On Friday, ESPN reported a rumor that the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves were discussing a trade to send Reggie Jackson to Minnesota for Ricky Rubio. Head coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy wanted to squash those rumors quickly.
Van Gundy: “I texted Reggie and just said, ‘This is crazy season and we’re not trading you for Ricky Rubio.’ That was it. I don’t normally address it, but the fact that it was out there and it concerned his agent enough to call, I addressed it.”
http://www.mlive.com/pistons/index.ssf/2017/01/stan_van_gundy_tells_reggie_ja.html
Jackson has begun to pick up his play in the month of January, averaging 20.2 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 47% from the field and 45.7% from deep after a slow start from his return from left knee tendinitis. Jackson is the leader of this team. As Reggie goes, the Pistons go so it’s a smart move by Van Gundy to keep Jackson in the fold. He’s a better fit on this team with his shooting while Rubio isn’t the greatest of shooters and with the Pistons beginning a softer schedule, look for them to begin to turn it around a bit.
-Ky Carlin
Twitter: @gettinbuckets91
