Drummond capped off three games in four nights Saturday night with 19 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in 25 minutes in a 108-91 loss at Milwaukee.

The performance comes behind a solid game in the exhibition opener Wednesday against the Raptors and a promising 6 minutes Friday night at Toronto.

“I can’t do it without the help of my teammates,” Drummond told Pistons.com after the loss to the Bucks.

– Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Former Detroit Pistons player and coach Donnie Butcher died today at the age of 76, according to his son, Denny, a basketball coach in Hartland.

Butcher was traded from the New York Knicks to the Pistons on Dec. 16, 1963 as a part of a three-team, four-player deal. He would play with Detroit until 1966. During the ‘66-’67 season, he was named Pistons head coach, replacing then player-coach Dave DeBusschere.

– Reported by the Detroit Free Press

The team might not have a superstar, but there is the makings of a team with many options.

“I think the strength of our team is that you don’t know where it’s going to come from every single night,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said after Saturday’s public scrimmage at Oakland University. “We’re not playing off one guy. We have a structure. We give our guys freedom to play to their strengths and each others’ strengths, but the ball has to move.”

On some nights the top option will be big man Greg Monroe. It’s apparent in the brief glimpses to the media that he has worked on his 15-foot jumper in the off-season. And the Pistons emphasized his passing ability in the high post in Saturday’s scrimmage.

– Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

You name it, Jonas Jerebko did it for the Swedish national team this summer.

Point guard, both forward spots, center, fetch Gatorade, sell tickets — whatever was needed, Jerebko did it in leading the Swedes to a 4-4 record in Eurobasket 2013 qualifying.

“All the jokes aside, it was a great experience for me because coach and my teammates let me do a little bit of everything,” Jerebko said Saturday after the Pistons’ open scrimmage at Oakland University.

Entering his fourth season, Jerebko sometimes can be a forgotten man, especially when it comes to media attention given to frontcourt newcomers Andre Drummond and Slava Kravtsov. And his story might not be as compelling as Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye trying to salvage careers.

– Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

The NBA is coming back to London with a regular-season game between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks in January.

The NBA says the Pistons and Knicks will play on Jan. 17 at the O2 Arena, the site of this year’s Olympic gold-medal game.

The Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets played a pair of regular-season games at the same venue in March 2011, but the NBA skipped London on its preseason tour this year.

– Reported by the Associated Press

The Detroit Pistons announced today the addition of guards Terrence Williams and Jonny Flynn to the 2012-13 training camp roster.

Williams was drafted 11th overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 2009 NBA Draft.  He’s played in 129 career NBA games with the Nets, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings, averaging 7.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists.  Williams was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in April 2010 while with the Nets where he averaged 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 22.6 minutes while recording eight double-doubles as a rookie.

Flynn was drafted sixth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft.  In 163 NBA games (90 starts) with Minnesota, Houston and Portland, the 2010 NBA All-Rookie second team member has averaged 9.2 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds.  With the Timberwolves in 2009-10, Flynn ranked fifth among rookies in scoring (13.5 ppg), fourth in free throw accuracy (82.6% FT), fifth in assists (4.4 apg) and seventh in steals (1.01 spg).

Lawrence Frank wouldn’t say whose idea it was to bring a ping-pong table to the practice facility, but the Pistons coach admitted he was pleased with the competitive spirit of the 11 players who have participated in unofficial workouts and are expected to make the roster.

“I mean, this is all voluntarily; they don’t have to be here, and we can’t force them,” Frank said. “Eleven of the 15 have been here, and we expect Jonas (Jerebko) and Slava Kravtsov to be here Tuesday.”

Jerebko and Kravtsov have been at the Eurobasket 2013 qualifying tournament, with Jerebko playing very well and Kravtsov showing promise.

With camp just weeks away, Frank has the luxury of having time to work his players, unlike last season when he, like all teams and coaches, had to deal with a lockout and playing just about every other day.

– Reported by Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press

As the Eastern Michigan men’s basketball program sits in limbo, coach Rob Murphy’s contract is an issue.

Murphy, who reportedly wants to leave the Eagles for a job with the Orlando Magic, would be required to pay the university $210,000 to break his contract.

That is equivalent to one year’s salary and would need to be paid in a lump sum or in monthly payments over the remaining term of the five-year contract, which is four more years.

– Reported by Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has signed 2012 second-round draft selection Khris Middleton to a contract.

Middleton, who was selected as an early-entry candidate with the 39th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, played three seasons at Texas A&M averaging 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 87 career games.  The a 6-7 forward posted averages of 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season for the Aggies as a junior, scoring 16.1 points per game over the season’s final seven games.  Middleton averaged a career-high 14.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a sophomore and earned Second Team All-Big 12 and All-District selections.  The Charleston, South Carolina native who is known as a creative scorer that excels in the mid-range game shot 36.1% from three-point range (39-108 3FG) during the 2010-11 season and 32.1% (92-287 3FG) for his collegiate career.

Palace Sports & Entertainment president Dennis Mannion said Detroit Pistons jerseys “most probably” will have small sponsorship patches in the future.

The NBA signaled last month that — pending formal league approval — it will allow small patches on the upper left part of jerseys. It’s not exactly going the NASCAR route, but it’s a significant move as the league ponders another revenue stream.

Mannion said Tuesday there have been discussions about offering the space as part of a package with a high-end sponsor.

– Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has finally met his estranged father after 42 years of separation, following an exhibition game in the Philippines.

Philander Rodman Jr., who has acknowledged fathering 29 children by 16 mothers, says he was happy and surprised that his son agreed to meet him late Wednesday. He tried to meet the basketball Hall of Famer during another game in Manila in 2006.

“It was great,” he said Thursday of the first time he held his son’s hands since they last met in December 1969.

“I’ve been trying to meet him for years. And then last night, boom, I met him. I was really, really happy and very surprised,” he told The Associated Press.

– Reported by Oliver Teves of the Associated Press

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Grant Hill to a two-year contract Wednesday night to bolster their small forward spot, and the team also reached out to free-agent centers Darko Milicic and Ryan Hollins.

Hill agreed to join the team under the biannual exception, taking a two-year deal that starts at $1.9 million in the first year and has a raise of 4.5 percent in the second.

Hill, who will be 40 in October, is expected to back up Caron Butler at small forward.

The Clippers are expected to hold a news conference next week to formally announce the signing.

– Reported by Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has signed free agent center Viacheslav Kravtsov to a multi-year contract.

“We are pleased to add Viacheslav Kravtsov to our roster and welcome him to the organization,” said Joe Dumars, Pistons President of Basketball Operations. “He’s a young player with good size, rebounding and shot-blocking ability.   He will provide us with some quality depth at the center position.”

Kravtsov, 24, has been a member of the Ukrainian national team since 2006.  The 6-foot-11, 254-pound center was named Ukrainian Superleague Domestic Player of the Year the past two seasons, averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in Superleague play a year ago.  He also averaged 8.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in EuroCup play for BC Donetsk, his team the past two seasons after having played for BK Kyiv previously.

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has signed second round draft selection Kim English to a contract.  Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

English, who was selected with the 44th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, played four seasons at Missouri and averaged 14.1 points (.521 FG), 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a senior.  He scored in double figures in 26-of-35 games a year ago, including seven games with 20-plus points.  English shot 45.9% from beyond the arc last season and shot better than 36.0% from three-point range in each of his four years with the Tigers.  He earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors as a senior and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 Big 12 Tournament.  English averaged 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 24.2 minutes in 141 games at Missouri, shooting 39.4% (239-606 3FG) from three-point range for his career.

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has waived center Darko Milicic, designating him as the team’s amnesty player. The one-time amnesty provision allows a team to waive a player and not have his salary count against the salary cap or luxury tax.

Milicic spent parts of three seasons as Minnesota’s starting center, averaging 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over 122 games, 110 starts with the Wolves. The Wolves originally acquired the 7-0 center from the New York Knicks on Feb. 17, 2012.

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has signed their 2011 second round draft selection Kyle Singler to a multi-year contract. We’ll post contract details on this page later today.

“We are pleased to have Kyle Singler join our organization knowing he brings great character and skill to our team,” said Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations for the Detroit Pistons.  “We watched him grow as a player throughout his season in Spain last year and we feel he’s going to be a great addition to our roster going forward.”

Singler spent the 2011-12 season playing overseas in Spain for both Lucentum Alicante and Real Madrid.  He averaged 14.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 31.1 minutes in 10 games (all starts) for Lucentum Alicante.  Singler then moved to one of the Euroleague’s top teams, Real Madrid, where he averaged 7.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 20.3 minutes in 46 games (38 starts).   He helped Real Madrid reach the ACB finals before losing to Barcelona.  Singler shot 50.4% from the field while playing for Real Madrid and shot over 40% from three-point range while playing for both teams.

Singler was selected by Detroit with the 33rd pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 forward played four seasons at Duke University where he averaged 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 148 career games (tying a school record).  A native of Medford, Oregon, Singler tied a career-high 30 points (5-5 3FG) in a homecoming game against Oregon at the Rose Garden in Portland on 11/27/10.  As a junior, he led the Blue Devils to a NCAA Championship by averaging 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 37 games.  He recorded 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the 2010 NCAA Championship game vs. Butler and tallied 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists vs. West Virginia in the semifinals to earn Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four.

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has signed first round draft choice Andre Drummond to a multi-year contract.

All players selected in the first round are guaranteed to receive a contract. So, this signing is standard and was expected.

Drummond, who was an early-entry candidate for the 2012 NBA Draft and selected by the Pistons with the ninth pick, averaged 10.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 2.7 blocks last season as a freshman for the University of Connecticut.  In 34 games, he shot a team-high 53.8% from the field and ranked third in blocks (2.7) in the Big East Conference.  The 6-11, 279-pound center recorded a season-high 24 points (11-12 FG), eight rebounds and five blocks vs. Holy Cross (12/18).  Drummond also earned two Big East Big East Rookie of the Week honors last season by scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds vs. West Virginia (1/9) and 18 points (9-12 FG) with seven rebounds at Georgetown (2/1).  A native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., he was rated the No. 1 high school prospect by Scout.com, No. 2 in the ESPNU Top-100 and led St. Thomas More (Conn.) to the 2011 Prep National Championship.

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has promoted George David to the position of Assistant General Manager.

“We are pleased to announce the promotion of George David to Assistant General Manager,” said Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations.  “George has played a significant role for our basketball operations team in coordinating our draft preparation, scouting, free agent analysis and administration.  He will do a great job in his new position.”

The Detroit Pistons have struck a verbal agreement to sign Ukranian center Vyacheslav Kravtsov to a multiyear deal, according to his agent.

“Vyacheslav intends to sign a player contract with the Pistons when the moratorium period ends,” Kravtsov’s representative, Jeff Schwartz, said Sunday night.

Pistons president Joe Dumars confirmed the negotiations in a statement Monday.

“We are engaged in negotiations with Vyacheslav Kravtsov and will enter into a player contract when the moratorium period ends,” he said in the statement.

– Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Britain has lost a second NBA player for the men’s basketball tournament at the Olympic Games after Ben Gordon failed to link up with the squad at its training camp in the United States.

Britain coach Chris Spice says the guard couldn’t commit to playing for the host nation after he was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday.

Spice says “It’s really disappointing as he’s a world-class player who would have made a huge difference.”

With Bobcats center Byron Mullens out because of injury, it leaves Britain with only one NBA player — Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng.

– Reported by the Associated Press