Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Vaughn, Pistons, Bucks, Knicks

January 30th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic believed as recently as a month ago that youth and inexperience were to blame for the team’s struggles, but it’s no longer that the Magic are losing that troubles club officials; it’s how they’re losing, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Still, Jacque Vaughn remains unmoved amid reports he’s close to losing his job.

“I do my job every day,” Vaughn said today. “I don’t abide by the tyranny of other people’s attitudes and moods. I’m ready to rock ‘n’ roll.”

There’s more on the Magic amid the latest around the Eastern Conference:

The Pistons view a trade as their preferred method to find a point guard to compensate for the loss of the injured Brandon Jennings, tweets David Mayo of MLive. Signing a D-Leaguer is Plan B, Mayo adds. Stan Van Gundy is now saying Monday is the earliest day the team would make any such move as he keeps pushing back the timeline, Mayo notes.
Coach Jason Kidd has offered Kenyon Martin a chance to remain with the Bucks for next year as an assistant coach, a source tells David Alarcón of HoopsHype (Twitter link; translation via HoopsHype). Martin signed a deal Thursday that keeps him with Milwaukee as a player through the end of the season.
Some of the Magic‘s veteran acquisitions from this past offseason began questioning the on-court decision-making, and the doubt spread to some of Orlando’s younger players as the team failed to gain confidence in Vaughn, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Vaughn didn’t earn his team’s trust, Kyler believes, but the Magic nonetheless dealt the coach a losing hand, as Kyler also opines.
The Knicks have sent Cleanthony Early to the D-League, the team announced. The assignment is to allow the rookie to work on his conditioning following knee surgery, but he’s expected back with the big club by Sunday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter links).
The Celtics recalled Andre Dawkins from the D-League on Thursday only to quickly send him down again, the team announced in a pair of tweets. The team brought the 10-day signee up to Boston merely for a practice, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com details.

Wolves Try To Honor Budinger’s Trade Request

January 30th, 2015 at 10:27am CST by Chuck Myron

Chase Budinger‘s representatives have let the Timberwolves know that he’d like to play elsewhere, and the Wolves have been trying to trade him to teams around the league, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Budinger isn’t demanding a trade, sources caution to Deveney, but in any case, there’s “almost zero chance” the Wolves find a taker for Budinger or any other players before the deadline, a source tells Deveney. That’s because of the financial commitments that extend beyond the season for Budinger, Kevin Martin and Thaddeus Young, Deveney writes, adding that it’s nonetheless likely that the Wolves will trade Budinger after the season, when his contract will be easier to swallow.

Timberwolves coach/executive Flip Saunders denied that the team was shopping Budinger in October amid a flurry of rumors. There were conflicting reports about whether the Rockets had interest at that point, but regardless, Houston’s acquisition of Corey Brewer from the Wolves last month eliminated the team’s need for Budinger, according to Deveney. The Sporting News scribe reported in October that the Blazers had some interest, but Deveney says now that no substantive talks ever took place with Portland. The Pacers also apparently had interest before the season, and the Pistons reportedly inquired about the sixth-year small forward around that same time, with Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities pegging Detroit as the “team to watch” regarding Budinger in October.

Budinger, 26, is averaging career lows in points per game, minutes per game and shooting percentage. The BDA Sports Management client is making $5MM this season with an identical $5MM player option for next season. Young, about whom the Wolves and Nets have reportedly spoken, has a salary of almost $9.411MM this year and a player option of close to $9.972MM for 2015/16. Martin is making nearly $6.793MM this year, and his contract runs through 2016/17, which is a player option year.

Central Notes: Pistons, Thibodeau, Martin, Cavs

January 29th, 2015 at 3:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have talked about trading for a point guard, but coach/executive Stan Van Gundy remains firm about the sort of future assets he doesn’t want to give up in any deal, as MLive’s David Mayo notes. Detroit hasn’t won since Brandon Jennings tore his Achilles tendon last week.

“It has to be on our terms,” Van Gundy said of any potential trade. “We’ve already decided what we would and wouldn’t give up, and right now, people obviously want more than we’re willing to give up.”

Van Gundy also backed off an earlier assertion that the team would make a move by today and said he won’t rush to make any decision. Here’s the latest from around the Central Division, as Detroit slips back down the standings:

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau‘s coaching style is once more drawing criticism amid renewed rumors of tension between him and the front office, but Thibodeau tells USA Today’s Sam Amick that he has no intention of slackening his demands on players. Derrick Rose tells Amick that he has no issues with the coach, as Amick writes in a separate piece, echoing his report from earlier that opposing teams are keeping an eye on how the situation plays out in Chicago with the hope that Thibodeau will become available.
It’s been “a little different” playing for friend and former teammate Jason Kidd on the Bucks, as Kenyon Martin admits. Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the details, with the Bucks having signed Martin today for the rest of the season. “The respect is there,” Martin said. “He respects me and I respect him to the utmost. Him having me here is an honor.”
Joe Harris is headed back on D-League assignment just one day after the Cavs recalled him, the team announced. It’s the fourth time in nine days Cleveland has sent the rookie, whose deal is guaranteed through next season, to the Canton Charge.

Wolves Cut Raduljica, Sign Lorenzo Brown

January 28th, 2015 at 4:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:36pm: The Wolves have released Raduljica, the team has announced.

WEDNESDAY, 4:02pm: The Wolves have officially signed Brown to a 10-day deal, the team has announced (Twitter link). No official announcement has been made regarding Raduljica being released yet. Unless the Wolves have released Raduljica without making a formal announcement, it seems there’s more to the story, since the team wouldn’t have room on its roster unless the league granted an extra roster spot via hardship

TUESDAY, 11:13am: The Wolves are ending their 10-day contract with Miroslav Raduljica early to clear the way for the team to sign Lorenzo Brown, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Brown has indeed committed to ink with Minnesota in spite of interest from the Pistons as well as the Heat, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links). The team has been planning to sign Brown to a 10-day deal, likely in advance of the team’s game on Wednesday, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Raduljica’s deal isn’t up until the end of Wednesday, but it appears Minnesota will eat the last day or two of his 10-day deal, worth $48,028, to have Brown in place.

Brown rejoins the club that drafted him 52nd overall out of N.C. State in 2013. The Wolves brought him to training camp that year, but they cut him before opening night. The combo guard hooked on with the Sixers, but he saw just 8.6 minutes per game across 26 appearances for Philadelphia, which waived him in March. He’d been averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 31.8 MPG for Detroit’s D-League affiliate this season after the Pistons had him on their NBA roster for the preseason.

Raduljica won’t go on waivers and will simply become a free agent immediately when the team makes the move, as is the case when clubs terminate 10-day pacts. He’s seen just 4.6 minutes per game in five appearances on a pair of 10-day contracts with Minnesota. Raduljica occupies the final roster spot for the Wolves, who have 14 other players signed for the balance of the season, so his deal is the easiest for coach/executive Flip Saunders to let go.

Central Notes: Bucks, Harris, Pistons

January 27th, 2015 at 8:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker said today that he’ll put a plan that would raise $220MM in public money for a new Bucks arena into the state’s budget, as expected, writes Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The budget requires approval from the state legislature. The money will come from a “jock tax” charged to Bucks players as well as those from visiting teams. The Bucks owners have pledged up to $150MM for the arena, and former owner Herb Kohl has put up $100MM, so it appears Walker’s plan would fill the gap needed to fully fund the building, which will likely cost $400MM-$500MM, as Walker wrote Monday.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Cavaliers have assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. This will be Harris’ third stint in the D-League of the season.
Brandon Jennings has undergone successful surgery to repair the damage to his ruptured left Achilles tendon, the Pistons have announced. The team didn’t put a timetable on Jennings’ return to the court, but he will certainly be out for the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign.
Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy indicated that the team is likely to add another point guard to the roster soon, Keith Langlois of NBA.com reports (Twitter link). Detroit is reportedly eyeing Norris Cole of the Heat as a trade target
Detroit isn’t willing to sacrifice future assets to obtain a point guard or to make a run at the playoffs this season, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports. “We want to give ourselves every chance, so we want to get some help, but we won’t mortgage anything in terms of the future,” Van Gundy said. “We’re not going to go out and give away assets, picks or anything like that. No, we’re not gonna do that.” The Pistons could look to the NBA D-League for backcourt help instead, Ellis adds. “Again, we’ve got several options,” Van Gundy said. “We haven’t decided which direction to go right now.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pistons Eyeing Norris Cole

January 27th, 2015 at 6:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With point guard Brandon Jennings out for the season, the Pistons are looking into the possibility of trading for the Heat’s Norris Cole, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports. The talks between the two teams have been described as exploratory, and no deal is imminent, Haynes notes. Detroit is in search of a point guard to add to its depth, and the current plan is to acquire a short-term option and evaluate that player at the end of this season, Haynes adds. This Pistons were also reportedly interested in D-Leaguer Lorenzo Brown, who is set to ink a 10-day deal with the Timberwolves instead.

“We definitely got to get a third point guard, there’s no question,” said Detroit’s president of basketball operations and coach Stan Van Gundy. “To go out and get a guy who would be a huge difference maker, you probably have to give up something that would hurt you down the road. We’re not in panic time here. We’re not going to do that and be sitting here in the summer kicking ourselves for trying to do something short-term that would hurt us in the long-term.”

Cole would certainly fit the Pistons’ criteria, since he is set to become a free agent at the end of this season. The Heat are reportedly open to dealing the 26-year-old out of Cleveland State, and Cole was reportedly a part of a proposed deal with the Nets for Brook Lopez. Miami team president Pat Riley has denied that he made any proposals to Brooklyn, and he insists that the that Heat haven’t made any offers to any team. The Hornets have also been mentioned to have interest in Cole, with Charlotte seeking to add depth in the wake of Kemba Walker‘s injury. Walker is likely to miss at least six weeks of action.

In 39 appearances this season, including 23 as a starter, Cole is averaging 6.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. His slash line is .386/.239/.711. His career averages over four seasons are 6.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.5 APG.

Timberwolves, Pistons Eye Lorenzo Brown

January 27th, 2015 at 9:32am CST by Charlie Adams

9:32am: The Wolves plan to sign Brown to a 10-day deal this week, probably in advance of Wednesday’s game against the Celtics, according to Stein (on Twitter). It’s not entirely clear whether there’s an agreement between Minnesota and the point guard or if Detroit remains in the equation, but it seems the situation is fast-moving. The Wolves can terminate their contract with Raduljica early, though they’d still be on the hook for the full 10 days’ worth of salary to him.

TUESDAY, 9:23am: The Timberwolves have Brown in their sights, too, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who says Minnesota is envisioning a 10-day deal. The Wolves are still without Ricky Rubio, though their most recent loss came at small forward, where Robbie Hummel is out for four to six weeks with a broken hand. Minnesota, which originally drafted Brown and brought him to camp in 2013, has 15 players on its roster, though Miroslav Raduljica is on a 10-day contract that expires at the end of Wednesday. Flip Saunders and company inquired about Brady Heslip recently, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities (Twitter link), but Heslip struck a deal to play in Bosnia. Even though Brown is with the affiliate of the Pistons, he’s free to sign with any NBA team.

SUNDAY, 2:03pm: The Pistons are “strongly considering” signing Lorenzo Brown, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Detroit fears that starting point guard Brandon Jennings might be out for the rest of the year, so bringing aboard Brown would help supplement the club’s backcourt depth. The Pistons’ roster stands at 14 players, so no corresponding move would be needed to accommodate a potential signing.

Charania doesn’t specify what sort of contract that the Pistons are considering offering Brown, and although it could be just a 10-day deal, it wouldn’t be surprising for Detroit to ink the former second-round pick to a deal that covers the remainder of the season. Jennings tweeted “6/9 months” this morning, presumably implying he would be sidelined for the remaining portion of the 2014/15 season.

Brown, 24, spent training camp with the Pistons after playing 26 games for the Sixers last season. In 18 D-League games for the Grand Rapids Drive this year, Brown has scored 16.8 points per night and shot an impressive 50.4% from the floor.

Central Notes: Bucks’ Arena, Pistons’ Guards

January 26th, 2015 at 10:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is expected to announce on Tuesday that he is putting together a financing plan to help build multipurpose arena in downtown Milwaukee, according to Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. A new arena is expected to cost between $400MM and $500MM. The Bucks‘ ownership group has pledged as much as $150MM towards it and former Bucks owner Herb Kohl has pledged $100MM of his own money as well. It’s unclear how much the state’s plan will allocate towards the facility but the franchise is under mandate by the NBA to build a new arena in the city by November 2017 or the league has the right to buy back the team. Such a move would mean the possibility of relocating the Bucks would be back on the table, so the latest development is good news for the city of Milwaukee.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

After the season ending injury to Brandon Jennings, the Pistons are seeking help at the point guard position, but they are not the only team looking for reinforcements, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Amico cites the Cavs as another team exploring the market for a point guard. Cleveland’s current back up at the position, Matthew Dellavedova, has struggled this season and the team could use someone with more consistency in that role. Amico adds that both teams are likely to go the free agent route if they do make acquisitions.
Jordan Farmar, Marquis Teague and Peyton Siva are some of the players whom the Pistons could target to fill the void in their lineup, writes Amico in the same piece. Siva and Teague are currently playing in the D-League and earlier in the month, Farmar agreed to a buyout arrangement with the Clippers, making him a free agent. Siva and Teague would probably only warrant 10-day contracts from the team, while Farmar might require a contract that runs at least the remainder of the season, although that is just my speculation. Detroit has also been linked to Pablo Prigioni of the Knicks and Lorenzo Brown, who is playing for the team’s D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive.
An internal option for the Pistons would be Spencer Dinwiddie and the team is hoping his play improves by getting regular minutes, writes Brandan Savage of Mlive.com. “I think he’ll do well,” new starting point guard D.J. Augustin said. “Spence is big guard. He played great defense on [Greivis] Vasquez. I think he’s going to get better the more he plays.”

Central Notes: Mozgov, Pistons, Bulls

January 25th, 2015 at 11:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers are suddenly the hottest team in the Central Division, and with their sixth straight win Sunday, over the Thunder, they own the NBA’s longest winning streak aside from the Hawks and their 16 wins in a row. Here’s the latest from Cleveland and the rest of the Central:

The record will show that the Cavs gave up two first-round picks in their deal to acquire Timofey Mozgov, but in the original structure of the trade, Cleveland never would have held one of those first-rounders, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group details. The Mozgov swap was supposed to have been part of the team’s three-way deal with the Knicks and Thunder involving Dion Waiters, Haynes reports. A scheduling conflict on Denver’s end broke what would have been one four-team transaction into separate trades, and the Thunder’s protected 2015 first-rounder that was destined for Denver wound up with the Cavs for the two-day period in between swaps, according to Haynes.
Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that the Pistons are looking for a third point guard to go with D.J. Augustin and Spencer Dinwiddie in the wake of the season-ending Achilles injury to Brandon Jennings, TSN’s Josh Lewenberg tweets. Detroit is looking either to swing a trade or sign a D-Leaguer, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The D-League option would jibe with the team’s reported interest in Lorenzo Brown.
Van Gundy’s brother, ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy, accused Bulls management on Friday of trying to undermine coach Tom Thibodeau, and Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson shot back Sunday, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. “Tom Thibodeau isn’t being undermined at all,” Paxson said. “What’s being undermined is the entire Bulls organization by [Jeff] Van Gundy, who has an agenda against our organization for whatever reason and has for years. I guess he thinks he’s trying to protect his friend, but he’s doing just the opposite. It’s pretty pathetic when you think about it, and truth be told he owes Jerry Reinsdorf an apology for his disparaging remarks.”

Brandon Jennings Out For Season

January 25th, 2015 at 4:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:07pm: The Pistons have confirmed that Jennings will miss the rest of the season via press release.

3:32pm: Jennings has indeed suffered a torn Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season, as Wojnarowski writes in his updated piece. Shams Charania of RealGM passed along this morning that Detroit was considering bring aboard Lorenzo Brown, and a source tells Wojnarowski that the club will indeed look to add a guard, either through a trade or free agent signing.

9:05am: The Pistons have “significant fear” that Brandon Jennings suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during Saturday’s game, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He’ll undergo an MRI today. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged late Saturday that the injury “doesn’t look good.” A tear would be season-ending.

Detroit doesn’t have the ability to apply for a disabled player exception, both because the team is under the cap and because the deadline to apply for disabled player exceptions passed earlier this month. The Pistons have less than $100K in cap room, but they do have a prorated portion of their room exception, and they have an open roster spot.

The injury would come with unfortunate timing for both Jennings and the team, who’ve enjoyed a mutual renaissance since the Pistons waived Josh Smith last month. The 25-year-old Jennings is averaging 19.8 points and 7.0 assists since Smith’s departure, and the Pistons are 12-4 over the stretch, rising from a 5-23 start to just a half game out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Jennings makes $8MM this season and has one more year worth nearly $8.344MM left on his deal.

A report earlier this month indicated that Detroit was still making Jennings available for a trade after there were conflicting reports about whether the team was shopping the point guard. Van Gundy denied that he was initiating talks with anyone, though the Lakers apparently called the Pistons about Jennings and Greg Monroe. More recently, Van Gundy expressed contentment with his roster as it stands.