Detroit Pistons Blog – Page 61 – NBA Blog

Detroit Pistons sign Damien Wilkins

The Detroit Pistons announced today that they have signed guard-forward Damien Wilkins. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wilkins, 31, appeared in 52 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. He appeared in eight postseason contests with the Hawks, averaging 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds in 4.9 minutes per game. The seven-year NBA pro has career averages of 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 20.0 minutes in 442 games with Seattle, Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Atlanta.

Undrafted out of the University of Georgia, Wilkins enjoyed his best season a pro with Seattle in 2007-08 when he averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 76 games (31 starts). He scored a career-high 41 points with a season-high nine rebounds at Atlanta (11/16) that season in addition to notching his 2,000th career point vs. Phoenix (3/19/08).

Wilkins is the son of 13-year NBA veteran Gerald Wilkins and nephew of Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins.

Hawks re-sign Jason Collins, sign Tracy McGrady

The Atlanta Hawks today re-signed center Jason Collins, and signed seven-time All-Star guard/forward Tracy McGrady as well as rookie second-round draft pick Keith Benson, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. Per team policy, terms were not disclosed.

Now in his third season in an Atlanta uniform, Collins appeared in 49 regular season games (28 starts) for the Hawks last year, averaging 2.0 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 12.1 mpg (.479 FG%, .659 FT%). He also played in 12 postseason games (nine starting assignments) during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, putting up 1.8 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 13.2 mpg (.643 FG%). Collins has suited up for 645 career regular season games and 90 playoff contests with New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota and the Hawks.

McGrady comes to the Hawks from the Pistons, where in 72 games (39 starts) last season, he averaged 8.0 ppg, 3.5 apg and 3.5 rpg in 23.4 mpg (.442 FG%, .341 3FG%, .698 FT%). The ninth-leading active NBA scorer (18,108 points), McGrady has compiled career averages of 20.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.6 apg and 1.3 spg in 33.7 mpg (.435 FG%, .337 3FG%, .747 FT%). He has appeared in 886 games (703 starts) with Toronto (1997-00), Orlando (2000-04), Houston (2004-10), New York (2010) and Detroit (2010-11).

A seven-time All-Star, McGrady has also seen action in 38 career playoff games, where he’s tallied 28.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.2 apg and 1.3 spg in 42.2 mpg (.430 FG%, .301 3FG%, .756 FT%). The Auburndale, FL native was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2001, was named All-NBA first team in 2002 and 2003, All-league second team in 2001, 2004 and 2007, and third team in 2005 and 2008. McGrady led the NBA in scoring in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Benson was selected by the Hawks in the second round (48th overall) in the 2011 NBA Draft out of Oakland University. An AP All-America Honorable Mention pick as a junior and senior, he averaged 14.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 2.7 bpg (.558 FG%, .379 3FG%, .679 FT%) in 135 career games for the Golden Grizzlies, while setting the Summit League record for career blocked shots (363) and the school mark for double-doubles (48).

As a senior, the 6’11 Benson averaged 17.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.6 bpg and 1.1 apg (.547 FG%, .643 FT%) en route to his second consecutive Summit League Player of the Year award while also garnering Defensive Player of the Year honors. He tallied 17.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg and 3.3 bpg (.533 FG%, .724 FT%) in his junior season.

Additionally, the Hawks have added 16-year veteran and two-time All-Star Jerry Stackhouse, Charles Garcia, Zach Graham, Ivan Johnson and Donald Sloan to the training camp roster.

Pistons re-sign forward Tayshaun Prince

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has re-signed free agent forward Tayshaun Prince. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“We are very pleased to have Tayshaun Prince returning to our organization,” said Dumars. “Tayshaun has proved himself as one of the most talented and consistent small forwards in the NBA. His knowledge of the game and defensive presence is an asset for our team.”

Prince appeared in 78 games (all starts) last season averaging 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 32.8 minutes per game. He recorded his sixth 1,000-point season and played in 75-plus games for the seventh time in his nine-year career. Prince scored a season-high 31 points versus the New York Knicks (11/18/10) including a career-high-tying 13 field goals made. He also scored in double figures a team-leading 66 times, scored 20-plus points 12 times and recorded two 30-plus point outings.

Prince, 31, holds career averages of 12.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 33.4 minutes in 661 NBA games. He’s played in 75-plus games in seven of his nine seasons, including six seasons where he played all 82 games. The 6-foot-9 forward had the franchise’s third-longest consecutive games played streak snapped during the 2009-10 season (497 games) and has played in 661 of a possible 738 games over his career. Drafted by Detroit with the 23rd pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Prince ranks sixth in his draft class in career points per game average behind only Amar′e Stoudemire (21.9), Yao Ming (19.0), Carlos Boozer (17.3), Caron Butler (16.6) and Luis Scola (14.3). He has also been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team four times (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). A key member of the Pistons’ 2004 NBA Championship team, Prince was a member of the USA Senior National Team that recorded a 10-0 record and won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in 2007 and went 8-0 to win the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Pistons re-sign forward Jonas Jerebko

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has re-signed forward Jonas Jerebko. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to announce the re-signing of Jonas Jerebko,” said Dumars. “Jonas has worked extremely hard over the last two years and has shown his commitment to this organization. He is an important part of our young core group of players and we’re excited to have him as part of our roster going forward.”

Jerebko missed all of the 2010-11 season with a partially ruptured right Achilles tendon suffered in the first preseason game at Miami (10/5). He played in 80 games (73 starts) in 2009-10, averaging 9.3 points (.481 FG, .313 3FG), 6.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.99 steals and 27.9 minutes. Among NBA rookie leaders, Jerebko ranked 10th in scoring, third in rebounds, eighth in steals and fifth in minutes on his way to earning NBA All-Rookie-Second-Team honors. He was also selected as a member of the Rookie Team as part of the 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam at NBA All-Star 2010.

A second-round pick (39th overall in 2009) from Kinna, Sweden, Jerebko was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February 2010 after averaging 10.2 points (.564 FG), 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 13 games. He became the fifth rookie in franchise history, and the first Pistons’ second-round pick, to win the award joining Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka, Grant Hill and Zeljko Rebraca. He tallied a team-high-tying seven double-doubles and led the Pistons in rebounding 14 times.

Pistons to keep Tayshaun Prince

Tayshaun Prince will be returning to the Detroit Pistons after reaching agreement on a $27 million, four-year contract, a league source told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher.

Prince, an unrestricted free agent, has spent his entire career with the Pistons since coming into the league in 2002.

— Reported by ESPN.com

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Pistons name Ken Catanella Director of Basketball Operations

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the team has named Ken Catanella as Director of Basketball Operations. Catanella joins the Pistons after spending several years with the NBA League Office.

In his role with the Pistons, Catanella will serve as the team’s salary cap specialist and direct Detroit’s analytics efforts.

Prior to his time with the league office, Catanella worked for the New Jersey Nets (2006-08) where he managed the Nets’ analytics and spearheaded the creation and implementation of their statistical scouting systems.

A graduate of Amherst College where he played collegiately, Catanella has worked on Wall Street providing analytics on stadium/arena financings for professional teams and valuing publicly traded companies. While earning his MBA at Duke University, Catanella served as a graduate assistant to the Blue Devils Men’s Basketball team from 2004-05. Catanella has also played professionally for the Bundesliga’s Cologne 99ers of the German League and later served as the assistant general manager of the 99ers.

Pistons won’t use new amnesty clause just yet

By now you know the Pistons are going to pass on using the new collective bargaining agreement’s amnesty clause that allows teams to waive a cap-killing player.

I definitely understand some of the local reaction that the Pistons should have moved with haste to jettison Rip Hamilton (roughly $20 million over two years), Ben Gordon (around $35 million over three) or Charlie Villanueva ($22 million over three).

But the Pistons have the life of the new CBA to invoke the clause on a current contract, so it can be used in the next off-season if things don’t get better with those three players. The Pistons are confident in new coach Lawrence Frank, so it’s understandable to wait.

Retaining them also allows the Pistons to still entertain trade offers for them. But some insist that using the clause would allow the Pistons to free up money to go after a much-needed big man in this year’s free-agent class — such as the Nuggets’ Nene, the Mavs’ Tyson Chandler or Grizzlies restricted free agent Marc Gasol.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Kyle Singler passing on NBA to stay in Spain

Kyle Singler, the 33rd overall pick in the June NBA draft, has reached agreement with Real Madrid and won’t play for the Detroit Pistons this season, agent Greg Lawrence of Wasserman Media Group told Yahoo! Sports.

Singler, a forward out of Duke, will sign a contract for the remainder of the season in the Spanish ACB League, replacing the Dallas Mavericks’ Rudy Fernandez on the Real Madrid roster.

After an outstanding showing with Alicante in the same league – where he averaged a team-leading 15 points on 47 percent shooting – Singler decided to take the Real Madrid offer on Tuesday.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

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Former dunk champ Dee Brown says he can still throw down

Brown, who is now an assistant for Pistons coach Lawrence Frank, just laughed when asked about his dunking prowess.

“Yes, I can,” he said Thursday night at the Palace during an event where needy families were fed. “I work out every day and I still dunk.”

But the 42-year-old won’t be winning dunk titles any time soon.

“I always like to tell people (I used) to have hops, but now I just have hopes,” he said with another laugh. “I can still get up a little bit.”

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Allen Iverson over Detroit bar fight

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against former NBA star and Detroit Piston Allen Iverson over a 2009 bar fight.

The Detroit News reports Tuesday that federal Judge Nancy Edmunds found no evidence that Iverson punched an Ohio man or that the man who struck him was linked to the player.

Lawyer Michael Cafferty said Iverson feels vindicated. Guy Walker plans to appeal.

— Reported by the Associated Press