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Central Notes: Scola, Stuckey, Jackson, Prince

April 20th, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star looks at each of the soon-to-be free agents on the Pacers, pegging Rodney Stuckey and Lavoy Allen as the most likely among them to return, C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland as unlikely to be back, and Luis Scola and Donald Sloan somewhere in between. President of basketball operations Larry Bird said they’d all like to be back, but Scola, while praising the Pacers organization, doesn’t seem quite ready to commit, as Buckner relays.

“We’ll see what happens. We didn’t have our exit meeting yet. I’m hoping to get some type of feedback there and some type of impression of what they want to do in the future and move on from there,” Scola said last week.

Buckner suggests Stuckey, who drew praise from Bird, wants a multiyear deal with his wedding planned for mid-July. While we wait to see if the Pacers have something picked out for him on his registry, here’s more from around the Central:

Greg Monroe isn’t ruling out a return to the Pistons, but Reggie Jackson has spoken of communicating with other Pistons over the summer so everyone stays motivated for next season, notes MLive’s David Mayo, pointing to the dichotomy between Detroit’s two main soon-to-be free agents. As for other free agents on the team, the Pistons are unlikely to offer Tayshaun Prince a chance to return, and John Lucas III probably won’t be back with the team next year, Mayo writes.
Several NBA executives say that they expect Khris Middleton to wind up signing a deal with $8MM annual salaries this summer, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. That figure is somewhat lower than the $10MM estimate that Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops heard from several GMs and other executives recently. Woelfel points to numbers that don’t suggest much improvement from Middleton this season, though he grants that the Bucks combo forward’s value could escalate with a strong playoff performance.
Former Bucks center Larry Sanders still doesn’t have a desire to return to the game, Woelfel notes within the same piece.

Pistons Notes: Monroe, Jackson, Butler

April 19th, 2015 at 5:44pm CST by Will Joseph

How active the Pistons were this season in trying to win under coach/president Stan Van Gundy and a restructured front office should play a big role in unrestricted free agent Greg Monroe’s decision on whether or not to return to Detroit, David Mayo of MLive.com writes in a Q&A mailbag feature. Mayo adds that Monroe is known for his introspection so the Pistons’ moves this season — especially trading for Reggie Jackson a month after Brandon Jennings suffered an injury — signal to the big man that they are willing to do what it takes to compete. Mayo adds, citing his own belief, that the Pistons also seem more interested in keeping Monroe than they did a year ago. Monroe has been heavily linked lately to the Knicks, however.

Here’s more from the Motor City:

In the same piece, Mayo writes that Jackson’s high number of turnovers won’t have much of an impact on the team signing the 25-year-old to a long-term contract. Jackson, a restricted free agent, averaged 3.5 turnovers in 32.2 minutes as a Piston, both highs among the 20 players to appear for the team this season. His passing ability and three-point prowess impressed the Pistons enough, Mayo adds. The Pistons have been adamant about inking Jackson to a longer deal. Mayo writes the Pistons should offer a deal just shy of the maximum.
Mayo, fielding a final question in the Q&A, is unsure if the Pistons will pick up Caron Butler‘s $4.5MM option for next season. “He has another season in him, as long as he isn’t stretched out like this season,” Mayo writes. “Is he worth it at the price? Perhaps.”

And-Ones: Wolves, Monroe, Noel

April 7th, 2015 at 10:04pm CST by Will Joseph

After the season, Chase Budinger’s contract with the Timberwolves will be down to one year at $5MM and Kevin Martin’s deal will go to two years for $14.4MM, making it easier for Minnesota to find trade partners for both players this summer, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. The Wolves were exploring ways to deal both players, as previous reports indicated and as Deveney confirms. There were conflicting reports about Minnesota’s willingness to trade Martin, but while coach/executive Flip Saunders likes him and won’t give him up easily, the Wolves aren’t expecting significant return for either Martin or Budinger, according to Deveney. In the same story, Deveney notes that the Wolves’ biggest question mark heading into the summer is if Saunders will remain coach or return to solely a front office role.

Here’s more from around the league:

Speaking of the Wolves, they came pretty close to originally signing Arinze Onuaku back in mid-January, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets, but Minnesota instead went with Miroslav Raduljica, who played five games with the team. The Wolves officially inked Onuaku earlier today, a few months later.
Kevin Seraphin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, told J. Michael of CSNWashington.com that he is adjusting to his smaller role within the second unit. He hasn’t scored more than 12 points in a game since January 19th. The big man said in January that he would like to re-sign with Washington.
Reggie Jackson’s production increased and the Pistons played well without Greg Monroe, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but the team is determined to make things work with the big man expected back on the court Wednesday, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. The Pistons were 7-4 without Monroe. Jackson is a restricted free agent this summer and it’s a distinct possibility that the Pistons will match any potential offer he receives from a different team, so it is much more likely that he is with Detroit next season than Monroe is, Mayo adds.
Cameron Payne, who announced Monday he will enter the draft fresh off finishing up his sophomore season with Murray State, has signed with agent Travis King of Relativity Sports, HoopsHype tweets.
Sixers rookie Nerlens Noel has quickly emerged as one of the league’s top big men because of his defensive efficiency, Wesley Share of RealGM.com writes. Noel, unlike many other rookies who were drafted in the first round, will hit free agency in 2017, and not 2018, because he signed his rookie scale contract before sitting out the entire 2013/14 season with an injury.

Central Notes: George, Van Gundy, Monroe

March 29th, 2015 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers‘ Paul George feels ready to play, reports Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. Now it’s just a matter of convincing the medical team. “I feel good but it’s not just me that has to feel good, everyone has to feel good about it,” George said. “That’s what we’re waiting on. It could be close, it could be not but everybody’s got to be on the same page with this.” George hasn’t played since breaking his leg with the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team last summer. He has been ruled out for today’s game and there is no schedule for his return.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Stan Van Gundy got used to winning with the Magic, but Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes that getting used to losing with the Pistons is more difficult. Van Gundy’s first season as coach and president of basketball operations in Detroit has been a series of ups and downs — mostly downs — on the way to a 28-44 record. “It’s a lot of losses and it’s tough,” Van Gundy said. “But you walk in every day, and you’ve got a group of guys that are working hard and everything else. So you owe them your best every single day.”
If Greg Monroe returns from his knee injury soon, as expected, it will present a new challenge for the Pistons, writes David Mayo of Mlive. Detroit has won five of its last six games and is on the outskirts of the Eastern Conference playoff race, but Monroe’s return will bring changes. “I think to be good, you’ve got to be able to play more than one style,” Van Gundy said. “You’ve got to be able to get down and grind a game out, which I think we can do when we have Greg, and you’ve got to be able to open the floor up, which we can do with this lineup.”
The Pistons‘ Reggie Jackson will be a restricted free agent this summer, but Mayo writes in a separate story that he sounds like he want to stay in Detroit and play beside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “We want to be one of the best backcourts in the league,” Jackson said. “We know we’ve got a long way to go. But we are young and we’ve got a chance to do so.” Jackson is 24; Caldwell-Pope is 22 and on the second year of his rookie contract.

Central Notes: Love, Jackson, Bucks, Mirotic

March 26th, 2015 at 9:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Several sources tell Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that LeBron James is frustrated with the failure of Kevin Love to mesh with the Cavs this season, but James isn’t upset that Love believes Russell Westbrook, and not James, has the edge for MVP, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Love said Wednesday that he believed his comments, which he made on The Dan Patrick Show (video link), were widely taken out of context and that James “could very well be the MVP,” McMenamin adds. Many executives and players don’t think that Love can accept the limited role he’s played on this year’s Cavs team again, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post, who nonetheless believes that it probably doesn’t matter much that James and Love aren’t the best of friends. As the Love story continues to take on a gossipy edge, here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons plan an all-out push to re-sign Reggie Jackson this summer, and Jackson is hinting that he’s already planning to return to Detroit with comments about playing alongside Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the future, MLive’s Brendan Savage observes.
The Bucks could have signaled to other players that they would reward those who developed in their system if they’d hung on to soon-to-be restricted free agent Brandon Knight and re-signed him, but trading him set the franchise back, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Still, coach Jason Kidd told reporters that it’s all part of a plan for the long term. “It’s something much bigger than that that you guys are going to have to wait and write about,” he said. “We’re here to build something, not to do something in six months. There’s a bigger picture. We feel we have a core here that will be around for a long time and have success.”
Chicago made Nikola Mirotic this season’s highest-paid rookie with a three-year deal worth more than $16.631MM, similar to what the Rockets are reportedly prepared to offer draft-and-stash prospect Sergio Llull. The move is paying off for the Bulls, as Mirotic is making a late push for Rookie of the Year, as ESPN’s Michael Wilbon examines.

Central Notes: Middleton, George, Jackson

March 23rd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Khris Middleton refuses to bring up the subject of his impending restricted free agency even with his agent, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe. “It’s a little awkward” to share an agent with Bucks coach Jason Kidd, Middleton also admits. The forward’s agent is Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, while Kidd’s relationship with Excel founder Jeff Schwartz has been a flashpoint for controversy. Union executive director Michele Roberts indicated in November that she would take a tougher stance on a rarely enforced rule that bars agents from representing both coaches and players. Kidd also has a significant measure of player personnel control for the Bucks. There’s more on Middleton amid the latest from the Central Division:

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com that he expects George will play for the Pacers at some point this season, adding that he believes George has received medical clearance to do so (Twitlonger link).

Earlier updates:

Middleton told Lowe for the same piece that he loves living in Milwaukee but expressed reservations about the Bucks‘ deadline-day trade that sent out Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall and netted Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis. “Yeah. It was tough, man,” Middleton said about learning of the trade. “We had things rolling before the All-Star break. We thought we’d just get back on track rolling after the break, too. But it’s a business. They thought it was a good trade for the team, so, I mean, we’ll see.”
The Bucks prevailed upon the Pistons to include Middleton in the 2013 Knight/Brandon Jennings trade, and the experience of getting traded left Middleton with some painful feelings at first, as Lowe also details.
Paul George insisted today that there is no timetable for his return as he continues to recover from his broken leg, and he denied a report that the Pacers were targeting this week for his comeback, tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.
Reggie Jackson says Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is “making it easy” as he’s turned him loose for Detroit, observes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Jackson hinted that he would have been OK with staying on the Thunder, who have a better shot at the playoffs, but he’s glad that his duties are more well-defined on the Pistons, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “It’s good,” Jackson said of knowing his role. “That’s one less monkey on my back. Wherever I got my shot was where I was going to get my shot. I was just vocal about what I wanted my shot to be, and some people were mad about that. Some people understood where I was coming from. But it’s always been about getting out there and competing.”

Poll: What Will Reggie Jackson Make Next Year?

March 20th, 2015 at 9:53am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s been a discombobulated season for Reggie Jackson. It began under the shadow of extension negotiations with the Thunder that ultimately failed to produce a deal, seemingly in part because some teams reportedly believed he’d draw offers of $13-14MM in free agency and because Jackson made it clear he wants to be a starting point guard. That sort of role wasn’t going to come open for him in Oklahoma City, at least on any long-term basis. Still, the 24-year-old had a brief chance to audition for the sort of job he sought when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both missed most of November.

Jackson averaged 20.2 points and 7.8 assists against 3.3 turnovers per game in 13 contests without both Durant and Westbrook in November, a stretch during which the Thunder went 3-10. He also grabbed 5.2 rebounds a night, displaying all-around talent that nonetheless came amid a high volume of 17.9 field goal attempts per game, 27.0% three-point shooting, and Oklahoma City’s losing record. The poor outside shooting was no shock for the career 28.8% three-point shooter, and neither was the regression in his stats to 10.2 PPG, 3.1 APG, 3.6 RPG and 9.3 shot attempts per game from the time Westbrook made his return through the trade deadline.

Still, there was enough potential there for Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy to pull the trigger on a deadline-day deal that cost Detroit D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and a pair of second-round picks in return for Jackson. It wasn’t a dire price to pay, but it seems there’ll be a steeper cost for retaining Jackson when his contract is up this summer.

Jackson has so far compiled a decidedly up-and-down track record for GMs around the league to evaluate in his brief tenure as the starting point guard for the Pistons. He put up an eye-popping 23 points and 20 rebounds against a Grizzlies team without Mike Conley on Tuesday and followed it up with a triple-double against the Sixers the next night. He nearly recorded a triple-double against the Cavs in just his second game as a Piston, posting 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. The next game he shot just 5 for 24 against the Knicks, and his two-point, 1 for 9 performance against the Lakers is another red flag. Most disturbingly, the Pistons are just 2-11 when Jackson plays.

It’s the same Pistons core that went 12-4 in between the day the team waived Josh Smith and the time Brandon Jennings missed his first game with his season-ending Achilles tear. The presence of Jennings, who’ll be on an expiring contract next season, further complicates Jackson’s impending free agency for Detroit.

There are probably almost as many question marks about Jackson among other teams as there are for the Pistons. So, let us know the sort of starting salary you think the Aaron Mintz client will end up scoring on his next deal, and elaborate on your choice in the comments.

Central Notes: George, Miller, Jackson

March 13th, 2015 at 6:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers fans may have to wait a bit longer than anticipated for Paul George to make his return to the court, Matthew Glenesk of USA Today writes. The swingman has been increasingly hesitant to discuss when or if he’ll be playing this season, Glenesk notes. The 24-year-old has been experiencing increased soreness in his injured leg as he attempts to work his way into game shape. George also worries about disrupting Indiana’s team chemistry, the USA Today scribe adds. “I’m on the fence,” George said. “Part of me is, they’re playing so well, they’ve come together, to shake up the chemistry and add another body, another player in there. I don’t want to be that guy that destroys what these guys have going.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons wouldn’t have made the Reggie Jackson trade if Brandon Jennings hadn’t torn his Achilles tendon, and the team would likely match an offer of $13-14MM a year to Jackson when he’s a restricted free agent this summer, as MLive’s David Mayo writes in his mailbag column. Mayo also figures the team will target Paul Millsap this summer.
Quincy Miller showed the Pistons enough potential in practice that the team inked him to a deal that includes the remainder of this season, the summer league, and training camp next season, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “We’ve seen a couple of practices and we know what we had before,” Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said of Miller. “He’s a guy with size and length and athletic ability and can shoot the ball. He’s somebody that we want to see.“
Van Gundy noted that inking Miller wasn’t a high-risk move on the team’s part, Langlois adds. “It’s not a huge investment for us,” Van Gundy said. “We’re getting it set up so we have him through the summer and through training camp next year, so we get a good, long look at him. He’s a guy that’s got great potential to develop. He’s a really, really hard worker, so we’ll see where it goes.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Jackson, Robinson III

March 12th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Even though the Pistons have dropped eight of the nine games that they have played since acquiring Reggie Jackson, the point guard is optimistic about the team’s future and loves the young talent that’s around him, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. Jackson is also a fan of playing for coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, Kennedy adds. “Playing for Stan has been a change,” Jackson said in an interview with Pistons.com (video link). “He’s a great basketball mind, he sees a lot of what’s going on in the game and how to take advantage of things. He knows what it takes to get everyone involved and going, and we constantly talk about what we see on the court. I think he can only help my game expand that much further and help me on this journey to be one of the best point guards ever.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Given the advancing age of Carmelo Anthony and a lottery pick not being guaranteed to turn into a star player, Knicks president Phil Jackson would be wise to try and deal away the team’s first-rounder this year for an established star, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report writes.
An Eastern Conference scout gave Beck another reason the Knicks should consider dealing their first round pick — the lack of a true superstar player in this draft. “I’m not sure either guy [Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns] is a franchise player,” the scout said. “Is it LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan? I’m not sure about that. But they should be very good players. The downside would be above-average starters, just based on [their] talent. And they’re only 19. You’d think they’re going to get better.“
The Sixers are in no hurry to play Glenn Robinson III, whom they claimed off of waivers from the Wolves last week, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I got a gut feel to what we are going to do,” coach Brett Brown said, “and I don’t see Glenn being a part of it tomorrow. As I said right when we got him, my plan is to get him a little bit more comfortable. I don’t feel the need [to play him], because I do have an abundance of wings.”

Eastern Notes: Whiteside, Wizards, Teague

March 10th, 2015 at 7:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There is growing concern within the Heat organization about center Hassan Whiteside‘s maturity and self-control, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. Whiteside was ejected from Monday night’s game, which was the second time in the last five games the big man was tossed from a contest, and it resulted in a one game suspension. When asked if he was disappointed in Whiteside, Dwyane Wade said, “Very. We all are. As a Heat fan you are. In this locker room we are. Everybody. He’s gonna have to learn and he’s gonna learn the hard way. He’s doing it his own way. Hopefully he changes his mentality pretty quick. Players gotta understand how important they are to an organization and continue to understand that moment when you finally got that call-up, how you felt. You would’ve done anything to get that, just to be here. Sometimes you start feeling yourself a little too much. A lot of us are guilty of that. You’ve gotta humble yourself. Hopefully Hassan gets it.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

With Garrett Temple expected to miss at least a week due to a hamstring injury, the Wizards are likely to fill their final roster spot, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets. The team is currently weighing its options on available players, but no signing appears imminent, Castillo adds.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was the driving force behind Atlanta matching the four-year, $32MM offer sheet that the Bucks had signed Jeff Teague to back in 2013, Lee Jenkins of SI.com writes. Teague is certainly rewarding his coach’s faith this season, averaging 16.8 points and 7.2 assists in 31.2 minutes per contest.
The trade for Reggie Jackson cost the Pistons two starting players, but the long-term benefits of the trade should outweigh the short-term setback, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “It’s not like we didn’t think about [the present] this year,” Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “We knew as far as for this year that it was a gamble. Just because of continuity, we would’ve been better off not making moves. We knew that. We thought we could make those moves and still stay right in the playoff race and we were willing to take that gamble because of what we thought it did for the future.“