Stan Van Gundy said on Wednesday the Pistons would hold their 15th roster spot open in case a need were to arise. Less than 24 hours later, one did.
Reggie Jackson came out of both halves of Wednesday night’s loss to Atlanta when he had a hard time catching his breath. Jackson went to see a doctor Thursday while the Pistons practiced. And with Spencer Dinwiddie cleared to return but less than full strength, the Pistons saw the need to add depth at point guard.
So on Friday, the Pistons announced the signing of Lorenzo Brown to a 10-day contract.
Brown has played with the Grand Rapids Drive, D-League affiliate of the Pistons, the past two seasons. He signed two 10-day contracts with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season and two more 10-day deals earlier this season with the Phoenix Suns.
“Reggie was a little sick last night and Spencer’s available but, by what he says, not 100 percent. So just to protect ourselves in case Reggie isn’t able to go at some point,” Van Gundy said Thursday. “I think he’d be able to, but to protect ourselves. We didn’t want to get caught when our third guy is not 100 percent.”
Brown, 6-foot-5, is averaging 18.3 points, 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals in 25 games for the Drive. Brown left North Carolina State in 2013 after his junior season and went 52nd to Minnesota. He went to training camp with the Pistons in 2014. He’s played in the D-League All-Star game in each of the past two seasons.