Tyrese Haliburton wants to repair his relationship with Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, ESPN relays. It’s been fractured since the Pacers guard stole Lillard’s Dame Time celebration during the 2023 in-season tournament when Indiana beat Milwaukee.

“I think what I do regret more than anything is what me and Dame’s relationship has become,” Haliburton said on The Zach Lowe Show. “Because he was a guy who checked on me a lot early in my career, especially when I got traded [from the Kings to Pacers in 2022].”

Both players missed last season while recovering from Achilles tendon injuries.

“I would love to have a conversation [with Lillard] because I just think it became more than it ever needed to be,” Haliburton said. “Put it on me. I was young, in the moment, I was having fun with it, but it was probably a little much. And whatever happened from there happened.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Pistons are looking to put the ball in the hands of Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren more often this season, in part to prevent Cade Cunningham from wearing down, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “Just relieves pressure,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Teams have the idea that they just want to wear Cade down. They want to pick him up, they want to double-team him, they want to be physical with him. It makes a huge difference when sometimes you just need to jog to a corner without having to worry about the double-team or pick up full court or wrestling. It just can allow him to be fresher and then, again, it’s a different look when all 10 eyes are staring at you as opposed to when you get a chance to go high and then come back and play, it gives you advantages earlier coming off of screens and those types of things, also.”
The Pistons acquired forward Taurean Prince in a trade with the Bucks this offseason. Prince may not have a rotation spot but his veteran leadership has been a plus in training camp, Coty M. Davis of the Detroit News writes. “He’s a pro. He’s a veteran. He is one of our most vocal guys. I love watching him because he grabs the young guys all the time and has conversations with them,” Bickerstaff said. “It is great to have a veteran who can do that and can play. He can make shots. Defensively, he sacrifices his body. Those are things that can set the tone. It is great to have veteran players who can do that.”
Injuries are piling up in the Bulls’ frontcourt and coach Tiago Splitter is concerned, the Chicago Sun Times’ Alissa Hirsh writes. The Bulls’ two centers, Zach Collins (quad) and Nic Claxton (hamstring), haven’t participated in training camp. Now, Jalen Smith is dealing with soreness in his left foot. ‘‘It is a concern,’’ Splitter said. ‘‘I’ve gotta be honest with you. We’ve gotta be careful with their minutes throughout the season. We probably do have to have every night, like, a three-man rotation at [center]. It’s a little bit what the league is also asking, the way the league is playing — physical, fast. Sometimes a seven-footer cannot play for 35 minutes, so you’ve gotta divide those minutes with three big men running up and down.”