Hoops Rumors

The surprising Pistons have won five straight games heading into their matchup against Golden State on Thursday. After his team defeated the Nets on Wednesday, Cade Cunningham told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic that it’s just the start of the franchise’s turnaround. “It feels good,” said Cunningham, who signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension last summer. “We’re still … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Cunningham, LaVine, Vucevic, Bryant, Horton-Tucker, Middleton

After finishing 22nd in the NBA in pace last season, the Cavaliers are playing at the sixth-fastest pace so far this season, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who notes that coaches and scouts around the league are praising new head coach Kenny Atkinson for embracing the strengths of his players while implementing his preferred style. “It’s exactly the way Kenny wants to … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Atkinson, Cavaliers, Ivey, Mathurin

Fourth-year big man Evan Mobley is having the best season of his career for the 31-4 Cavaliers and making a strong case for All-Star consideration, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only article. The Cavs have an eye-popping +16.0 net rating when Mobley is on the court, compared to a team-worst +4.4 mark when he sits. “He has taken that step,” Cavaliers … [Read more...] about Central Notes: Mobley, Cavs, Bulls, Giannis, Pistons

JANUARY 6, 4:03pm: The Pistons have officially signed Smith and Harper and placed Williams and Swider on waivers, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). JANUARY 5, 8:30pm: The Pistons are also signing Tolu Smith to a two-way deal, according to Jake Fischer (Twitter link). Smith, a 6’11” rookie  forward, was waived by Detroit in training camp and has been playing … [Read more...] about Pistons Sign Ron Harper Jr., Tolu Smith To Two-Way Deals

Cade Cunningham has accomplished a lot in his brief NBA career, but he’s never had the experience of playing for a winning team, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. The Pistons are moving in that direction and can reach the .500 mark with a victory over Portland on Monday. After overcoming a 1-5 start, Detroit is only one game out of the fifth spot in the East and may finally be … [Read more...] about Pistons Notes: Cunningham, Ivey, Holland, Beal