Reggie Jackson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Blake, Motiejunas, McRae

March 11th, 2016 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy downplayed the idea of a Brandon Jennings trade in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but Steve Blake nonetheless readied himself for more playing time in case a Jennings trade happened or a deal that sent Blake himself to another team took place, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Of course, the Pistons traded Jennings to the Magic and kept soon-to-be free agent Blake, who’s glad he’s stuck around.

“I easily could have ended up somewhere else,” Blake said, according to Mayo. “I was praying it wouldn’t happen but I knew it could happen. I knew it was a possibility.”

Reggie Jackson is a fan of his backup, acknowledging that he seeks advice from Blake, a 13th-year veteran, as Mayo also relays. See more on the Pistons amid news from the Central Division.

The Pistons aren’t worried about the implications of a grievance that the union is reportedly giving strong consideration to filing in the wake of the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade, Van Gundy said, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Pistons want to cultivate a reputation as a player-friendly organization, but they don’t think the flap over the failed deal, which prompted some harsh words from Motiejunas, will hurt the team.
Jordan McRae‘s potential to develop was one of the reasons the Cavaliers signed the 58th overall pick from 2014 to a two-year deal this week, GM David Griffin told Sam Amico of Amico Hoops. The sides decided against a second 10-day contract to strike a long-term deal after only a single 10-day stint. “He has fit in well, understands his role and embraces the opportunity he has to improve,” Griffin said. “Jordan has a unique combination of length and scoring ability, and we are intrigued by his versatility and upside.”
The Bulls have fallen flat this season, but injuries have played a major role in that, and the team would be unwise to execute a major overhaul in the summer, argues Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Jimmy Butler is a legitimate centerpiece and Derrick Rose is probably better than anyone they could trade him for, so the Bulls should concentrate on marginal changes instead, using their rookie contracts and Taj Gibson as trade bait, Berger contends.

Nets Notes: Ferry, Cap Exception, Jackson

February 2nd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Danny Ferry is no longer a viable candidate for the Nets GM job, sources tell Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis previously heard that Ferry wasn’t “the likeliest candidate” not long after the former Hawks and Cavs GM emerged as a contender, in spite of his support from former GM Billy King. The candidacy of John Calipari is on the wane, Lewis also hears, which jibes with earlier reports from Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that Calipari wasn’t under serious consideration and from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who wrote that owner Mikhail Prokhorov hadn’t shown a willingness to pay the $120MM over 10 years that Calipari reportedly wants. See more from Brooklyn:

It appears the NBA granted Brooklyn’s request for a disabled player exception to compensate for the loss of Jarrett Jack, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports indicates within a look at the team’s situation heading into the February 18th trade deadline. That would give the team a $3.15MM cap exception to sign, trade for or claim a player whose contract doesn’t run past this season.
The Nets felt as though the Thunder “bamboozled” them last year when negotiations on a trade involving Brook Lopez and Reggie Jackson fell apart in the final hour before the deadline, writes Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said Monday that he thought his team had no chance to trade for Jackson two weeks before the deadline-day swap that sent the point guard to Detroit, as Mazzeo relays.
Restricted free agents are more likely than longer-tenured unrestricted free agents to look for a team that will give them minutes and opportunities rather than a strong chance to win, arguest Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM, who suggests five soon-to-be restricted free agents the Nets should consider this summer.

Central Rumors: Portis, Love, Jackson

January 19th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie power forward Bobby Portis will be the biggest beneficiary of Joakim Noah‘s shoulder injury that will likely cost him the season, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed to the media, including Hoops Rumors. Noah will be sidelined up to six months after undergoing surgery for his dislocated left shoulder. Portis will become a rotation regular in his absence. Power forwards Cameron Bairstow and Cristiano Felicio will also receive more playing time. “It’s a great opportunity for some other guys,” Hoiberg said. “Bobby, his minutes were a little inconsistent after that stretch where he played when Jo was sitting out [with a previous shoulder sprain]. He knows now he’s going to play extended minutes pretty much every night. And other guys are going to have to step up. Cam and Cris are going to have to be ready to go out there and give us some minutes.” The Bulls are 9-2 in games Noah has missed but Hoiberg brushes aside that statistic. “I don’t think you’ll find one guy in that locker room that would say we’re a better team with Jo not in the lineup,” he said. “He does a lot of things that don’t show up in the box score. He’s a guy we’ll absolutely miss the rest of the season.”

In other news around the Central Division:

Finding a way for power forward Kevin Love and point guard Kyrie Irving to coexist is paramount for the Cavs to have any hope of winning the NBA title this season, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com opines. Love’s stats have declined since Irving returned from the knee injury that kept him out until late last month. Love was averaging 17.6 points on 43% shooting without Irving this season, compared to 13.4 points on 37% shooting with Irving back in action. Cavs players reportedly wouldn’t mind a trade for Suns power forward Markieff Morris, though the front office doesn’t share their enthusiasm. The Cavs could try to go small more often with Love at center and deal Timofey Mozgov, who has seen his playing time decline dramatically, but making major roster moves could also backfire, Berger adds.
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson is frustrated by the team’s inability to put together a winning streak, as he told the media, including Hoops Rumors. Detroit handed the Warriors their fourth loss of the season on Saturday, then had a low-energy performance while losing to the Bulls Monday. “We’re a consistently inconsistent team,” Jackson said. “We’ve shown we play well at times. We play to the level of our opponent quite a bit. We’ve shown the world that we have flashes of being a good team and then we show flashes of being not so good.”
Shooting guard Dionte Christmas, who spent training camp with the Cavs this fall, will have his contract with AEK Athens guaranteed for the season, international journalist David Pick tweets. Christmas previously signed a one-month deal with the Greek team, Pick adds. Christmas, who was waived after playing four preseason games with Cleveland, signed with Israel’s Hapoel Holon in December and then was released from that contract to play in Europe.

Eastern Notes: Raptors, Casey, Noah, Pistons

January 13th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri can’t envision the team using all of the four of the first-round picks ticketed to come the team’s way in the next two years, as he told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, essentially confirming an earlier report from Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that the team doesn’t plan to add four rookies.

“We already have so many young players,” Ujiri said to Lowe. “And those extra picks over the next two years — we can’t use all those picks. So [a trade] is always something you’re looking at.”

Still, most signs point to the Raptors standing pat for now, with Ujiri believing that increased parity will reduce the volume of swaps, Lowe writes. See more on the Raptors amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are advocates for Dwane Casey‘s continued presence as Raptors coach, Lowe notes in the same piece. Toronto has a team option for next season on Casey’s contract.
Joakim Noah has returned from his shoulder injury, but he isn’t playing much, and he remains displeased with where he stands in the eyes of the Bulls, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, adding that the center isn’t enamored with coach Fred Hoiberg. The source cautioned that Noah hasn’t been a distraction. The Bulls have reportedly made Noah available for a trade, and I examined his trade candidacy last month.
Reggie Jackson is entrenched as the starter, Brandon Jennings and Steve Blake are on expiring contracts and Spencer Dinwiddie appears poised to stay on D-League assignment for the long haul, but Stan Van Gundy is once more casting doubt on the idea of trading a point guard, notes MLive’s David Mayo. “I think there’s a very good chance that we don’t move any of those guys before the trade deadline,” Van Gundy said. The Pistons coach/executive added that the team still has hopes for Dinwiddie, who said GM Jeff Bower told him he’ll be in the D-League for the rest of the season, but Dinwiddie has to show he’s “better than just being a roster guy,” Van Gundy said, as Mayo relays.

And-Ones: Jackson, D-League, Draft

January 3rd, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Will Joseph

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson has developed leadership qualities both on and off the court this season and has responded well to the pressures of living up to the five-year, $80MM deal he signed in July, Rod Beard of the Detroit News details. With Jackson growing from a maturity standpoint as well as playing at a high level on a consistent basis, it can be argued that Jackson is very much worth the money for the Pistons, Beard surmises.

“We said at the time — and people were criticizing us — that we thought down the road that deal would look like a bargain,” Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “When you look at [Jackson], his numbers say he’s in the top seven or eight point guards in the league and you’d have to say that’s true.”

Here’s more news from around the basketball world:

The Clippers assigned rookie Branden Dawson to the D-League, as the team announced in an emailed press release and as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register relays (on Twitter). Dawson will join the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons’ affiliate, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule. The Clippers don’t have their own affiliate.
The Hawks recalled Tim Hardaway Jr. from the D-League, Atlanta announced in an emailed press release. Hardaway returns after his second stint in the D-League this season.
The Mavs announced that they recalled rookie center Salah Mejri from their D-League affiliate. Mejri has appeared in five games for Dallas.
LSU’s Ben Simmons still projects as the top pick in this year’s draft, but Duke’s Brandon Ingram reminds Chris Mannix of SI.com of a less developed version of Kevin Durant (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Jackson, Jennings, Cavs

December 30th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Will Joseph

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson opened up on why he turned down the Thunder’s four-year, $48MM extension offer last year, telling Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (link to Podcast) that he was unhappy with his role on the team and wanted to start (the interview was transcribed by Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman here). Jackson made it clear before last season that he wanted to start at point guard and after his agent, Aaron Mintz, requested that the Thunder make a trade, the Pistons acquired Jackson in February. Jackson also said he was not surprised by the critical reactions to the five-year, $80MM deal he inked with the Pistons in July, but he didn’t pay much attention to them.

“I knew it was going to wow some people,” Jackson said. “Definitely it was going to wow the general population of the world. I had an idea it was going to be an eye-opener.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Speaking of the Pistons, Marc Berman of the New York Post speculates that Detroit point guard Brandon Jennings would be a good fit for the Knicks. Jennings played against the Knicks Tuesday night in his season debut. His name comes up in trade speculation because he is set to be a free agent this summer and the Pistons are already financially committed to Jackson. Backup Steve Blake has played well, too, as Berman points out. “I’m not really worried about contracts,’’ Jennings said. “I’m just worried about getting into the flow of basketball. My first game back, hopefully I’ll be blessed to play rest of season with no injuries.’’
LeBron James made headlines when he said Kevin Love was the “focal point” of the Cavs coming into the season, but now the reality is setting in that Love has been inconsistent and as long as James is in his prime, he’ll always be the main point of the offense, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Love, however, should be able to understand now, in his second year with the Cavs, that James has his support, Haynes adds.
After recovering from his broken leg, Paul George is producing perhaps his best season and that is something the Pacers star intended on doing, Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports relays. “I really came into this season wanting to be here, wanting to be on top of the league now,” George told Lee. “I didn’t see it no other way.”

Central Notes: Pachulia, Jackson, Butler

December 29th, 2015 at 4:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zaza Pachulia had mixed feelings when the Bucks dealt him to the Mavericks during the offseason but he wound up in a better situation, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. Pachulia has thrived with his new club, while Milwaukee has floundered without his leadership on and off the court, Gardner continues. “I really was sad to leave all that we were doing last year,” Pachulia told Gardner. “I had such a great relationship with these guys and the coaching staff. … I remember how sad they [Bucks players] were when they heard I got traded. I was making the game easier for them. So I was thinking I was doing something right.” Pachulia would have backed up the Bucks’ prized free agent, Greg Monroe, at center but has emerged as a starter with Dallas, averaging a double-double, Gardner adds.

In other news around the Central Division:

Point guard Reggie Jackson came to the Pistons during the trade deadline last season with questions about his character after complaining about his role with the Thunder. That didn’t give Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy any concerns when he made the deal. “You look at Reggie’s situation, there was really nothing bad there,” Van Gundy told the assembled media last week, including Hoops Rumors. “He was a guy that was looking for an opportunity to play more and he was sort of villifed for that. I guess people wanted him to be happy being a backup his entire career.”
Jimmy Butler has put himself in a sticky situation by trying to become the Bulls’ leader with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah still in the locker room, Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com opines. Butler’s power play shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a problem but it remains to be seen how he handles being the team’s best player, Feldman adds. Feldman was commenting on an assertion by ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell during a podcast with Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post that Butler has “really rubbed some people the wrong way ” with his recent actions and that Butler has not earned the trust of his teammates to be their leader.
The Bucks’ interest in veteran small forward Caron Butler is now “on hold,” Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Kings had promised to try and trade Butler, who played 78 games for the Pistons last season but has appeared in just nine with Sacramento.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Lin, Butler, Sixers

December 10th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Reggie Jackson is starting to quiet those who doubted he was worth the five-year, $80MM deal he inked with the Pistons this past offseason, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “He’s a guy who can really turn the corner and get in the paint,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said of Jackson. “It’s tough to keep him away from the rim without committing two guys to him, and that opens up people. When he’s driving and attacking and finding people, I mean, we can get good shots pretty much at will. … When he’s really aggressive and decisive and just goes, he’s a [expletive] good player.”

For his part, Jackson believes that the Pistons should be playing better as a team than they have been, and he expects improvement in the near future, Kennedy adds. “We have a lot of new players on the team, so we are still trying to figure it out,” Jackson said. “We should be ahead of where we are right now, but we have our ups and downs. We are taking our bumps and bruises and trying to move along with this season.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Sixers have strongly denied a recent report by Forbes Magazine that asserted that co-managing partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer want to sell the franchise, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “Those are inaccurate and not true,” Sixers spokeman Mike Preston said. “Josh has said in early October that he intends to be involved in the Sixers for many, many years to come. That has not changed.“
Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin is enjoying the low-key nature of playing in Charlotte, and he’s glad he no longer has to try and live up to the hype of “Linsanity,” something he was unable to do with the Rockets and the Lakers, Adi Joseph of The Sporting News writes. “They were just expecting me to do what I did in New York, which — it’s just not possible if you don’t have the ball in your hands,” Lin said regarding his time in Houston and Los Angeles.
The Bulls are now Jimmy Butler‘s team, with former leaders Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah reduced to secondary roles, something that all three players are still getting used to, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post writes. “I mean, we’re still adjusting,” Rose said. “There’s still a process here of just having a new system, having a new defensive system, having new strategies and all that. It’s just trying to figure things out, and it’s nothing to worry about, to tell you the truth. I think we’re going to be fine.”

Central Rumors: Jackson, Bucks, Bulls

November 29th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Will Joseph

It’s still too early to declare a winner in the three-way trade that sent Reggie Jackson from the Thunder to the Pistons, but Detroit certainty should not be called the loser in the deal, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. There was a lot of verbal jabbing from some Thunder players (most notably by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant) regarding Jackson’s return to Oklahoma City for a game Friday. Yet Jackson, as Ellis points out, is averaging 18.2 points, eight assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the 43 games he has played since joining the Pistons (heading into action Sunday). The Pistons re-signed Jackson to a five-year, $80MM contract in the offseason.

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Jackson heard a lot of boos from the crowd as the visiting Pistons lost to the Thunder, the team Jackson spent his first three seasons with, on Friday, but he anticipated that reaction, David Mayo of MLive.com relays. “I kind of love to be hated. It’s flattering,” Jackson said. “I think it’s the greatest kind of love. It’s love and spite at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything to build some memories here, so obviously, if they booed me, that means I did something special.”
The Bucks‘ slow start can partly be attributed to their drop in defensive efficiency this season compared to last season after Milwaukee signed Greg Monroe and traded center Zaza Pachulia, Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com details. Monroe, as Smith notes, is a talented offensive player, but Pachulia is a rugged defender and is adept at switching on pick-and-rolls — which is something the Bucks appear to be missing, Smith adds.
Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy Jr., who underwent back surgery in September after re-signing with Chicago during the summer, will visit a doctor on Monday after experiencing soreness, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune relays. “We should have a better update after that,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. Dunleavy had been increasing his individual workouts without incident as recently as last week, according to Johnson.

Central Notes: Jackson, Thompson, George

November 28th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson‘s departure from Oklahoma City last season wasn’t a clean break-up, and his former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were candid in expressing their displeasure with Jackson taking his desire to depart the Thunder public, Royce Young of ESPN.com recounts. After Friday night’s victory over Detroit, Durant made some interesting comments regarding Jackson’s standing on the Pistons, Young notes. When asked about the job the Thunder did guarding center Andre Drummond, Durant said, “Steven Adams did a great job on their best player, and Andre Roberson did a great job on their second-best player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Russ did his job.”

Jackson, who was booed mightily by the Oklahoma City crowd, responded by saying, “I love to be hated. It’s flattering, the greatest honor of them all. It’s love and spite all at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything and build some memories here,” the ESPN scribe relays.

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

Cavs big man Tristan Thompson, a native Canadian, was rumored to be a target of the Raptors if he was unable to agree to a long-term deal with Cleveland over the summer, but the power forward says that he didn’t consider the possibility of joining Toronto during his contract impasse, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “I never thought about it,” Thompson said. “My whole thing was to focus on getting better and whenever my situation was handled, my business was handled, that’s when I was going to get back on the court. Whenever it was, so be it. I’m glad it’s here in Cleveland.” Lloyd also noted that Thompson doesn’t appear to be overly motivated to play for a Canadian-based team, with Thompson adding, “As a kid I always watched the Raptors growing up and was a fan of the Raptors. When we were in the playoffs our first couple years I definitely cheered them on … But I’m a Cleveland guy and that’s where my heart’s at.”
Derrick Rose, who knows a thing or two about recovering from a serious injury, is amazed at Pacers swingman Paul George‘s return to an All-Star level this season, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “It’s been great,” Rose said of watching George. “If anything, it gives kids, it gives people that are going through the same situation hope because who would have known that he would have come back this way? Seems like he’s a better player. He’s understanding the game a little bit more, he’s putting the team on his back in situations where he doesn’t let them go and be down big, so he’s taking the right shots. I think it’s helping him grow as a basketball player.“