NBA Notes: Pistons, roster, Bulls, Tiago Splitter, Magic

Pistons

The Pistons may not be saying it outright, but they sure seem to know who they’re building around.

Speaking with reporters Thursday, president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon repeatedly referenced Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Amen Thompson when discussing Detroit’s future, suggesting the trio has emerged as the franchise’s foundation moving forward.

“Our three best players,” Langdon said.

According to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press, Langdon stressed the importance of adding more shooting and playmaking around that group.

“Spacing the floor is huge,” Langdon said. “When you have multiple ball-handlers and more shooting on the floor, that opens it up for our three best players.”

Detroit remains determined to re-signing Duren, though Langdon acknowledged negotiations haven’t gained much traction yet. Thompson, meanwhile, is also extension eligible this offseason.

The Pistons won 60 games last season but still appear focused on improving the roster around their young stars.

Bulls

New Bulls coach Tiago Splitter admitted this job means a little more to him than most.

Growing up in Brazil, Splitter said he often stayed up late watching Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

“I’m actually a Bulls fan myself,” Splitter said, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Growing up in Brazil, I watched many games late at night, hidden from my parents at 1 a.m., watching MJ games and rooting for the Bulls.”

Now, he’s the one calling the shots.

Splitter acknowledged Chicago remains in the early stages of a rebuild but promised a team that competes every night.

“It’s going to be a lot of work,” he said. “But we’re going to compete every night and we’re going to have high standards with everything we do.”

Magic

The Magic took their time before introducing new coach Sean Sweeney, largely because he was still helping the Spurs during their run to the NBA Finals.

But Orlando’s front office appears convinced it found the right man.

President Jeff Weltman said Sweeney “knocked our socks off” during the interview process and called Orlando’s coaching search both rigorous and highly targeted.

For his part, Sweeney said the Magic stood out because of how detailed the interview process became.

“The Magic were the most thorough,” Sweeney said, via the Associated Press. “They did the best job of asking questions and asking follow-ups to get to layers underneath the first answer.”

Orlando is betting those same traits translate to the sideline.