Tayshaun Prince has been looking for a buyout of his contract ever since joining the Celtics via trade with Memphis earlier this year.
Now in his 13th season, Prince presumably would like the chance to join a playoff contender, instead of toiling away in obscurity on a lottery team whose campaign will be finished on April 16.
But that’s not going to happen.
Stan Van Gundy has plans to play Prince, and play him extensively -- a scenario which Van Gundy believes had Prince extremely confused, at least initially.
From Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press:“That’s an interesting situation because I think that was his expectation, quite frankly,” Van Gundy said Friday. “That’s certainly not why we acquired him. We didn’t acquire him with any kind of promise from us that we were going to buy him out. We brought him in here to play and play a lot. I think yesterday when I talked to him, yeah, his head was spinning a little. Things hadn’t gone in a direction he expected.
“Reggie was really, really excited. I think Tayshaun was — not unhappy, but he was sort of trying to figure out what the hell happened, and I understand that.”
It’s worth noting that with the trades the Pistons made, and especially with the addition of Reggie Jackson, they very well may be able to make a run at one of those final playoff spots in the East.
Detroit is currently just a game-and-a-half back of Charlotte for the eight seed, and two hames back of Miami, who may be without Chris Bosh for the remainder of the season.
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