NBA Central

Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff says he has an "old-school mentality" toward his new team's dress code due to growing up with his father, former 10-season NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff.

That's why players can no longer pull the hoods of their sweatshirts over their heads during warmups, according to The Athletic's Joe Vardon.

"Just the last shred of that old-school mentality," Bickerstaff said, per Vardon. "Just growing up with my dad, you don't wear anything on your head during the game. You don't wear jewelry. You practice how you play."

The Pistons, coming out of a franchise-worst 14-68 record last season, are so far 2-2 in the 2024-25 preseason under Bickerstaff.

According to Vardon, the change is part of the Pistons' new effort to take the burden off of 23-year-old guard Cade Cunningham as the team's de facto leader.

Those adjustments have so far included the new practice dress code as well as upping the difficulty of conditioning drills, per Vardon.

"The conversations that I've had with Cade, the way that I see how his teammates follow him and the way that he engages his teammates, he wants to be amongst the elites and understands that winning matters in order to be respected by your peers in that way... If we're going to get to where we want to go with this group, we have to develop everybody and help everybody be able to play with that confidence," Bickerstaff said, per Vardon.

Bickerstaff, who has previously served as head coach of the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, most recently coached the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers were a 19-win team before Bickerstaff took over in 2020, and it took him three seasons to lead the team back into the playoffs while helping develop the careers of young players like Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Dante Exum.

He was dismissed from the team after the injury-ridden Cavaliers were eliminated from the second round by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

Bickerstaff told reporters during his introductory press conference in July that his experience in Cleveland, where he led the team to a 170-159 record in the regular season and 6-11 mark in the playoffs, would help him rebuild the Pistons.

"We can speak on history, we can speak on experience, coming from a situation where we went through this exact same process," Bickerstaff said (h/t Madeline Kenney of The Detroit News.)

The Pistons are now hoping Bickerstaff can help guide the early careers of the roster's young starters including Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and Jaden Ivey.

In Cleveland, Bickerstaff emphasized that process started with the team's culture. It seems the same process is now underway in Detroit.

Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward Khris Middleton's struggles to stay healthy have caused him to develop an unfortunate reputation.

While speaking to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Middleton opened up about how hard it is to ignore the critics who view him as an injury-prone player.

"I try not to read and look at that stuff, but yeah, the injury-prone stuff is frustrating because I feel like for the most part, it's just — I don't want to say freak accidents — but just accidents, man," Middleton said.

Middleton was limited to 55 games last season due to an ankle sprain and other lingering issues, his second straight year appearing in less than 60 games. He hasn't played in 70 games in a season since the 2018-19 campaign.

An NBA executive who recently spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda expressed doubts about Milwaukee's chances to compete for an NBA title because of Middleton's lack of availability and even went as far as to suggest that he could be a trade candidate this year.

"I do not think Milwaukee is deep enough. I think they rely way too much on a perpetually unhealthy Khris Middleton," the exec said. "I think they're going to have to make a trade using Khris Middleton's big salary and load up on some more reliable and younger two-way players."

Still, the 33-year-old added that he takes exception to the "injury-prone" label because he believes it's not indicative of how he prepares himself for the NBA season.

"And I think when you say injury-prone, that goes to how you take care of your body," Middleton said. "And I take a lot of pride in taking care of my body since day one that I've been here. So, no, I don't think I'm injury-prone at all. I've just had unfortunate incidents that have happened on the basketball court, which is a wrong place, bad time type of thing."

Middleton will start trying to prove his doubters wrong when the Bucks open the 2024-24 season against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 23.

Lonzo Ball hasn't played an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022, due to significant knee injuries. That streak reportedly will come to a close on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Ball will return to the court on Wednesday night for the Chicago Bulls in the team's preseason matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ball previously said on his podcast he planned to play in at least two preseason games for the Bulls:

🚨 @ZO2_ IS BACK FOR PRESEASON 🚨🔥 pic.twitter.com/4NNzJmALGZ

— The WAE Show (@TheWAEShow) October 11, 2024

A healthy Ball would make a major difference for Chicago.

The 26-year-old has averaged 11.9 points, 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, shooting 40 percent from three while providing elite perimeter defense during his career. Health has always been an issue, however—he's never played more than 63 games in a season and has missed the last two entirely.

It's also fair to wonder how he'll look after such a lengthy time away from the game. A major amount of rust is to be expected, even well into the season.

At the very least, however, the Bulls now have the backup point guard role covered. Offseason acquisition Josh Giddey will handle the primary playmaking duties on the starting unit, with 2023-24 standout Coby White moving to an off-ball role and Zach LaVine slotting into the small forward position.

That will leave Ball to presumably run the second unit.

The Bulls were a far better team with the veteran point guard on the court back in the 2021-22 season, posting a 3.1 net rating when he played, per NBA.com, and a minus-2.1 net rating without him.

They had a 27-13 record before he suffered the knee injury that has since required multiple surgeries and a rare double cartilage transplant in May 2023, but went just 19-23 the rest of that season, 40-42 in the 2022-23 campaign and 39-43 last season.

Ball will not fix all that ails Chicago as the team transitions from its previous older core to a younger one. But his return is a positive story and should provide the team with more depth, playmaking and defensive upside.

Derrick Rose will be honored at the United Center this season.

The Chicago Bulls announced that the team's January 4 contest against the New York Knicks will be "Derrick Rose Night" and that the franchise will honor it's former star player.

January 4, 2025: Derrick Rose Night

Join us to celebrate one of our own 🌹 pic.twitter.com/M5NGpFr8OX

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 11, 2024

Rose, a Chicago native, announced his retirement following the 2023-24 season. He spent seven seasons with the Bulls and spent four with the Knicks.

Rose last played for the Bulls in 2015-16 but his time with the team was the best stretch of his career. He averaged 19.7 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds in 406 games for the franchise and won the MVP in the 2010-11 season.

He saw his promising career get derailed by knee injuries but still was able to last 15 seasons and suit up in 723 games.

The night will honor his career and contributions to the Chicago basketball landscape, but does not currently have any acknowledgment of a jersey retirement. The franchise has retired five numbers and only four actually played for the franchise, with Bill Russell's number being retired league-wide.

Though his name was in trade rumors this offseason, Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell never had a doubt about staying with his current team.

The shooting guard inked a three-year, $150 million contract over the offseason, a decision he had no trouble making.

"To me, it was a no-brainer," Mitchell told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "I think people don't understand, when you sign that contract, yes you're signing to be with the organization and my teammates who I love, who are family, but also it's a life decision. Cleveland is somewhere I genuinely like to be, from watching the Browns, from watching the Guardians. I knew for a while and it was just a no-brainer."

"I think we're a championship contender." 🏆

Donovan Mitchell with @WindhorstESPN on why he believes he can contend for a title in Cleveland 👀 pic.twitter.com/6CuSvq3WjH

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 10, 2024

After Cleveland's second-round exit to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, Mitchell's future with the Cavs was certainly in question. A trade seemed like a real possibility, whether the Cavaliers initiated it or Mitchell requested it.

Before the extension, Mitchell was set to enter the final year of his contract. His looming free agency meant the Cavs could have had to face the decision of trading him over the offseason or waiting a year and getting nothing in return.

But now he's committed to Cleveland for at least three more seasons as the Cavs look to continue pushing for their first Finals appearance in the post-LeBron James era.

Mitchell has been the franchise cornerstone they've been looking for since James left in 2018, and he's lived up to the lofty expectations thus far. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 boards last season, leading Cleveland to a second straight postseason appearance after it had missed the previous four playoffs.

He had a tremendous playoff showing, putting up 29.6 points per game, including a 50-point outing in the first round against the Orlando Magic, before missing the last two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals with an injury.

Behind Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Cavs are now a team to be feared in the East—something that hasn't happened since James was around. Had Cleveland lost Mitchell this offseason, it likely would have set up more years of rebuilding. Instead, the Cavaliers have all the makings of a championship-contending team.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson spoke out in favor of Donovan Mitchell after his teammate wasn't listed among the top five shooting guards in the NBA general manager survey released on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters about the results, Thompson made it clear that Mitchell is "easily" one of the five best two-guards in the NBA right now:

"Just use it as motivation. Kick they ass, you know? 'You didn't put me on the list. I'm gonna use it as motivation.' Just kick everyone's ass and when the GM's have their golf shirts on, just walk by and be like ... just hold it down.

"There are 30 teams. Let's say there are, what, four guys just as good as him? So, that's like 25 other guys he is better than. So, 25 of you GMs I'm better than your best player that you guys are probably paying the same amount of money or paying less and probably stuck with him because you can't trade him because they're not good enough, whereas Donovan is really good. Donovan is a top 5 two-guard, easily. Sounds like they have a problem. Sounds like they have been making bad decisions."

The top five two-guards, as voted on by all 30 NBA GMs, were Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry and Luka Dončić. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White also received votes.

There is a semantic argument about the difference between a point guard and shooting guard. Dončić and Curry were also voted among the top three point guards, with Gilgeous-Alexander sandwiched between them at No. 2. Jaylen Brown alternates between being a two-guard and small forward.

If players were only eligible to be voted at one position that is their primary spot, that would open up a spot for Mitchell in the shooting guard list to potentially get in the top five.

Mitchell's standing outside the top five players at his position isn't anything new. He hasn't been ranked either in the top five or in the others receiving votes category in any season since entering the league in 2017.

It doesn't help his chances that the two-guard spot is loaded with talent right now. Of the seven players who received votes, it's hard to argue that you would take Mitchell above any of them.

Mitchell's limited success in the playoffs could also be impacting his standing. His teams have only advanced past the first round three times in seven postseason appearances, with no conference finals trips on his resume.

This isn't to suggest that Mitchell isn't a terrific player. He has made the All-Star team in each of the past five seasons, finished sixth in MVP voting during the 2022-23 season and has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his first seven seasons.

Thompson is absolutely right to defend his teammate. It's up to Mitchell to keep playing at a high level to prove he belongs in the same discussion as the players ranked above him by the general managers.

Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton is one of the brightest young stars in the NBA, but he's not concerned about perceptions about him from the rest of the league.

Haliburton, who is coming off a banner summer that included a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and a new shoe deal, was asked by The Athletic's James Boyd if he feels he's getting the respect he deserves from the rest of the NBA, and his answer may surprise many.

"That's a great question, and that's a complex question for me. Because to be honest with you, I think I've gotten to the point where I don't really care. I don't really care how I'm viewed," Haliburton said. "I know who I am. My group knows who I am. My coaches, my loved ones, they know who I am. And at the end of the day, the competitors know who I am because they have to scout and be prepared to play against my group. So, I don't really care at this point."

Earlier this week, Haliburton landed a massive shoe endorsement deal with Puma and is now expected to be the future face of the brand.

Made you look. #PUMAfam@PUMA @PUMAHoops pic.twitter.com/njC9vGmVcW

— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) October 8, 2024

A two-time All-Star and the 2024 NBA assists leader, Haliburton has inserted himself into the conversation for best point guard in the league.

After leading the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, he said he's focused on continuing to achieve success in Indiana, which he knows would quell the outside noise.

"I think for me it's just about being the best player I can be, and whatever that is, is for other people to talk about and decide," he said.

NBA executives told insider Marc Stein they believe the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler and Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo are two candidates for the league's next blockbuster trade.

Butler has a $53 million player option for the 2025-26 season but could still choose to enter free agency next spring. Stein reported that uncertainty has led "a variety of executives" to name the Heat star as a potential trade candidate.

According to Stein, Antetokounmpo's name was also mentioned, although the NBA insider described that as "wishful thinking from teams hoping—as teams have in the past—that the Bucks unravel to the point that the two-time MVP eventually decides to force his way out."

Stein's report comes less than a week after the NBA's last marquee trade, which sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks and Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Antetokounmpo signed a three-year, $186 million extension last season. The deal locks him in through at least next two seasons, followed by a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign.

There has been speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo's future with the Bucks following the team's run to the 2021 title, as Milwaukee has failed to make it past the second round in three tries.

The Bucks have only embarked on one playoff run since their 2023 trade for former Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, however, and both Lillard and Antetokounmpo were hurt for at least portions of the club's first-round exit last spring.

Milwaukee may need to make another run at the postseason, this time with both stars healthy, before Antetokounmpo decides this team can no longer contend for a championship.

Butler's future is more in question after the six-time All-Star decided this offseason that he will not extend his contract ahead of his 2025-26 player option, Shams Charania reported in June for The Athletic.

Butler specified that he would not extend the deal with the Heat or any other team, per Charania. That means the Heat would receive a more limited return for trading him, which is something the team has "shown no interest in" anyway, according to Charania.

Stein's report echoes a recent statement from ESPN's Tim MacMahon, who said on the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast that there are "eyes on Jimmy Butler" around the league as a potential marquee trade.

Given Butler's reported decision not to sign an extension before his player option, any team making that deal would be giving up assets for a short-term rental with a history of injury issues. It sounds like a potential deal for the veteran Heat star is something NBA executives are keeping an eye out for despite those risks.

Before Bradley Beal was traded to the Phoenix Suns, he was apparently drawing interest from the Milwaukee Bucks.

Appearing on the Run Your Race podcast, Beal revealed the Bucks were shopping Khris Middleton in their attempts to acquire the three-time All-Star from the Washington Wizards.

According to Bradley Beal, the Bucks were willing to trade Khris Middleton in a deal to get him to Milwaukee

“They were [trying to trade Khris Middleton]. ... The loyalty part in that, trading somebody who won y'all a championship the previous year and was a key piece to y'all… pic.twitter.com/joicVUQlP7

— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BASKETBALLonX) October 8, 2024

The Bucks reached a pivot point in the summer of 2023. They were coming off a 58-win regular season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed to the Miami Heat.

Beal was finally put on the trade block by the Wizards at that point after five consecutive losing seasons, with Milwaukee cited as a potential suitor.

“Expect the Miami Heat to emerge as significant suitors for Bradley Beal… I’m told another team looming as a potential suitor...the Milwaukee Bucks.”

Our NBA Insider @ShamsCharania gave an update on the Wizards possibly looking to move Beal. pic.twitter.com/uLJXltDQSd

— Stadium (@Stadium) June 14, 2023

The Athletic's Eric Nehm noted at the time that the Bucks trading for Beal would be difficult to pull off because of his contract and the way Milwaukee's roster was constructed.

Middleton's situation was complicated at the time because he had a $40.4 million player option that didn't seem unreasonable for him to opt in to because of his age—he turned 32 in August 2023—and played just 33 games during the 2022-23 season due to wrist and knee injuries.

Instead, Middleton wound up opting out and signed a three-year, $102 million extension with the Bucks. Nehm wrote he still could have been traded "as long as the Bucks and Wizards fulfilled all of the salary cap requirements of the current CBA."

The deal that sent Beal to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team deal involving the Indiana Pacers came together on June 24, six days before Middleton agreed to his extension with Milwaukee.

Milwaukee was able to get the offensive upgrade in the backcourt it had been seeking by acquiring Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers on three months later in a three-team trade that the Suns got involved in. The Bucks wound up moving Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, a 2029 first-round draft pick and two future first-round pick swaps in the deal.

Beal's first season with the Suns was a mixed bag due in part to injuries. He did average 18.2 points per game on a career-high 51.3 shooting percentage, but was only able to appear in 53 games.

Middleton also dealt with injury issues that limited him to 55 games for the Bucks. Both Milwaukee and Phoenix were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Patrick Beverley, currently a member of the Israeli Basketball Premier League's Hapoel Tel Aviv, said Monday on his podcast that he believes Doc Rivers has become a very underrated head coach.

"They trying to slander Doc," he said. "I seen some coaching rankings, they had Doc No. 22, dawg. I almost threw my f--king phone. This man... Phil Jackson is Doc Rivers. They got to put more respect on my coach's name. They got to. They got to, bro. It's getting disrespectful. They wouldn't do Phil Jackson like that. Why are they doing Doc like that? It's wild."

The Doc Rivers disrespect is getting out of hand! pic.twitter.com/6pq9Zlij1F

— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) October 7, 2024

The comparison between Rivers and Jackson is well out of pocket.

Jackson won 11 titles as a head coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, and might have won more if Michael Jordan didn't take a brief hiatus from the game for baseball or if Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal could have squashed their beef. He is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.

Rivers, meanwhile, has won one title as a head coach and hasn't so much as reached the conference finals since the 2011-12 season despite having players like Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Joel Embiid and James Harden at his disposal. He's a very good coach, no doubt, but putting him in the elite tier in NBA history is beyond a stretch.