Steal of the draft

[beez]

Drummond was the guy to pick at 9. The potential/need is really high for a number 9. That being said he is NO WHERE near Andrew Bynum. He's more athetic by a long shot and has about as little of an offensive game as anyone in the draft. He's athletic so he can get some hustle points and lob points. He only converted on 32% of his post ups last season. I like the pick but don't expect much offensively unless he turns a major corner under his coaches and finds a great sense of motivation.

I'd say if healthy over his career Perry Jones was by far the greatest value at the point he was picked. Miami should have taken him, no doubt about it.

 

[beez]

Seems like DeAndre Jordan or Tyson Chandler would be suitable comparisons. (At least right now) ..who knows, he oculd change into a low post scorer like Bynum but I doubt it. But hell if you're Detroit with Monroe, you'd take a Chandler,Jordan or Ibaka type guy for sure. Good pick.

 

[kingofdetroit57]

This could be my homerism speaking, but I think Drummond is going to be a better pro than Davis. He is freaking massive. 6'11, 280 some lbs?????

I said the same thing long ago. Davis needs to put on some serious size if he expects to dominate in the pros. Drummond is young and definitely needs to mature and improve his game, but on simple raw physical assets, Drummond is my pick all day. He's already got the size and strength to be a beast in the league. You can teach maturity and skill, you can't teach size and strength.

 

[deathroh]

Thank God the Pistons tanked, since the only way you have a chance of competing in the NBA and landing a potential difference maker is by doing so and picking in the top 3. Thank God indeed.

 

[beez]

Thank God the Pistons tanked, since the only way you have a chance of competing in the NBA and landing a potential difference maker is by doing so and picking in the top 3. Thank God indeed.

That was also the only way they were going to get Andre Drummond at #1 or #2 as I recall....

 

[wheels002]

I still cant believe Drummond was there at 9. I was hopping we would trade up so we could get him. I know the kid needs a lot of work and he has a lot to improve on but he already has an NBA body and he is very athletic. His skill set means he can and should get better from here if he puts in the work.

 

[beez]

I still cant believe Drummond was there at 9. I was hopping we would trade up so we could get him. I know the kid needs a lot of work and he has a lot to improve on but he already has an NBA body and he is very athletic. His skill set means he can and should get better from here if he puts in the work.

if he puts in the work.

Thats one of his biggest questions outside of his offensive game.

 

[mhughes0021]

Thank God the Pistons tanked, since the only way you have a chance of competing in the NBA and landing a potential difference maker is by doing so and picking in the top 3. Thank God indeed.

Your sarcasm is a bit premature....a Monroe, Drummond, Tay, Knight, Stuckey line up gets you nothing but a top 10 pick next year. Difference maker is a bit of a reach. Its a start....a good start at that. But i would have been way more comfortable picking him at 5 than having all the stars align correctly to get him at 9.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

Drummond is 2 years away from being a difference maker, minimum. Dwight Howard wasn't a net positive for his team until year 3, Bynum year 4. Drummond is going to appear very lackluster as a rookie, and probably pretty pedestrian as a sophomore. He is a project, but one with unlimited potential.

This, in some ways, actually helps us. It means the team still won't be very good next year (won't lose their pick), and can focus primarily on development. Hopefully just as we are in danger of losing our pick, Drummond and Knight will have rounded into form as quality players, allowing us to make significant strides in the win-loss column.

 

[deathroh]

Your sarcasm is a bit premature....a Monroe, Drummond, Tay, Knight, Stuckey line up gets you nothing but a top 10 pick next year. Difference maker is a bit of a reach. Its a start....a good start at that. But i would have been way more comfortable picking him at 5 than having all the stars align correctly to get him at 9.

My sarcasm is right on the money since some people wanted to tank for the sole reason of drafting Drummond. I said potential difference maker anyway.

So you wish they would have lost more games but ended up with the same player. That's pretty sick and twisted.

 

[deathroh]

Drummond is 2 years away from being a difference maker, minimum. Dwight Howard wasn't a net positive for his team until year 3, Bynum year 4. Drummond is going to appear very lackluster as a rookie, and probably pretty pedestrian as a sophomore. He is a project, but one with unlimited potential.

This, in some ways, actually helps us. It means the team still won't be very good next year (won't lose their pick), and can focus primarily on development. Hopefully just as we are in danger of losing our pick, Drummond and Knight will have rounded into form as quality players, allowing us to make significant strides in the win-loss column.

Yep, people are going to have to be patient. There will still be opportunities for some Pistons fans to revel in losses.

 

[tomdalton22]

My sarcasm is right on the money since some people wanted to tank for the sole reason of drafting Drummond. I said potential difference maker anyway.

So you wish they would have lost more games but ended up with the same player. That's pretty sick and twisted.

But New Orleans only had 4 more losses and they got the #1 pick. If the Pistons had the same number of ping pong balls maybe they get Davis.

 

[deathroh]

But New Orleans only had 4 more losses and they got the #1 pick. If the Pistons had the same number of ping pong balls maybe they get Davis.

Yeah, maybe they do. I guess I should have rooted for them to lose harder. My bad.

 

[beez]

But New Orleans only had 4 more losses and they got the #1 pick. If the Pistons had the same number of ping pong balls maybe they get Davis.

the same way that maybe the Bobcats would have gotten it?

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

It's all a matter of priorities. There is a tipping point between when you want to see your team succeed immediately and when you accept that immediate gratification is impossible. Once you hit that tipping point (and it is different for us all), it's not hard to see that the current system rewards losing.

We shouldn't get on a high horse saying our tipping point is more right than another's. I condone and encourage tanking if my team has no real possibility of making the playoffs. Deathroh and others would say that trying to win is reward in itself, even if it doesn't happen. There are logical arguments to support both sides, and no one way is really better. Maybe you tank and land Anthony Davis, but maybe you tank and land Greg Oden. Maybe you push to win and the team gels into a contender, but maybe you push to win and it just gets your stuck in basketball purgatory until you blow everything up.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

the same way that maybe the Bobcats would have gotten it?

To be fair, MKG is a much more highly regarded player than Drummond. Most think he'll be very very good with little downside or bust potential. Same with Beal at 3, Robinson at 5. It's not #1 or bust in the draft, but the higher the pick, the better the player more often than not.

 

[deathroh]

It's all a matter of priorities. There is a tipping point between when you want to see your team succeed immediately and when you accept that immediate gratification is impossible. Once you hit that tipping point (and it is different for us all), it's not hard to see that the current system rewards losing.

We shouldn't get on a high horse saying our tipping point is more right than another's. I condone and encourage tanking if my team has no real possibility of making the playoffs. Deathroh and others would say that trying to win is reward in itself, even if it doesn't happen. There are logical arguments to support both sides, and no one way is really better. Maybe you tank and land Anthony Davis, but maybe you tank and land Greg Oden. Maybe you push to win and the team gels into a contender, but maybe you push to win and it just gets your stuck in basketball purgatory until you blow everything up.

As noted in the tank thread there is a "right" way to look at it...

"I hope the Pistons win as many games as possible, and end up selecting the best player available with whatever pick they get. If those two things happen, the organization will be successful. Rooting for anything else would be illogical."

 

[beez]

To be fair, MKG is a much more highly regarded player than Drummond. Most think he'll be very very good with little downside or bust potential. Same with Beal at 3, Robinson at 5. It's not #1 or bust in the draft, but the higher the pick, the better the player more often than not.

Understood but he was talking about winning the lottery. Sure you have a better chance but what if the Bobcats end up outside of anyone they even wanted?

 

[dubbsco]

I remember a few years ago (and I think I mentioned this in this thread or another), that the Pistons had their last game against Minnesota, and if they lost, they would have had one of the league's worst 3-4 records. In that game, they were down 20 some points in the 4th quarter, and for whatever reason, went on a tear, and won the game, costing them several spots. What good was that win? Pride? Beating a bottom feeder in the season finale, when you are playing for nothing, was pointless. At that point, you go to the bottom of the bench, and play rookies/garbage guys. For the POTENTIAL of your franchise, you need to take some short-term losses. Yes, I understand they lucked out with Monroe, but if you ask anyone, you would rather be picking top 5, rather than 8.

When Rodriguez was in year 3 of the shitshow at Michigan, I was not actively rooting for them to beat Illinois. Because I knew if he did win, and snuck another win out, that it would maybe lead to him being signed to a new deal, and cause the program to fall further into the depths. I never root against my team to lose, but sometimes, if they don't win, it doesn't bother me as much, because I know there needs to be a new direction. I'm not going to be a gung-ho slappy all the time, when the team I root for obviously needs a spark.

 

[deathroh]

If it's one game that will cause a multiple spot swing in your draft position, tank away. I'm talking about 1/4 of the way through the season.