Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons have reportedly offered the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center and their team headquarters to local health officials for "whatever [the] best use is."

James Edwards III of The Athletic reported Saturday:

Pistons forward Christian Wood tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month. He joined Utah Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell as the third NBA player with COVID-19. Wood was cleared Wednesday after being in self-isolation since March 11, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard.

Two other people connected to the Detroit organization, scout Maury Hanks and an unnamed cameraman, were hospitalized after contracting the coronavirus.

Pistons head coach Dwane Casey told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan he's never experienced anything like the response to COVID-19, and it's also been an eye-opening situation for the players.

"These young, healthy guys, professional athletes, they don't think about getting sick," Casey said. "It was a quiet ride on the plane, but nobody seemed really that uptight about whether they had it. It was more that nobody knew when we'd get to play again—or see each other again."

Rod Beard of the Detroit News reported the Pistons have committed to paying their employees for the duration of the 2019-20 NBA season's delay.

The league is indefinitely on hold as social-distancing measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus include widespread bans on large gatherings.

Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood is "feeling great" after making a full recovery from the novel coronavirus, according to agent Adam Pensack.

Brad Galli of WXYZ spoke to Pensack on Wednesday and received an update on Wood's status.

Wood was the third NBA player to test positive for COVID-19, joining Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.

Pensack previously told Tony Paul and Rod Beard of the Detroit News that Wood was "100 percent fine" upon his diagnosis.

The NBA indefinitely postponed its season after Gobert became the first player diagnosed with COVID-19. Several other players and members of NBA organizations have tested positive in the two weeks since, including Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

Members of the Pistons went into self-quarantine after Wood's diagnosis. 

Wood is averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds this season. 

Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood was reportedly diagnosed with the coronavirus Saturday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

He's the third NBA player to be infected with COVID-19, joining the Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. 

Per Charania, "Sources say Wood has shown no symptoms and is doing well."

The Pistons also released a statement, though they didn't name Wood:

Wood, 24, is having a career year for the Pistons, averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three. His 12 starts this season are a career high, and he's been a valuable part of Detroit's rotation, earning 21.4 minutes per game. 

The Pistons have outscored opponents by two points per 100 possessions with Wood on the court, compared to being outscored by 8.4 points per 100 possessions when he sits, per NBA.com. Those are substantial numbers, and a good indication of how valuable he's been for the struggling Pistons.

In five March games, Wood was averaging 26.6 points and 9.4 rebounds, shooting an impressive 43.5 percent from three.  

The NBA will remain on hiatus for at least another 28 days amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gobert was the first player to test positive for the virus Wednesday, and the league announced the suspension of the season shortly thereafter. 

As of Saturday, 142,320 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed globally, leading to 5,388 deaths.

Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin has pledged to donate $100,000 to help workers at Little Caesars Arena, where he plays his home games, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News. 

The money could help staff members at the arena who won't be able to work after the NBA suspended its regular season amid concerns about the coronavirus. The league will not resume for at least 30 days from Thursday.

Griffin, who is in his third year in Detroit following more than seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, is following the lead of other high-profile players who have donated part of their own salaries to help the affected workers.

Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Kevin Love announced in an Instagram post he would donate $100,000 to help those at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

On Friday, Giannis Antetokounmpo followed suit with a $100,000 donation to help employees at Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks:

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discussed his plan to support workers immediately after the NBA season was suspended.

"I reached out to the folks at the arena and our folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to support, financially support, people who aren't going to be able to come to work," Cuban said Thursday, per Allen Kim of CNN.

Detroit Pistons point guard Derrick Rose will be reevaluated in a "few weeks" after the MRI results on his ankle injury came back negative, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Haynes noted the Pistons are expected to be "cautious" with Rose's injury, and the veteran is expected to make a full recovery after he hurt the ankle in the first quarter against the Kings on Sunday. 

According to the Detroit News' Rod Beard, Rose was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. 

Injuries are nothing new for Rose, as he hasn't appeared in more than 66 games in a season since 2010-11. He entered this season having appeared in 76 games in the previous two campaigns combined.

Rose was a perennial All-Star early in his career with the Chicago Bulls and won an NBA MVP award, but multiple knee injuries cost him an entire season in 2012-13, and he played just 49 games over a three-year stretch from 2011-12 through 2013-14.

After departing Chicago in 2016, Rose bounced between the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves before he landed with the Pistons this season.

Injuries have continued to hinder him, but Rose has been highly productive when healthy with averages of 18.1 points and 5.6 assists per game in 50 appearances.

Rose put up 18.0 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game in 51 contests with the T-Wolves last season, and he has arguably been better as a member of the Pistons.

The 31-year-old isn't a regular starter for Detroit, but he plays significant minutes and is a huge part of the backcourt rotation. His absence will be a major blow to a Pistons team that has struggled even with him on the court.

With star forward Blake Griffin out for the remainder of the season because of a knee injury, Rose has essentially been the go-to guy offensively. The Pistons do boast a decent amount of guard depth with Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway and Brandon Knight in tow, and there will be pressure on all three to replace Rose's production.

Rose is clearly a more savvy, effective offensive player than all of them, though, and it will be tough to replicate his play.

Derrick Rose signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Detroit Pistons this past offseason, and the Eastern Conference team reportedly has no plans to negotiate a buyout with the point guard even though the Los Angeles Lakers were interested in a trade. 

Brian Windhorst reported as much on The Hoop Collective (h/t Real GM):

"No, there's no chance. He's under contract for next year at a good number. From what I understand, when the Lakers called the Pistons and expressed an interest in trading for Derrick Rose, the Pistons said 'Hey, we appreciate you calling, but we're not trading him. Dwane Casey likes him. We think he's going to be important for us next year.' He just wasn't available."

While injuries have sapped Rose of some of the explosiveness that helped him earn a league MVP, Rookie of the Year and three All-Star nods in his prime as a member of the Chicago Bulls, he has been a key player for the Pistons this season.

The 31-year-old is averaging 18.0 points, 5.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game in 2019-20 while shooting a solid 48.6 percent from the field.

Detroit is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in at 19-40, but it is not difficult to envision it resetting for next season with a healthy Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond no longer clogging the middle and making a postseason run.

Windhorst's comments on the Pistons' decision to turn away the Lakers suggest the team feels Rose can help it do just that, which prevented the Purple and Gold from adding a playoff-tested veteran as depth in a backcourt that is heavily reliant on Rajon Rondo.

How Rose plays next season in a Pistons uniform will largely determine whether it was a good idea for Detroit to turn away any trade proposals for the University of Memphis product.

Markieff Morris will be a free agent after receiving a buyout from the Detroit Pistons. 

The Pistons announced Friday both parties agreed to a buyout and the team requested waivers on Morris. 

There was speculation that Morris could be traded prior to the Feb. 6 deadline.

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks all had interest in acquiring the 30-year-old. 

When the deadline passed without Morris being moved, a buyout seemed like the next logical step for him and the Pistons. They appear ready to fully engage with a rebuild after trading center Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Morris signed a two-year, $6.56 million deal with the Pistons prior to this season. The second year was a player option worth $3.36 million. 

Teams have until March 1 to sign Morris if he is going to be eligible for the postseason.

In 44 games with the Pistons this season, Morris averaged 11.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest. He shot a career-high 39.7 percent from three-point range on 4.3 attempts per game. 

Given Morris' scoring efficiency and improved range with his shot, he will be an excellent option off the bench for a playoff contender to pursue now that his buyout has been made official. 

Detroit Pistons point guard Derrick Rose told ESPN's Eric Woodyard that his formerly strained relationship with the city of Chicago after the Bulls traded him to the New York Knicks in 2016 has been "repaired."

Rose discussed his relationship with the city ahead of this weekend's All-Star events in the Windy City:

"I think it's repaired well. I just know the Chi. My vibrations were low. When your vibrations are low, you hear everything, you seek everything and me seeking or hearing everything. That was just me being attracted to how I was feeling at the time, and that's negative, so when I changed my vibrations and matured as a person and as a man, that's when I started to grow and develop who I was as a person and individual and change my character." 

Rose played for the Bulls from 2008-16, winning the NBA MVP award in 2010-11.

The hometown superstar initially looked as though he would light up the United Center for well over a decade, leading the Bulls to a championship era not seen since the Michael Jordan years.

But the Bulls never reached the promised land. Some of Rose's best years were taken away after suffering numerous injuries, including a torn ACL during the 2012 playoffs. He missed all of 2012-13 and played just 10 games in 2013-14.

Rose's Bulls tenure ended with the team missing the playoffs in 2015-16, and Chicago dealt him to the Knicks the following summer.

The point guard told Woodyard that he felt the city "basically turned [its] back on me" but that all was well now.

Rose has enjoyed a career resurgence in the last two seasons, averaging 18.1 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Pistons. He was scheduled to participate in the 2020 All-Star Skills Challenge but dropped out due to an adductor strain.

But Rose is still spending part of the break in Chicago. Per Woodyard, he participated in a panel hosted by non-profit Everyone Has a Story to discuss "mental wellness in the city, particularly within black and brown communities."

Rose grew up in Englewood, Chicago, on the city's south side. He went to high school at Simeon Career Academy in Chicago before playing one year at the University of Memphis.

A trade featuring Andre Drummond brought John Henson to the Detroit Pistons last week from the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it was Drummond who prevented Henson from being with the organization years earlier.

"The Pistons actually promised me at nine [in 2012]," Henson said Saturday, per Keith Langlois of the team's official site. "But Drummond dropped, so they called me. 'Hey, Drummond dropped. We're going to pick him.' So it's kind of full circle."

Drummond ended up being a steal for Detroit at No. 9 overall, earning two All-Star selections while ranking third in the class in win shares behind only Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard, per Basketball Reference.

Henson fell to the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 14 and has had an up-and-down career that's now taken him to three teams in the last two years. Still, he's shown he can be a contributor on both ends when healthy, and he registered 12 points and four rebounds in his debut for Detroit on Saturday.

Hamstring and back injuries have limited his season to just 29 games before the trade, but he was effective in limited action, averaging 5.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 14.2 minutes per game for the Cavs.

He only played 14 games for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018-19 but averaged 15.1 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per 36 minutes. It came after a solid 2017-18 campaign, where he started 69 of 76 games while averaging 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

His 57.2 field-goal percentage was the best of his eight-year career. His play on both ends helped him rank fourth on the Bucks in win shares that year, per Basketball Reference, although he's struggled to get consistent playing time since then.

In Detroit, he should get more opportunity with Drummond gone and Blake Griffin injured.

Center Andre Drummond reportedly may stay put despite the Detroit Pistons' efforts to deal him ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, there is an "increased likelihood" that Drummond will remain with the Pistons past the deadline.

Drummond is a two-time All-Star and one of the NBA's premier rebounders, but since he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of the season, the Pistons had reportedly been exploring trade possibilities.

The Pistons and Atlanta Hawks were engaged in trade talks focused on Drummond in January, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. However, Atlanta has since acquired center Clint Capela from the Houston Rockets as part of a four-team trade, per Wojnarowski.

Drummond, 26, is enjoying arguably the best season of his career with averages of 17.8 points, 15.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. With forward Blake Griffin potentially on the shelf for the remainder of the year, Drummond is essentially the last star standing in Detroit.

BR Video

Even at 19-34, the Pistons are technically in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They are in 10th place and trail the Orlando Magic by four games for the No. 8 seed.

They reached the postseason last year but got swept in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks. If they make it back to the playoffs, they will likely face a similar result.

It makes sense for the Pistons to shop Drummond, but his contract situation makes it difficult for them to receive fair compensation in exchange for the three-time NBA rebounding champion.

Drummond's opt-out clause means he could be nothing more than a rental. If a team that trades for him can't get assurance that he will at least opt in for next season, then there isn't much incentive to part with significant assets to land him.

It may now be in Detroit's best interest to keep Drummond and either hope for him to opt in or try to work out a long-term contract extension.

Even if he merely opts in, it could allow the Pistons to put him back on the block during the offseason and receive a better return since the team that acquires him would have him for a full season.

The Pistons clearly don't have the upper hand in current trade negotiations involving Drummond. If they decide to keep him, it will confirm that teams were unwilling to part with much for a player who may be a free agent in a few months.