Reggie Jackson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Rockets, Cavaliers, Blazers, Pistons

January 13th, 2017 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

ESPN.com’s Marc Stein takes a swing at picking the All-Star starters from each conference and passes along some trade rumors in his latest column. He lists four teams that could be active with the deadline less than six weeks away:

The Rockets‘ hopes of acquiring Mike Dunleavy Jr. fell through this week when the Hawks committed to keeping him, but Houston is still looking for another shooter. GM Daryl Morey tried to get involved when Atlanta was searching for a third team in its deal with Cleveland, and he had interest in acquiring Dunleavy when it looked like he might not report to the Hawks. Sources tell Stein that K.J. McDaniels has surpassed Corey Brewer as the Rocket most likely to be traded. McDaniels has one season left on his current deal at more than $3.3MM, while Brewer is signed for one more more season at $7.6MM.
The Cavaliers have $4.4MM left from their Anderson Varejao trade exception, which will expire February 20th. That means a trade for a backup point guard may be just as likely as a veteran free agent signing such as Mario Chalmers, Jarrett Jack or Norris Cole.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has moved ahead of Reggie Jackson on the list of untouchable Pistons in possible trades. Caldwell-Pope is now atop that list alongside Andre Drummond. Detroit is well below .500 since Jackson returned from tendinitis in his left knee in early December. Jackson, whose 5.5 assists per game are the lowest during his time in Detroit, still has three seasons and more than $51MM left on his current deal.
Three Trail Blazers who signed huge offseason deals will become eligible to be traded on Sunday. Keep an eye on whether Portland tries to unload some of the salary it committed to Allen Crabbe, Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard.

Central Notes: Pistons, Bullock, Jackson, George

December 30th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is promising another change in the starting lineup tonight, relays Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Van Gundy made the announcement after this morning’s shootaround, although he refused to say what the change will be. He shook up the rotation a week ago by making Jon Leuer a starter, and Leuer has joined Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris and Andre Drummond in the starting five during Detroit’s past three games.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Reggie Bullock is making progress from meniscus surgery and will start non-contact five-on-five drills Saturday, Beard tweets. Van Gundy said the small forward should be ready to return in about two weeks.
The Pistons didn’t get the boost they expected when point guard Reggie Jackson returned from a battle with knee tendinitis that sidelined him for six weeks, notes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. After going .500 without Jackson, the team has had difficulty adjusting to having him back on the court. “When I came back, I think I had one practice in general, so I didn’t have a lot of time to really get footing with my teammates and myself and know where I was at,” Jackson said. “So these games have been my practice and I’m just trying to get better daily.”
Pacers star Paul George calls this “one of the most frustrating seasons” that he has been through in a video posted on the team’s website. The Pacers were expected to be contenders after adding Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young and Al Jefferson during the offseason, but have stumbled to a 15-18 start and are 10th in the Eastern Conference. “Maybe I’m just living in the past of how good we used to be, the personnel, the guys I had around,” George said. “I’m still living in that moment, maybe. I gotta put myself into a different team and maybe I have to do more, maybe that’s just what it is, maybe I have to do more now. But whatever is, I’m going to figure it out.”
Since he was in college, Cavaliers guard Kay Felder has been getting advice from the Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas, relays Chris Fedor at cleveland.com. An All-Star despite his 5’9″ stature, Thomas has been an inspiration to other small guards. “Basically said be you,” Felder said of Thomas’ message. “Do what you do. Do what got you here. I’m a scorer and assist type of guy so don’t let anybody change my game.”

Pistons Notes: Lineup, Jackson, Van Gundy

December 21st, 2016 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy indicated earlier this week that he might be ready to shake up his lineup, and after the club’s disappointing showing on Monday night against the Bulls, Van Gundy vowed that those changes would happen. While Van Gundy still hasn’t announced which players will be shuffled in and out of Detroit’s lineup, he explained that he wants the first unit to have more a “defensive disposition,” as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details.

Still, even though changes are necessary in Detroit after three consecutive blowout losses, Van Gundy isn’t ready to deviate too significantly from the organizational blueprint, per Langlois.

“A week ago today we felt fine about ourselves. Not great. We knew we needed to get better, but we felt fine. That’s how quickly things change in this league,” Van Gundy said. “All of a sudden we went from a team that was pretty good – ‘Yeah, they’re adjusting to Reggie [Jackson], but they’re starting to come’ – to, ‘Wow, this team is so bad. What’s happened from last year to this year?’ Well, no, it’s what’s happened from last week to this week. We had an 0-3 week with three really bad games. So that’s got to change. And we know it’s got to change.”

Here’s more on the Pistons, as they try to get out of their slump:

Jackson spent the first quarter on Monday passing up shots, which wasn’t part of Detroit’s game plan. Van Gundy wants his point guard attacking more and “playing to his instincts” going forward, writes Aaron McMann of MLive.com.
Here’s Jackson on the changes he needs to make, via Rod Beard of The Detroit News: “I’m just going to be myself, honestly. We ended a seven-year [playoff] drought last year with me being myself. That was a little bit of success and we’d like to have more success, so I’m just going to be myself.”
Asked about his team’s psyche, Van Gundy told reporters, including Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press, that he doesn’t have much interest in worrying about fragile egos. “My basic message today was, ‘Do your job,'” Van Gundy said on Tuesday. “I loved what [Gregg] Popovich said after their Chicago game. Does the plumber get a motivational speech in the morning? No. He goes and fixes your sink or toilet and, if he does it right, you pay him and he moves on to the next job, and he either does his job right or he doesn’t get paid.”
In his latest mailbag at Pistons.com, Langlois fields questions on the relationship between Van Gundy, whether the Pistons’ struggles might lead to a trade, and more.

Stan Van Gundy Ready To Shake Things Up

December 19th, 2016 at 11:42am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 19, 11:42am: While Van Gundy and the Pistons may shake things up at some point, it doesn’t appear it will happen tonight. The Detroit head coach told reporters today that there will be no lineup changes for Monday’s game, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).

DECEMBER 18, 9:44pm: A lineup change could be coming as early as Monday for the Pistons, coach Stan Van Gundy told the media after his team was blown out on consecutive nights this weekend. Van Gundy has been exasperated by his team’s inconsistent play and the return of point guard Reggie Jackson from knee tendinitis has only led to more choppy performances. “There’s no question we’ve not been as good,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve played eight games, seven of them against teams below .500, and we’re 3-5. So there’s no question we’re not as good as we were before. That’s just a fact. Now, is that all on him? No. No, we have a lot of guys not playing as well.”

While Van Gundy didn’t elaborate on the potential lineup change, he really has only two viable options:

He could reinsert Ish Smith, who started while Jackson was rehabbing his knee, at point guard. Van Gundy isn’t sure if that’s the answer. “Even before Reggie came back, that starting lineup with Ish was outscored by opponents, too,” he said. “Not by as much, but outscored by opponents. So that has not been as good a lineup. We were surviving basically because our bench was coming in and outplaying people.”
He could move power forward Jon Leuer into the starting five and have either Marcus Morris or Tobias Harris come off the bench. Leuer has arguably been the Pistons’ most consistent player, averaging career highs in points (10.8) and rebounds (6.4). However, Leuer missed the 105-90 loss to the Pacers on Saturday with back spasms.

It’s clear that Van Gundy doesn’t intend to sit back and wait for the team to come around. “We’ve definitely gotta look at some things, lineup and rotation-wise,” he said. “That unit is clearly not working. At least not right now. “

Van Gundy also criticized his team for playing too selfishly in recent outings, with players more concerned about getting shots than getting back on defense. The players held a team meeting after the Indiana game to address that, as well as other issues.

“We’ve got guys upset they’re not touching the ball, and everything else, so they’re not as engaged in the game on the defensive end of the floor,” he said. “There’s all kinds of things that have to go into the game, and the ball has to move. There has to be an unselfish offense, and a committed defense, and the last two nights, there have been neither.”

Detroit is still just one game under .500 and one of many Eastern Conference clubs trying to find a way to go on a hot streak. But heightened expectations for the Pistons, who made the playoffs last season, have led to frustration over their mediocre play through 29 games. What changes should Van Gundy make to get his team going? Take to the comments section and give us your input.

Central Notes: Mozgov, Pistons, Morris, Bulls

December 17th, 2016 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

His former Cavaliers teammates mobbed Lakers center Timofey Mozgov as he received his championship ring tonight in a visit to Cleveland, relays Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports. Mozgov played 76 games with the Cavs last season before signing a four-year, $64MM deal with the Lakers in July.

Here’s more news out of the Central Division:

The Pistons held a team meeting after tonight’s home loss to the Pacers, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “We put a lot of stuff on the table,” said Marcus Morris, “and everybody cleared their mind of what they needed to say.” The 105-90 defeat was Detroit’s third in its past four games and it dropped the team back under .500 at 14-15. “I did a lot of the talking — we have to make a decision,” Morris added. “Everybody go home tonight and decide what you want to do.” (Twitter link.)
The Pistons are just 3-5 since Reggie Jackson‘s return and coach Stan Van Gundy suggests that changes may be coming to the starting lineup., according to Aaron McMann of MLive. Van Gundy’s assessment of the team right now is that it isn’t in a good place.
Lack of development and athleticism in their young core has been the Bulls‘ biggest issue this season, contends K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago expected Nikola Mirotic to be a starter by now. but instead he is falling out of the rotation. Doug McDermott is an effective shooter, but not an athletic presence. The same is true of rookie Denzel Valentine, and Bobby Portis has been established as a below-the-rim player.

Pistons Notes: Jackson, Bullock, Smith, Johnson

December 4th, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Reggie Jackson will make his season debut tonight, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Coach Stan Van Gundy confirmed that Jackson will play on a limited basis against Orlando, with the plan being to start him and use him for a few minutes each quarter (Twitter link). Jackson has been sidelined since receiving plasma injection therapy to treat tendinitis on his left knee October 10th. He told Van Gundy on Friday that he didn’t expect to be ready to play, but changed his mind Saturday night (Twitter link). “This is about far along as I’m going to be and the rest is going to be playing through kinks,” Jackson said (Twitter link).

There’s more news out of Detroit:

Small forward Reggie Bullock had meniscus surgery Saturday and will be out four to six weeks, Beard tweeted. Van Gundy relayed the recovery timetable, which is shorter than originally expected.
Ish Smith has been helping the team stay competitive in Jackson’s absence, Beard writes in a separate piece. Smith, who came to Detroit on a three-year, $18MM contract this summer, has averaged 15.5 points and 5.3 assists over his last four games. “It’s a comfort level,” Smith said. “You come to a new team and you don’t want to step on any toes. You don’t want to extend out but you want to play your game.”
It’s way too early for the Pistons to think about trading Stanley Johnson, argues Vince Ellis of USA Today. Johnson, who was expected to be Detroit’s sixth man when the season started, has seen his playing time drop dramatically. Van Gundy has questioned his work ethic, and Darrun Hilliard has taken his minutes as the backup shooting guard. However, Ellis points out that the Pistons can afford to be patient because Johnson is only 20, has the athleticism to guard several positions and is making about $3MM per season on his rookie contract. “He’s definitely a part of our long-term plan,” Van Gundy said. “I think the guy has a chance to be really, really good. We need him to become a really good player. We have to do everything we can to get him there because he’s a huge part of any type of long-term success that we’re gonna have.”

Central Notes: Reggie Jackson, Pistons, Dellavedova

November 29th, 2016 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons will need Reggie Jackson to be at his best when he returns from knee and thumb tendinitis, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is hoping to have his starting point guard back in the lineup in another week or two, just in time to face a challenging schedule. Ten of Detroit’s 16 games through the end of December are against teams with winning records. “Reggie will help our offense be a little better,” Van Gundy said. “We’re the only team in the league that’s played without their leading scorer every single game — that tends to affect your offense a little bit.”

There’s more news from the Central Division:

Van Gundy continues to search for a reliable backup to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at shooting guard, relays Keith Langlois of NBA.com. The original plan was to use second-year player Stanley Johnson, but the coach didn’t like his inconsistent performance. Reggie Bullock got the next shot, but he suffered a torn meniscus and is sidelined indefinitely. Darrun Hilliard took the spot in the Pistons’ last game, and rookie Michael Gbinije is another candidate. “Nobody’s been bad,” Van Gundy said. “Everybody’s sort of been OK, but not great. You’d like to have somebody step up and really grab that spot and say, ‘Hey, give me the minutes.’”
Matthew Dellavedova, an important reserve on the Cavaliers‘ championship team, is settling into his new role as a starter with the Bucks, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Cleveland entered the summer planning to match any offer to the restricted free agent, but decided the four-year, $38MM agreement he reached with Milwaukee would have placed too great a strain on the salary cap. “It was tough to decide to leave because you’re coming off the highest of highs and I loved my time in Cleveland,” Dellavedova said. “Fun team, great group of guys, great organization and fans, obviously. But I had an opportunity here that I couldn’t pass up to see how good I could be as a starting point guard and really challenge myself. You never know if or when that opportunity will come along again.”
Bulls forward Doug McDermott met with doctors Monday, but still hasn’t been cleared for contact, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. McDermott participated in the non-contact portion of today’s practice, but will miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday. He hasn’t played since suffering his second concussion of the season November 12th.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Ainge, Henson

November 28th, 2016 at 5:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

According to sources around the NBA, Celtics executive Danny Ainge is still looking to make a major trade to improve the team’s roster, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald relays. Ainge understands that more talent needs to be acquired in order for Boston to become a contender, and with the early chatter calling the 2017 NBA draft one of the deepest and most talent-laden in many years, it will only serve to increase the value of the Nets’ first-rounder, which the Celtics have the right to swap for their own pick next June, Bulpett adds.

Boston’s roster doesn’t blend well, which is a by-product of drafting for talent rather than need, the scribe adds. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich faced a similar situation in 2011, which led to the team dealing George Hill in exchange for the rights to Kawhi Leonard, Bulpett notes. “We’d be exaggerating if we said we knew what he [Leonard] was going to be,” said Popovich. “Kind of like Manu Ginobili. We didn’t know Manu was going to be Manu or Tony Parker, Tony. It just worked out for us. But we needed size when we made that trade, because it didn’t make sense to have Tony, George Hill and Manu Ginobili out there. It’s just too small. So we were looking for size. George Hill was one of my favorite players all-time. We’re still involved together in some charity stuff, off-court activities, so it was real difficult. But Kawhi had such size, and we thought he had the foot speed to move from an inside player to the 3 position, so we decided to roll the bones.”

Here’s more from the East:

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson, who hasn’t played since receiving plasma injection therapy to treat tendinitis on his left knee October 10th, has been cleared to participate in full contact drills and practices, Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays. Jackson’s exact return date is still undecided, Beard adds. “I’ve seen him for a couple weeks; he looks fine playing,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said regarding the player. “Obviously, stamina is going to be an issue; I don’t think he can play 33 minutes a game right now. Whenever they tell me he’s ready to go and he tells me he’s ready to go in his mind, then he’ll go.”
Bucks big man John Henson recently regained his spot in the team’s starting lineup, but the player noted that coach Jason Kidd‘s decision to have him come off the bench didn’t affect his attitude, John Raoux of The Associated Press writes. “It’s a long season with too many opportunities to get stressed about it,” Henson said. “[Kidd] said all the roles are open and you’ve got to be ready for whatever comes at you. Hopefully, I can keep this going.”
The Heat are still struggling to recover from the loss of Dwyane Wade via free agency this past summer and are likely headed to the 2017 Draft lottery as a result, Marc D’Amico of NBA.com writes.

Pistons Notes: Jackson, Leuer, Trades, Palace

November 23rd, 2016 at 8:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons could have point guard Reggie Jackson back on the floor by early December, reports Aaron McMann of MLive. Jackson hasn’t played since receiving plasma injection therapy to treat tendinitis on his left knee October 10th. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said Jackson could be cleared for five-on-five drills by Monday and may return after the Pistons wrap up a four-game road trip on December 2nd. “He is starting to do some stuff,” Van Gundy said. “He still hasn’t done any five-on-five. He did some three-on-three live today — a little bit of it full court. He looks good at the stuff that he’s doing, but he’s got to get more comfortable. Got to get his conditioning back.”

There’s more tonight out of Detroit:

Free agent addition Jon Leuer appears to be the stretch four that the Pistons have been wanting off the bench, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Detroit gave Leuer a four-year, $41MM deal to lure him from the Suns and created an opening by not re-signing Anthony Tolliver. Leuer has taken advantage of the opportunity, averaging 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds through 15 games, all off the bench. “You get that stretch [forward] label and people think you’re just a spot-up shooter,” Leuer said. “There’s a lot more to my game than that.”
The Pistons will be less likely to make a major deal at this year’s deadline than they have been the past two seasons, according to Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit picked up Tobias Harris in February and Jackson at the 2015 deadline, but Langlois says the team has at least one and possibly two players it likes at every position, lessening the possibility of a shakeup.
There are no set plans for the Palace of Auburn Hills once the Pistons move to downtown Detroit next season, McMann writes in a separate story. The building could be endangered as it would have trouble turning a profit without revenue from the Pistons and it is in an area considered desirable for technology and research development companies. “We have a lot of different plans and possibilities,” said team owner Tom Gores. “We’ve even discussed it, [Red Wings owner] Chris [Ilitch] and I. We don’t have any definitive plans.”

Central Notes: Hoiberg, Jackson, Monroe

November 22nd, 2016 at 10:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg believes it’s a different era now than when he played in the NBA in regard to how players communicate in the offseason, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes. Hoiberg notices that players are forming relationships with each other at the AAU level and its impacting free agency.

“Really since, shoot, going all the way back to eighth or ninth grade the way it is now,” Hoiberg said “Then just the relationships they build over the summers. These guys all seem to get together in L.A. or Miami or wherever it might be. So they build those relationships, they play together with Team USA now and they do build those special bonds. So yeah, it probably is a little easier to reach out. You see some of the superteams now that are being created, and I think a lot of that has to do with relationships that are built over the summer.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Reggie Jackson said he feels “real good” and hopes to be back on the court soon, James Hawkins of The Detroit News relays. “I feel a lot better. Getting stronger, getting more timing, getting my cardio up,” Jackson said. “Trying to get more implemented into practice and just trying to do whatever I can within the limits of protocol.”
Stan Van Gundy isn’t happy with the team’s performance lately, but he doesn’t want to mess with the rotation too much before Jackson returns, Hawkins passes along in the same piece. “I don’t really think we know who we are. I was talking to [owner] Tom [Gores] last night and it’s a lot farther into the season you would like,” Van Gundy said. “We’ll be 30, 35 games into the year before we really can make any real estimations of the team, because you figure it will have to get to that before Reggie has a dozen, 15 games back. It’s going to be a long time in where we’re going to have to do it with our defense and continue to try and get better. But to really firm up rotations and all of that is going to take some time.” The Pistons are 6-9 on the season.
Greg Monroe hasn’t lived up to expectations since joining the Bucks during the summer of 2015 and his role could be further marginalized going forward, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. The team has used more small-ball lineups lately, leaving Monroe on the court for only about 10 minutes over the last three games.