Detroit Pistons Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Notes: Griffin, Wood, Doumbouya

December 1st, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the Pistons‘ 110-107 loss to the Hornets on Friday, star forward Blake Griffin called out the team for its lack of “fight,” as Chris McCoskey of The Detroit News relays.

“I think it’s really light in here after a win,” Griffin said. “To me, it seems like we love the victory but we don’t like the fight. You’re not going to win games like that.”

Head coach Dwane Casey had no problem with that harsh criticism from his star player, and in fact agreed with much of it, according to McCoskey, who notes that Casey said the Pistons weren’t putting enough effort into the “little things” necessary to win games.

“Paying attention to detail in offensive situations, paying attention to detail in defensive situations — Blake is exactly right,” Casey said. “These are the things we aren’t doing that can cost you a game. … Everybody remembers the last couple of plays. But you go through a game, you realize the things, the attention to detail, all the ‘I forgots,’ and ‘My bads,’ those add up.”

With those comments from their head coach and star player fresh in their minds, the Pistons had an impressive bounce-back showing at home on Sunday, blowing out the Spurs by 34 points.

Here’s more out of Detroit:

Christian Wood scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting in just 22 minutes vs. San Antonio, and hopes to parlay performances like that one into more consistent production, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Wood, who is on a partially guaranteed contract, is aware that he’s essentially in an ongoing job audition. “All 30 teams are watching me, so every time I play I try to be relentless,” the young forward said on Sunday. “I try to come with energy and I try to give you everything I’ve got.”
Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press takes an interesting and in-depth look into Sekou Doumbouya‘s background, the Pistons’ plan for developing the NBA’s youngest player, and when the rookie forward might be ready to consistently contribute at the NBA level.
To keep tabs on all of our Pistons updates, be sure to check out their team page right here.

Pistons Recall Sekou Doumbouya From G League

December 1st, 2019 at 8:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons recalled rookie forward Sekou Doumbouya from Grand Rapids on Sunday, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Doumbouya saw a little garbage-time action in Detroit’s blowout win over San Antonio, scoring four points in less than three minutes.

Hornets Notes: Drummond, Draft, Batum

November 28th, 2019 at 9:23am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons‘ asking price for Andre Drummond would have to be pretty low for the Hornets to trade for the center, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer contends. The scribe believes that Charlotte shouldn’t part with young players or serious draft capital to acquire Drummond in part, because of the risk that he would just leave next summer in free agency.

Here’s more from Charlotte:

In the same piece, Bonnell argues that the Hornets shouldn’t worry about tanking or making strategic moves to secure a better chance at a high pick in the lottery. Charlotte has several young pieces and it’s more important to develop them — if the team wins a few more games as a result, so be it.
Nicolas Batum has a massive contract ($25.5MM this season) and surely, it’s player-friendly but that doesn’t mean the wing doesn’t have value to the Hornets, Bonnell writes in a separate piece. Teammate Marvin Williams believes Batum is the most versatile player on the roster. “On both ends he has always brought a calm and a steadiness to our team, as long as he has been here,” Williams said. “He is so reliable at making plays other guys just can’t make.”
Batum’s deal has two seasons left on it and it’s unlikely that the Hornets trade him before the contract expires, Bonnell adds in that same piece. The wing will make $27.1MM next season, assuming he picks up his player option.

Svi Showing More Effort On D

November 27th, 2019 at 5:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons second-year small forward Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk is showing more effort on the defensive end and he’s getting more playing time as a result, Keith Langlois of the team’s website details. He scored a season-high 12 points in 22 minutes on Monday against Orlando and also cooled down Terrence Ross in the second half.

“We know who Svi is offensively, but his major challenge has been the defensive end,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said. “He still made a lot of mistakes (Monday), but he made up for it with hard play, compete, just being into Ross. … He was being physical, trying to get into Ross. Two weeks ago, he wouldn’t have been touching him. That’s a big first step for him.”

The Pistons hold a $1,663,861 team option on Mykhailiuk’s contract next season.

The win over the Magic was the beginning of a crucial stretch that could determine the future of the Pistons franchise, James Edwards of The Athletic writes. They could become sellers at the trade deadline and hit the reset button if things don’t turn around soon, Edwards notes.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/23/19

November 23rd, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Hornets recalled Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels from their Greensboro affiliate, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Martin has gotten into three NBA games this season, while McDaniels has appeared in just one.
The Timberwolves recalled Jaylen Nowell from their affiliate in Iowa, the team announced in a press release. The second-round pick is averaging 18.5 PPG in six G League games.
The Pistons recalled rookie Sekou Doumbouya from Grand Rapids, according to an email from the team. He is averaging 18.4 PPG in eight games with the Drive.
The Jazz assigned Miye Oni and Nigel Williams-Goss to their Salt Lake City affiliate, the team announced on Twitter.

Hornets To Pursue Andre Drummond

November 22nd, 2019 at 9:07am CST by ChrisCrouse

Andre Drummond is expected to be one of the best available players in a weak 2020 free agent class and the Pistons will have competition for his services. Sean Deveney of Heavy.com hears that the Hornets will pursue the big man this offseason.

Charlotte has had interest in Drummond for over a year and the franchise is expected to have significant cap space this summer for the first time in years. Bismack Biyombo ($17MM), Marvin Williams ($15MM), and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ($13MM) will all see their deals expire, setting the Hornets up for a chance to add new talent in free agency.

“He’ll be a priority there,” one league executive told Deveney. “It’s just a matter of whether they make him a priority now and give up something to get him or try to make the move later. It’s a very cautious group, Mitch Kupchak and those guys. But they might want to get this guy into the fold sooner rather than later, there’s just a lot of incentive there on both sides.”

The Hornets have interest in securing Drummond via trade before this year’s deadline, though the Pistons have shown no indication that they are willing to move the center. However, Detroit has had talks with other teams about the big man in previous years and a rough start to the season has to make the franchise take a hard look in the mirror.

An offer for Drummond likely would not include one of their young, promising players (Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, or PJ Washington), though Deveney writes that if Charlotte includes one of the group, it’s likely to be Monk. The Hornets can keep all of those players if it waits until free agent to pursue the big man, though there are advantages to acquiring Drummond sooner, such as acquiring the center’s Bird Rights and having him on the roster to help the Hornets (6-9 as of this writing) make a playoff push in the Eastern Conference.

Casey Hopes Layoff Will Help Turn Things Around

November 18th, 2019 at 2:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Injuries to Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose have contributed greatly to the Pistons’ 4-9 start. With some days off and both stars back in action, coach Dwane Casey is hoping to get things back on track, Keith Langlois of the team’s website writes. “We’ve got three or four days we can practice,” he said. “Before, there was one day in between. … Sounds like an excuse. But it’s going to take a while for our guys to jell together, work together, learn each other. With Blake and Derrick back, for them to learn each other. It’s going to be a marathon.”
The Pistons will have to consider drastic changes if they don’t break the cycle of mediocrity soon, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. The trade for Griffin hasn’t resulted in a huge uptick in the team’s fortunes, Beard continues. Andre Drummond, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, hasn’t impacted winning significantly enough to warrant another long-term deal in many people’s minds, Beard adds.

Luke Kennard Carving Out Permanent Role

November 14th, 2019 at 6:39pm CST by clarkcrum

The bevy of injuries that the Pistons had to deal with to start this season has a silver lining, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, and it’s the way shooting guard Luke Kennard has responded to the team’s reliance on him. And while whether Kennard keeps starting remains to be seen, head coach Dwane Casey says he’s going to remain a focal point of the rotation either way. “He’s still going to get starter minutes… He brings value to the team. Luke’s a very valuable part of what we’re doing.”

Khyri Thomas To Miss At Least Six Weeks

November 13th, 2019 at 2:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pistons wing Khyri Thomas will miss at least the next six weeks, as the team’s Twitter feed relays. Thomas underwent successful surgery on the the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and will begin rehabbing immediately.

Thomas has seen action in two games this season, playing a total of just six minutes. That’s a bit surprising considering the Pistons have seen a bevy of injuries in the backcourt early this season with Reggie Jackson and Derrick Rose among the guards missing time.

Thomas was selected with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Creighton by the Sixers. Philadelphia dealt his rights to Detroit for a pair of future second-rounders.

NBA Trade Candidate Watch: Central Division

November 12th, 2019 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of the 2019/20 NBA season, up until February’s trade deadline, we’re keeping an eye on potential trade candidates from around the NBA, monitoring their value and exploring the likelihood that they’ll be moved. Each of these looks at possible trade candidates focuses on a specific division, as we zero in on three players from that division.

Entering the season, the Central Division appeared to feature two contending teams (the Bucks and Pacers) and two more teams with playoff aspirations (the Pistons and Bulls), leaving just one Central club (the Cavaliers) that looked like a lock to be a seller at the trade deadline.

While it’s still possible that will be the case, Cleveland has exceeded expectations in the early going, playing hard for new head coach John Beilein and currently holding the No. 7 seed in the East at 4-5.

As we wait to see whether the Cavs’ early success is sustainable enough to alter their trade-deadline plans, let’s round up a few potential trade candidates from around the division…

Tristan Thompson, C
Cleveland Cavaliers
$18.53MM cap hit; UFA in 2020

One of five Cavaliers veterans on an expiring contract this season, Thompson entered the year looking like a logical trade candidate. After all, he’s a reliable veteran with a championship under his belt, making him a better fit for a contender than a lottery-bound squad.

However, the Cavaliers value Thompson’s locker-room presence and he’s posting some of the best on-court numbers of his career so far in 2019/20. His 16.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, and 1.6 BPG would all be career highs over the course of a full season. A solid rebounder and defender, Thompson spoke last month about wanting to make an All-Defensive team, but he has been better than expected on offense, with Beilein having shown a willingness to run plays through him.

A cynic might say that the Cavaliers are putting Thompson in position to increase his trade value ahead of February’s deadline. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me if the team seriously looks into what it would take to keep him around beyond this season before putting him on the trade block.

Langston Galloway, G
Detroit Pistons
$7.33MM cap hit; UFA in 2020

When the Pistons were trying to find a way to keep both Christian Wood and Joe Johnson on their roster at the start of the regular season, Galloway was said to be among the players the team explored trading. In fact, one report suggested Detroit was “very open” to the idea of moving the veteran guard. However, no deal materialized, presumably because teams didn’t view Galloway as a positive asset.

Like Thompson, however, Galloway is off to a great start to the season, averaging 11.6 PPG on .437/.457/.912 shooting through 11 games (24.2 MPG). While the Pistons may not have expected him to have this significant a role, injuries to Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose, and Tim Frazier have forced the team’s hand — as has Galloway’s strong play.

Whether or not Galloway re-emerges as a trade candidate may hinge on the Pistons’ ability to remain in the playoff mix in the East. If the club is in position to make a win-now move at the deadline, Galloway’s expiring contract would make a logical salary-matching chip. If not, it may be in the club’s best interest to just let his contract expire at season’s end — unless he plays well enough to gain positive trade value.

Kris Dunn, PG
Chicago Bulls
$5.35MM cap hit; RFA in 2020

Dunn, who has also been the subject of trade rumors before this season, has seen his stock dip drastically since he was acquired by the Bulls in 2017. His offensive numbers this season are especially modest, and his usage rate is down to 15.1 through 10 games, well below the 22.5 mark he posted in his first two years in Chicago.

However, head coach Jim Boylen likes how the former top-five pick has played so far this season, as Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes. While he has taken on a more passive role on offense, Dunn has been strong on defense, averaging 2.2 steals in just 20.4 minutes per game. That’s important for a Bulls team that has been up and down on the defensive end so far this season.

Despite a decent start, Dunn could end up back on the trade block within the next few months due to his contract situation and the Bulls’ roster situation. Tomas Satoransky and Ryan Arcidiacono signed three-year contracts with the team in July and Coby White was the seventh overall pick, so Chicago has more invested in its other point guards than in Dunn, who will be a free agent in 2020.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.