Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Bucks, Bulls, Datome, Cavaliers

December 25th, 2013 at 11:06am CST by Charlie Adams

Howard Beck of Bleacher Reports writes that Monta Ellis looks like a “changed man” this season in Dallas, and Ellis acknowledges as much, telling Beck that he was frustrated last year with the Bucks:

“I think I got into a dark place where I wasn’t myself… Some games I’d come and I could be motivated to play. And some games, it was hard, because of the type of players I was around.”

Milwaukee is playing even worse now, and as Jim Paschke noted this morning (via Twitter), half of the club’s remaining games are against Western Conference teams. That might be a blessing in disguise, since it should mean the Bucks have a good shot at the number one overall pick in the draft come June. Here are some more tidbits out of the Central Division:

The Bulls have struggled without Derrick Rose, and there have been plenty of rumbles about the club making a big move to stir things up in Chicago. Joe Cowley from the Chicago Sun-Times dissects the team’s roster and reveals the players he believes to be the most valuable on the trade market, as well as the ones he figures would be the hardest to move.
Luigi Datome has played relatively well in the limited action he’s seen for the Pistons so far this season, and the former Italian League star figures to see an increase in minutes, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons signed the 26-year-old small forward to a two-year, $3.5MM contract this past offseason.
Another offseason acquisition, Andrew Bynum, has been inconsistent and flat out bad at times this season for the Cavaliers. Coming off of a game where he shot 0-11 from the floor, Bob Finnan of the News-Herald believes Bynum to be one of the biggest reasons for Cleveland’s struggles. He suggests that the club relies too much on the banged up center to generate offense.

Luke Adams contributed to this post

Eastern Notes: Bulls, Waiters, Nene, Pistons

December 18th, 2013 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing in Indiana last Tuesday, the Heat will get another shot at the Pacers tonight, this time in Miami. As we look forward to the evening’s showdown between the only two Eastern teams that look like title contenders, let’s round up a few notes from around the conference….

The Bulls are considering their options with Marquis Teague and D.J. Augustin, and could ultimately end up trading the former or waiving the latter. If that happens, the team may re-sign the recently waived Mike James, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
Dion Waiters moved quickly to shoot down yesterday’s report that he wanted to be traded from the Cavs to the 76ers, and Michael Kaskey-Blomain of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears from a source that the Sixers are unlikely to land Waiters anyway.
Addressing the trade rumors surrounding Waiters and Anderson Varejao, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown suggested those reports were laughable, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
While he has said in the past that he may retire before the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, Wizards big man Nene acknowledged in a Q&A with Grantland’s Zach Lowe that he’d be open to playing beyond that date, health permitting.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com fields Pistons-related questions from readers in his latest mailbag, including inquiries on the futures of Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey in Detroit.

Central Notes: Granger, Cavs, Leuer, Rose

December 16th, 2013 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

Josh Smith enjoyed his best game as a member of the Pistons last night but it was all for naught as Detroit fell to the Trail Blazers in overtime. Smith had 31 points and seven rebounds, but he was a non-factor in the fourth quarter and OT as the Pistons collapsed in a 111-109 loss. Here’s today’s look at the Central Division..

The Pacers are targeting next Friday as a return date for Danny Granger, tweets Candace D. Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Granger, a pending free agent, could become a trade chip for Indiana if he proves to be both healthy and redundant for the Pacers over the next few months.
As of today, the Cavs-Grizzlies trade involving Jon Leuer, Mo Speights, Wayne Ellington, and a draft pick favors the Grizzlies based on the way Leuer is playing, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The big man is averaging 9.4 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 14 games for Memphis this season.
Sam Smith of NBA.com argues that coming into the NBA as a teenager, for the most part, stunts your development because you have not had as much chance to develop as a player and have your body develop to play against men. In his view, it’s one possible reason why recent No. 1 overall picks, like Bulls star Derrick Rose, have had injury troubles.
Earlier today, I rounded up the latest on the Cavs.

Odds & Ends: Randolph, Rockets, Lakers, Siva

December 14th, 2013 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Since a report surfaced this week suggesting the Grizzlies are shopping Zach Randolph, team sources have adamantly denied that the big power forward is on the block. Nonetheless, Randolph has heard the rumors and admits to NBA.com’s Fran Blinebury that he can’t altogether ignore them.

“It bothers me. It hurts a little bit. I can’t deny that,” Randolph said. “But it goes to show you that there ain’t no loyalty in this game. It seems like you only get loyalty in certain organizations. You see it in winning organizations like the Spurs, the Lakers, the Heat.”

Here’s more from around the league on a Saturday afternoon:

GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets have used their D-League affiliate as a “laboratory of sorts” to test ideas and strategies that could be used in the NBA, as Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com writes (Insider-only link). This season, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers are pushing the pace and shooting three-pointers at a record rate, prompting Pelton to wonder if we’ll see the Rockets employ a similar approach soon.
Jabari Davis, Joel Brigham, and Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld weigh in with their thoughts on Kobe Bryant‘s two-year extension and how it affects the Lakers‘ short- and long-term future.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim questions whether tanking is really worth it for NBA teams this season, since he views this year’s top freshmen as talented, but not “transcendent” players. Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv has the details.
Pistons rookie Peyton Siva says he has Louisville coach Rick Pitino to thank for his smooth transition to the NBA, writes Brigham in a separate HoopsWorld piece. “[Coach Pitino] prepares you mentally for everything that’s coming up ahead. He’s a great coach when it comes to that mental preparation,” Siva told HoopsWorld. “A lot of players lose focus and break down mentally, but he makes sure you stay alert, stay on task and builds a great work ethic in you.”

Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Bradley, Bulls

December 13th, 2013 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Thursday night was a rarity for this NBA season, as Eastern teams went undefeated in their inter-conference games against Western opponents. To be fair, there was only one of those games on last night’s schedule, but the Nets‘ win over the Clippers increased the East’s winning percentage against the West to .300 (33-77). Eastern teams will have to wait another day to attempt to bump that percentage up a few more points, since all of tonight’s games are intra-conference matchups.

Here’s the latest out of the East:

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suggests that the Heat could use another defensive wing player on their roster, but questions whether the team has the cap and roster flexibility to add one.
Because Andre Drummond is still a few years away from a big payday, David Mayo of MLive.com believes the Pistons can afford to add to their core of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, and Drummond, rather than splitting up that trio.
In light of a report that Avery Bradley turned down a four-year, $24MM extension offer, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com explores Bradley’s worth to the Celtics.
By moving from the perennially contending Spurs to the rebuilding Bucks, Gary Neal has had to adjust to a different climate both literally and figuratively, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In his latest mailbag, Sam Smith of Bulls.com fields questions about Marquis Teague, tanking, and possible roster moves for the Bulls.

Central Notes: Neal, Teague, Cavs

December 12th, 2013 at 5:37pm CST by Ryan Raroque

This past offseason, the Spurs extended then-restricted free agent Gary Neal a qualifying offer worth about $1.1MM, which was significantly below the two-year, $7.5MM agreement he eventually reached with the Bucks. According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News, Neal believes he got a fair shake from Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford and understood that he wouldn’t be retained if he wanted more than what San Antonio was initially offering:

“I figured after three years, the Spurs benefitted me, and I benefitted the Spurs…But it’s a business. I kind of knew after Game 7 in the Finals, unless I signed a qualifying offer, I wouldn’t be back…I have no complaints…If (they didn’t give me the opportunity), they could have found another guy one of those summers to shoot 40 percent from three,..I thank Coach Pop a thousand times for that.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

The rest of the league is confused why the Bulls aren’t willing to give Marquis Teague more playing time, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Chicago reportedly dangled Teague in trade talks during the preseason.
The Cavaliers have recalled Carrick Felix, Sergey Karasev, and Henry Sims from the D-League, as per the team’s official website.
Pistons forward Gigi Datome is determined to play for the Italian national team next summer, whether it’d be during the FIBA World Cup or the Eurobasket Qualifying Round, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (hat tip to Tuttosport).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Kings/Raptors Trade Reaction

December 9th, 2013 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

News of the pending trade between the Raptors and Kings overshadowed Kobe Bryant‘s return to the Lakers, which was supposed to be the story of Sunday night around the NBA. There are plenty of reverberations in the wake of the deal that featured Rudy Gay, and we’ll round them up here:

The Raptors were at the 15-man roster limit before the trade, and since they’re acquiring four players and giving up three, they’ll have to cut someone. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun initially figured D.J. Augustin was ripe for the chopping block before hearing Dwight Buycks was most likely to go (Twitter links). HoopsWorld’s Steve Kyler pegs Julyan Stone as the probable cut, but Wolstat (on Twitter) thinks Stone is most likely to stick.
There was increasing mutual dissatisfaction between the Raptors and Gay, note Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. It’s almost certain that Gay will exercise his $19.3MM option for next season, Wojnarowski and Spears write, and the Kings didn’t ask Gay about his plans regarding the option before agreeing to the trade, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
The Raptors might not be weakening their team this season, Kyler writes in his NBA AM piece, figuring the players they’re acquiring might be much better than the ones they’re sending out. Kyler also suggests the Kings may use the next couple of months to evaluate Gay to decide whether to flip him at the trade deadline.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey remains on shaky ground, sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Raptors spoke to nearly every team in the league about Gay, Lowe writes, specifically mentioning the Pistons, Bucks and Cavs.
Toronto brass had already decided to rebuild before they found a taker for Gay, but sources told SportsNet’s Michael Grange just two days prior to the deal that GM Masai Ujiri had essentially given up on what seemed like a futile search for a trade partner.
In the same piece, Grange writes that league sources were stunned that the Kings were willing to take on Gay, with one executive asking rhetorically, “Doesn’t Sacramento watch the games?”
Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has been struggling to accept the idea of another losing season for Sacramento, which helps explain why he’s been so active on the trade market, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

Central Rumors: Butler, Pistons, Cavs

December 8th, 2013 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons met the Bulls on Saturday in a game that would allow the winner to hit .500, and Detroit came away with the victory. That gives the Pistons the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, where everyone’s looking up at the Pacers, now 18-2 after a resounding win against the Spurs. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Caron Butler would be interested in putting a group together to buy the Bucks from Herb Kohl, reports Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. Butler also says he’d like to take an active role in managing the team, but the 33-year-old would have to retire from playing first to accomplish either objective.
The Pistons aren’t likely to send Tony Mitchell on a D-League assignment this season, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, contradicting his report from before the season. The team feels differently about Peyton Siva, who could wind up in the D-League once Chauncey Billups and Will Bynum return from injury, Ellis adds.
Some Cavs players haven’t been enamored with Mike Brown‘s strict coaching this season, the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto observes. The team gave Brown license to use a heavy hand with his four-year contract, Pluto writes.

Southwest Notes: Hollins, Roberts, Spurs

December 1st, 2013 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins reportedly spoke with Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks about joining his staff as assistant, and Hollins confirms to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he was offered the job. He turned it down, however, intent on seeking out another NBA head coaching gig. Here’s more out of the Southwest Division..

Pelicans point guard Brian Roberts is on a fully guaranteed minimum-salary contract, but he’s fallen out of the rotation, and that might put his roster spot in jeopardy, as Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune examines.
The Spurs announced that they have assigned center Aron Baynes and guard Nando De Colo to the D-League’s Austin Toros. Baynes has appeared in ten games for the Spurs this season, averaging 1.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 8.1 minutes. De Colo has seen action in six contests this season for the Silver and Black, averaging 2.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 9.0 minutes. To keep track of all of this year’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
Jeff McDonald of the Express News (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see Baynes and De Colo back in San Antonio tomorrow.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Bennett, Ledo, Pistons, Heat

November 30th, 2013 at 10:51pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs drafted Anthony Bennett first overall with many in the organization envisioning him becoming a small forward at some point, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd argues that the team should make the former UNLV big man the starter at that position now. Cleveland’s win tonight brings the team’s record to just 5-12, so Lloyd believes it’s an idea worth trying in a season when few of coach Mike Brown‘s gambits have worked. Here’s more from around the NBA:

The Mavericks assigned Ricky Ledo to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced via press release. Ledo has appeared in six games with Dallas for a total of just 16 minutes so far.
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News breaks down the dilemmas facing first-year Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks, whose team is off to a worrisome 6-10 start in spite of owner Tom Gores’ playoff aspirations.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders if Kobe Bryant‘s lucrative extension will prompt LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to prioritize money over championships next offseason.