Central Notes: Pacers, Cavs, Pistons

Pacers

Point guard Malcolm Brogdon has been at the center of some trade rumors, but he said he feels comfortable with the Pacers.

“I do,” he told reporters, via Joel Lorenzi of the Indianapolis Star. “Me and Rick Carlisle have a great relationship. … We see eye to eye on a lot of things. He’s very direct and blunt and I am too. He’s very communicative. To have a head coach like that that’s open and honest, wanting to fill you in on everything that’s going on so you have the whole picture, that’s ideal for a guy like me.”

Brogdon said he believes he and Tyrese Haliburton complement each other, and that he has no issues sharing the backcourt with the young guard. Haliburton was acquired from the Kings at the trade deadline.

“He’s a great young talent,” Brogdon said. “Great young point guard, super unselfish. He’s the guy you want to play with. He’s the guy that’s going to help you win. I think the fit is great for me and the organization.”

Cavaliers

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff saw what the rest of us saw during the play-in loss to the Nets on Tuesday. Basically, he thought the Cavs were bad during the first quarter, but pretty good the rest of the way.

“That’s part of our learning process is understanding these moments and finding your composure and your poise,” Bickerstaff said. “It just took us a little too long to get there. We got there in the second, third and fourth quarters, I thought we played really good basketball.”

The Cavs still have shot at the playoffs, at the No. 8 seed in the East, should they win Friday at home.

“I learned a lot from this game,” point guard Darius Garland said. “Just try to bring that same intensity as we did in the second, third and fourth quarter.”

• Former Cavs star and current Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was basically unstoppable, and ex-teammate Kevin Love wasn’t surprised. “I always say about Kyrie in a March Madness, one-game type of situation he’s a tough guy to bet against,” Love said. “Seen this movie before but still I think that there’s just times where he comes out and plays out of his mind and that’s why he’s a future Hall of Famer. You just kind of have to tip your hat to him. 
• For more on the Cavs, check out the latest dribbles right here. Also, I joined Chase Smith, John Sabol and former Cavs play-byplay man Michael Reghi for a special podcast after the game. You can check that out right here.

Pistons

General manager Troy Weaver indicated the Pistons intend to be aggressive in improving the roster.

“We’re gonna look at everything. I can say we’re going continue to be aggressive, turn over every rock, vet it out and try to come back better as a team, whether that’s one guy, two guys, three guys,” Weaver told reporters at the season-ending press conference. “We’re gonna be aggressive in our approach, and make sure that we come out ready to go and hopefully put a better product on the floor.”

The Pistons finished 23-59, a minor improvement over the previous two seasons in which they won 20 games in each. They also had a different look this year, getting younger and rebuilding things around No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham.

“I’m right in there with the coaches, and I think I got better as the season (progressed),” Weaver said. “Coach (Dwane Casey) and I talked about this, I didn’t give coach enough tools and the Marvin Bagley trade was a big tool for us. We didn’t have enough athleticism up front. We needed to address that, and we did. I feel better for the team that we were able to acquire that young man and give us a tool we didn’t have.

“I think as the year went on, I continued to grow and find my footing. Like the team, it’s a big summer for the front office and myself. I’m looking forward to that challenge as well.”