, the Pistons announced via press release. His first expired Wednesday night. All 10-day deals must cover at least three games, and since the Pistons have already played for the last time before the All-Star break, the deal will extend longer than 10 days. It’ll run through February 24th, when Detroit plays its third game after the All-Star break, so it’s essentially a 13-day contract. The Pistons could always terminate the contract early if they wish, but they’ll be on the hook for a prorated minimum salary for each of the 13 days regardless. The deal will cost Detroit $69,989 instead of the $53,838 that a standard 10-day for Lucas would.

FEBRUARY 6TH: The Pistons will sign John Lucas III to a second 10-day contract, barring an unforeseen change of plans, coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy said today, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Lucas is on day No. 5 of his first 10-day deal. Van Gundy and company would have to decide whether to keep Lucas for the season once his second 10-day contract expires.

Detroit signed Lucas after GM Jeff Bower couldn’t find a point guard via trade who could offset the loss of the injured Brandon Jennings for the rest of the season. The 32-year-old Lucas, in his eighth NBA season, has performed well in limited minutes so far, scoring 13 points and dishing out seven assists without a single turnover in 22 total minutes of play over two games. Still, Van Gundy remains concerned about the workload of D.J. Augustin, who’s been starting in place of Jennings, as Brendan Savage of MLive notes.

Lucas holds down the 15th spot on the roster for the Pistons, who have 14 others signed through season’s end, as our roster counts show. The Bernie Lee client spent most of the season playing in China after canceling a workout he had planned with the Lakers.

And-Ones: Sanders, Johnson, Suns

February 11th, 2015 at 10:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Larry Sanders‘ league-imposed suspension for marijuana use has ended, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Twitter link). The big man had been suspended without pay for a minimum of 10 games for a violation of the anti-drug policy, the NBA had announced back on January 16th. The league had stipulated that the suspension would remain in effect until Sanders fully complied with his treatment program. There has been no official announcement from the league or the Bucks regarding Sanders’ reinstatement as of yet. Sanders has missed a total of 12 games while on suspension, totaling $1.2MM in lost wages.

The end of the suspension makes it certain that the team will be unable to re-sign Jorge Gutierrez, whose 10-day contract will expire during the All-Star break, unless the Bucks unload one of their 15 players who are signed through the end of the season. Gutierrez has occupied the extra roster spot that Milwaukee’s has had thanks to the presence of Sanders on the suspended list.

Here’s more from around the league:

If Tyler Johnson remains on the Heat‘s roster past August 1st, half of his $845,059 salary for the 2015/16 season will become guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link). Johnson was signed to a two-year deal by Miami after completing a pair of 10-day contracts with the team.
The Suns have recalled Archie Goodwin and Reggie Bullock from the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This was the the fourth trek of the season for Goodwin to Bakersfield, and the second for Bullock.
Pistons president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy blasted the Kings for how they have treated interim coach Tyrone Corbin, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Van Gundy took issue with the organization’s public courting of George Karl, who is reportedly finalizing an agreement to coach Sacramento, Mayo notes. “I think it’s an unfortunate situation, the way it’s been handled,” Van Gundy said. “I think Tyrone Corbin has been treated very, very poorly by their organization. I think the way they have treated him is unfortunate and inexcusable for one of the real class acts in our business.“
While Jahlil Okafor remains the consensus No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, the player likely to be selected No. 2 remains a tight race between Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) notes.

Central Notes: Pistons, Gutierrez, Cavs

February 11th, 2015 at 6:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The only way the Pistons would part with one of their players on a rookie contract at the deadline is if they receive a star or another such deal in return, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy says, adding that the team is open to becoming a deadline buyer, as MLive’s David Mayo notes. “Yeah. But again, depending on what you have to give up,” Van Gundy said of upgrading at the deadline. “We don’t want to be making sacrifices down the road. If it was a matter of just spending more money, yes, we definitely would. But if it’s a matter of us giving up what we think are valuable assets, and it was just for a rental for the rest of the year, probably not.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Bucks GM John Hammond struck a similar tone about his team Tuesday, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. “Look, the big picture for us is becoming a championship-caliber organization,” Hammond said. “For us to get short-sighted and say, ‘Let’s try to win today’ and replacing any thought of moving forward into the future, I think we’re all aware that’s not who we want to be. Anything we’re looking at today is still hopefully going to be focused on acquiring a piece or talking about adding pieces that can be long-term players for this organization.”
The early season trades that the Cavaliers had made are paying dividends for the franchise, John Zitzler of Basketball Insiders writes. Cleveland has shown significant improvement as a team since acquiring Timofey Mozgov, who has been the most vital addition, but the play of both J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have also been a boon, Zitzler adds. GM David Griffin deserves praise for identifying the Cavs’ biggest weaknesses and promptly addressing them, the Basketball Insiders scribe adds.
The Bucks won’t sign Jorge Gutierrez to a deal for the rest of the season unless they make a move to free up a roster spot, Hammond told reporters, including Andrew Gruman of Fox Sports Wisconsin (Twitter link). That indicates the team expects Larry Sanders back from his suspension at some point this season, since Gutierrez, on day No. 5 of his second 10-day contract with the team, is in the extra roster spot that the suspension allows for.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Heat Rumors: Trades, Cole, Williams, Jerebko

February 10th, 2015 at 10:14pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Heat are fighting to hold on to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting just one and a half games up from falling out of a playoff position entirely. Injuries have been an issue for Miami this season, but the club’s lack of assets has prevented much roster movement, and one rival GM tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the same problem will stifle Pat Riley and company from making any moves before the trade deadline rolls around. We’ll provide Jackson’s latest on the Heat below:

The rival GM with whom Jackson spoke said Norris Cole‘s name has come up in trade discussions but downplayed the return Miami could reap for him. “What are you going to get for [Cole]?” the GM implored. “He’s a backup. They don’t have much to give up. Josh McRoberts would have value for a team out of the playoffs. Birdman [Chris Andersen] would have value for a playoff team but a playoff team is not trading you a quality [wing] for him.”
The Heat have arguably the worst point guard situation in the NBA right now and would surely like to swing a deal to land a reliable floor general, but the same GM told Jackson that Mo Williams was the only starting-caliber point guard who’s name was being shopped around. Williams, of course, was shipped from the Timberwolves to Miami’s division rival Hornets this afternoon.
Detroit offered Miami Jonas Jerebko in exchange for Cole, according to Jackson, who adds that the Heat’s insistence that the Pistons also take Danny Granger in any potential deal prevented the trade from taking place.

And-Ones: Wizards, KG, Stoudemire, Cavs

February 8th, 2015 at 10:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Wizards are looking at free agents from overseas and players who will buy out their contracts before turning to the trade market, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). The Wizards don’t want to sacrifice their long-term flexibility, so free agents are more attractive to them at this time (link). An attractive trade offer could change that, but that hasn’t come up yet (link).

The Clippers would be interested in Amar’e Stoudemire or Kevin Garnett if they became available on the buyout market regardless of Blake Griffin‘s status, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
The Cavs announced that they have recalled guard Joe Harris from the Canton Charge. Harris has played in six games for the Charge this season, averaging 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33.2 minutes per game. The 23-year-old guard has played in 36 games (one start) for the Cavs this season, averaging 2.8 points in 10.8 minutes per game.
Bismack Biyombo‘s MRI shows that he’ll miss at least two more weeks of action, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The Hornets youngster was mentioned in trade rumors prior to the season and the latest diagnosis means that he’ll be sidelined through the trade deadline.
The best move the Pistons could make at the deadline is not making one, opines David Mayo of MLive.com. The Pistons merely are on the edge of playoff contention, nothing more, and with so many roster holes after this season, they shouldn’t trade away key pieces for the future to complete the run.
Expect the 76ers‘ core to be intact after the deadline, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 2/1/15-2/7/15

February 7th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“With Hassan Whiteside tearing it up in Miami, do the Heat still look to try and acquire Brook Lopez?” — Robert R.

Well Robert, first off, there has been conflicting information regarding the Heat’s interest in trading for Lopez. Pat Riley had come out last week and denied reports of a proposed deal that would have sent Chris Andersen, Norris Cole and Josh McRoberts to the Nets for Lopez. Granted, Riley publicly denying a trade proposal doesn’t mean it didn’t occur, and both Cole and McRoberts have been mentioned as trade candidates, so there is probably some level of truth to Miami taking a shot at Lopez.

As for Whiteside, he is certainly making a name for himself lately, and he’s become the main reason to watch the Heat play this season. I’m still not 100% sold on Whiteside being a long-term dominant big man in the league. His sample size this season is far too small to accurately predict his future performance, and it seems unlikely that he would be able to maintain the same energy and momentum that he is currently providing. But Whiteside is certainly stating his case to factor into the Heat’s future plans with performances like his 24 point, 20 rebound explosion versus Minnesota on Wednesday night.

But if the price was reasonable, then sure, I could see the Heat pulling the trigger on a deal to nab Lopez. But with Whiteside performing as well as he is, and his non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 only $981,348, it would be unlikely that Miami would still actively pursue Lopez. I like what Lopez can bring to a team, but his limited defense, ball-stopping ways on offense, and his injury history make Lopez too big a risk at this point. Plus, there’s no guarantee that he would remain with the Heat past this season if they acquired him. Lopez hasn’t publicly stated his intentions regarding his $16,744,218 player option for 2015/16. If I’m the Heat, I avoid Lopez and stick with Whiteside. But keep in mind that Whiteside could be rather expensive to keep after next season when he hits free agency. As thankful as he may be to the Heat for giving him the opportunity to show his stuff, I would be very surprised if he gave Miami a discount on his next deal. Whiteside’s path to the NBA is a true journeyman’s tale, and he’ll likely look to cash in big when he has the opportunity.

“The Suns seem to have taken a step back since last season. Do they hold onto their three point guards (Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, and Goran Dragic)? If not, who is the most likely to be traded?” — Bradley

Technically, the Suns have four point guards on their roster. Don’t forget about Tyler Ennis, whose potential I’m still rather high on. But on to your question. I don’t see Phoenix moving Thomas, Dragic, or Bledsoe before the deadline. Phoenix seems to be rather fond of its three point guard set, and there isn’t a major demand for big money point men currently. There are a number of teams in need of help at the one spot right now thanks to injuries, but I don’t see any of them making a serious play for Phoenix’s guys. Most of the teams needing a floor general are seeking backup-type players on team-friendly contracts, which doesn’t quite describe the Suns’ trio.

However, the one major caveat here is if GM Ryan McDonough gets the sense that Dragic isn’t going to re-sign with the team, then it’s entirely possible that he gets moved for the right return. There will be quite a few teams that will take a run at signing Dragic this summer, and since he can also play shooting guard full-time, that increases the potential market for the player. My gut feeling is that Phoenix will hold onto him, as well as Thomas and Bledsoe, for the remainder of the season. I do believe that the Suns will try and make some significant changes this offseason, and I can’t shake the feeling that Dragic will head elsewhere this summer. But for now, unless McDonough is blown away by an offer, which would likely require a star-caliber player to be included, I don’t see Phoenix making a major deal in the next two weeks.

“Where does Greg Monroe end up next season? Any chance he could return to Detroit?” — Kyle M.

There’s always a chance that Monroe could return to Detroit, but it’s unlikely. If he wanted to remain in Motown he would have simply signed an extension with the team instead of playing for Detroit’s $5.48MM qualifying offer and risking an injury that could harm his future earnings. With the team’s improved play since jettisoning Josh Smith, things may have changed, but I still don’t see Monroe wearing a Pistons jersey next season.

As for where Monroe is likely to end up, my money is on him going to the Knicks. New York will have plenty of cap space to throw around, and Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge are unlikely to leave their current teams, which will leave Phil Jackson desperate to make an impact move with his wealth of available cap space. Monroe would immediately upgrade the Knicks’ roster, as well as be a nice complement to Carmelo Anthony. Plus, the Knicks are one of the teams likely to overpay for Monroe, which never hurts a franchise’s chances of landing a player. If New York doesn’t nab Monroe, my second choice for his destination would be the Rockets.

“The East seems to be wide open right now as far as the playoffs are concerned. Which Eastern Conference team do you think will make the biggest splash on the trade market before the deadline?” — Zeke

This has been an odd season in relation to roster moves thus far, which makes the next two weeks extremely difficult to predict. With the East as open as it is regarding the playoffs, there should be quite a few teams that will be looking to add an impact player or two before the deadline with the hopes of snagging a playoff spot. The two Eastern Conference teams that are poised to have the biggest potential impact on the trade front are Brooklyn and Charlotte.

The Hornets will still likely look to trade Lance Stephenson, and I believe they will do everything within their power to cut ties with the mercurial swingman. The problem for Charlotte is that teams around the league are leery about adding Stephenson to their respective locker rooms, which is something that the Hornets should have considered prior to signing him. Sometimes you get exactly what you expect, and Stephenson has lived up to the reputation he made for himself in Indiana thus far. On the right team, Stephenson could be the missing piece for a playoff run. But only a team with a strong locker room could maximize what Stephenson has to offer, while avoiding the pitfalls his attitude and personality bring with him.

But it’s the Nets who could make the biggest splash prior to the deadline. With the team reportedly looking to deal Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Lopez, that is a significant amount of talent and salary in play. While it’s doubtful that Brooklyn would nab a true star player in return, dealing any one of those players would not only change the identity of the Nets. Each of those players, if healthy, could be game-changing acquisitions for teams willing to take on cap hits of that magnitude.

That’s all the space that I have for this week. Thanks to all those who sent in their questions. I’ll be back next Saturday to answer a whole new batch. So fire away and keep filling up my inbox with your inquiries.

Eastern Notes: Gibson, Prigioni, Muscala

February 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls have made no calls to other teams about trading Taj Gibson , a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who indicates that the team is especially reluctant to part with Gibson given health concerns surrounding Joakim Noah. The Raptors, Suns, Pistons and Trail Blazers are reportedly interested in the sixth-year veteran.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni, whom the team has reportedly been trying to trade for a second round draft pick, says that he is extremely focused on staying in New York, and doesn’t wish to be dealt, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports (Twitter link). Prigioni also revealed that he recently injured his hip during a workout, Berman notes. The full extent of his injury, nor its impact on the Knicks’ efforts to find a taker for Prigioni, isn’t yet known.
Steve Kerr was Knicks team president Phil Jackson‘s first choice to replace Mike Woodson as head coach this past offseason, but Kerr accepted the coaching job in Golden State instead. Kerr’s Warriors currently possess the NBA’s second best record, while the Knicks have floundered to a 10-40 mark. When asked if he has thought about what might have been if he had come to New York instead of heading to Oakland, Kerr said, “Sometimes I lie when I say I haven’t thought about stuff. But I’m not lying this time. I haven’t thought about the Knicks at all,” Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link).
The Hawks have assigned Mike Muscala to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Muscala’s fourth trek of the season to Iowa.
Marcus Thornton knows that his expiring contract makes him a likely candidate to be dealt by the Celtics, but the veteran would love to remain in Beantown, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM writes. “No, I’m not thinking about that,” Thornton said regarding the February 19th trade deadline. “Whatever happens, happens. I would like to stay here. Who wouldn’t? We’ve got a good thing going, but like I said, it’s not controllable. I can’t control it, so whatever happens, happens.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: West, English, Gutierrez

February 6th, 2015 at 4:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

There was less acrimony Thursday when the Magic fired Jacque Vaughn than there was when they ousted Stan Van Gundy in 2012, but the current Pistons coach and executive nonetheless has plenty of sympathy for the latest ex-Magic coach. “There’s no such thing as a longtime Magic coach,” Van Gundy contends, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays.

“All those things are the same,” Van Gundy said. “You get in the press conference, they loved Jacque. He did a great job. You listen to all that, and then I listen to [GM] Rob [Hennigan] say it doesn’t fall on Jacque, but he takes full responsibility. I laugh, obviously, because that’s not true. You’re still sitting there with a job, and Jacque doesn’t have one, so I don’t know what full responsibility means. But I would say they left the full responsibility on Jacque.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Grantland’s Zach Lowe heard six weeks ago that the Pacers had become open to trading David West for a first-round pick, but such chatter has quieted, Lowe adds, suggesting teams aren’t willing to pay that price for the power forward.
Bulls camp invitee Kim English has signed with Guaros de Lara in Venezuela, the team announced (Twitter link; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The 26-year-old who played in 41 regular season games with the Pistons in 2012/13 had played in France earlier this season after the Bulls cut him loose prior to opening night.
Coach Jason Kidd admits that the indefinite length of Larry Sanders‘ latest drug-related suspension complicates Jorge Gutierrez ‘s future with the Bucks, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines. Gutierrez’s 10-day contract expires tonight, when the Bucks play the 10th game of Sanders’ suspension. The ban was to last a minimum of 10 games, but the league still hasn’t revealed just how long it will last, and once Sanders comes back, the 16th roster spot the Bucks created when they placed Sanders on the suspended list goes away. “We understand this is Jorge’s 10th day,” Kidd said today. “We’ll go back and evaluate and see if we can do another 10-day.”

Central Notes: George, Cavs, Tolliver

February 5th, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Paul George would like to be back by March, a timeframe that Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird hinted at earlier this week, but George indicated that it’s nonetheless unlikely as he spoke today with reporters, including Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (three Twitter links). He’s targeting March 1st to be back in full practices with the team and said that if Indiana still has a shot at the playoffs later this season, it’d help sway him to return if he’s on the fence, as Buckner notes (three Twitter links). The Pacers are three and a half games out of the playoffs, but they’d have to pass four teams to get there. Here’s more on their Central Division rivals:

Executives around the league wondered if teams in the East would more aggressively try to make deals that would help them fill the void atop the conference as the Cavaliers failed to live up to expectations earlier this season, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com hears. Now, with the Cavs having won 11 in a row and the trade deadline two weeks away, Berger wonders if those teams will abandon that strategy. The Pacers are nonetheless in “win-now mode,” Bird said this week.
The Cavs have assigned Joe Harris to the D-League, the team announced. It’s D-League stint No. 5 for the 33rd overall pick in the 2014 draft, and all of those assignments have taken place since January 20th.
Anthony Tolliver fondly recalled his time with the Warriors when MLive’s Brendan Savage asked the well-traveled eighth-year NBA veteran to name his favorite stop aside from the Pistons, with whom he’s under team control through next season. Tolliver also said that Miami, where he played for the Heat during the 2009 preseason, is his favorite NBA city, responding to another question from Savage.

Draft Rumors: Okafor, Wolves, Knicks, Sixers

February 5th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Every team with which Chad Ford of ESPN.com has spoken has Jahlil Okafor atop its draft board, as Ford writes in an Insider-only piece, and that includes the Timberwolves, who have the pole position for the No. 1 overall pick, as our Reverse Standings show. That’s even despite the presence of Gorgui Dieng, whom Ford says the team is high on, and Nikola Pekovic, who’s making about $12MM each season through 2017/18. The ESPN.com draft guru runs down how Okafor would fit with each of the teams in line for a lottery pick, and he tosses in some noteworthy rumors as he does so. We’ll hit the highlights here:

The Knicks like Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in addition to Okafor, Ford writes, adding that the Jazz are Russell fans, too.
Philadelphia would draft Okafor in spite of the presence of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, Ford hears. The Sixers aren’t sold that either Noel or Embiid will become an elite player, Ford also hears, as he writes in his chat with readers.
Mudiay is No. 2 behind Okafor as far as the Lakers are concerned, but it’s not close, as Ford says he’s been told.
The Magic won’t hesitate to draft Okafor and believe he has the superstar potential that their other players don’t, Ford hears.
Al Horford would “love to move to power forward,” Ford writes, suggesting that the Hawks, who have the rights to take Brooklyn’s pick, would grab Okafor if given the chance.
Ford speculates that the Pistons are the team in line for a lottery pick that’s least likely to draft Okafor, believing he’d be a poor fit alongside Andre Drummond.