Chauncey Billups Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Rumors: Boozer, Billups, Pistons, Pacers

April 25th, 2014 at 2:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Central Division representatives in the playoffs are in a world of hurt, with the Pacers stunningly behind the sub-.500 Hawks in their series and the Bulls facing an 0-2 deficit and heading to Washington for their next two games. Here’s more from a division that’s seen better days:

Carlos Boozer‘s anger at Tom Thibodeau over a lack of fourth quarter playing time has intensified in the playoffs, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Still, it hasn’t become a problem in the locker room, Cowley writes, praising Thibodeau for deftly handling the situation and pointing to the coach’s comfort with the Bulls as another reason to suggest he won’t head elsewhere this summer.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com answers Chicago-centric questions in his latest mailbag column, and also suggests that Chauncey Billups undermined former Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks in an effort to curry favor with ownership. Billups has expressed interest in a front office role with the Pistons.
The schedules of many potential Pistons front office candidates make it a tough week for the team to make progress on its search for a GM, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis gets the sense that the Pistons aren’t too concerned with having someone in place in time for the draft and free agency.
Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard dismisses the notion that Frank Vogel‘s job is on the line in the playoffs, but Vogel should take the fall if the team goes out early and he doesn’t bench struggling center Roy Hibbert, opines Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.

Pistons Considering Griffin, Zarren, Vandeweghe

April 18th, 2014 at 5:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars’ announcement that he was “stepping aside”, the speculation as to who would take over his post began. The team intends to conduct a comprehensive search for their next GM, report Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today. According to the article, there are several names are on the Pistons’ radar.

The latest names to be mentioned in connection with Detroit are Cavaliers acting general manager David Griffin, Celtics assistant GM and team counsel Mike Zarren and NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Kiki Vandeweghe.

Other names connected with the search per the article, are Magic assistant GM Scott Perry, who is from Detroit and used to work for the team, Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk, and former Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo.

It was also reported earlier this week that Grant Hill, a former Pistons player who is now working for Turner Sports, is also a possibility for the post. The Pistons may also look into an arrangement similar to the one Doc Rivers has with the Clippers, the article notes. Rivers is both coach and senior vice president of basketball operations and works with vice president of basketball operations Gary Sacks on personnel decisions.

The other wild card here could be former Pistons great Isiah Thomas, who was reported to be openly campaigning for the job, despite the team shooting down those rumors. There has also been talk that the team may want to hire Chauncey Billups for the front-office, but the exact role hasn’t been revealed.

Currently Pistons director of basketball operations Ken Catanella and assistant GM David George are preparing for the draft and free agency. They report to ownership executives Phil Norment and Bob Wentworth, both of whom are partners is Gores’ private equity investment firm, Platinum Equity, write Zillgitt and Amick.

Dumars To Remain With Pistons As Adviser

April 13th, 2014 at 5:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Joe Dumars will remain with the Detroit Pistons in a lower capacity after he steps down as general manager, reports Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News (Twitter link). He will serve as an adviser while also being allowed to look for other opportunities according to the post. The 50-year-old Dumars has been with the Pistons as a player or executive since 1985. He took over the basketball operations back in 2000.

It is unsure at this point who Dumars would be advising. The Pistons had shot down rumors back in early March that Isiah Thomas would succeed his former backcourt mate as head of basketball operations for the team, but talk has persisted that Thomas is campaigning for that job. There has also been talk that the team may want to hire Chauncey Billups for the front-office, but the exact role hasn’t been revealed.

On Tuesday it was rumored that Dumars had told multiple people around the league that he intended to resign from his post. The parting between Dumars and the Pistons is no surprise, as rumors about his job security were circulating even before the team fired coach Maurice Cheeks in February.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Billups, Stoudemire

March 29th, 2014 at 8:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Isiah Thomas has been campaigning for a position with either the Pistons or the Cavaliers front offices, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Whether those overtures will bear fruit or not will have to wait to be seen, but both those teams really have their eye on another soon-to-be former Piston, Chauncey Billups, notes Windhorst. According to the article, Billups is likely headed towards retirement after knee surgery ended his season, and is the apple of both the Cavs’ and Pistons’ eye for a role in their respective franchise’s leadership. While there might be some interest in getting Billups to follow in Jason Kidd’s footsteps and go right from player to coach, Billups has been hinting openly for years he’d rather graduate to the front office at the end of his career, reports Windhorst.

Eastern Rumors: ‘Melo, Billups, Allen, Heat

March 20th, 2014 at 3:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony is full of optimism about what Phil Jackson can do for the Knicks, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com observes. ‘Melo is similarly enthusiastic about what he can learn from Jackson and is glad that the Zen Master wants him to stick around beyond this season.

“I was hoping that I would be part of the future plans,” Anthony said. “I never once said that I wanted to leave New York or anything like that. The only thing I said was I’m going to dabble and try the free agency out, that I was going to opt out and become a free agent. … I’m excited about the opportunity to hopefully work with Phil.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Chauncey Billups says he won’t necessarily retire at the end of the season, but teams have already gauged his interest in joining their front offices, Billups told reporters, including Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. It’s unclear if the Pistons are one of those clubs, but Billups said he’d consider them if they offered a position. The 37-year-old would like to become a basketball executive at some point, adds Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post, who notes that Billups and Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars are close.
Ray Allen, a free agent at season’s end, still has affection for Boston, and he’d like to see the Celtics retire his number, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
The Heat have assigned Justin Hamilton to the D-League, the team announced. The center will play in two games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and return to the Heat after Saturday’s contest, according to Miami’s release.

Central Notes: Irving, Billups, Bucks

February 25th, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kyrie Irving denies that he wants out of Cleveland, but those close to him have long made it known that he’d like to play elsewhere, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Some members of the Cavs organization aren’t sure that he’s deserving of a maximum-salary contract, though it’s likely that Cleveland will seek to extend Irving this summer and make him its Designated Player, Windhorst writes. The starting salary in such a deal would have to be for the max. Irving may prefer to sign a shorter deal that gives him the ability to opt out and hit unrestricted free agency more quickly, as Windhorst examines in a piece that looks forward to what promises to be one of the offseason’s marquee story lines. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Chauncey Billups hopes to make it back from a torn left meniscus this season, but he acknowledges the injury may prompt him to retire, MLive’s David Mayo observes. The Pistons hold a team option worth $2.5MM for the final season of their contract with Billups next year.
Former Bucks swingman Junior Bridgeman is interested in buying a minority stake in the team, reports Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel, who adds that the Bucks are high on the idea, too. Owner Herb Kohl has been seeking investors willing to buy minority shares of the team. Bridgeman owns a share of the Kings that he would have to divest before buying into the Bucks.
Mike D’Antoni spoke to Pacers assistant coach Nate McMillan about a gig on the Lakers staff before he took his job with Indiana, as McMillan tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Free Agency Notes: Hayward, Billups, Parker

December 27th, 2013 at 12:34pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

Although a report came out this morning that Mike Woodson’s job is currently safe it hasn’t stopped anyone from speculating otherwise. Another person to come to Woodson’s defense is former University of Indiana teammate, and former Knicks head coach, Isiah Thomas. Thomas told Marc Berman of the New York Post that he expects Woodson to hold up well and succeed once he gets all his players back from injury.

A few notes regarding players who could join Woodson in looking for jobs soon.

Since Gordon Hayward and the Jazz were unable to reach an agreement on an extension this offseason, Hayward will be headed to restricted free agency next summer. Hayward expressed to Lang Greene of HoopsWorld that the Jazz remain his preferred option because he loves the way the franchise is headed. Of particular interest to Hayward is the Jazz’s core group of players, a bunch of young players whom he thinks will be successful in the near future. As Greene points out, the Jazz only have $27MM in guaranteed salaries next season which will allow them to be a competitor in free agency next summer.
David Mayo of MLive Media Group passed along in a Q&A session that he doesn’t think either the Pistons or Chauncey Billups will want Detroit to exercise their team option on Billups $2.5MM contract next year.
Although the Knicks have been promised no trades for the near future, their moves in free agency are still a major focal point of discussion around the league. One upcoming free agent that has been linked with the Knicks is the Spurs‘ Tony Parker. Dan McCarney broke down the likelihood of Parker signing with the Knicks in 2015. McCarney believes Parker’s past loyalty to the Spurs will continue through his next round of free agency and doesn’t imagine we will ever see Parker in any jersey other than San Antonio’s.

Eastern Notes: Lowry, Bobcats, Cavs, Woodson

December 19th, 2013 at 6:04pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Bulls are the only team from the East that will see any action on the hardwood tonight, but that doesn’t mean other clubs from around the conference aren’t making some noise off of the court. Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the Eastern Conference..

The Raptors aren’t urgently trying to move Kyle Lowry, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter). This report comes as a bit of a surprise since we heard yesterday that the club was working hard to move the veteran guard. It seems likely that Lowry will be moved before the trade deadline, but how soon remains unclear.
Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld examines the rosters of the Bobcats and Cavaliers and reveals who he thinks could be franchise players for each club.
The Knicks have won five out of their last ten games, but Marc Stein of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Mike Woodson is still on the hot seat and being evaluated on a “game-by-game basis” by upper management. Stein notes that if the Knicks had lost to the Bucks last night, it might have marked the end of Woodson’s tenure in New York.
Chauncey Billups has no desire to coach after his playing days, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes in his latest piece. He wouldn’t rule out the possibility of a front office gig, however.
The Bucks will not attempt to deal for Omer Asik, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. It’s not completely clear, but Woelfel might be talking about a trade in the long term since we’ve heard that Asik will remain in a Rockets uniform for the time being.
Danny Granger is returning to the Pacers’ lineup, but it’s a much different squad than the one he left, notes Candace Buckner of USA Today Sports. Buckner still sees Granger as a valuable asset to the team but suggests he will have a different role than the one he had before his injury.

Central Notes: Billups, Hollins, Antetokounmpo

November 2nd, 2013 at 2:09pm CST by Charlie Adams

This NBA offseason saw an unusual amount of head coaching turnover, notes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. Three of the record 13 new head coaches have found homes in the Central Division: Mike Brown for the Cavaliers, Larry Drew for the Bucks, and Maurice Cheeks for the Pistons. Here are some more notes from around the Central Division:

Tayshaun Prince says he was “shocked” when fellow former Pistons mainstay Chauncey Billups decided to return to Detroit this summer, but he applauds the team for a summer that was “a move in the right direction,” as MLive’s David Mayo observes.
Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said he spoke with Lionel Hollins about the former Grizzlies coach joining the Detroit staff as an assistant, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. The talks likely took place during the summer, as Hollins remains without a coaching gig.
Playing time might be limited for rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks would rather keep him in Milwaukee than send him on D-League assignment, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. The Bucks share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with six other NBA teams, so Antetokounmpo might get lost in the shuffle if sent down.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Billups, Bulls, Copeland

October 2nd, 2013 at 7:01pm CST by Michael Pina

A few notes from the Central Division.

In his first year back with the Pistons, Chauncey Billups says he wants to play with the ball in his hands most of the time he's on the court, despite the team already having point guard Brandon Jennings, writes FreeP.com's Vince Ellis.
Pacers head coach Frank Vogel announced today that he'll play incoming free agent Chris Copeland at the power forward spot "90% of the time," according to the Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner.
Bulls.com's Adam Fluck writes about the team's new starting backcourt of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, which should be one of the team's major strong points in the upcoming season.