- Pistons GM Troy Weaver made more roster moves than any other NBA executive during the abbreviated offseason and he vows to stay bold during the team’s rebuilding process, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. “When I was growing up, I didn’t stick my toe in the pool; I jumped in,” Weaver said. “I sit on the front on the roller coaster with my hands up so I’m not going to come in and be gun-shy. My clip will be empty.”
12:39pm: The NBA has officially announced that the Pistons/Heat game has been delayed to 8:00 pm. According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), the move was made to allow for more COVID-19 tests to be processed before the teams take the court. Both clubs are still planning to play tonight, Reynolds adds.
12:20pm: Monday’s game between the Pistons and Heat, originally scheduled to be played in Miami at 3:00 pm eastern time, will be delayed until at least 8:00 pm, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
As Winderman explains, the delay is related to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. The league, which has already had to postpone 14 games so far this season due to the health and safety protocols, still hopes today’s Pistons/Heat game can be played, but it sounds like a postponement remains a possibility.
The Pistons and Heat have each had one game postponed this season, but there hadn’t been any prior indication that today’s contest was in jeopardy. On last night’s injury report, Miami only had Avery Bradley and Jimmy Butler listed as out due to health and safety protocols, while Detroit wasn’t missing any players due to the protocols.
We’ll update this story with the latest info when the NBA provides more clarity. Until then, you can view the list of this season’s postponements right here.
- New Pistons GM Troy Weaver engineered a number of draft-night trades and wound up with four rookies on the roster. He’s thrilled with all of them, even though lottery pick Killian Hayes struggled as a starter before suffering a hip injury, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart have jumped into the rotation and second-rounder Saben Lee is getting some spot time with Hayes sidelined. “We can debate the player all day long, but we’re not going to debate the person,” Weaver said. “These are high-character guys who work and are selfless. Extremely excited about them.”
Following injuries to rookie Killian Hayes and veteran reserve Derrick Rose, two-way Pistons point guard Frank Jackson, a late addition to Detroit’s roster last month, has stepped up in an expanded role, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey commended the 22-year-old. “I really like Frank,” Casey said. “He’s a quick-twitch kid, an offensive player who’s tough on the ball and he has a lot of toughness about him.”
- Pistons are playing the long game with 20-year-old second-year forward Sekou Doumbouya, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Doumbouya has yet to earn rotation minutes behind veteran starters Jerami Grant and Blake Griffin. “It’s a process,” head coach Dwane Casey said of Doumbouya’s minutes. Doumbouya is also slotted behind young forwards Saddiq Bey and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.
Health and safety protocols have forced a pair of Friday games to be postponed, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link). The game between the Wizards and Pistons in Detroit and the contest between the Warriors and Suns in Phoenix have both been called off.
“Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Wizards and Suns, the teams will not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with Friday night’s games,” the league stated.
Washington and Phoenix, which played each other Monday, both had games postponed tonight for the same reason. The Wizards were scheduled to host the Jazz, while the Suns had a home game with the Hawks.
The latest postponements bring the total to nine for the season, with eight of those coming since Sunday. This marks the first time the league has postponed a game two days in advance.
- The Pistons didn’t line up a pre-draft workout and interview with forward Saddiq Bey because they figured he wouldn’t slide out of the lottery, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Bey dropped to the No. 19 pick and was acquired in a draft-night trade. “We were shocked,” coach Dwane Casey said. “He’s one player we did not meet with because we didn’t think he was going to be there later where we were trying to get the pick. Luckily he was and we jumped on it. “
Saddiq Bey is making the Pistons look wise after they engaged in a three-team deal to land the No. 19 pick in the draft, James Edwards of The Athletic writes. The rookie forward from Villanova was averaging 10.4 PPG and 45.7% from 3-point range entering Sunday’s action, though he needs to do a much better job finishing around the rim, Edwards notes. Bey has also display uncommon maturity and has elevated his play in crunch time, Edwards adds.
- Jerami Grant has impressed fellow Pistons forward Blake Griffin with his expanded offensive role, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Grant inked a three-year, $60MM contract in a sign-and-trade with Denver in large part because he wanted to be a go-to scorer. He’s posted back-to-back 31-point games. “I’m very impressed with his patience and his decision-making in games. He doesn’t settle,” Griffin said. “He’ll size somebody up. Seems like he can get to the hole whenever he wants and he does a great job of finishing.”
- The Pistons will likely ask for a first-round pick for Derrick Rose if they decide to deal him or if Rose requests a trade, Rod Beard of the Detroit News speculates. Rose, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, could help a contender that needs scoring off the bench.
- After starting Pistons point guard Killian Hayes suffered a labral tear in his right hip, Detroit remains open to multiple possibilities with regard to his recovery, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News. Hayes could try to rehabilitate without undergoing surgery, and potentially return this season in 4-6 weeks if he responds well to non-surgical treatment, or he could go the surgical route, and face a longer-term rehab process that could finish his rookie season. Sources tell James Edwards III of The Athletic that there does not appear to be structural damage in the hip.
- Luckily for the Pistons, whose point guard corps has thinned out thanks to Hayes’ torn labrum, his backup Derrick Rose is not expected to miss any time with a minor right knee contusion suffered yesterday, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News.
11:31am: The Pistons are sending Hayes to a specialist to determine next steps, reports Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
If Hayes can avoid surgery, he may miss about four-to-six weeks, says Goodwill. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that surgery is still an option, however — in that scenario, the rookie guard may not be able to return this season.
8:14am: Pistons rookie Killian Hayes has been diagnosed with a labral tear in his right hip, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Hayes suffered the injury in Monday night’s game against Milwaukee, leaving in the third quarter following a drive to the basket. The plan was to have him undergo an MRI on Tuesday, so presumably that MRI revealed the labral tear.
A timeline for Hayes’ return to the court has yet to be confirmed, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. It’s possible the Pistons and Hayes are still assessing whether or not the injury will require surgery — going under the knife would result in a longer-term absence for the No. 7 overall pick.
Hayes, one of the NBA’s youngest players, started each of Detroit’s first seven games and struggled to make an immediate impact in his first taste of NBA action. The 19-year-old averaged 4.6 PPG and 3.6 APG on .277/.250/.500 shooting in 21.1 minutes per contest.
With Hayes sidelined, the Pistons figure to lean more heavily on veteran point guards Derrick Rose and Delon Wright. Two-way players Saben Lee and Frank Jackson are also on the roster as depth options at the point, though neither one has seen any playing time yet this season.