Pistons News: Jeff Bower gets HOF honors; Ex-Pistons in the Playoffs; Detroit linked to more draft prospects

Pistons general manager Jeff Bower inducted into Pennsylvania Hall of Fame

Jeff Bower is now part of the Hall of Fame. The second half of the two-headed mustachio'd hydra that is the Pistons' front office was honored in his native Pennsylvania this week, as his basketball achievements took center stage during his induction. Per the Detroit Free Press' Perry A. Farrell:

"It was an honor to take part in the event," Bower said of the induction. "It's something that was a long tradition back in Blair County in Pennsylvania. I was glad I was able to be a part of it."

Bower was one of the first new faces to join Stan Van Gundy's staff in 2014, but he has been an active member of the NBA family for several years. His path to the Association was convoluted, with the history and education major starting his career at Penn State in 1983 as an assistant coach before working the bench at Marist from '86 to '93. Bower's NBA break came in 1995 when he joined the New Orleans Hornets as an advance scout, quickly rising the organizational ranks until he was appointed the team's assistant general manager in 2000, and then general manager in 2001.

The Pennsylvania-native then went on to assume different positions both in the front office and coaching staff until 2010, during that time he had a hand in drafting several All-Stars and rebuilding the team. He briefly returned to Marist in 2014 as a head coach before taking up Van Gundy's on his offer to help him build a basketball powerhouse in Detroit. Since his arrival in the Motor City, the Pistons have once again become relevant, as both he and SVG work together to secure young talent at a fraction of the cost -- it certainly seems as though Bower's resume will continue to garner accolades as Detroit continues to gather steam in the East.

Playoffs saw several former Pistons take to the court

With roster turnovers, trades and other happenings, teams rarely keep more than their core around, and the Pistons are no different, since Stan Van Gundy has been in office, the team has had one of the largest roster overhauls in recent history. As a result, several ex-Pistons needed to find a new team, with a couple lucky ones able to latch on to playoff squads that have competed in this year's post-season. Here is a rundown of the forgotten few, sorted by tenures:

Rodney Stuckey (G) 7 seasons, 483 games (265 starts) - Indiana Pacers

The Pacers bowed out in the first round after the Toronto Raptors bested them in 7 games. Stuckey featured in all seven, logging almost 18 minutes per game, in which he averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2 assists. The 29-year old guard shot 50% from behind the arc, but only 39% from the field and 55% from the charity stripe.

Jonas Jerebko (F) 5 seasons,  303 games (88 starts) - Boston Celtics

Everyone's favorite Swede was a breath of fresh air for Danny Ainge's Celtics during the playoffs, with Jerebko's energy almost saving Boston from bouncing out of the first round. The stretch-4 averaged 27 minutes per game in the playoffs, putting up 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game to go along with a shooting slash of .478/.318/.800.

Charlie Villanueva (F) 5 seasons, 256 games (27 starts) - Dallas Mavericks

The 31-year old forward played a total of 20 minutes through four game for the Mavericks this post season, scoring 9 points, collecting 2 rebounds and dishing out an assist. However, his biggest highlight came off the court, as he tried to interrupt Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne's pre-game dance.

Amir Johnson (C) 4 seasons, 135 games (24 starts) - Boston Celtics

It feels as though it has been a lifetime since Johnson was last on the team, but the bigman has been hustling around the League since leaving Motown in 2009. Amir had another solid postseason performace this year, putting up 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in just over 23 minutes per game, all the while shooting an impressive 66.7% from the field.

Kyle Singler (G) 3 seasons, 218 games (150 starts) - Oklahoma City Thunder

Singler is currently the only former Piston still in the running for a Championship, with the former Duke player warming the bench for Billy Donovan in Oklahoma City. The former Piston swingman has logged 39 minutes in this year's playoffs, collecting 6 points, 5 rebounds and an assist during that time.

Josh Smith (F) 2 seasons, 105 games (104 starts) - Houston Rockets

Houston's elite astronaut went from averaging over 20 minutes per game in the playoffs last year to under 10 in this year, with the 30-year old forward appearing in all four of the Rockets' games. Smith averaged 4 points and an assist per game.

Bonus Round:

Dahntay Jones (G) 3 seasons, 72 games (64 starts) - Cleveland Cavaliers

AHA! Didn't expect this did you? Have I gone mad? Have you? Did you really forget three seasons of Dahntay Jones in Detroit? Well... yes and no. The veteran has played all 72 games with the Pistons' D-League affiliates Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Grand Rapids Drive. Close enough.

2016 NBA Draft Watch

Another week, another bunch of prospects linked to the Pistons.

• Toledo F/C Nathan Boothe will work out for the Pistons according to Sheridan Hoops' Michael Scotto. Boothe,  averaged 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block during his last season in Toledo to go along with a .496/.375/.824 shooting slash.
• Detroit Sports 105.1's Jake Chapman has indicated that several players will be working out for the Pistons, including Shaq Harrison out of Tulsa. Projected to go undrafted, the guard averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists last season.
• Maryland shooting  guard Rasheed Sulaimon will also be present at the workout. The 6'4" Sulaimon shot 43% from deep to go along with 11 points 4 rebounds and 4 assists over the course of the season.
• Georgia Tech's Marcus Georges-Hunt's name also features on the workout list. The 22-year old guard is not expected to be drafted in the upcoming draft. He put up 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game this year for the Yellow Jackets.
• Andrew White a 6'7" swingman out of Nebraska will be another prospect working out in front of SVG & Co. After transferring to Nebraska after two years warming the bench for Kansas, White averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per contest  and knocked down 41% of his triple tries.
• Local product Matt Costello is the last name on the list, with the Michigan State center's performance this season earning him a workout with his hometown Pistons. The centre averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, an assist and a block per game this year.

Tweet of the Week

PSA: ALL THESE MOCK DRAFTS ARE STUPID #ivealwayswantedtosaythat

— NINO BROWN (@iAmSJ) May 17, 2016