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The Detroit Pistons announced today that guard Darrun Hilliard underwent surgery to repair a broken nose suffered while playing pick-up basketball last week. The surgery was performed by Dr. Mike Rontal of Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI Campus. Hilliard will be fitted with a mask for the next three weeks and will continue all basketball-related activities.
Hilliard, 6-6, 205, was drafted 38th overall by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft from Villanova University.
Some Detroit Pistons players recently learned MMA techniques that they probably won’t be applying in actual basketball games. But some extra toughness and additional training information can’t hurt. Here’s Detroit Live reporting:
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The Pistons just wrapped a week of team bonding that saw most of Van Gundy’s youthful roster travel to the UFC training compound in Las Vegas, where they learned MMA techniques from Griffin, heavyweight Stefan Struve and strawweight women’s champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
“I love to do it, I’m excited to do it. I do get a little nervous,” Griffin told MMAJunkie.com. “That’s a very expensive knee going on there. The No. 1 job – my job – is to make sure these guys don’t get hurt.
“Do not get people hurt. Do not get million-dollar athletes hurt.”
From all accounts, the Pistons, who kick off training camp later this month, came away unscathed.
The Detroit Pistons are built around guards Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings, and center Andre Drummond. And maybe rookie Stanley Johnson, if he’s as good as he thinks he is. Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on Pistons ownership:
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores had a 51% stake in the team. Now he has a 100% stake.
Gores has bought the remaining 49% from his firm, Platinum Equity, according to firm partner Mark Barnhill.
Though this won’t change anything from a control standpoint – Gores, the founder, chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity, has had full control of the Pistons’ operation since becoming majority owner in 2011, Barnhill said in an email to the Free Press – this transaction gives Gores 100% of the equity, which is important for his long-term commitment to the franchise.
Gores also owns Palace Sports & Entertainment.
Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on the Pistons, who welcome a talented, confident rookie into their mix this upcoming season:
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The Pistons know Stan Van Gundy’s track record.
Second-year point guard Spencer Dinwiddie knew that his head coach hadn’t missed the playoffs until last year when the team finished out of the hunt.
They are young, confident and expect to not only just make the playoffs, but contend for NBA titles in the near future.
“We just don’t want to get in as the eighth-seed,’’ said rookie forward Stanley Johnson. “We’re trying to put our efforts forth to win a championship every year that we’re here. I think any guy that’s interested in winning would want to be here. I think we’re a team of substance instead of flash. As long as we’re doing our job every day I think our fans will come and we have to focus on basketball instead of selling tickets.’’
Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on the Pistons, who will soon reportedly get tougher and meaner:
A contingent of Detroit Pistons will travel to Las Vegas on Aug. 31, but it won’t be fun and games.
Members of the team are going to train with some UFC trainers. It’s a team bonding event put together by the players with Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond being the leaders.
Two weeks ago, some UFC fighters came to the team’s practice facility to cross train with the Pistons. Now the players are returning the favor, but will be working with the UFC trainers and coaches.
The players will be in Vegas for about a week.
Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t know who all would be attending, but he’ll be one of them.
It’s always fun to see the new version of an NBA arena after it’s been renovated. Even slight changes, if done well, can make a place seem new. Looking forward to the final result. Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting:
For those fans hoping that the Pistons eventually would move back to downtown Detroit: Forget about it.
Owner Tom Gores has put $40 million into renovations in the Palace over the past four years.
The current project is replacing all the seats in the Palace and refurbishing the floors, a project that will take three years to complete, according to Kevin A. Grigg, vice president of public relations for Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Pistons.
“This is the first phase of what’s going to be a three-year seating renovation inside the Palace,” Grigg said Wednesday. “The first stage that you see now will be completed per the start of the preseason. That involves from the lower-level suites all the way down to the floor. We’ll have new courtside seats and new seats going into the stands up to the first-level suites.”
Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on one of the keys to the Pistons’ future:
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Andre Drummond turns 22 next Monday.
The other important number for coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy is 50.
He’d like his big center to shoot 50% from the free throw line this upcoming season.
That might be a tall order for the 6-foot-11 man mountain, who has career averages of 12.1 points per game and 11.8 rebounds.
His rookie season Drummond shot 37.1% from the free throw line. In his second year he improved to 41.8%, however last year he took a step back at 38.9%. For his career he’s shooting just 39.7%.
Here’s Michigan Live reporting some very sad news about a Pistons rookie:
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Stanley Johnson’s No. 1 fan won’t be around to watch him make his NBA debut for the Detroit Pistons this fall.
Johnson’s mother, Karen Taylor, was a professional basketball player herself who played a major role in her son becoming the Pistons first-round pick (eighth overall) in this year’s NBA draft.
But Johnson will make his NBA debut with a heavy heart after confirming in a tweet that his mother has died.
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The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed guard/forward Adonis Thomas.
According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “Thomas, a D-League All-Star for the Detroit Pistons-affiliated Grand Rapids Drive last season, will sign a two-year partially guaranteed deal with the Pistons today, his agent, Travis King, told the Commercial Appeal. Thomas, who averaged 8.6 points and 4 rebounds for the Pistons’ summer league team this month in Orlando, is one of five players who will be vying for two spots on the Pistons’ opening-day roster.”
Thomas, 6-7, 240, spent last season with the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons’ NBA Development League affiliate, where he averaged a team-high 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assist and 36.0 minutes in 51 games. In two seasons in the D-League, Thomas averaged 18.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 85 games with Grand Rapids and the Springfield Armor. He’s seen action in six career NBA games with Orlando and Philadelphia during the 2013-14 season and averaged 2.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists.
A native of Memphis, TN., Thomas played collegiately at the University of Memphis and averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two seasons with the Tigers. As a sophomore, he averaged 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 36 games and was named to the 2013 All-Conference USA third team. Thomas was a member of the 2010 USA Basketball U17 gold medal World Championship Team and the 2009 USA U16 National Team that captured gold at the FIBA Americas championship.
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The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed first-round draft pick Stanley Johnson to a contract.
All players selected in the first round of the draft are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they wish to enter the league right away. Therefore, this is a standard signing and was expected.
Johnson, the eighth overall pick by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft, averaged a team-high 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 57.7% from the field at the recently concluded NBA Orlando Summer League.
A native of Los Angeles, Calif., the 6-foot-7 forward from the University of Arizona, averaged a team-high 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 28.4 minutes in 38 games. The 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year was the lone freshman named to the All-Pac-12 or NABC All-District 20 First team. He was also named to the Pac-12 Tournament All-Tournament Team and was one of five finalists for the inaugural Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Johnson led all freshmen in the Pac-12 in scoring (13.8 ppg), steals (1.5 spg), free throws made and free throw attempts and was one of just two freshmen in major college basketball conferences to average at least 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds (Jahlil Okafor). He scored in double-figures in 30 of 38 games and ranked second on the team in rebounds and steals.
Johnson has won three gold medals with Team USA, (2011 U-16, 2012 U-17, 2014 U-18 FIBA Americas Championships) earning MVP honors in the 2014 U-18 FIBA Americas Championships after averaging team-highs of 14.0 points and 2.2 steals. At Mater Dei High School, Johnson became the first player in California to win four-straight upper-division state titles. He participated in the 2014 Jordan Classic, the 2013 Under Armour Elite 24 Games and the 2013 Nike Global Games. Johnson was named a McDonalds All-American, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, a Parade All-American, was named to the USA Today All-USA first team and was one of three national finalists for the Naismith Trophy High Schools Player of the Year.