Category: Detroit Pistons Blog

Jennings sat on the outside looking in during this summer’s free-agency frenzy, arriving in Detroit in a three-year deal via sign-and-trade. The Pistons believe he’ll return to his prep school mode of being a distributor first, rather than primarily looking for his own offense, as he’s done during his first four years in the NBA.

Jennings represents an upgrade over Brandon Knight in terms of point guard aptitude, but he must be willing to buy into the system and set up his teammates.

Rumors of the Pistons pursuing Boston point guard Rajon Rondo won’t amount to anything anytime soon. Jennings can quiet them with steady play.

Josh Smith: The shiny new, $54 million signee gets a fresh start away from the sometimes-unfair scrutiny he faced in his hometown Atlanta. There’s no denying his talent, and he and Drummond can raise terror defensively and in the open floor with their length and athleticism. He’ll be the starting small forward, but is expected to see time at power forward as well, so his role in the offense remains to be seen.

Smith will face a bit of a culture adjustment this season, moving from the pressure of playing for his hometown team to the pressure of playing for a franchise with more of a winning tradition and the resulting higher expectations.

Reported by Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News

Greg Monroe’s restricted free agency figures to dominate Detroit Pistons news in summer of 2014, which is precisely where the forward-center plans to keep it.

Monroe made it clear today that he has no intention of fielding questions about his contractual future.

When it was suggested that such questions are precisely what he figures to face throughout this season, Monroe declared, “No, I’m not.”

He answered the question preemptively, with the caveat that he has no intention of addressing it again.

Reported by David Mayo of Michigan Live

If the Pistons plan on being dealers before the February 2014 trade deadline, they have a glut of small forwards and guards to possibly offer, if that’s team president Joe Dumars’ plan.

“We have a lot of flexibility,” newly acquired Josh Smith said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if guys played different positions in the backcourt or along the front line, depending on matchups.”

Smith is expected to start at small forward and also see time at power forward. Also on the roster are Kyle Singler, Jonas Jerebko and rookie Luigi Datome, who made a splash overseas with his shot-making ability and athleticism.

That’s four small forwards, and there aren’t enough minutes to play them all.

Reported by Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press

It sounds like his failure to land a top job in the NBA has more to do with his personality – and perhaps his past – than his coaching abilities.

Kate Fagan of ESPN.com wrote a lengthy feature story about Laimbeer that offers some insights as to why NBA general managers are turning their backs on the man who was perhaps the baddest of the Pistons legendary Bad Boys.

Under the headline “The Feminization of Bill Laimbeer,” Fagan discusses Laimbeer’s success in the WNBA – he won three titles with the now-defunct Detroit Shock – his brief tenure as an NBA assistant and some of the reasons he has failed to land a job as a head coach in the NBA.

Basically, it sounds like nobody wants to give Laimbeer a shot as a head coach because he’s the same guy who was despised as a player while helping the Pistons win back-to-back NBA titles in 1989-90.

Reported by Brendan Savage of Michigan Live

Detroit Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks will not be charged in a domestic incident that occurred Aug. 30 in Birmingham, Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper told the Free Press today.

Cheeks went to the Birmingham police station for questioning and was released after police were called to a Woodward Avenue address. He was not arrested. Birmingham police conducted an investigation and presented its findings to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

Cooper said the witness in the investigation was uncooperative with prosecutors and refused to press charges.

Reported by the Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Pistons said this morning that there is no change in Maurice Cheeks’ status as the team’s coach after reports surfaced that he was questioned in a domestic incident Friday night in Birmingham.

Cheeks, 56, was brought to the Birmingham police station, questioned and released but not arrested after police were called to a Woodward Avenue address, according to WXYZ-TV.

“He’s our head coach, so nothing changes with his status,” Pistons spokesman Kevin Grigg said today. “We are not commenting on the situation.”

Reported by Tammy Stables Battaglia of the Detroit Free Press

The Pistons are now offering four separate 10-game ticket plans for the upcoming season.

Plan A features games against nine playoff teams from last season, including Houston, now with Dwight Howard, the new-look Nets with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Clippers with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, and the Heat.

Plans B and C includes many Friday, Saturday and Sunday games, the latter of which will have the Pistons wearing their new blue “Motor City” uniforms.

Reported by the Detroit Free Press