Former Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got himself into a bit of legal trouble during his time in Detroit. That same trouble has followed him to Los Angeles as he is now in the midst of serving jail time while practicing and playing games on a work release.
The Detroit Pistons had a tough dilemma this past summer. The team had restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who was searching for a big pay day. However, the team had reservations about ponying up for a player as inconsistent as Caldwell-Pope.
You all know how this story went. The Pistons traded forward Marcus Morris to the Boston Celtics for shooting guard Avery Bradley. Following that move, the Pistons renounced its rights to Caldwell-Pope allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent—a move that certainly caught the fan base off guard, and likely Caldwell-Pope and his representatives too.
Unfortunately for Caldwell-Pope, this summer didn’t go as expected. He didn’t get a max deal, or even a near max offer from the Pistons, and none of the other 29 teams offered a big deal either.
Instead, Caldwell-Pope accepted a one-year $18 million prove it deal so that he could hit the market next offseason and hopefully get an offer closer to what he feels he is worth.
While the offseason had to be disappointing for him, this season has to be too, as he is dealing with a legal matter that has him serving jail time when he isn’t at practice or playing games.
"Caldwell-Pope pleaded guilty in Michigan earlier this month to a probation violation after he failed to comply with the terms of a drug and alcohol screening program put in place after he was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Caldwell-Pope pleaded guilty to a lesser charge that stemmed from his arrest in March, which came when he was a member of the Detroit Pistons.As part of the work-release program, Caldwell-Pope isn’t allowed to leave the state and must return after practice and games where he also is required to submit to a breath test. As a result, Caldwell-Pope is expected to miss games at Houston and Minneapolis.He has to wear a GPS monitor when he’s outside the detention facility."
This has to be really tough for Caldwell-Pope. It is certainly hard to see these things happening to him for afar.
In his time in Detroit, Caldwell-Pope seemed to be well-liked by his teammates and certainly the fan base.
He kept to himself, worked hard, and appeared to be a model citizen.
It’s even more unfortunate that Caldwell-Pope let his legal battle from a season escalate to the point it is at now. Instead of adhering to the court ordered probation, and getting off relatively free, Caldwell-Pope is now serving jail time—a move that illustrates a greater lack of maturity to say the least.
Next: Avery Bradley Out at Least a Week
I hope Caldwell-Pope learns from this and self corrects. He’s too good to jeopardize his career things like this, but more importantly he’s a husband and a father that needs to provide for and set good examples.