Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Collins, Irving, Wolves, Harrington

August 12th, 2013 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's check in on a few Monday odds and ends from around the Association:

A report over the weekend indicated that the Pistons have shown exploratory interest in Jason Collins, but Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News hears that the team is unlikely to actually sign him.
Although his friend John Wall recently inked a new long-term deal with the Wizards, Kyrie Irving won't be eligible for an extension until next summer, so he's not thinking about his contract situation yet, as he tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Timberwolves president Flip Saunders spoke to reporters today, including Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, and confirmed that the team expects Robbie Hummel, Lorenzo Brown, and Othyus Jeffers to be in training camp. Saunders also discussed Nikola Pekovic, Shabazz Muhammad, and Milt Newton.
While Al Harrington appears on track to land a deal with the Wizards, several other teams showed interest, including the Clippers, Kings, and Pelicans, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Subbing in for David Aldridge at NBA.com, Steve Kerr presents some ideas for how to improve the NBA's draft lottery.

Pistons Have Exploratory Interest In Jason Collins

August 10th, 2013 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Pistons have registered exploratory interest in free agent center Jason Collins, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Collins, of course, made headlines around the world when he became the first active athlete in one of the major U.S. sports to come out of the closet as a gay man.

Sources stressed to the ESPN.com duo that while no formal offer has been made, Detroit has opened a dialogue with the veteran big man. The Pistons, who have added Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings this summer, have one more potentially open roster spot. Detroit is said to be intrigued by Collins' defensive know-how and they seem him as quality insurance behind big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.

Despite the amount of discussion about whether or not the 34-year-old would get an opportunity to play in 2013/14 after announcing that he was gay, it's widely agreed that his free agent stock has been unaffected by his orientation. In actuality, Collins was likely to fight for a final roster spot late in the summer given his ability and age.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Pistons, Bucks, Heat

August 7th, 2013 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up some Wednesday links from around the Eastern Conference….

Both seasons of Jeremy Tyler's two-year deal with the Knicks are partially guaranteed, confirms Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Begley adds (via Twitter) that it's "highly unlikely" the Knicks sign Chris Duhon, despite their reported interest.
Speaking to Grantland's Zach Lowe, Pistons GM Joe Dumars says that he only started talking to the Bucks about Brandon Jennings four days before the deal was consummated, and adds that the team had some "good talks" with Andre Iguodala before Iggy decided to sign elsewhere.
In his latest mailbag, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com field a handful of questions on the Pistons' trade and free agent options.
Bucks coach Larry Drew has offered his top assistant coaching position to a former NBA coach and is awaiting a response, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. It's not clear who the unnamed candidate is, but according to Woelfel, Jim Cleamons and Dean Demopoulos are among those interviewed for the job.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel still expects the Heat to sign one more "proven veteran" at some point this offseason.
The Bobcats intend to work out Seth Curry, Stephen Curry's younger brother, in the coming weeks, says Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Jennings, Knight, Knicks, Tyler

August 6th, 2013 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The 2013/14 NBA season isn't too far away and we got a wonderful reminder of that today when the NBA released the schedule for the upcoming campaign. The season kicks off with Derrick Rose's expected return to the hardwood when the Bulls take on the Heat. Then, the battle of Los Angeles gets underway when the Lakers and, hopefully, Kobe Bryant, welcome Doc Rivers to the West Coast. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

Brandon Jennings and Brandon Knight have switched places, and both guards seem happy with their new clubs, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. "Well, for one, it was out of my control," Jennings said of the trade that brought him from the Bucks to the Pistons. "For two, Detroit has more championships, the Bad Boys. If you go back in the '80s when Joe Dumars (current Pistons general manager) and Isiah Thomas were playing, the best two-guard backcourt to play the game, (they were) just real feisty. It's actually a great sports town. They have a lot of tradition here."
Within his introductory presser with the Pistons, Jennings also vowed to be more mindful of his shot selection, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com.
There's a certain point next summer where the second year of Jeremy Tyler's new deal with the Knicks can become fully guaranteed, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). A source close to the big man told Zwerling (link) that his camp feels good about his future in New York.
One scout compared the 6-foot-1 Bobby Brown to a taller Nate Robinson because of his innate ability to score and quick moves, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brown is being targeted by the Knicks and could wind up being their third point guard.

Pistons Sign Peyton Siva

August 5th, 2013 at 5:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:38pm: Keith Langlois of Pistons.com has more since the signing became official.

5:46pm: Pistons PR released a statement making the Siva signing official today:

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed draft selection Peyton Siva to a contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Siva was drafted by Detroit with the 56^th pick in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 10.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists as a senior last season while leading the University of Louisville to the NCAA Championship. He scored in double figures in 23-of-40 games last year, including 18 points and five assists in the championship game. A native of Seattle, Wa., Siva was named to the All-Big East Third team and the Final Four All-Tournament Team as a senior. He finished his collegiate career as Louisville’s second all-time assist leader with 677 assists.

11:30am: Siva tweeted a picture of himself signing the contract, so it seems the deal is complete (hat tip to MLive's Brendan Savage).

10:59am: The deal has not yet been made official, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, though he suggests that it will happen soon.

10:27am: The Pistons have signed 56th overall pick Peyton Siva, as Rick Pitino, Siva's college coach at Louisville, tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Last week's three-for-one trade that brought Brandon Jennings aboard cleared room for the rookie point guard. Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News reported last week that Siva was likely to sign.

Siva drew plenty of looks from teams during the lead-up to the draft, even as pundits like Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him as no better than a late second-round pick. That's what the defensive-minded 6'1" Siva became before heading off to the Orlando summer league. In four games with the Pistons squad in Orlando, Siva averaged 6.0 assists and 1.5 turnovers in 25.7 minutes of action, garnering Honorable Mention All-League honors.

Of course, that pales in comparison to Siva's decorated college career, when he garnered the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the NCAA's best undersized player in 2013 as he helped lead Louisville to the national championship. Despite his heroics, he's probably getting a minimum-salary contract from the capped-out Pistons, unless they're dipping into their $2.652MM room exception for him.

Spencer Lund contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Ivan Johnson, Wizards, Pistons

August 4th, 2013 at 9:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Eastern Conference has been the weaker side of the NBA for more than a decade, but the teams at the top of the conference should rival their counterparts from the West this season. The Bulls, Pacers and Nets all figure to be tougher competition for the Heat in 2013/14, with the Knicks right behind. As we wait to see how it plays out, here's the latest news related to Eastern teams:

Agent Jeremiah Haylett tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype that he's exploring overseas options for Ivan Johnson (Twitter link). The Knicks are one of six NBA teams who've spoken to the burly power forward, and though the Hawks were reportedly interested in bringing him back as of mid-July, they've since renounced his rights.
Wizards coach Randy Wittman is glad the team locked up John Wall, who became the 15th NBA player to have a maximum-salary contract on the books when he signed his extension this week. J. Michael of CSNWashington.com has Wittman's thoughts on the team's offseason.
The gamble that Brandon Jennings will be better than Brandon Knight in the long run is the latest in a series of risks that will decide Joe Dumars' fate, opines Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press. Of course, Dumars and the Pistons might already be plotting to move on from Jennings, according to a report we passed along earlier today.

Pistons Maintain Interest In Rajon Rondo?

August 4th, 2013 at 8:38am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons made an upgrade at point guard this week, acquiring Brandon Jennings in a sign-and-trade from the Bucks, but they may still be interested in Rajon Rondo, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes amid his weekly league roundup. Washburn says that the Pistons might attempt to use Jennings as a trade chip in a deal for the Celtics point guard.

Washburn had one of multiple reports last month linking the Pistons to Rondo, writing then that Detroit's preferred offer of Brandon Knight and an expiring contract was unlikely to get Celtics GM Danny Ainge to budge on his insistence that he won't trade Rondo. Knight went to the Bucks in the Jennings deal, so perhaps Pistons president of basketball ops Joe Dumars will offer Jennings and an expiring contract to the C's instead, though that remains unclear.

Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Jennings can't be traded until December 15th because he signed a new contract this summer, so the Pistons and Celtics would have to wait if they want to make him any part of a deal. Rondo suffered a torn ACL in January, and the extra time before Jennings is able to be traded could give the Pistons a better chance to assess Rondo's health. Washburn figures that there will be plenty of other suitors for Rondo, especially after he recovers from the injury, so the Pistons could face competition, forcing them to drive up their offer.

Contract Details: Jennings, Grizzlies, Henderson

August 3rd, 2013 at 3:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Details are often scarce when free agents agree to sign with NBA teams, leaving reporters to gather many of the contract specifics later. That's what HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus has done throughout the summer, and last night he passed along information on a handful of players, as we detail below. All links go to HoopsWorld team salary pages.

Brandon Jennings will make precisely $24MM in the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to the Pistons, with a starting salary of $7,655,503.
The Grizzlies gave Mike Miller a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, while their second-round pick, Jamaal Franklin, is making slightly more than the rookie minimum this season on his three-year contract. Pincus also has the figures for Jon Leuer's three-year deal.
Gerald Henderson will make $6MM in each season of his three-year, $18MM deal with the Bobcats.
Timofey Mozgov's starting salary on his new three-year deal is $4.4MM, with raises in subsequent seasons.
Bucks second-round pick Nate Wolters, the 38th overall selection, gets a little more than the minimum salary as part of his three-year deal. The first two seasons are fully guaranteed.
The Jazz gave summer league sensation Ian Clark a two-year, partially guaranteed deal for the minimum salary.

Eastern Notes: Wall, Monroe, Sixers, Humphries

August 1st, 2013 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Thursday items from around the Eastern Conference….

John Wall's five-year extension with the Wizards is fully guaranteed, with no player or team options involved, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall spoke to Monumental Sports Network about his new deal, and the additional pressure it will put on him over the next few years.
According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, the Pistons don't seem overly enthusiastic about signing Greg Monroe to a maximum-salary extension. If the team "falls in love" with a frontline of Josh Smith and Andre Drummond, Monroe could be dangled at some point, Lowe suggests.
Monroe, Paul George, and Larry Sanders are among the Eastern players who could follow in Wall's footsteps and sign lucrative long-term extensions this offseason, as Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld writes.
Spurs assistant Brett Brown continues to be a frontrunner for the Sixers' head coaching job, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). A report last month indicated Philadelphia would likely choose between Michael Curry and Brown, who Pompey calls "the preferred candidate."
The Knicks would be interested in Kris Humphries if he's bought out by the Celtics, but that appears unlikely at this point, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
The Hawks have yet to make a final decision on where Lucas Nogueira will play next season, but it still looks as if he'll return to Spain, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Brett Koremenos of Grantland speculates that if Gigi Datome has success with the Pistons, it could inspire other NBA teams to look more closely to Europe for inexpensive outside shooters.

Eastern Notes: Carmelo, Daye, Heat, Pistons

July 31st, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest column for ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Chad Ford assigns grades to all 15 Eastern Conference teams for the moves they've made this summer. While I disagree with a few of Ford's grades, and think it may be a little early to assume each team's offseason work is done, his explanations are worth reading. It may come as no surprise that Ford, a draft expert, gives top marks to the Sixers, who snagged a pair of top-10 prospects in last month's draft and figure to have two lottery picks next year as well. Here's more from around the East:

ESPN.com's 5-on-5 crew also breaks down a few questions relating to which Eastern teams made the best and worst offseason moves.
While there's no real indication that Carmelo Anthony wants to explore the free agent market next summer, he also isn't saying he plans to be a long-term Knick, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Carmelo will have the chance to opt out of his contract in search of a new deal next summer.
Before Austin Daye agreed to sign with the Raptors, the Heat were one team with interest, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, who also cites the Lakers as a suitor for Daye.
The Pistons have two roster spots open after trading three players for Brandon Jennings, leaving room to sign second-round pick Peyton Siva. However, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, the more pressing need for the team may be a big man to provide frontcourt depth.