Detroit Pistons Blog – Page 44 – NBA Blog

Andre Drummond neck injury not serious

Here’s the Detroit News with some good news about young, talented Pistons center Andre Drummond:

Andre Drummond was in sweats at Pistons practice, chatting and laughing with members of the front office as practice concluded Monday.

It was a welcome sight after his scary neck injury Saturday, one that will keep him out of Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, the first of a four-game Western swing. He’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.

He collided with Pacers center Roy Hibbert and forward Paul George midway through the first quarter while attempting to retrieve a loose ball.

Chauncey Billups out after knee surgery

The Detroit Pistons announced today that guard Chauncey Billups underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee. The procedure, performed by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Lemos at DMC Surgical Hospital in Madison Heights, was completed to smooth irregularities in the meniscus and alleviate pain and inflammation.

Billups will begin rehabilitation immediately and will be re-evaluated again following a two-to-three week period.

Pistons interim coach John Loyer confident that players know and trust him

Here’s Michigan Live on the Detroit Pistons, who this past weekend said goodbye to head coach Maurice Cheeks:

John Loyer isn’t going to recreate the Detroit Pistons in time for tonight’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.

He’ll settle for players just giving him the respect he believes he has earned from them in two-plus seasons as a Pistons assistant.

“Players figure things out,” Loyer said today after shootaround at the practice facility. “They know, whether you’re a head coach or an assistant coach, one, whether you know your stuff; two, whether you’re in it for the right things; three, can you make them better; and four, are you a good leader. Guys figure that out and I’ll take my chances with what they’ve figured out over the last few years.”

Loyer, an assistant the last two years under Lawrence Frank, and this year under Maurice Cheeks, was promoted to interim head coach when Cheeks was fired Sunday.

Loyer is expected to serve out the remainder of this season as interim coach and said he is “ready for the challenge” and that Detroit “is where I want to be.”

January 29 Detroit Pistons vs Atlanta Hawks game postponed

The National Basketball Association game scheduled for this evening between the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena has been postponed due to severe weather conditions in the Atlanta area.

The game will be rescheduled at a later date.

Detroit Pistons struggling badly at home

NBA teams, even the bad ones, generally play fairly well in their own arena. But here’s Michigan Live on the Detroit Pistons’ home struggles:

Here’s how absurd this Detroit Pistons season has become: Andre Drummond finally got his first 20-20 game, the Pistons went on a 30-4 scoring run, and the New Orleans Pelicans were playing short in the backcourt and without four of their top six scorers.

And the Pistons still lost.

Eric Gordon’s driving basket with 1.9 seconds left for a 103-101 Pelicans win wrapped another blown fourth-quarter lead for the Pistons, who were up by 10 with less than six minutes remaining.

As the game ended, with Maurice Cheeks bellowing for a timeout his team never called, the head coach was left to stare into the crowd at a fan who lobbed a vile curse at him for having rookie guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — arguably the Pistons’ best guard defender — on Gordon for the game-winning isolation play.

“I don’t even know what he said,” Cheeks said. “I was focused in on the play itself.”

Cheeks said he stared into the crowd out of sheer dismay after the Pistons (17-26) slipped to 7-15 at home and lost at The Palace of Auburn Hills for the eighth time in their last nine home games.

Detroit Pistons recall Peyton Siva and Tony Mitchell from D-League

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has recalled rookie guard Peyton Siva and rookie forward Tony Mitchell from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League (D-League).

Siva averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.6 steals in five games (four starts) with Fort Wayne. He recorded 27 points, three rebounds, eight assists and eight steals vs. Iowa (1/3) after having 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers (12/28). Siva has appeared in 13 games this season with the Pistons averaging 0.3 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 5.8 minutes per game. The 56th selection in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft, Siva won an NCAA Championship and was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team as a senior at Louisville last year.

In six games (five starts) with the Mad Ants, Mitchell averaged 6.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game. Mitchell turned in his best performance of the stint vs. the Iowa Energy (1/3) when he recorded 14 points, nine rebounds, one assist and four blocks. The 37th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft from North Texas University, Mitchell has appeared in 10 games this season with the Pistons averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.0 minutes per game.

Detroit Pistons assign Tony Mitchell and Peyton Siva to D-League

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has assigned rookie forward Tony Mitchell and rookie guard Peyton Siva to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League (D-League).

Mitchell has appeared in 10 games this season with the Pistons averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.0 minutes per game. He was drafted 37th overall out of North Texas where he led the Sun Belt Conference in blocks at 2.7 per game.

Siva has appeared in 13 games this season with the Pistons averaging 0.3 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 5.8 minutes per game. Siva, the 56th selection in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft, won an NCAA Championship and was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team as a senior at Louisville last year.

Detroit Pistons trying to move Josh Smith closer to the basket

Here’s Michigan Live on the Detroit Pistons using Josh Smith the way everyone knows they should:

The Detroit Pistons might have found the perfect formula for Josh Smith.

Take fewer outside shots and instead look for more opportunities near the basket.

Pistons’ fans have been clamoring for that all season and the new approach has worked so far as Smith topped the 30-point barrier in back-to-back games against the top two teams in the NBA.

He scored 31 in Sunday’s overtime loss to Portland at The Palace before bagging 30 Monday in a 101-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers, who brought the NBA’s best record into the game and were unbeaten in their first 11 games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse running into the Pistons.

Maurice Cheeks surprised at the talent level of Andre Drummond

Here’s the Detroit News on a big, fun Pistons development:

This looks to be a week of discovery of sorts for Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks.

On Sunday, Cheeks revealed that when he accepted the Pistons job this past June, he didn’t know Andre Drummond would be this good.

“I didn’t,” Cheeks said after the Pistons’ 115-100 win over the 76ers. “Joe (Dumars) told me he was on an upswing, but I didn’t know. I (only) watched him a few times, but I didn’t know he would be as good as now. Trust me, he reminds me about his double-doubles every day.”

In context, Cheeks likely was referring to Drummond’s monster game — he put up 31 points and added 19 rebounds with six steals and two blocks on Sunday — along with Drummond’s seemingly rapid ascension, a track that could land him in the conversation of the best bigs in the game before too long.

Cheeks, however, cautions that despite his own expectations for Drummond, the center is just 20 years old, and not yet a seasoned, consistent veteran.

Pistons center Andre Drummond drops monster game on Sixers

Here’s the Detroit News reporting on Pistons center Andre Drummond, who just unleashed another flash of potential greatness. The young center has a bright future ahead of him:

If Andre Drummond keeps progressing at the rate he’s going, then Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown—a first-year coach at his wit’s end — won’t be the only one to employ the “Hack-a-Dre” strategy…and Drummond will have to make them pay for it.

What Drummond poignantly called a “slap in the face” turns to 10 seconds of torture and uncertainty for Pistons fans and teammates, the time Drummond has to step to the free-throw line and conquer what appears to be his greatest weakness.

Assistant coach Rasheed Wallace yells “take your time” and his teammates say “10 seconds” but Drummond is on that line, all alone, with the world watching.

He shook off the insult to put together his best game as a pro, helping the Pistons to a 115-100 win over the 76ers at the Palace Sunday, with 31 points, 19 rebounds, six steals and two blocks. Thaddeus Young scored 24 and Evan Turner 20 for the 76ers (6-12), who entered Sunday a half-game behind the Pistons.