Category: Detroit Pistons Blog

The Detroit Pistons are off to a very disappointing 3-12 start this season, and have lost six games in a row. Their leading scorer is their point guard, Brandon Jennings, at 16.0 ppg. He’s followed by Greg Monroe at 14.5 ppg, Josh Smith at 12.9 ppg (on 38% shooting), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at 11.3 ppg (on 36% shooting). Here’s Michigan Live reporting:

The positives were everywhere for the Detroit Pistons to see, except where it counts on the scoreboard, and that’s where Stan Van Gundy’s frustration was piqued.

The last several days have been a visible downward skid for the Pistons coach’s outward demeanor.

Brief answers, eyes cast downward, struggling to resolve his teachings with the lack of on-court production, have become Van Gundy’s personal public default mode.

The Pistons lost 104-98 Wednesday to the Los Angeles Clippers and Van Gundy, who was accustomed to high-level success in his previous coaching stops, was at a loss in trying to come to grips with a sixth consecutive loss and ninth in 10 games.

“I’ve not been at this point before,” Van Gundy said. “So yeah, it’s hard.”

Pistons center Andre Drummond dealing with foul issues

The Detroit Pistons are off to a 3-7 start this season, including a 1-5 road record. Their scoring mostly comes from forward Greg Monroe (16.8 ppg on 51.4% shooting) and guard Brandon Jennings (16.2 ppg on 45.1% shooting). Center Andre Drummond gets rebounds (11.2 rpg) and blocks (1.6 bpg), but offensively needs improvement, and he also has to work on fouls. Specifically, not committing them. Here’s Michigan Live reporting:

Josh Smith was the one primarily stuck with the futile task of containing Zach Randolph’s rebounding, but that wasn’t really the problem in the Detroit Pistons’ 95-88 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Andre Drummond’s continuing foul issues rose up again, and what seemed like an early-season nuisance has turned into a more significant concern as the Pistons’ center was limited to 20 minutes by five fouls.

Drummond had two first-quarter fouls for the ninth time in 10 games, and against the powerhouse Grizzlies front line, his absence threw the rotations askew. Greg Monroe had to shift to center, primarily against Marc Gasol, and Smith was charged with containing Randolph.

Gasol and Randolph combined for 40 points and 30 rebounds — Randolph alone had 13 offensive rebounds — and the Pistons were hard-pressed to stop them with one of the NBA’s premier rebounders foul-addled again.

The Detroit Pistons announced today that MRI results on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s left knee showed no structural damage. The injury has been re-classified as a left knee strain. Caldwell-Pope will miss this week’s preseason games at Charlotte, Orlando and Atlanta and will be re-evaluated upon the club’s return to Detroit next week.

Caldwell-Pope suffered the injury during the third quarter of yesterday’s 91-89 preseason loss at Washington.

Construction of a new arena and entertainment complex for the Detroit Red Wings hockey team has ramped up that criticism but the Pistons own The Palace of Auburn Hills and have invested heavily in upgrades.

Van Gundy said “we want these people and need these people,” even though many surely were among the vocal group hoping the Pistons return to Detroit someday.

“I understand,” Van Gundy said, “but again, we’re playing in a state-of-the-art facility up there that Tom (Gores, Pistons owner) has put a lot of money into, as you guys know, and a lot of effort to make sure it stays one of the absolute elite facilities in the league. Fans coming up there have a great, great experience, so that arena has served us well and will serve us well.”

— Michigan Live

Here’s Michigan Live reporting on the Detroit Pistons:

Jonas Jerebko has been hoping for a fresh start with the Detroit Pistons for three years now.

This season, he might finally get it.

Jerebko is optimistic things will be different for him under new head coach Stan Van Gundy, who so far has liked what he’s seen from the 6-foot-10 forward and employs the type of system that seems well-suited to the Pistons’ second-round pick (39th overall) in the 2009 draft.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Jerebko said of his first four seasons in Detroit. “Every year has been a new situation for me. I just feel very comfortable with (Van Gundy’s) way of playing basketball and his way of wanting to play basketball.

Here’s the Detroit News reporting on Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings:

Brandon Jennings emerged from the informal workouts at The Palace practice facility, looking somewhat similar to the figure who departed to California after last season’s disappointing, playoff-less finish.

Playful swagger? Check.

Rare introspection? Check

Twenty-five extra pounds? Check…wait, that wasn’t here last season

“I’m about 185, 190 on my good days,” said Jennings, noticeably thicker but still wiry.

Training camp doesn’t begin until the first day of October but Jennings and his other 14 teammates have all been at The Palace for a few weeks, per new coach/president Stan Van Gundy’s request.

“Usually guys come in and you don’t see them until media day,” Jennings said. “It’s good, we’ve been together for three weeks strong, preparing for the season.”