The Detroit Pistons have been playing really good basketball lately as they have won seven of their last ten games and it seems like they might be getting some reinforcements pretty soon. Brandon Jennings has been recovering from a torn Achilles since last season and the timetables for his return have been all over the place but it seems to be getting clearer. Jennings is reportedly hoping to return on December 29th against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, according to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago.
Jennings has missed the Pistons first 27 games and although he will likely miss a few more it doesn't seem like his return is that far away. The return date is just a hope right now and not official but he has reportedly made excellent progress so it doesn't seem farfetched. Head coach Stan Van Gundy said he wanted Jennings to play some rehab games in the D-League before playing in NBA games and it seems like he will do that as soon as this weekend with the Grand Rapids Drive.
When Jennings does eventually return to the Pistons it will be in a backup role behind starter Reggie Jackson who is having an excellent season so far. Jennings has said he is OK with playing a backup role upon his return and he really has no choice as the Pistons paid Jackson big time money to be their starting point guard and star player.
There is some thought that the Pistons' plan for Jennings is to let him play when he comes back and if he shows he still has explosiveness they will look to trade him to help fill another need. The thought process here is likely that Jennings is too good to be a backup and trading him could bring them more value than him playing limited minutes off the bench.
The reality of the situation for Detroit is that they need Jennings though, as the backup point guard position has been a huge weak point for them. Detroit looks like they are a legitimate playoff team and they have gotten by just fine with their current backups (Steve Blake and Spencer Dinwiddie) but having Jennings back will take some pressure off Jackson and make the Pistons more formidable when he isn't on the floor. Both Blake and Dinwiddie have really struggled this season in the backup role but Van Gundy has loved Blake since getting him so a trade may be realistic.
For what it's worth (not much) Van Gundy has denied the trade rumors but the Pistons will have to weigh whether having Jennings as the backup point guard is more valuable to them than what he might bring back in a trade. Regardless though, this is good news for Jennings as he looks like he may get back on an NBA court within the next couple of weeks.
