Brandon Jennings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Gasol, Bryant, Jennings

December 2nd, 2015 at 10:32pm CST by Will Joseph

There is a distinct possibility that Pau Gasol will opt out of his contract after this season with the Bulls because he’d likely get at least two years of guaranteed money by doing so, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes in response to a reader’s question. Gasol has not been featured as prominently in Fred Hoiberg‘s offense as he was under Tom Thibodeau, but since he’s still playing effectively, that should not factor much in Gasol’s decision, Johnson adds. Gasol will be a name to watch, according to Johnson, when the trade deadline nears if the Bulls believe they will lose him for nothing, however.

Here’s more from around the league:

Kobe Bryant shot down the idea that he would consider coaching after he retires as a player, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times tweets. “Coaching, me? That’s about the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” Bryant said, per Bresnahan. A transition to coaching seemed unlikely, anyway, given Bryant’s ultra-competitive demeanor. Bryant has said he plans to delve further into storytelling through different forms of media after this season.
Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January, is still three or four weeks away from seeing the court and thus his return is not imminent, coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports (Twitter link).
The two-year contract worth $11MM that the Mavs signed point guard Deron Williams to over the summer is looking like a bargain one month into the season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com details. While Williams said he would like to be more consistent, he has shown flashes of dominance, MacMahon writes. Williams is averaging 14.8 points and 5.8 assists per game.

Pistons Notes: Jennings, Van Gundy, Jackson

November 27th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Point guard Brandon Jennings cannot go full speed yet and remains weeks away from returning, coach Stan Van Gundy told the gathered media this week, including Hoops Rumors. Jennings, who is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in January, has been participating in practices but is still targeted to return sometime next month. “He doesn’t have his quickness back,” Van Gundy said. “He’s a ways away but he’s getting there. He can do pretty much everything. It’s just getting back into being able to play at that tempo. There’s definitely been progress but he’s still a ways away.” When he returns, Jennings will likely move ahead of Steve Blake and Spencer Dinwiddie on the second unit.

In other news around the team:

Van Gundy believes opponents should be able to use the Hack-A-Dre strategy at any point in the game or not at all, he declared during the same press conference. Opponents will sometimes resort to intentionally fouling center Andre Drummond, a career 40% free throw shooter, off the ball. The strategy is only useful until two minutes remaining in a quarter, when off-the-ball infractions result in a free throw plus possession. “I don’t like rules that apply to just the last two minutes of a game,” Van Gundy said. “To me, let’s play with the same rules for 48 minutes. If we can grab guys in the first 46 minutes, let us grab guys in the last two or don’t do it at all. And I don’t like the replay rule in the last two minutes. It’s like the other calls don’t matter. A call at 2:05 affects a game as much as 1:55 but we’re not going review that one.”
Van Gundy has gone to a nine-man rotation, expanding the role of first-rounder Stanley Johnson. With backup shooting guard Jodie Meeks sidelined since the first week of the season with a broken right foot, Reggie Bullock got the first crack at the role. But Bullock made just one basket in 10 games and Van Gundy is reluctant to give rookie second-rounder Darrun Hilliard a rotation spot. Thus, Johnson is now the primary backup at both small forward and shooting guard. Neither Bullock nor Hilliard played against the Thunder on Friday night.
The Pistons made the quickest improvement of the three teams involved in the blockbuster that netted point guard Reggie Jackson, David Mayo of MLive.com opines. The Thunder and Jazz also achieved their objectives in the trade deadline deal but the Pistons got the point guard they coveted without giving up a major piece, Mayo continues. They traded two players who are now reserves for the Thunder, point guard D.J. Augustin and small forward Kyle Singler, and two future second-round picks. Jackson signed a five-year, $80MM contract this summer as a restricted free agent.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Pistons, Heat

November 15th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose may be dealing with blurred vision for a few more months, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. Rose has struggled shooting so far, averaging only 12.6 points per game, as Friedell points out. Rose suffered a left orbital fracture during the Bulls’ first training camp practice on September 29th.

“[The doctors] said it could be as long as three months,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “But [the vision] has continued to improve, and that’s obviously a positive.”

The news, however, came as a surprise to Rose.

“This is my first time hearing about it,” Rose told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). “But you kind of have that hope in your mind that it gets well a lot quicker. But for this to be seven or eight [weeks] out and still the same way, I can’t do nothing but live with it. Get the most out of every day, keep putting my deposits in and keep working on my game until my eye gets better.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

While former Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith is still upset with comments team president Phil Jackson made during the summer about Smith’s personal life, Marc Berman of the New York Post opines that Smith should be grateful that he was traded to the Cavs. After not fitting into the Knicks’ plans, and despite his current shooting woes, Berman writes that the Cavs still see Smith as a capable scoring threat in a reserve role.
Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who is recovering from a torn left Achilles suffered in January, participated in four-on-four and three-on-three games with teammates and is still on track to return around Christmas, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. “As I told him today, what’s not back right now is his quickness,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s going to take some time. Being out and being able to do stuff is one thing, and being able to do it at a speed that you can really do is another.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Beno Udrih should have no problem fitting in with Miami, Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel writes. “He’s got veteran savviness about him,” Spoelstra said. “You saw it the other night. He hasn’t been in a practice. He hasn’t been in a shootaround but he’s played for enough different systems that he can just play basketball. You don’t notice things that you might have because he’s a veteran player. You can throw him in any situation. Guys like that are very valuable with veteran teams.” The Heat acquired Udrih from the Grizzlies in exchange for Mario Chalmers. Spoelstra did not identify a clear-cut role for Udrih, Richardson adds.

Central Notes: Jennings, Monroe, Bulls, Williams

October 17th, 2015 at 6:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons hope to have Brandon Jennings back by Christmas, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. The point guard hasn’t played since rupturing his left Achilles in January, but coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he is “doing about everything” in practice, which includes step-back jumpers, running hard forward and backward and making moves before shooting. However, Jennings hasn’t been in a competitive situation or done any defensive drills. “They’ve given us sort of Christmastime, sort of tentative, very general, though, before or after so I think there’s a reasonable chance he could play in a game before the first of the year,” Van Gundy said.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Several former Pistons teammates who also played for Milwaukee helped convince Greg Monroe to sign with the Bucks this summer, writes Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. Assisting Monroe in making his decision were Jennings, Caron Butler, Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton, whom Monroe had Thanksgiving dinner with last year. Middleton joked that he called or texted Monroe “every five minutes” to recruit him for Milwaukee.
If the Bulls decide to go with a full roster of 15 players, Cristiano Felicio is a good bet to grab the final spot over Jordan Crawford, speculates K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The Brazilian center played on Chicago’s summer league team and is in camp on a non-guaranteed contract. Johnson believes he would be good insurance with Joakim Noah and maybe Pau Gasol becoming unrestricted free agents next summer.
The offseason addition of Mo Williams, combined with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, gives the Cavaliers three of the toughest players in the NBA, according to Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group. “Nobody is going to punk me,” Williams said. “Nobody’s going to punk anybody who I stand with, so that’s just a motto that I have and I feel like my teammates should have that same motto.”

Central Rumors: Granger, Rose, Bucks

September 28th, 2015 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Small forward Danny Granger will not join the Pistons for the start of training camp, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports. Granger, who was traded to Detroit from the Suns as part of the Marcus Morris deal, will remain in Arizona to continue knee rehab under a mutual agreement with Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy, Ellis continues. “I think it’s better for him and for us if he stays right there in Arizona and does his rehab and when he gets to a point that he’s ready to play and compete, then we will bring him in,” Van Gundy said during the team’s media day on Monday. Granger is one of 17 Detroit players with guaranteed contracts so he remains a waiver or trade candidate, Ellis adds.

In other news around the Central Division:

Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings isn’t close to being game-ready, Ellis writes in the same notebook piece. Jennings, who tore his Achilles tendon in January, is limited to light shooting, jogging in the pool and weight-controlled treadmill work. “We’re hoping sometime in mid-October that he’s be able to start doing drill work out on the floor and then hopefully by mid-November he starts ramping up, actually getting in some five-on-five stuff,” Van Gundy said.
Derrick Rose made a splash during the Bulls’ media day, saying that he’s already looking toward his next foray into free agency, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago (Twitter links). Rose, who is signed through the 2016/17 season, expects to remain in Chicago for the long term, Goodwill adds. “You see the way all this money will be passed around in this league. My day [free agency] is coming,” Rose said. But while Rose prefers to stay with the Bulls, the notion of leaguewide increased salaries “makes one pause,” Sam Smith of Bulls.com tweets.
The Bucks hired longtime NBA executive Rod Thorn as a special consultant, the team announced Monday morning via press release. He will work closely with GM John Hammond, the release adds. Thorn most recently served as the NBA’s president of basketball operations, where he oversaw the league’s day-to-day business under commissioner Adam Silver.
The Cavaliers allowed the remaining $635,816 portion of their trade exception for Keith Bogans to expire on Sunday, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Cleveland dealt Bogans to the Sixers last September and used part of the exception to acquire Timofey Mozgov in January.

Pistons Notes: Jennings, Baynes, Anthony

September 22nd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Doctors have cleared Brandon Jennings for full basketball activities, and a return by late November or early December is possible, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link). That’s in contrast to a Monday report that Jennings was not close to receiving clearance as he recovered from his torn left Achilles tendon. Jennings, who’s set to make more than $8.344MM this year in the final season of his contract, has been the subject of trade speculation, though Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has expressed optimism that Jennings and fellow point guard Reggie Jackson can share the floor. See more from Motown:

Pistons offseason signee Aron Baynes knows he has championship experience to impart from his time with the Spurs, but he has no intention of becoming an overbearing locker room presence, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. The Pistons inked Baynes, a career reserve, to a three-year, $19.5MM contract in July.
Baynes said Monday that he will be ready for the start of training camp a week from today despite undergoing ankle surgery this summer, Ellis notes in the same piece.
Van Gundy made it clear to Joel Anthony that he wanted him back, so when the Pistons chased others, including Baynes, in free agency, Anthony’s desire to re-sign with Detroit didn’t waver, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com chronicles. Van Gundy plans to use Baynes at power forward against teams that use two traditional big men, Langlois writes, so that would create a role in the rotation for Anthony, who signed a two-year, $5MM deal. “He didn’t have to tell me, ‘We’re trying to get this person,’ as if he has to walk on eggshells with me,” Anthony said of Van Gundy. “I was comfortable with how he was going forward. It’s still a good situation for me. There’s still opportunities for me and that’s what’s important.”

Injury Notes: Jennings, Melo, Durant, Love

September 21st, 2015 at 8:17pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Brandon Jennings is “not close” to being cleared, sources tell David Aldridge of NBA.com. He is currently shooting and running on a treadmill at 60% of his body weight, but the Pistons need to see more before he’s cleared to begin non-contact drill on the court, Aldridge adds. Jennings ruptured his left Achilles tendon last January and the Pistons have made a few additions at the point guard position since. Detroit traded for Reggie Jackson at last season’s deadline and handed him a five year, $80MM deal this offseason. The team also added Steve Blake to reinforce the position. Jennings will make slightly over $8.34MM during the 2015/16 season, which is the last year of his current deal.

Here are some more injury notes that Aldridge passed along in his column:

Carmelo Anthony looks like he’ll be ready for the start of training camp. He has been playing full-court, 5-on-5 with his Knicks teammates for the last few weeks.
Kevin Durant has been cleared to participate in training camp. The expectation is that he will be ready to handle a full workload of minutes once the regular season starts.
Kevin Love has not yet been officially cleared to return from a dislocated left shoulder injury that he sustained in the first round of the playoffs last season, but he has made significant progress.
New addition Wesley Matthews has not done any full-court work yet, but the expectation is that he will be cleared to start doing some work on the floor when Dallas opens camp next week.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Parker, KD, Heat

September 21st, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Celtics are hoping that their depth will be enough to power them to success since they are lacking in star power, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. Celtics GM Danny Ainge understands the importance of having elite players, but he also pointed to the Spurs’ 2013/14 championship team as a team that won it all while not necessarily having the most talent.

“History has shown us that you need stars — or at least some level of stars,” said Ainge. “But I do believe you can win with really good players. Teams in the past that have won haven’t had the best players.”

Of course, that was a roster anchored by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, so it’s not as though it was a team of no-names. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference..

The Greg Monroe signing drew a ton of attention this summer, but if the Bucks enjoy success in 2015/16, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders believes that Jabari Parker’s return could be an even bigger factor for Milwaukee. Parker and Monroe, he adds, could consistently combine for 30-40 PPG, something the Bucks sorely missed last season.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com says that the Wizards are right to be setting the table for Kevin Durant in the event that he wants to leave OKC. The Wizards offer more than the comforts of home for OKC, thanks to John Wall, Bradley Beal, and a solid collection of bigs.
In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat could trade Chris Andersen, Mario Chalmers, and a second-round pick to the Pistons for Brandon Jennings. While a healthy Jennings would be a quality a backup point guard to Goran Dragic, Winderman isn’t sure if Detroit will be motivated to move him upon his return.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Wizards

September 20th, 2015 at 6:40pm CST by Will Joseph

Heat assistant Dan Craig was hired as head coach of the franchise’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports, citing league sources. Craig, who has worked for the Heat for 12 years, has coached the Heat’s summer league teams for the past three years, as Wojnarowski points out.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

There’s a good chance it won’t happen until February, but it is difficult to imagine the Pistons not making a trade involving one of their point guards, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. That’s because, Mayo adds, once Brandon Jennings — who is not expected back from his Achilles injury until December — returns, the Pistons could have three reserve point guards with trade value. Jennings will be on a high-value expiring contract, and Steve Blake will be on a more affordable expiring contract, Mayo writes. Blake was acquired to give the Pistons three healthy point guards to start the season, according to Mayo. Spencer Dinwiddie is also expected to see time at point guard for the Pistons.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes the Wizards are once again a middle-of-the-pack kind of playoff team (Facebook link). Bontemps adds that the Wizards improved during the summer with a series of small, but smart moves, such as acquiring Kelly Oubre in the draft, signing Gary Neal and trading for Jared Dudley.

Eastern Notes: Jennings, Brown, Nets

September 14th, 2015 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

Brandon Jennings isn’t expected back from his torn left Achilles tendon until mid- to late December, writes Kevin Bull of the Detroit Free Press. That’s in contrast to a July report indicating that Jennings thought he would be ready for the start of training camp but more in line with recent comments from Jennings in which he expressed uncertainty about camp and said that he wouldn’t be back at his usual level of performance until December at the earliest. In any case, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said last week on WMGC-FM that he’s optimistic that Jennings and Reggie Jackson can play with each other if Jennings regains his form, as Bull relays.

“If he comes back and he’s the Brandon Jennings that we had last year, I think those guys can play together quite well,” Van Gundy said. “Reggie is big enough (6’3″) to guard guys off the ball and everything else. It just gives you two playmakers on the floor together. I think they can be pretty dynamic, but we’ll just have to see where Brandon is when he comes back.”

See more on the Pistons amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Van Gundy signaled a willingness to keep the core of the Pistons intact for the long-term, telling WMGC-FM that the roster “has a chance now, if we lock people up long-term, to grow together,” Bull notes.
Brett Brown has no regrets about taking the Sixers job even though he admits the losing has been painful, and he doesn’t seem at all interested in pushing for an extension and disrupting the ethic of patience that pervades the organization, observes Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. “I signed a four-year contract [in 2013] and my intention is to see that through,” Brown said to Thomsen. “I love the city of Philadelphia. I enjoy and trust the people that I work with and for, and the opportunity that I have. I am grateful for the partnership. To be honest with you, I don’t feel comfortable talking about a contract. I just want to do my job.”
The Nets are close to a local TV rights deal with the YES Network that is expected to at least double the annual fee the team collects, as John Ourand and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal report (hat tip to NetsDaily). The would-be deal is poised to give the Nets an average of around $40MM a year starting in 2017/18, Ourand and Lombardo hear. Brooklyn has been receiving less on its local TV deal than any other New York or Los Angeles team, and it amounted to not much more than the Timberwolves get from theirs, a league source told NetsDaily, which notes that the arrangement is yet another part of the efforts the Nets have undertaken to become profitable.