Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Reed, Pistons, Noel

April 8th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Cray Allred

While the names of former NBA head coaches Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Van Gundy pop up each year as rumored candidates for coaching vacancies, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders says that both brothers have promised their families they won’t move (via Twitter). Of course, that doesn’t rule out every opening, and restless coaches often return to the bench despite similar family vows. Here’s more from around the league:

LaQuinton Ross plans to sign with agents Jeff Schwartz and Sean Kennedy of Excel Sports tomorrow, per a tweet from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The small forward out of Ohio State announced his plans to enter the draft late last month, and is considered a second round talent.
Daniel Orton reflects on his time with the Maine Red Claws this year, telling Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside that he chose to play in the D-League to give himself a better shot at finding an NBA roster spot. “The decision (to play in the D-League) was all about trying to get back into the NBA,” Orton said. “I’m trying to get a call-up. I had offers to go overseas and make some money, but I’m trying to get back into the NBA more so than anything.” The big man has only managed to play in 51 NBA games across his three-season career, and was waived by the Sixers earlier this year.
Sixers coach Brett Brown says that Nerlens Noel has made major developmental gains despite sitting out all year. Brown tells Mark Narducci of Philly.com that he envisions Noel becoming polished offensively over a three to five year window. “How many opportunities do you have like this when you have a whole year where you can invest time with somebody?” Brown said. “I think it is a huge part of his development and I am thrilled he is with me and I am glad I am the guy who has the chance to help him.”
The Kings have recalled Willie Reed from their D-League affiliate, per a team release.
While the Pistons would never embrace the notion of tanking, interim coach John Loyer tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News that being out of contention does give him some flexibility to play and evaluate younger players. “Like I said the other day, you hope to play some of the younger guys,” Loyer said. “But you see how the game goes, how the matchups go.”

Joe Dumars Plans To Resign From Pistons

April 8th, 2014 at 8:20am CST by Chuck Myron

Joe Dumars has told multiple people around the league that he intends to resign from his post as Pistons president of basketball operations, reports Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. He could step down as soon as this week, Goodwill adds. The imminent parting of ways between Dumars and his longtime team is no surprise, as rumors about his job security were circulating even before the Pistons fired coach Maurice Cheeks in early February.

The 50-year-old Dumars has been with the Pistons as a player or executive since 1985. He took over the basketball operations in 2000, securing Ben Wallace as part of a sign-and-trade for Grant Hill in his first major move. Wallace was the defensive anchor of the 2003/04 team that won the championship, but before that season began, Dumars made his most frequently cited mistake, drafting Darko Milicic second overall while Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were all still available. The Pistons nonetheless made six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the team disintegrated after Dumars traded 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets for Allen Iverson in 2008.

The following summer, Dumars splurged on free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, who didn’t pan out. The Pistons had another spending spree this past offseason, inking Josh Smith to a four-year, $54MM contract and arranging a sign-and-trade for Brandon Jennings, whose deal is for three years and $24MM. Those moves have been similarly disappointing, and this season, in which Detroit has gone 28-49, appears to have been the last straw. Dumars has reportedly grown weary of criticism surrounding his performance, and soon after Gores ordered the firing of Cheeks, whose job Dumars attempted to save, there was news that Dumars might step down after the season, with his contract expiring July 1st.

Disagreements over the coaching position appear to have been a consistent theme for Dumars and Gores, who bought the team in 2011. Dumars wanted to hire Mike Woodson, now coach of the Knicks, when Gores instead brought in Lawrence Frank that year. Also fomenting difficulty was a period of inactivity mandated by Karen Davidson, the widow of former owner Bill Davidson, who had protracted negotiations to sell the team before she and Gores finally reached an agreement.

The Pistons quickly shot down a rumor in early March that Isiah Thomas would succeed his former backcourt mate as head of basketball operations for the team, but chatter has persisted that Thomas is campaigning for that job. The Pistons also reportedly have their eye on making Billups, still an active player for the team, a part of their front office, although it’s not clear if they envision hiring him as the primary front office executive so soon. Billups, like Dumars, is also a rumored candidate for the front office in Cleveland, where owner Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native, calls the shots.

Central Notes: Irving, Sanders, Siva

April 5th, 2014 at 10:29am CST by Cray Allred

Larry Sanders apologized to Bucks fans for his recently announced drug suspension, but was defensive about his use of marijuana, telling Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he disagrees with its status as a banned substance. “It’s a banned substance in my league. But I believe in marijuana and the medical side of it.” said Sanders. “The stigma is that it’s illegal. I hate that. Once this becomes legal, this all will go away. But I understand for my work it’s a banned substance. I will deal with the consequences and I apologize again to my fans for that.” Here’s more from the Central Division:

Sanders added that he’s excited to work this summer, and believes he can put this year’s troubles behind him next season, when the first year of his four-year, $44MM extension kicks in. “I’ll be better from this. I’ve learned a lot already from this year. I’m going to continue to learn. I hate that this is a negative impact on my fans and my family or the organization,” Sanders said.
In a series of tweets, Cavs star Kyrie Irving made it known that he’s upset with with the ongoing rumors about his desire to leave Cleveland (H/T Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer). Irving says that he’s tired of the negative attention, and denied that any speculation about his thought process attributed to his camp has any merit.
The Pistons have given increased playing time to rookie Peyton Siva, who tells Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press he’s better adjusted to the speed of the game than he was early in the season. “I feel a lot more comfortable out there. I feel more confident in my skills and within myself to go out there and play,” said Siva. “I’m definitely looking forward to playing more and transitioning from what I’ve been showing in practice to the game. I just want to go out there and prove my worth. Continue to play hard and try to help my team win.”

Central Notes: Pacers, Josh Smith, Rasheed

April 4th, 2014 at 2:11pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers are no longer a title contender, Grantland’s Zach Lowe concludes. The trade for Evan Turner hasn’t worked out, Lowe believes, pointing to a postgame tiff between Paul George and Roy Hibbert three weeks ago as indicative of the team’s struggles. The second half of the season hasn’t been kind to Indiana, but the Pacers are still just percentage points behind the Heat for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Josh Smith insists to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News that he’s not the only one to blame for the Pistons‘ disappointing season. Smith has drawn plenty of criticism since signing his four-year, $54MM contract in the offseason, and the Pistons reportedly tried to trade him at the deadline.
Pistons assistant coach Rasheed Wallace‘s ties to the organization give him a “good chance” to remain with the team, but the fate of the rest of the staff is likely up to whomever ends up as head coach next season, as MLive’s David Mayo writes. Mayo, answering reader questions, also suggests everyone except Andre Drummond could be on the trade block this summer.
Mike Dunleavy‘s name emerged in trade rumors before the deadline, but he’s pleased with his decision to sign with the Bulls this past summer, as he tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
We rounded up more on the Bulls earlier today, and passed along news that the team is likely to target Pau Gasol this summer.

Eastern Notes: Humphries, Turner, Young

April 3rd, 2014 at 7:21pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As a guest on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich show, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge revealed that he’s had discussions with forward Kris Humphries about the possibility of returning next season:

“I have had a few conversations with Kris…(he) knows where we are as an organization and he knows we like him. And he knows there is a lot of uncertainty, depending on which direction we choose to go this summer. None of us know…he knows we like him, his coaches and teammates like him, (but) we just can’t make any promises” (interview transcribed by Gary Dzen of Boston.com).

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

Dzen points out that Ainge was also asked about Jerryd Bayless and Phil Pressey but only offered comment on Humphries.
Having gone from a team with the NBA’s second-worst record to playing for the second seed in the Eastern Conference, Evan Turner has conceivably endured his share of challenges in trying to fit in. The fact that the Pacers have compiled a 12-10 record since the deal while Turner continues to struggle offensively hasn’t helped the situation, but the 6’7 guard tells NBA.com’s Manny Randhawa that he’s confident about being able to contribute sooner rather than later.
Once considered a possible candidate to be traded, Thaddeus Young is looking more and more like a keeper in Philadelphia, writes Dei Lynam of CSN Philly. The 25-year-old forward spoke glowingly about playing for 76ers head coach Brett Brown: “Coach (Doug Collins) didn’t want me to shoot a lot of threes…I didn’t like that at all. And this year Brett tells me, ‘I want you to shoot threes, get to the basket, I want you to do everything.’ I am back to playing the way I was before Coach Collins and Eddie Jordan, just a more free flowing offense…I think I have transitioned and turned things around where (as a player) I can just focus on my job.”
Based on the numbers this season, Brandon Knight‘s production may not have unequivocally surpassed what Brandon Jennings brought to the table during his four-year tenure in Milwaukee; However, Knight being two years younger and more affordable than his predecessor is proof of why the Bucks are better off with him now, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.

Eastern Rumors: Pistons, Raptors, Sixers

April 2nd, 2014 at 8:04pm CST by Cray Allred

Shaun Powell of SportsOnEarth.com says that it’s a given Pistons GM Joe Dumars will be let go after the season, but Powell thinks it will take a lot of luck and skill in the draft, free agency, and coaching hunt for Detroit to turn around years of Dumars’ poor decision-making. Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko has hired Bill Duffy of the BDA Sports agency to represent him, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). Jerebko is weighing whether to pick up his $4.5MM player option for next season.
With Kyle Lowry dealing with a sore left knee, the Raptors‘ deadline trade for Nando De Colo is looking far more meaningful, given the team’s dearth of experienced point guards behind Lowry and Greivis Vasquez, writes Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
Michael Carter-Williams has turned a lot of heads this season, and Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters including Tom Moore of Calkins Media that his first-year point guard has played well enough to earn the Rookie of the Year Award. “You can talk about he’s playing on a bad team and getting lots of minutes — and that is all true,” Brown said. “But I see him getting better because he’s understanding the NBA better. He’s starting to get greedy and understand the opportunity and responsibility he has to help grow this program. I think he deserves those awards.”
Brown also told reporters, including Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, that he’s now “ambivalent” about whether Sixers rookie Nerlens Noel plays this year (Twitter link).
Pacers power forward Luis Scola will play for Argentina in the FIBA World Cup this summer, he tells El Universal (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Jerebko, Hawks, Young

April 1st, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jonas Jerebko has seen an uptick in minutes under Pistons interim coach John Loyer, notes Brendan Savage of MLive, who suggests that the identity of the team’s coach for 2014/15 will weigh heavily as Jerebko decides whether to opt in. He has a $4.5MM player option for next season, but I’d be surprised if he turned that money down regardless of who’s coaching. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The recent poor play of the Hawks has put their chances of a playoff berth in jeopardy, but injuries have had much to do with that. GM Danny Ferry praised his roster and likes the way the team is positioned for future seasons, as he tells USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.
Thaddeus Young seemed to want out of Philadelphia at one point this season, but he sees the team’s decision to keep him and anoint him the leader of a young Sixers team as a sign of respect, observes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Udonis Haslem, who has a player option for next season, has been caught off guard by his lack of minutes with the Heat this season, as he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.

And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Draft, Izzo

March 29th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

When Kentucky squares off against Michigan in Sunday’s Midwest Regional final, the Wildcats may be looking for their 16th Final Four appearance without a big part of their lineup, center Willie Cauley-Stein, who is doubtful to play because of a sprained ankle. Even if Cauley-Stein is done for the season, it is unlikely to affect his draft stock, writes Josh Newman of SNY.tv. He is currently slotted No. 12 in June’s NBA Draft by Draft Express. “An ankle sprain, it’s nothing. He will be a top-20 pick regardless of him playing another college game. He could be a Lottery pick if he stayed another year at Kentucky,” a former NBA executive told SNY.tv per the article.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Billups, Stoudemire

March 29th, 2014 at 8:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Isiah Thomas has been campaigning for a position with either the Pistons or the Cavaliers front offices, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Whether those overtures will bear fruit or not will have to wait to be seen, but both those teams really have their eye on another soon-to-be former Piston, Chauncey Billups, notes Windhorst. According to the article, Billups is likely headed towards retirement after knee surgery ended his season, and is the apple of both the Cavs’ and Pistons’ eye for a role in their respective franchise’s leadership. While there might be some interest in getting Billups to follow in Jason Kidd’s footsteps and go right from player to coach, Billups has been hinting openly for years he’d rather graduate to the front office at the end of his career, reports Windhorst.

Pistons Rumors: Dumars, D-League, Singler

March 28th, 2014 at 10:52pm CST by Cray Allred

While Isiah Thomas was non-committal in addressing the potential he would join the Pistons in the near future, Detroit’s sitting president of basketball operations Joe Dumars declined to be interviewed at all before the Bad Boys celebration tonight, per Larry Lage of The Associated Press. Dumars has reportedly been on rocky ground all season, with speculation about his job security only growing as the Pistons continue to pile up loses following the firing of former coach Maurice Cheeks. Here’s a roundup of the rest of tonight’s notes out of Detroit:

David Mayo of MLive.com answers a mailbag question about Dumars’ visibility, saying that Dumars is indeed ducking media consistently.
In another answer, the MLive.com scribe says he believes Dumars’ run of decisions that haven’t panned out isn’t abnormal for a long-tenured GM to endure, but thinks that the big contracts given to Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon were the most egregious mistakes that could cost Dumars his job.
Answering a question about the Pistons planned one-to-one D-League affiliate, Mayo writes that the new arrangement will give the team a lot more freedom to develop players. Mayo speculates that Detroit will utilize the D-League much more often with the new setup.
Mayo says that Kyle Singler vastly outperforms his $1MM contract, and that the Pistons would love to keep the forward beyond his rookie contract. Singler is eligible to become a restricted free agent before the 2015/16 season.