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Central Notes: Jennings, Tolliver, Prunty, Gibson

January 5th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Jennings isn’t sure whether the Pistons will trade him, but he said Monday that he hopes he’ll finish the season in Detroit, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy will listen to offers but has consistently attempted to tamp down trade rumors involving the point guard who’s successfully returned from injury, Mayo writes.

“Our plan, right now, is that Brandon can help us make a playoff push, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Van Gundy said. “That’s our plan right now. If something happens in the next five weeks, we’ll look at it. But right now, he’s a very good player who can help us, and that’s the only way we’re looking at him.”

Jennings called his one-game D-League rehab stint critical to his comeback, as Mayo also relays, and Reggie Jackson continued his praise of Jennings, calling him “the ultimate teammate,” as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. See more on the Pistons and the rest of the Central Division:

Soon-to-be free agent Anthony Tolliver wants to re-sign with the Pistons in the offseason, as he wrote recently on his personal blog and as Aaron McCann of MLive points out. “I want to have a good, solid season and help my team win as much as possible,” Tolliver wrote. “And then when I’m a free agent this summer, I hope to sign back with Detroit and try to make this a long-term home for my family and me.”
Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty got his start in the NBA with the Spurs, and he’s using Gregg Popovich as a model for success, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Still, head coach Jason Kidd remains influential, and Prunty said he and the rest of the coaching staff keep in close contact with Kidd, who’s on a leave of absence as he recovers from hip surgery.
The offseason surgery that uncovered and repaired a torn ligament in Taj Gibson‘s formerly troublesome left ankle has the trade candidate feeling much better, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I’m completely stronger as far as my lateral movement and being able to switch more to guards,” the Bulls power forward said. “I feel a lot faster.”

Jason Kidd Takes Leave of Absence For Surgery

December 21st, 2015 at 8:35pm CST by Will Joseph

MONDAY, 8:35pm: Kidd underwent right hip arthroplasty in New York on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the team’s official Twitter feed. There is no timetable for his return and Prunty will assume the head coaching duties in Kidd’s absence, as Gardner previously indicated, the team adds. (Twitter links here).

SUNDAY, 8:09pm: Bucks head coach Jason Kidd will undergo right hip surgery on Monday in New York and be out indefinitely while assistant coach Joe Prunty will serve as interim head coach, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports (on Twitter). Four to six weeks is the early estimate for how much time Kidd will miss, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The pain in Kidd’s hip stems from his time with the Mavs late in his playing career, Gardner writes in a full story.

“It’s been chronic for the last three to four years, since I was in Dallas the last time,” Kidd said. “The pain has been to the point where I can’t function. I’ve taken all the medicine I can do. Talking to the doctors, there’s really no good time to do the surgery. I have to fix myself and then we move on and get back to work.”

The Bucks are an underwhelming 11-18 following Sunday’s win in Kidd’s second season guiding the team. Of note, Kidd’s reach with the franchise goes beyond calling the plays, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times recently told Hoops Rumors that Kidd is calling the shots on personnel matters, too. Thus, the timing of Kidd’s news comes at an interesting time given the Carlos Boozer and Caron Butler rumors and the apparent void of leadership among the players in the Bucks locker room.

Prunty, who will take over in Kidd’s place, was an assistant for the Nets while Kidd was the head coach in Brooklyn. Prunty followed Kidd to Milwaukee for the 2014/15 season. Prior to joining the Nets, Prunty served as an assistant for the Cavs, Blazers, Mavs and Spurs.

“We’re all set,” Kidd said, according to Gardner. “Joe Prunty will take over and he will run the team. But nobody gets out of their lane. Joe will still be offense and [assistant coach Sean] Sweeney will still be defense. The guys have to continue to develop. It’s in good hands with the coaching staff. We’re built as a roundtable. Joe is well-qualified to keep these guys going in the right direction.”