Eastern Notes: Drummond, Prokhorov, Green
With Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov making a series of moves recently that expanded the Russian’s holdings in New York’s sports and entertainment market, some concern exists that these real estate moves may diminish his interest, as well as financial commitment, to the team, according to NetsDaily. Dmitry Razumov, Prokhorov’s CEO and chairman of the Nets, disputed any notion that team ownership is losing interest in the franchise or the NBA, NetsDaily adds. “Without doubt ownership is focused on team performance,” said Razumov. “Our new projects will contribute to the team’s ultimate success by providing a best-in-class practice facility and a D-League team as a resource for players and coaching staff.”
The team has made a series of roster moves that have reduced the team’s payroll since Paul Pierce departed as a free agent prior to the 2014/15 season, but Razumov suggests these decisions were not just about the money, and added that fans should give the rebuilding process a chance to bear fruit, the NetsDaily scribe relays. “We also understand that a team of largely new, younger players needs time to come together and we have to give the coach and the players a chance to do their work without breathing down their necks,” Razumov continued. “The many devoted fans who have been with us through thick and thin will recall we have been through this before, and have managed to get to the playoffs three times in the last three seasons. We have every hope that the same thing is possible this season.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Heat have suspended swingman Gerald Green for two games, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter links), and the team confirmed. The suspension is for what the team is referring to as “detrimental conduct,” Wojnarowski adds. Green has been away from the team following an incident last week that apparently left him bleeding and unconscious.
- Pistons center Andre Drummond is off to a spectacular start to the 2015/16 campaign, and much of his success is due to the departure of Greg Monroe, who signed with the Bucks this offseason, Adam Woodard of For the Win writes. Drummond, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer, could see offer sheets for deals worth approximately $100MM come his way, Woodard opines.
- Drew Gooden has played for 10 different teams during his 13-year NBA career, and he now finds himself an important rotation piece on the Wizards, a longevity that the player attributes to his versatility, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays. “I’m like a tunnel rat,” Gooden told Mannix. “Every situation I’m in I have to reinvent myself, have to do what I can do to fit in. I came [to Washington] on a 10-day contract and I made the best of it. But the league has changed, in a good way for me. When I came in the league, the biggest knock was that I was a tweener, that I couldn’t play the three or the four. Now there is value in that. It’s made its way full circle.”
Pistons Rumors: Morris, Ilyasova, Drummond
Marcus Morris‘ hot start for the Pistons is a product of coach Stan Van Gundy encouraging his starting small forward to take mid-range jumpers, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. Van Gundy told Morris to work on his mid-range game after acquiring him from the Suns in July and Morris has responded by averaging a team-high 19.3 points during the team’s 3-0 start. “Marcus is a guy we can go to and isolate and can shoot a high percentage on mid-range jumpers,” Van Gundy told Langlois. “Across the league, it’s not a high-percentage shot. We know that. But everything is based on individuals. It’s not based on a league-wide average. The league-wide average on those shots might be 37 percent, but Marcus is shooting 52 percent.”
In other Pistons news:
- Ersan Ilyasova is having his minutes monitored closely by the coaching staff, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. The power forward who was acquired from the Bucks during the offseason, is averaging 26.0 minutes, less than any other starter. “I’m concerned with him,” Van Gundy told the team’s beat reporters. “He plays at a real high pace and intensity level. He had a long summer. I am somewhat conscious of not over-playing him needlessly.” Ilyasova played for the Turkish national team during the offseason.
- Center Andre Drummond became the first Piston in nearly six years to win the league’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week award, Mayo notes in a separate story. Drummond had double-doubles in each of the first three games, including a 20-point, 20-rebound outing against the Bulls.
- Rookie forward Stanley Johnson will likely develop into an ideal complement to the team’s core duo of Drummond and point guard Reggie Jackson, Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com opines. Johnson has the defensive prowess to match up with division’s top wing players and his offensive game is more suited to the NBA, Pandian adds. “College basketball is a lot different with the rules,” Johnson told Pandian. “I think the NBA game is a help for me because when I drive to the basket there is not three or four defenders at the rim, there is only one. This makes my reads a lot easier and it makes attacking the basket a lot easier.”
- The Pistons’ quick start has reserve power forward Anthony Tolliver feeling bullish about the team’s prospects this season, as he told Ric Bucher in an Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter link). “I just don’t see us not making the playoffs,” Tolliver boasted in the interview.
Extension Rumors: Sunday
It seems unlikely that Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal and Warriors center Festus Ezeli will receive rookie-scale contract extensions and thus will be restricted free agents come July, barring an unexpected late turnaround in negotiations, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports.
The news regarding Beal does not come as a surprise because though the Wizards fully intend to sign him to a maximum-salary contract, they prefer to do so next summer. Stein adds that the Wizards have been consistent with their message that they see Beal as a future and long-term star for the franchise. Reports have conflicted about how much negotiating has occurred between Ezeli and the Warriors, but an extension never seemed imminent.
The window for former first-round picks to sign contract extensions during the fourth and final year of their rookie contracts is Monday.
Here is more news on extensions:
- Players known to still be in negotiations entering the deadline include Raptors shooting guard/small forward Terrence Ross, Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard and Thunder shooting guard Dion Waiters, according to Stein. Regarding Ross, it’s likely to go down to the wire and the Raptors would be open to giving him an extension, if the price is to their liking, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. reports. “I mean it would be an honor to get an extension,” Ross told Lewenberg. “If that doesn’t happen then we’ll take it from there.”
- Extensions at this point are looking unlikely for Sixers shooting guard Tony Wroten and Celtics big men Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger, according to Stein.
Pistons Notes: Morris, Drummond, Van Gundy
Marcus Morris is thriving with the Pistons and although it is very early, Aaron McMann of MLive.com writes that Detroit appears to be a big winner in its summer trade with the Suns. The Pistons acquired Morris, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger from the Suns in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick.Through three games, as McMann points out, Morris is leading the Pistons with 19.3 points per game. He averaged 14.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a part-time starter last season in Phoenix.
Here’s more out of Detroit:
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy’s decision to let Greg Monroe leave Detroit at the end of his contract was due to the belief that Andre Drummond has superstar potential as a throwback center, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders reports in his Sunday column. The idea looks smart, as Hamilton suggests, because through the first three games of the regular season Drummond is averaging 18 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Drummond has agreed to hold off on signing an extension to allow the team to retain more cap space heading into next offseason.
- Under Van Gundy, the Pistons have gone from one of the league’s smallest front-office staffs to one of the largest, Michael Rosenberg of SI.com writes in an interesting story. For example, Detroit has four pro scouts, Rosenberg notes, and their jobs involve watching every team’s games this season. The Pistons have Van Gundy, GM Jeff Bower, three assistant general managers, a basketball-operations director, four pro scouts, six college/international scouts, two analytics software engineers and a director of strategic planning, according to Rosenberg, who also points out that in 2004, the Pistons only had five people in their front office. It’s clear Van Gundy has molded the franchise in his image and he told Rosenberg that, “If I had it to do over again, this is where I’d want to be.”
Central Notes: Drummond, Jackson, Vaughn
It’s a credit to the relationship formed between Pistons owner Tom Gores, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, and center Andre Drummond that all parties would agree to hold off on signing an extension to allow the team to retain more cap space heading into next offseason, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes. “I will tell you I’ve learned from conversations that we had we’re really giving ourselves the flexibility to build this team up and do the right things to get us where we need to be,” Drummond told reporters. “I’m just ready to prepare for the season, and whenever that time comes again, I’ll be prepared for it.”
Drummond’s willingness to put his future payday on hold impressed Van Gundy, Ellis notes. “As much as Andre wants to be here, he desperately wants to win and wants to be part of a contender and wants us to have the flexibility to continue to add people to this team,” Van Gundy said. “He has a great relationship with Tom — a very open, honest, trusting relationship. They spend a lot of time talking about this. I think it shows Andre’s maturity and leadership that he would step forward and put the team ahead of himself.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Reggie Jackson, who re-signed with the Pistons this summer for five years and $80MM, has a stake in whether or not Drummond remains in Detroit, Aaron McMann of MLive.com writes. “He’s a big reason, reason 1A-1B, I went solely into staying here,” Jackson said. “He was always on me about making sure I signed. So I’m just trying to make sure everything’s going in the right direction to still be here and try and make a lot of memories.“
- Jackson also relayed that he and Drummond spoke privately about the center’s decision, and the point guard called it a big one for the big man’s future, McMann adds in the same piece. “It’s a mature move either way,” Jackson said. “Whatever he decides is what he decides. I just would love to know that I have this guy with me during my tenure being here, wearing this red and blue. I just want what’s best for Andre. I want what’s best for his career. I definitely want him to be here and I want to make a lot of memories and a lot of highlights in the Palace and bring back this city.“
- Bucks rookie shooting guard Rashad Vaughn has been turning heads with his stellar preseason play, and he may turn out to be the steal of the 2015 NBA Draft, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “He plays with a great demeanor,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He doesn’t get up too high and doesn’t get too down in the things that he’s done. He is showing that he deserves time to play and he’ll get it. … At 19 years old, he’s very mature. He acts a lot older on the court and off the court.”
- The Cavs finally struck a deal with Tristan Thompson today, as we passed along earlier. See the details here.
Pistons, Andre Drummond Not Planning Extension
Andre Drummond wants to wait until next summer to talk contract with the Pistons instead of signing an extension before the November 2nd deadline, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy told reporters today, including Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). The lack of an extension will give the Pistons more than $12MM in additional cap flexibility for next summer, Langlois notes (Twitter link). Regardless, Drummond has been likely to get a new max deal with the Pistons, whether through an extension this fall or a new contract in restricted free agency next summer, as Ellis recently explained to Hoops Rumors.
“Andre wants to be here long term,” Van Gundy said, according to Langlois (Twitter link). “He … wants us to have the flexibility to continue to add people to this team.”
Pistons owner Tom Gores referred to Drummond this past spring as a “max player,” so it’s clear how much the team values the Jeff Schwartz client. At issue is the size of his cap hold, which will remain at $8,180,228 until he signs a new deal. The projected maximum salary for a player with Drummond’s years of experience for next season is $20.4MM, and if Drummond were to sign an extension this fall, that number would count again the cap for the Pistons, limiting their flexibility. Keeping him unsigned allows the Pistons to sign others and then follow up and sign Drummond, or match any offer sheet he signs with another team, via Bird rights. The Spurs pursued a similar path with Kawhi Leonard this summer, allowing them to sign LaMarcus Aldridge. Leonard re-signed with the Spurs for five years at the max after Aldridge signed his contract with San Antonio.
Van Gundy cited $12.7MM as the amount of extra cap flexibility the Pistons will reap from delaying a deal with Drummond, Langlois notes (Twitter link). That’s perhaps an indication that either the Pistons, the league or both foresee a slightly higher than projected cap for 2016/17, since the difference between Drummond’s cap hold and the current projected max is only about $12.2MM.
In any case, the Pistons were willing to let Drummond decide whether to do an extension, as Ellis wrote this summer. Initially, it appeared that he wanted to go ahead with a deal this fall, and that seemed the likeliest outcome, as Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors wrote when he looked at Drummond’s extension candidacy. Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago, a former Pistons beat writer, hears that ex-agent Arn Tellem, who joined the Pistons organization as an executive this summer, worked to convince Drummond to delay his signing (Twitter link).
The danger, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe points out, is that Drummond signs a short-term offer sheet that would allow him to hit free agency sooner than the Pistons would like (Twitter link). Still, Van Gundy cited Drummond’s trust in Gores, Langlois notes (on Twitter). The team has consulted Drummond on almost every major move, and Gores and Drummond see themselves as partners, Ellis tweets.
The Pistons already have about $42MM in salary commitments for 2016/17, and that number will rise to more than $48MM if they pick up their team options on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock. The salary cap is projected to rise to $89MM next season.
Do you think waiting until next summer to do a deal is a wise choice for both sides? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
And-Ones: Extensions, Kentucky, Lakers
The Pistons do not seem overly concerned about maximizing on cap space and waiting to the summer to strike a deal with Andre Drummond and it’s more likely than any other potential extension other than Harrison Barnes that the center secures a lucrative extension this month, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Stein adds that Barnes is also likely to receive a large extension from the Warriors before the league’s deadline for rookie-deal extensions on November 2nd. Stein points out — as we at Hoops Rumors have consistently mentioned where applicable as well — that the window has been pushed back two days (it usually is October 31st).
The Wizards have an opposite approach from the Pistons and instead are hoping to convince Bradley Beal to hold off on a new deal until next summer because the delay could lead to Washington having nearly $10MM in additional salary cap space next summer when it intends to make a run Kevin Durant.
You can view our Extension Candidate series by clicking here.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Rasual Butler likely must beat out Jimmer Fredette and Reggie Williams, among others, for the Spurs‘ final regular season roster spot, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News writes. Butler, 36, knew what the odds were when he signed with the Spurs last month, McDonald adds. Butler, as McDonald points out, has played for five teams since the start of the 2010/11 season.“Some of us have to work a little harder, and you have to be OK with that,” Butler said. “You have to pick your lunch pail up and go to work if this is what you love do to.”
- All 30 teams scouted Kentucky’s pro day, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV reports.
- Matt Brase will finish the preseason with the Rockets before taking over as coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their NBA D-League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes in a worthwhile profile. Brase was announced as the Vipers’ new coach in August.
- The Lakers are hopeful rookie Marcelo Huertas, whose $525,093 contract isn’t guaranteed, can stabilize the second unit, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times details. Huertas has been unable to practice because of a hamstring strain, Pincus adds. “He’s a very, very good floor leader,” Lakers head coach Byron Scott said. “He’s a gutsy, pesky-type guy. He doesn’t back down. He’s going to try to guard you to the best of his ability, and he’s a guy that can make plays for you.”
Central Notes: Drummond, Felicio, Cavaliers
Pistons center Andre Drummond is cautiously optimistic about his team’s chances heading into the 2015/16 campaign, John Niyo of The Detroit News writes. “I feel like now is the time for us to really do what we set out to do every year,” said Drummond. “We say we’re gonna do one thing, and then one thing leads to another and we don’t do it. But I feel like now, this is our time. We’re on the rise, and we’re gonna do it.” The young big man declined to make a specific prediction for Detroit’s fortunes in 2015/16, but he did say, “It’s just words until you do it. I hate losing. I can’t stand it. It’s the worst feeling. People laughing at our team, that’s not a good feeling. I want to rub it in somebody’s face that we’re a great team.”
Here’s more out of the Central Division:
- With the Bulls already carrying 13 players with fully guaranteed deals, power forward Cristiano Felicio, who is in camp on a non-guaranteed pact, could be a victim of the numbers game in his quest to make the regular season roster, but the team is extremely high on his potential, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets. Coach Fred Hoiberg raved about how strong the 23-year-old is, Johnson adds.
- Cavaliers coach David Blatt said that the team intends to carry the maximum of 15 players on its regular season roster, so all of the camp invitees have a shot at making the final cut, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
- Expect Kevin Love to have a more prominent role in the Cavs‘ offense this season, McMenamin writes in a separate piece. LeBron James noted that Love’s importance to the team was illustrated after Love went down during last year’s playoffs with an injury, McMenamin adds. “I think him being out showed even more of what he means to this team, more than him being on the floor for those three and a half games,” James said. “It would’ve been huge for us obviously if he was in the lineup, but it gave him the opportunity to put things in perspective and see what his presence can mean to our team. Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to see how important you are.“
- The addition of Steve Blake, who came to the Pistons via a July trade with the Nets, makes perfect sense given the uncertainty surrounding the health of Brandon Jennings, who isn’t expected to return to action until December, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes. “It’s exactly what we wanted,” president/coach Stan Van Gundy said. “A guy that’s good enough to come out and be your everyday backup and mature enough that, when Brandon comes back, that if there’s not as much or any minutes there, can handle that role.“
Pistons Notes: Drummond, Van Gundy, Morris
The question of whether to grant Andre Drummond an extension will be key for the Pistons, who would like their cornerstone center to delay signing until next year, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Drummond is entering the final year of his rookie contract and the Pistons have just more than a month to sign him to an extension in the five-year, $120MM range, Mayo adds. If not, he can become a restricted free agent next summer. The reason the Pistons would rather Drummond wait to sign, according to Mayo, is because until Drummond actually signs his contract, only his cap-hold figure of about $8.2MM would be factored into the Pistons’ 2016/17 payroll for salary-cap purposes, not the $21MM he actually figures to make that season. Mayo’s entire list of things to watch is a worthy read.
Here’s more out of Detroit:
- With only three players still remaining on the Pistons from May 2014, which was when Pistons president/coach Stan Van Gundy was hired, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press runs down all of the teams’ moves since then.
- Van Gundy, in an interview with Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, said he understands why Marcus Morris would be upset, but also adds that the situation should not be an issue going forward. Morris has bruised feelings toward the Suns after being traded away and separated from his brother.
Extension Candidate: Andre Drummond
Pistons owner Tom Gores made it clear before the end of last season that there would be no haggling over money in negotiations with Andre Drummond. Gores declared publicly in April that Drummond is a “max player” and it seems as though every move the franchise has made recently is designed to build around the 22-year-old center. The only mystery regarding Drummond is whether he’ll receive an extension before the end of training camp or if he’ll come to terms on a new contract next summer.
A maximum contract for the Jeff Schwartz client would be a projected $20.4MM starting salary with maximum raises of 7.5%. A four-year deal would put $90.78MM in Drummond’s bank account. He could also receive a fifth year if the Pistons make him their Designated Player, giving him a projected $117.3MM over the life of the contract.
In the highly unlikely scenario that Drummond wins the MVP award this season, he would qualify for an even greater max deal triggered by the Derrick Rose rule with a projected starting salary of $24.9MM.
It was already apparent from Drummond’s rookie season that the Pistons had been gifted a franchise player when he slid to the No. 9 selection in the 2012 draft. Only two All-Star talents — Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard — were selected ahead of Drummond, who played one inconsistent season with the University of Connecticut before turning pro. He quickly established himself as a ferocious rebounder in his rookie season, grabbing double-digit boards in 16 games before the All-Star break despite limited playing time. A back injury sidelined him most of the second half but a 29-point, 11-rebound performance against the Cavs in April of that season showed what he could do when healthy.
He’s turned into a double-double machine over the past two seasons, averaging 13.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his second year, followed by a 13.8/13.5/1.9 slash line last season. His 21.5 Hollinger player efficiency rating and 21.4 Basketball Reference PER placed him among the Top 25 players in the league last season.
Drummond, who will make $3,272,091 this season, is still just scratching the surface of his potential. His low-post game is still in the development stages — he’s a 35% shooter from 3-10 feet in his young career — and he’s a woeful 39.7% free throw shooter. That makes him a target for getting intentionally fouled when opponents are playing catchup or trying to slow the Pistons’ momentum.
Those weaknesses won’t affect Drummond’s contract situation. The main reason why an extension may not get done this year is to provide flexibility for the front office next summer. If Drummond holds off on the extension, the Pistons will have more cash to spend to make whatever improvements are necessary. The Pistons are projected to have anywhere from $5.7MM-$38.0MM in cap space next summer, depending on how coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy manages his roster decisions.
There is inherent risk involved for both sides to delay the process. Drummond’s incentive to sign by November 2nd (the usual October 31st deadline is pushed back a couple of days because it falls on a weekend) is to get the guaranteed money before a potential significant injury could affect his long-term value. The Pistons’ incentive to get the deal done is to keep their franchise player as happy as possible and that’s the approach they’re taking, as Van Gundy confirmed in July that extension talks would begin this summer.
Leading up to those negotiations, Van Gundy continued to construct his team around Drummond’s talents, much like Orlando’s roster was built around Dwight Howard when Van Gundy coached the Magic to an NBA Finals appearance in 2009. He re-signed point guard Reggie Jackson to a whopping five-year, $80MM deal to be Drummond’s pick-and-roll partner for years to come. He traded for a stretch four, Ersan Ilyasova, to pair up with Drummond in the frontcourt after concluding that the duo of Drummond and Greg Monroe, a low-post power forward, clogged up the middle. Monroe wound up signing with the division rival Bucks as an unrestricted free agent. Van Gundy also upgraded at small forward by acquiring Marcus Morris and drafting Stanley Johnson.
So while the Pistons could put themselves in a better position to make trades and sign free agents by waiting to lock up Drummond next summer, the more likely scenario is for Drummond to sign on the dotted line and get the most important order of business for both parties out of the way before the season starts.