Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Carmelo, D-League, Oden, Wade

October 20th, 2013 at 9:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News doesn’t understand why the news that Carmelo Anthony would test the open market came as a surprise to anyone. Meanwhile, this season will be very telling for both the Knicks and Melo to figure out if they can win a championship together. Lupica openly wonders if New York can win a title with Anthony as their No. 1 player. Here’s more from around the Association..

Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival runs down the whereabouts of prominent members of each D-League team this offseason. It’s no surprise to see that many of the D-League’s standouts from last season have found NBA homes while others have landed lucrative deals overseas. To keep up on the latest in international player movement, check out the Hoops Rumors International Tracker, made with the help of Porcaro.
Heat offseason acquisition Greg Oden already knows he’ll have to wear a bulky knee brace when he gets back on the floor, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Oden signed a two-year deal with Miami with a player option on 2014/15.
In a Twitter Q&A, Dwyane Wade said he’s a big supporter of offseason pickup Michael Beasley and is a bigger fan of his than he was during his first stint in Miami, writes Winderman.
New Pistons forward Josh Smith says he has no issues with playing the three in Detroit, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.

Pistons Exercise Andre Drummond’s 2014/15 Option

October 19th, 2013 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Pistons announced that they have exercised Andre Drummond‘s third-year option worth $2.5MM. The move was expected for the No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Drummond, 20, averaged 7.9 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 20.7 minutes per game during his rookie season. The UConn center made ten starts on the year but mostly came off of the bench. Drummond also missed significant time around the midway point of the season with a stress fracture of the fifth lumbar vertebra in his back.

Drummond shows plenty of promise, but he also has a good deal to work on, including his free throw shooting. The big man shot just 37% from the charity stripe in 2012/13, a percentage low enough to make Chris Dudley wince.

Fallout From Derrick Favors’ Extension

October 18th, 2013 at 11:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Jazz are probably going to struggle to win games this season, but they took a step forward tonight in their plan to return to playoff contention, agreeing to terms on a $49MM+ extension with Derrick Favors. He’ll likely sign the extension Saturday, according to an ESPN.com report, and when he does, there will be one fewer intriguing name on the list of players set to become free agents in the summer. There’s more on a couple of potential free agents tonight as we look at the ripple effects of Favors’ deal:

The Jazz and Mark Bartelstein client Gordon Hayward remain in negotiations on a possible extension, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
Favors bought a house in Salt Lake City this summer, and he made it clear then that he wanted to stay in Utah for a long time, Genessy points out in the same piece.
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News figures the Favors deal sets the market for Greg Monroe, who appears much more likely to hit free agency next summer than to sign an extension with the Pistons (Twitter link).
Randy Hollis of the Deseret News examines the play of Favors and Jazz center Enes Kanter as they settle into their new roles as starting big men.

Eastern Notes: Watson, Billups, Taylor, ‘Melo

October 18th, 2013 at 7:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy looks at the upgraded bench in Indiana, and hears from C.J. Watson that the team’s desire to reach a deal with him on the first day of free agency influenced his decision to join the Pacers.

“I wanted to play for a contender and I wanted to go to a team where I could get playing time,” Watson said. “Also, I felt like I could help this team. They were a very good team already, they’re very young and getting better each and every year, but I felt I could help. I just want to come off the bench and score and defend and change the tempo whenever they need me to and also be a leader.”

In the same NBA PM piece, Kennedy checks in with Pistons offseason addition Chauncey Billups and Cavaliers camp invitee Jermaine Taylor. Here’s more from the East:

A recent report suggested Carmelo Anthony would be open to a recruiting pitch from Kobe Bryant next summer, but Anthony told reporters today, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he doesn’t expect Bryant to try to influence his decisions. It’s not clear whether Anthony isn’t expecting to hear a pitch from Bryant during the season — which would constitute tampering — or whether he doesn’t think he’ll hear from Bryant at all.
The Heat weren’t one of the teams that called on the league to investigate the Nets‘ signing of Andrei Kirilenko, notes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who also revisits the animosity over Ray Allen‘s decision to leave the Celtics for the Heat in 2012.
Josh McRoberts, who re-signed with the Bobcats this summer, is extra valuable on a team like Charlotte because of his passing and his veteran presence, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

Odds & Ends: Adams, Carmelo, Wiggins, Pistons

October 18th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Few NBA teams use their D-League affiliate more actively than the Thunder, who shuttled players like Jeremy Lamb, Daniel Orton, and Perry Jones III back and forth between OKC and Tulsa throughout the 2012/13 season. However, it doesn’t sound like the team is currently planning for rookie big man Steven Adams to spend significant time with the 66ers, as Royce Young of Daily Thunder details.

“It’s something that we never talked about,” coach Scott Brooks said of Adams and the D-League. “We just focus on what we do here. If players go down and play in the D-League in Tulsa that decision is made during that time. But right now, I’m not even going that way with any of our guys.”

Brooks’ comments leave the door open for Adams to join Tulsa at some point this season, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t make at least one D-League stop, but perhaps the team intends to get the Pittsburgh product more involved in OKC than rookies Lamb and Jones were a year ago.

Here’s more from around the NBA:

In his latest piece for SBNation.com, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com identifies a few contract trends, concluding that teams are less inclined than they were a few years ago to tie up their cap with long-term, overpriced contracts for mid-level type players.
Carmelo Anthony made a few more comments about his potential free agency today, noting that he’s assured coach Mike Woodson it won’t bother him during the season, and adding that he doesn’t expect to receive a recruiting pitch from Kobe Bryant this year. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com has the details.
Andrew Wiggins is an excellent prospect, but he’s not a mortal lock to be the No. 1 pick in 2014, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider-only link).
Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival takes a look at Nikola Mirotic, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Kostas Papanikolaou, three notable overseas prospects who have been drafted (or acquired) and stashed by the Bulls, Nets, and Rockets, respectively.
In his weekly mailbag at MLive.com, David Mayo explores whether the Pistons need to acquire more shooting, among other questions.

Eastern Notes: Iverson, Monroe, Bucks, Heat

October 17th, 2013 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Heat prepare to face the Nets for the first time since Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce headed to Brooklyn, LeBron James discussed the ex-Celtics who were critical of Ray Allen signing with Miami a year ago.

“I think the first thing I thought was ‘Wow, Ray got killed for leaving Boston and now these guys are leaving Boston,'” James said, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “I think it’s OK, I didn’t mind it. But there were a couple guys who basically (expletive) on Ray for leaving and now they’re leaving. That’s the nature of our business, man. I don’t know what Boston was going through at the end of the day. I know Ray had to make the best decision for him and his family and his career. Doc [Rivers], KG and Paul did that as well. You can’t criticize someone who does something that’s best for their family.”

As we look forward to a preseason matchup that could be an early preview of an Eastern Conference playoff series, let’s round up a few other items from around the East….

Confirming that Allen Iverson will indeed announce his retirement later this month, NBA.com’s David Aldridge reports that the former MVP may wind up taking a post-playing job with the Sixers.
Nothing has changed on the Greg Monroe front, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, who writes that the Pistons and Monroe are still highly unlikely to reach an agreement on a long-term extension within the next couple weeks.
When it became clear that Brandon Jennings wasn’t interested in re-signing in Milwaukee, the Bucks got what they could for him, and according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a couple of those young players who came over in the deal with the Pistons are looking good so far this fall.
Even with Greg Oden suffering a setback and Chris Andersen dealing with a foot issue, the Heat aren’t likely to keep a player like Justin Hamilton on their roster, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, pointing to Joel Anthony as the club’s insurance policy.

Knicks Notes: Carmelo, Woodson, Shumpert

October 17th, 2013 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The biggest NBA headline yesterday involved Carmelo Anthony, who told the New York Observer that he was looking forward to testing free agency, strongly implying that he’d turn down his player option for 2014/15 and hit the open market next summer. Anthony spoke to the media today about those comments, so let’s round up today’s highlights related to Carmelo and the rest of the Knicks…

While Anthony acknowledged that there’s a good chance he opts out next summer, he told reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, that it doesn’t mean he plans to leave New York. “Me leaving never came across in my mind,” Anthony said. “[Free agency] was just an experience that I thought would be an experience I’d want to experience.”
Asked about Carmelo’s situation, coach Mike Woodson replied, “I don’t see him leaving. That’s just my thought,” according to Begley.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reads into Carmelo’s response to a question about the Lakers, predicting that L.A. will be the Knicks’ primary competitor for the star forward’s services next summer.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Amir Elhassan provides an FAQ for Anthony’s upcoming free agency, in which he speculates that the Mavericks, Pistons, and Bobcats could also try to make a run at Carmelo.
Exploring a subject that doesn’t involve Anthony, Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal wonders why the Knicks’ front office seems somewhat lukewarm on Iman Shumpert. The third-year guard will be eligible for a long-term extension next offseason.

Eastern Notes: Aldrich, Anderson, Crawford

October 13th, 2013 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Five of the seven teams that are at the offseason roster limit of 20 players reside in the Eastern Conference, so the Sixers, Cavaliers, Hawks, Heat and Knicks will be making plenty of moves between now and October 26th, the deadline for teams to place their camp cuts on waivers. Here’s the latest from the East as cut-down day approaches:

Cole Aldrich chose to sign with the Knicks over the Bulls, Kings and Pistons, and though coach Mike Woodson has criticized his play and the team appears to be looking for other backup centers, Aldrich is still favored to make the club, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Former first-round pick James Anderson is resurrecting his career and taking full advantage of the opportunity his non-guaranteed contract with the Sixers presents, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer details.
Celtics teammates and coach Brad Stevens insist Jordan Crawford‘s reputation as a brash ball-hog is off-base, and they’re confident he has the passing ability to thrive as a combo guard as he enters the final year of his rookie scale contract, observes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Grantland’s Zach Lowe notes the high level of optimism surrounding the ex-Wizard (Twitter link).
Bucks owner Herb Kohl is walking a fine line as he tries to secure public funding for a new arena in Milwaukee, and he and GM John Hammond are being careful to keep the team competitive while still overhauling the roster, as Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel examines.
Quincy Acy is about to start the last guaranteed season of his contract with the Raptors, and Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun chronicles the 2012 second-round pick’s efforts to crack the rotation before time runs out.

Central Links: Stuckey, Bulls, Mohammed

October 11th, 2013 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we heard that Rodney Stuckey would undergo surgery on his thumb, and today the Pistons followed up with another press release announcing that the procedure was successful. With just 15 players under contract, the Pistons have room to bring in players to audition for a roster spot if they’re worried about backcourt depth, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) hears that there’s hope within the organization that Stuckey will return by opening night. As such, a roster move is very unlikely.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Within his weekly chat, Larry Coon of HoopsWorld identifies Luol Deng (Bulls) and Danny Granger (Pacers) as two trade candidates to watch as this season’s deadline approaches. However, Coon cautions that if Derrick Rose remains healthy and the Bulls are firmly in the hunt, trading Deng would be hard to justify.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com fields plenty of Bulls-related trade inquiries in his latest mailbag, including questions on Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson. Smith also extensively discusses the latest report of discord among the Bulls’ coach and GM, suggesting that it’s been overblown and shouldn’t affect the team. John Paxson also shot down the report this week.
Nazr Mohammed, who re-signed with the Bulls this offseason, is interested in pursuing an NBA management role after his player career ends, as he tells Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
Earlier today, I asked whether or not the Cavaliers will be a playoff team in 2013/14, and so far, more than 70% of you say yes.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Bobcats, Antic, Raptors

October 11th, 2013 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

As the second week of training camps nears an end, let’s check in on a few notes from around the Eastern Conference…

Pistons owner and Los Angeles native Tom Gores is planning on becoming more visible in Detroit this season, and told reporters, including Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, that he also plans on having weekly meetings with the team’s front office, coaching staff, and players.
In the wake of news that Brendan Haywood will be sidelined for three months with an ankle injury, the Bobcats aren’t looking at Jason Collins as a potential fill-in, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein’s ESPN colleague Kevin Arnovitz published a story today about what we’re learning from Collins’ free agency.
Pero Antic, who was signed by the Hawks this summer, tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that he didn’t head into the offseason intending to pursue an NBA job. However, when he got a call from Atlanta head coach Mike Budenholzer, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity.
While no NBA organization would admit to intentionally tanking, Raptors coach Dwane Casey was particularly adamant in his dismissal of the subject, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. “Fans are going to talk about tanking, that’s their prerogative, I think it’s an interesting subject for them,” Casey said. “I’m not even thinking (about it though). That hasn’t even crossed my mind. That hasn’t been discussed in the organization and it won’t be discussed.”