The Pistons could have point guard Reggie Jackson back on the floor by early December, reports Aaron McMann of MLive. Jackson hasn’t played since receiving plasma injection therapy to treat tendinitis on his left knee October 10th. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said Jackson could be cleared for five-on-five drills by Monday and may return after the Pistons wrap up a four-game road trip on December 2nd. “He is starting to do some stuff,” Van Gundy said. “He still hasn’t done any five-on-five. He did some three-on-three live today — a little bit of it full court. He looks good at the stuff that he’s doing, but he’s got to get more comfortable. Got to get his conditioning back.”
There’s more tonight out of Detroit:
- Free agent addition Jon Leuer appears to be the stretch four that the Pistons have been wanting off the bench, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Detroit gave Leuer a four-year, $41MM deal to lure him from the Suns and created an opening by not re-signing Anthony Tolliver. Leuer has taken advantage of the opportunity, averaging 10.3 points and 6.9 rebounds through 15 games, all off the bench. “You get that stretch [forward] label and people think you’re just a spot-up shooter,” Leuer said. “There’s a lot more to my game than that.”
- The Pistons will be less likely to make a major deal at this year’s deadline than they have been the past two seasons, according to Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit picked up Tobias Harris in February and Jackson at the 2015 deadline, but Langlois says the team has at least one and possibly two players it likes at every position, lessening the possibility of a shakeup.
- There are no set plans for the Palace of Auburn Hills once the Pistons move to downtown Detroit next season, McMann writes in a separate story. The building could be endangered as it would have trouble turning a profit without revenue from the Pistons and it is in an area considered desirable for technology and research development companies. “We have a lot of different plans and possibilities,” said team owner Tom Gores. “We’ve even discussed it, [Red Wings owner] Chris [Ilitch] and I. We don’t have any definitive plans.”