The Pistons’ top brass is expected to meet in Los Angeles today to discuss ways to improve the team, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports. Owner Tom Gores, coach Dwane Casey, senior adviser Ed Stefanski and vice chairman Arn Tellem will discuss how to revive the playoff hopes of the floundering team and provide star forward Blake Griffin with a better supporting cast. Detroit got off to a 13-7 start but has lost 16 of its last 20 games. A point guard and a wing player capable of creating offense top the wish list but the team’s cap situation makes it difficult to swing a deal, Ellis continues. The roster is littered with bad contracts and injury-prone players and the team is just under the luxury tax line, Ellis adds.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Tempers flared between Celtics players Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown during a second-quarter timeout on Thursday but GM Danny Ainge is downplaying the incident. The duo exchanged words and Morris, who apparently told Brown to play harder, shoved the swingman before Marcus Smart separated them, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. Ainge told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe the altercation was no big deal. “It’s two good kids that are competitive,” he said. “They both want the same thing. Emotions happen in games, and I’m not worried about it.”
- Bucks big man Christian Wood is relieved that the team guaranteed his salary for the remainder of the season, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. His $1,512,601 salary became guaranteed on Thursday. He has a $1,645,357 non-guaranteed salary for next season. The 6’10” Wood has appeared in six games with Milwaukee while biding most of his time in the G League. “It’s real nice,” Wood said. “I talked to (GM) Jon (Horst) before the deadline passed and he said my time is going to come, I’ve just got to keep working, keep staying with the program and keep doing everything I’m supposed to do. He thinks I’m a good fit for this team.”
- The 76ers named Annelie Schmittel as the team’s VP of player development, according to a team press release. She will be responsible for creating, managing and overseeing the holistic development and implementation of programs that support professional and personal growth of players, staff and families. She spent the last three seasons with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
Pistons need to try and trade Blake, even take a hit. The trade for him and not drafting Donavan Mitchell set them back 5 years.
Uhm.. to be fair a lot of teams missed on Mitchell , even the team who drafted him lol
Inch dude
I feel like basketball isn’t Jaylen Brown’s main focus. I fully support his off-court activities, but it seems clear to me that his head hasn’t been committed to basketball this year.
Agreed. He’s not the same player as last year. But then again, Hayward wasn’t playing last year and focus on plays for him could be the reason – impacting Brown directly.
Test 1
Are the C’s starting to unravel this year? Probably not but let’s keep an eye on it
I already said this summer that Casey couldn’t take Detroit to the playoffs he isn’t better than SVG, they should have gone for someone like Stackhouse as I said, he would have been a far better coach, more passion & he already is a legend in the Motown as a player.
I don’t understand how you think stackhouse would be a better option than Casey , he led the raptors to 3 straight 50 win seasons .. stackhouse was their g league coach ..
Casey’s players carried him.
Casey is a disaster. He couldn’t coach a 7U YMCA team.