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Pistons Notes: Williams, Cunningham, Wiseman, Gores, Rebuild

December 19th, 2023 at 7:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

When Monty Williams signed a six-year contract to coach the Pistons, he couldn’t have possibly known that a franchise seemingly ready to turn the corner would approach an NBA record for most consecutive losses. Williams admits that it’s the most difficult test in his coaching career.

“It’s tough to even put it into words. Even with this losing streak, I’m around town, taking my kids to games, I still get an unbelievably great deal of support,” Williams told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “And it means the world to me. But we’re not done. I know it seems bad right now, and it is. This thing will turn and I just have to have faith and belief. This is the toughest challenge I’ve had in my coaching career. But I felt that way when I got to Phoenix and that thing turned. This one has taken a bit longer, but we’ve had way more obstacles.”

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Despite the 24-game losing streak, franchise player Cade Cunningham has shown progress this season, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. Cunningham, who can sign a rookie scale extension next offseason, racked up a career-high 43 points and added seven assists and five rebounds with only three turnovers in Detroit’s loss at Atlanta on Monday. Over his last 10 games, Cunningham is averaging 22.0 PPG and 7.0 APG on 49% shooting and has cut back on his turnovers. Williams has also been impressed with Cunningham’s leadership. “Watching his leadership during which will probably be the toughest time in his career, I couldn’t be more proud of how he’s talked to the group, had a great spirit every single day,” Williams said.
James Wiseman‘s minutes have increased due to frontcourt injuries and he’s taking advantage, averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the last four games, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com notes. “It shows when you work and do the right things and you get the chance to play and you’re productive, you earn minutes,” Williams said. “There are times he looks like our best player on the floor on both ends and I’m happy for him.” Wiseman will be a restricted free agent after the season, if the Pistons extend a qualifying offer.
How much longer before owner Tom Gores declares the rebuild a failure and either pushes for a major trade or makes changes to the front office? Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) explores that topic.
The way this Pistons season has unfolded should be a cautionary tale to fans who are rooting for their teams to go into rebuild mode, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. The crux of the problem, Hollinger notes, is that the Pistons have made eight first-round draft picks since their reset in 2019 and have yet to land a star. Even Cunningham might be better off as a complementary player rather than a No. 1 option, according to Hollinger.

Cunningham: “Nowhere To Hide” From Losing Streak

December 17th, 2023 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There’s something worse than a 23-game losing streak, according to Cade Cunningham. He’d rather suffer through that ignominy than not play at all.

The Pistons are approaching the league’s all-time record for most consecutive losses in a single season. They’ve dropped a franchise-record 23 straight heading into their road game against the Hawks on Monday. The Cavaliers (2010-11) and Sixers (2013-14) each lost 26 in a row.

Detroit’s franchise player said it was even more miserable for him personally to sit in street clothes last season, he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press and other media members. Cunningham played just 12 games before undergoing shin surgery.

“Missing those games, I was in a way more dark spot than I am right now, playing and being able to do this,” he said. “I’m having a lot of fun. Losing the games is the worst thing ever, I hate it more than anything. But every day, in warmups, I’m like, ‘I’m blessed to do this. I have another opportunity to play and try to win.’ That’s where it comes from, is just being healthy and being able to play.”

The top overall pick in the 2021 draft is averaging 21.0 points and 7.0 assists per game, but he’s also third in the league in turnovers per night (4.0). He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension after this season.

It seems likely Cunningham will receive a max extension, despite the Pistons’ misery. The concern right now is avoiding make NBA history. They haven’t even been competitive in recent games, losing by 32 points three separate times in their last five games and by 18 in another.

The team came into the season expecting to show significant improvement. Instead, the rebuild seems to be a colossal failure.

“We all hate where it’s gotten,” Cunningham said. “We can’t believe that it’s gotten to this point. But it is what it is. We gotta fight through it. That’s one of the main things that I’ve been trying to challenge myself with, is fight through it every day, through bumps, bruises.”

Injuries have played a major role in the streak. The Pistons are currently without starting center Jalen Duren, while Bojan Bogdanovic is still working his way into a rhythm after missing the first 19 games of the season.

Cunningham doesn’t run away from his own responsibility for being unable to carry the team to a victory.

“For everybody, we just need all hands on board,” he said. “I’ve been trying to personally take that on and just weather the storm. It’s hard, but I don’t want to hide from it. There’s nowhere to hide.”

Central Notes: Bogdanovic, Cunningham, Dosunmu, LaVine, Caruso

December 4th, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bojan Bogdanovic is likely to soon regain his starting role with the Pistons, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Bogdanovic, who could be a prime target at the trade deadline, made his season debut on Saturday after recovering from a calf strain and scored a team-high 22 points off the bench.

Pistons head coach Monty Williams said that when the team isn’t playing against two “bruisers” in the opposing lineup, it’s likely Bogdanovic will start at power forward when he gets in a rhythm. Against those bigger teams, Bogdanovic would start at small forward with Isaiah Stewart at power forward.

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Even in the midst of the Pistons’ franchise-record 17-game losing streak, Cade Cunningham is showing an improved 3-point stroke, according to Edwards. Cunningham has made 35% of his attempts, compared to 31.4% during his rookie season. He has also converted at least half of his 3-point tries in five of the last seven games. “It was more of a legs thing for me,” Cunningham said of his rookie struggles. “I was playing a lot of minutes, a lot of minutes that I had never played in an NBA season before and had to adjust to stepping back to the NBA 3-point line.”
With Zach LaVine sidelined due to a right foot ailment, Ayo Dosunmu has seen a minutes bump and he’s seized the opportunity, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago notes. The Bulls have won two straight with Dosunmu averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 36.0 minutes per game while shooting 70.6%. “I think you can see a different player right now than maybe he was a year ago,” coach Billy Donovan said. Dosunmu re-signed with Chicago on a three-year, $21MM deal this offseason.
Speaking of LaVine, Donovan said on Monday the high-scoring wing “a lot better today than he was when he was first diagnosed.” LaVine is rehabbing and doing some individual on-court work. As for Alex Caruso, Donovan said “there’s nothing structurally wrong” with the left toe Caruso injured against New Orleans on Saturday, according to Johnson (Twitter links).

Pistons Notes: Weaver, Gores, Lineup Change, Bogdanovic

December 3rd, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons dropped their 17th straight game Saturday to fall to 2-18, but the organization is still emphasizing patience instead of panic, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. Sources tell Sankofa that ownership is unlikely to make major front office changes with so much of the season remaining, which means general manager Troy Weaver will have more time to fix the current mess.

Still, Sankofa cites concern throughout the franchise as no one expected this season to start so badly. Coming off the worst three-year stretch in team history, the Pistons thought they were ready to take a step toward contention. Instead, they have the worst record in the league and are just 4-41 since February 12.

Sankofa traces everything that has gone wrong in Detroit, including management’s decision to be conservative with its offseason cap space while counting on the development of young players to make the team better. The Pistons traded for Monte Morris, who was supposed to bring veteran leadership to the backcourt, but he hasn’t played yet and may be sidelined through January with a quad strain. Joe Harris was acquired to add shooting, but injuries have limited him to seven games and he’s connecting at just 36% from the field.

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There’s nothing to be gained by firing Weaver now, but owner Tom Gores will have no choice if things don’t improve over the rest of the season, contends Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press. Windsor argues that Weaver hasn’t done anything in his three-plus years with the organization to justify letting him run another draft or oversee the considerable money the Pistons will have to chase free agents next summer.
Coach Monty Williams made a lineup change Saturday night, using guards Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes as starters, per Mike Curtis of The Detroit News. Williams explained that the move was made partially to match up with Cleveland’s small backcourt, but he likes the way his three guards have been performing together. Curtis notes that Cunningham played off the ball more frequently for the second straight game and showed better decision making with his shooting.
The Pistons got a much-needed addition Saturday night with the season debut of Bojan Bogdanovic, who had been sidelined with a strained right calf. Bogdanovic said he suffered the injury shortly before training camp and had another setback that kept him out longer than expected, tweets James L. Edwards of The Athletic.

Pistons Bench Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson

November 30th, 2023 at 10:29pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pistons made a pair of significant lineup changes before their 118-112 loss to the Knicks on Thursday night, benching Jaden Ivey and rookie Ausar Thompson and moving Killian Hayes and Isaiah Livers into their starting lineup. With their 16th straight loss, they became the first team to go winless for an entire month since the 2015 Sixers.

Coach Monty Williams making the decision to bench both Ivey and Thompson is significant. Ivey was a key starter for Detroit last season after being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, averaging 16.3 points in 73 starts last year.

However, his role has been much more suppressed this year under Williams. His efficiency is up (50.8% from the floor this year entering Thursday compared to 41.6% last season), but he’s only started in five of his 15 appearances and was down to 23.4 minutes per night (from 31.1) entering Thursday.

Ivey didn’t begin the year as a starter, with Hayes taking on that role before relenting it to Ivey over the past five games. Hayes, the No. 7 overall pick in 2020, was averaging 8.5 points and 4.4 assists per game entering Thursday but recorded 23 points on 76.9% shooting against New York.

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link), Williams said the decision to start Hayes over Ivey came down to him liking Hayes’ ability to allow Cade Cunningham to play off the ball more and he likes how the fourth-year guard can get the team organized.

As for Thompson, he was a full-time starter before his benching Thursday. This year’s No. 5 overall pick has been one of the most impressive rookies this season, averaging 11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks. Livers started in his place, recording six points and four rebounds.

Neither Thompson or Ivey played major roles off the bench on Thursday, with both logging just 13 minutes of game time, though Thompson had five fouls. That marks Ivey’s second-lowest minute total this season and Thompson’s lowest in his young career. Marcus Sasser finished with the most minutes off the bench, recording 17 points.

While losing their 16th straight game is obviously disappointing, the Pistons kept it close with the Knicks and seemed to find something with how they utilized Cunningham, tweets Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Cunningham finished with 31 points and eight assists. Mike Curtis of The Detroit News observes that the Pistons’ three-guard lineup of Cunningham, Ivey and Hayes helped kick-start a 13-0 run and when Ivey was subbed out, the Knicks hit back.

We’ll be watching Detroit to see what happens with the team’s young pieces moving forward. So far, their young core hasn’t meshed well and moves could be on the way if their losing ways continue. In the short term, Bojan Bogdanovic is expected back soon, which should help with the Pistons’ spacing issues (they ranked 29th in made threes entering Thursday).

Central Notes: Bulls, LaVine, Lakers, Cunningham, Cavs, Walker

November 20th, 2023 at 4:35pm CST by Rory Maher

While Zach LaVine has been mentioned in several rumors this fall after it was reported that both he and the Bulls are increasingly open to exploring a trade, the two-time All-Star isn’t one of the two players on Chicago’s roster that rival teams have shown the most interest in thus far, reports Marc Stein at Substack. Six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic aren’t on the list either.

All-Defensive guard Alex Caruso is the Bulls player opposing teams are most intrigued by, per Stein, followed by forward Patrick Williams.

As Stein writes, the Bulls haven’t made Caruso available, but he would have a “double-digit list of suitors” if that were to happen. As for Williams, who was the No. 4 overall pick in 2020, Stein says rivals still find him intriguing despite a very poor start to the season. Williams is set to hit restricted free agency in 2024.

In the same article, Stein says he’s heard the Lakers‘ rumored interest in LaVine is “best described (at most)” as to be determined. According to Stein, L.A. hopes that Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Gabe Vincent (knee) will provide a “meaningful boost” once they return from their respective injuries.

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As a former No. 1 overall pick who was the top recruit in his high school class, plenty of hype has followed Cade Cunningham. But advanced stats are extremely low on the third-year Pistons guard, according to Zach Kram of The Ringer, who writes that Cunningham has trouble scoring efficiently from all over the court. Kram takes an in-depth look at Cunningham’s game and his advanced metrics, suggesting that he might be more of a No. 2 offensive option on a good team rather than the No. 1 option he’s been made out to be.
The Cavaliers had perhaps their best win of the season on Sunday, defeating the defending-champion nuggets without Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) and Caris LeVert (knee). However, the victory didn’t answer the two biggest questions facing the franchise, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic: Has Cleveland has improved enough to advance past the first round of the playoffs? And is Mitchell “happy enough” to sign an extension next year to stay long term?
Jarace Walker, the No. 8 overall pick in June’s draft, has only played 41 total minutes over four games for the Pacers to this point, mostly in garbage time. Head coach Rick Carlisle has told the young forward to stay ready, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “This is what being a professional is all about,” Carlisle said. “He’s probably always played at every level he’s played at from middle school to high school to college, AAU, you name it, but given the present circumstance, you gotta be a pro and work at your craft and you gotta be ready. I talked to him two days ago and let him know. I said, ‘I don’t know when it’s gonna happen but your time is coming. That’s how it works in this league.'”

Cade Cunningham On Pistons: “We’re Bad,” Compete Level “Unacceptable”

November 20th, 2023 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

After winning two of their first three games to open the season, the Pistons have dropped 11 in a row. The 11th game of the losing streak was especially ugly, as the team surrendered a season-high 142 points in Toronto on Sunday and never held a lead in the 29-point defeat.

While head coach Monty Williams has said he’s encouraged by the progress his young team has made behind the scenes, point guard Cade Cunningham expressed displeasure with the Pistons’ effort level and said the club has to “be realistic” about its situation.

“It’s hard to just be like, ‘We’re good, we’re good,’ you know what I’m saying? Because we’re bad,” Cunningham said, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “We have to address that. We have to address what we’re not good at. Address it with not only our words but on the court, in the huddles.”

Williams isn’t wrong that the Pistons have been a little better than their record suggests. Entering Sunday’s action, the team sat dead last in the NBA’s standings, but only had the league’s seventh-worst net rating (-4.8) despite dealing with a handful of injuries to key players, including Bojan Bogdanovic, who has yet to play this season.

That net rating took a hit in Sunday’s blowout loss, however, and Cunningham suggested the team’s compete level in Toronto was “unacceptable.”

“We’re the youngest team in the league, scrapping and clawing for everything,” Cunningham said. “That should be the last thing that needs to be asked of us or talked about; how hard we’re competing. That should be a given. When we wake up in the morning, we should be like, ‘We got to get to the court.’ (Williams) shouldn’t have to ask (about our competitive level). That’s something me and (Isaiah Stewart) are also trying to stay vocal about. Everyone has to come with it.”

As Edwards writes, Cunningham’s comments may be a good thing for the club. The former No. 1 overall pick is the face of the franchise and a leader in the locker room, so if anyone is going to step up and try to jump-start a turnaround, it should be him. According to Edwards, Cunningham and Stewart have helped keep the locker room connected, so there’s no “turmoil and friction” to worry about.

It won’t be easy for the Pistons to end their losing streak on Monday though — on the second end of a back-to-back set, they’ll host the defending-champion Nuggets.

Pistons Notes: Knox, Starters, Duren, Livers, Williams

November 18th, 2023 at 8:52pm CST by Rory Maher

New head coach Monty Williams has placed a strong emphasis on defense for the young Pistons, which is part of the reason why they’ve been using a starting lineup that doesn’t feature much shooting.

However, as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) writes, the cramped offensive spacing has played a factor in the team’s issue with turning the ball over — the Pistons are last in the league in turnovers per game, and third-year guard Cade Cunningham leads the NBA in total turnovers (64 in 13 games, or 4.9 per night).

On Thursday, Williams said he was considering making changes to the rotation to surround Cunningham with more shooting.

“He’s seeing two and three bodies every single night,” Williams said of Cunningham, who was limited to 12 games last season due to a shin injury. “Making the read is something that can be really hard for point guards in general, but in particular for a guy who’s been off for a while. When you look at the film at halftime, he knows right away where he should’ve made the read, or at night when we talk, he’s already on it. It’s just going to take a lot of reps. I think it’s a combination of the time off, different defenses, the physicality. He’s got bigger guys and stronger guys on him every single night.

“I have to do a better job of allowing him to play in more space. Think I gotta change up the combinations with him on the floor so the paint isn’t as crowded. I think that’s going to free him up to see a lot more clearly, if you will.”

Williams did indeed switch up the starting lineup on Friday against Cleveland, with newly-signed Kevin Knox replacing Marvin Bagley in the frontcourt. Knox got the nod at power forward, sliding Isaiah Stewart up to center.

Knox continued his solid play, notching 11 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block in 31 minutes. But the change wasn’t enough for the Pistons to snap their losing streak, which was extended to 10 straight games, notes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News.

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A significant factor in Detroit’s poor spacing is the fact that the team has been ravaged by injuries to open 2023/24. Second-year center Jalen Duren doesn’t provide much shooting yet, but his rim-running and strong synergy with Cunningham have been sorely missed after he sustained an ankle injury that has hampered him since October 30, according to Curtis of The Detroit News (subscriber link). Duren has missed the past three games with bilateral ankle soreness.
On a more positive note, Isaiah Livers, who has missed the entire season to this point with a Grade III ankle sprain, is questionable for Sunday’s matchup with Toronto, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Livers was a full practice participant on Thursday. The former second-round pick will hit restricted free agency in 2024.
After winning two of their first three games, the Pistons are now 2-11, but Williams has been encouraged by the team’s progress behind the scenes, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “When we watch film, they see the things that we have taught that they know they can be better at,” he said. “I see the growth. I know it sounds crazy, but when I look at the numbers and I look at the film, I see the growth. My hope is with the work and the preparation, we’re going to see consistent play and the style and identity that we want to put on the floor every night.”

Central Notes: LaVine, Cunningham, Duren, Griffin, Cavaliers

November 1st, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Zach LaVine said he learned about the business of basketball early in his career and he’s not bothered to see his name being floated in trade rumors again, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. There has been speculation that the Sixers may target LaVine now that the James Harden trade is finalized, but LaVine said the Bulls‘ front office hasn’t given him any indication that he might be moved.

“I’ve been traded before,” LaVine said. “Trades are just part of the business and guys get shuffled around every year. I’ve been in trade talks since I’ve been here for some reason. I feel like I’ve held up my end of the bargain in my commitment to the Bulls, but there’s not a lot you can do with rumors and people putting your name in trade talks.”

LaVine admits being “blindsided” by the 2017 draft night deal that sent him from Minnesota to Chicago. He said the Timberwolves gave him no reason to believe that he might be traded prior to the draft, and he found out when he got a call from his agent. LaVine expressed confidence that the Bulls would communicate with him ahead of time if they’re thinking about moving him.

“I feel like I’m in a good situation now where, if anything were to happen, they would let me know,” he said. “I have good communication with them and my agent. But there’s been stars traded before, high-level guys, who didn’t know about it as well. You’ve just got to hope you have a good relationship — or at least you have a heads up for the family.”

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Cade Cunningham‘s shin injury limited him to 79 minutes of playing time with rookie center Jalen Duren last season, so the Pistons teammates spent the summer working out together, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. They developed chemistry while training in Texas, then moved on to the U.S. Select Team in Las Vegas, where they were both reportedly standouts in their games against the World Cup squad. “That was, really, like the introduction to me playing with him and us getting acquainted with each other’s game, me learning how to get him open and to his spots,” Duren said. “I feel like, honestly, it clicked early because of the IQs. I feel like I have a high IQ for the game and so does he.”
Tonight’s visit to Toronto is a homecoming for Adrian Griffin, who spent five seasons as an assistant with the Raptors before being hired as the Bucks‘ head coach, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. “It’s great to be back. A lot of fond memories here,” Griffin told reporters before the game. “We were a tight knit family. … We won a championship here. Just special times. It’s a little bit awkward being in the visitors’ locker room.”
Joe Vardon of The Athletic examines the reasons behind the Cavaliers‘ 1-3 start, including injuries to several rotation players, up-and-down shooting by free agent addition Max Strus and a lack of scoring from Evan Mobley.

Pistons Exercise 2024/25 Options On Cunningham, Ivey, Duren

November 1st, 2023 at 6:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons have picked up their rookie scale team options for 2024/25 on guard Cade Cunningham, guard Jaden Ivey, and center Jalen Duren, according to RealGM’s transaction log.

The cut-off point to exercise those options was the end of the day on Tuesday, so the Pistons officially picked them up before the deadline passed.

While the Pistons took the decisions down to the wire, there was never any doubt about which way they’d go. The three young players are cornerstones of the franchise’s rebuild and their rookie scale contracts are relatively modest investments. Cunningham’s $13,940,809 salary for the 2024/25 season is now guaranteed, as is Ivey’s $7,977,240 figure and Duren’s $4,536,840 cap charge.

Cunningham missed most of the 2022/23 season due to a leg injury but was a popular breakout candidate coming into this season. The former No. 1 overall pick has averaged 21.0 points and 7.5 assists in 33.8 minutes per game through his first four games, making 40.0% of his three-pointers. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

Ivey, who started 73 of 74 games as a rookie after being drafted fifth overall out of Purdue, is providing scoring punch off the bench for Detroit to begin his second season, averaging 12.3 PPG and 3.3 APG on .475/.438/.800 shooting in four games (20.3 MPG).

The No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Duren is off to an exceptional start in his second season, averaging 15.5 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 2.0 BPG in four starts (30.8 MPG), though he tweaked his ankle in Monday’s loss to Oklahoma City and is questionable for Thursday’s game vs. Portland. Despite being in his second season, the big man is one of the NBA’s youngest players — he’ll turn 20 later this month.

The Pistons will have until October 31, 2024 to exercise their fourth-year options for 2025/26 on Ivey and Duren.

Detroit was the last team whose rookie scale option decisions for ’24/25 were reported or announced. The full list of decisions can be found right here.