Category: Detroit Pistons Blog

The Detroit Pistons have exercised team options on Stanley Johnson and Henry Ellenson for the 2018-19 season.

Johnson, a third-year forward, was drafted eighth overall by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft. He has averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 20.4 minutes in 150 career games (seven starts).

Ellenson, a second-year forward, was drafted 18th overall by the Pistons in the 2016 NBA Draft and averaged 3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds 0.4 assists and 7.7 minutes in 19 games (two starts) during his rookie campaign.

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has waived guard Beno Udrih.

Udrih did not appear in any games with the Pistons this preseason. The 13-year NBA veteran averaged 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 14.4 minutes in 39 games with Detroit last season.

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Beno Udrih, forward Derek Willis and center Landry Nnoko to training camp contracts.

Udrih, 6-4, 205, averaged 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 39 games with the Pistons last season. The 13-year NBA veteran has averaged 8.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 21.9 minutes in 831 career NBA games (272 starts) with San Antonio, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Orlando, Memphis, New York, Miami and Detroit.

Willis, 6-9, 211, played four seasons at the University of Kentucky and averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 103 career games. Last season, he averaged 7.0 points and career-high 5.4 rebounds in a career-high 38 games as a senior.

Nnoko, 6-10, 255, played professionally overseas last season with VL Peasaro of the Italian League and averaged 6.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 30 games (24 starts). Nnoko played four years at Clemson University (2012-2016) and averaged 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 128 collegiate games.

The Detroit Pistons have signed guard Dwight Buycks to a two-way contract.

Buycks, 6-3, 190, averaged 25-plus points in each of the last two seasons with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association. In 20 career NBA games with the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, Buycks has averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

A native of Milwaukee, WI, Buycks played collegiately at Marquette University his junior and senior seasons and averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 68 games.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have two Two-Way players on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. Two-Way players for the Pistons will provide services primarily for the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s G League affiliate, but can spend up to 45 days with the Pistons, not including any time prior to the start of the Drive’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Here’s Michigan Live reporting on the end of an era in the greater Detroit area:

The Palace of Auburn Hills is officially closing for business.

Palace Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) confirmed on Thursday, Aug. 24, that Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band’s sold-out concert will mark the final event on Sept. 23 at the former home to the Detroit Pistons.

Speculation has been flowing for months about the closure of the major sports and concert venue, and a potential transformation into a mixed-use development after the Pistons officially announced their move to the nearly complete Little Caesars Arena in Downtown Detroit.

The Detroit Pistons will make their downtown Detroit debut and open the 2017-18 NBA Season at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, October 18 (7:00 p.m. EST) against the Charlotte Hornets.

The sparkling new state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena features a dramatic arena bowl with close proximity to the action, great sight lines, a 5,100 square-foot overhead scoreboard with seamless display and some of the most advanced technology and fan amenities in the NBA.

Highlights of the Pistons’ home schedule include two appearances by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and the Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers (November 20 and January 30) and two visits from Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward and the Eastern Conference finalists, the Boston Celtics (December 10 and February 23). The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors featuring Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Michigan-native Draymond Green visit December 8, all-star point guard Chris Paul, MVP runner-up James Harden and the Houston Rockets come to Little Caesars Arena on January 6 and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, all-star forward Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder visit January 27.

Other intriguing Eastern Conference home contests include two meetings with John Wall, Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards (January 19 and March 29), who pushed Boston to seven games in last year’s Eastern Conference Semi-finals. Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors visit Little Caesars Arena on March 7 and April 9 while NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks make stops in Detroit on November 3 and February 28. Joel Embiid, 2017 first overall pick Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers appear on October 23 and April 4.

Enticing Western Conference home matchups include meetings with Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs on December 30 and Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and the re-vamped Minnesota Timberwolves on October 25. Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and the Portland Trail Blazers make their lone stop to the Motor City on February 5 and rookie guard Lonzo Ball and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers come to Detroit on March 26.

The Pistons begin the first of two five-plus game home stands with match-ups vs. Milwaukee (November 3), Sacramento (November 4), Indiana (November 8), Atlanta (November 10) and Miami (November 12). Detroit then hits the road for five of their next six games: at Milwaukee (November 15), at Indiana (November 17), at Minnesota (November 19), vs. Cleveland (November 20), at Oklahoma City (November 24) and at Boston (November 27). From January 30 to February 28, the Pistons enjoy 10-of-13 games at home including a season-high six-game home stretch with games against Cleveland (January 30), Memphis (February 1), Miami (February 3), Portland (February 5), Brooklyn (February 7) and L.A. Clippers (February 9). Detroit embarks on their longest road trip, a six-game stint, with meetings at Utah (March 13), at Denver (March 15), at Portland (March 17), at Sacramento (March 19), at Phoenix (March 20) and at Houston (March 22).

Detroit will make eight appearances on national television with three on ESPN, one on TNT and four games on NBATV. ESPN’s broadcasts include games vs. Golden State on Friday, December 6 (7:00 p.m. EST), vs. Washington on Friday, January 19 (8:00 p.m. EST) and vs. Toronto on Wednesday, March 7 (8:00 p.m. EST). TNT’s broadcast will be on Tuesday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m. EST against Central Division rival Cleveland Cavaliers. NBATV will broadcast Pistons games at L.A. Lakers on Tuesday, October 31 (10:30 p.m. EST), Monday, January 15 vs. Charlotte (12:30 p.m. EST), Monday, March 5 at Cleveland (7:00 p.m. EST) and Sunday, April 8 at Memphis (2:30 p.m. EST). The club’s local television schedule on Fox Sports Detroit will be announced at a later date. All games will be broadcasted on radio at 97.1 FM The Ticket or WWJ NewsRadio 950.

The Pistons’ schedule features 14 sets of back-to-back games this season. Four of the team’s back-to-back sets begin on the road and end at home, eight back-to-backs are on the road, one begin at home and conclude on the road and one back-to-back is at home.