Who should the Pistons draft?
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Who should the Pistons draft?
I was going to start a thread like this too. It's really all we have to look forward to now, lol. Right now I'm really not impressed with this draft. There's only a couple of guys that even fit what we're doing. I've seen a ton of mock drafts and the more some people's stock is rising it could potentially leave the Pistons with an odd fit. There's actually mock drafts that have Cody Zeller falling to Detroit. While I find it hard for Zeller to fall that far, it could happen. That wouldn't really help us since we drafted Drummond.
The more I look at things, the more I realize we're really screwed at PG. With the way the rules are today you need to have a very good PG. Knight isn't going to get it done there. Calderon isn't good enough. I'm fine with Knight being a guy who plays 20+ minutes off the bench. He's not going to be a top player in this league though. He can be a key guy for a team, but he can't be the floor leader. He also can't be starting at SG. With that said, there's a couple PG's that I think fit on this roster. I really like Marcus Smart. He's big, strong, gets to the rim and makes plays for others. He's a little turnover prone and needs to work on his outside shot, but I think he's a potential game changer. He would really fit in on the Pistons. I also like Carter-Williams, though he has his weaknesses too.
For SG's McLemore is rated too high. He's being projected as one of the top two picks in the draft. He isn't good enough to be that high. He's not a guy who can carry a team. He'll be a decent NBA player, but he's not the next great SG. I like Shabazz to a certain extent. He could be a decent guard, although his lack of athleticism is a bit of a concern to me as is his attitude. He's still the only SG I would take in this draft for Detroit. The one that scares me the most is Victor Oladipo. There's mock drafts that have Detroit taking him. He is not what we need at all. While I love his hustle and defense, we really need someone who can score. We need a guy we can give the ball to when we need a bucket. Oladipo is definitely not that guy in the NBA.
At SF I really like what Otto Porter is doing. He's big enough and seems to be a pretty good player all around. I kind of like the idea of having a couple of Georgetown guys too. His stock has been moving up rapidly though. He might not land with Detroit anymore.
So the 4 guys I'm looking at right now are Marcus Smart, Otto Porter, Shabazz Muhammad, and Michael Carter-Williams. In that order too. Outside of that I just haven't seen good fits for Detroit. This draft is decent in terms of there's plenty of size (which we don't really need anymore) and there's good players. There's not going to be many (if any) all-star level players in this one though. This opinion could change after seeing what happens in the tournament, but that's what it appears to be now. Detroit really needs an all-star level player, especially since we currently don't have any and the only one who's close is Monroe.
What scares me is we have money and with another solid draft pick we might be mediocre. Next year is the draft that will be loaded with high potential big time players like Wiggins, Parker, Harrison, etc. That's the type of player we really need. I'd rather not go out and sign a free agent this year.
Draft MCW
So say we have the #3 draft pick (1 game off having the 3rd worst record) Would you take MCW or Oladipo that high? Would you take those two over Shabazz and McLemore?
I personally like the idea of switching knight back to PG and continue to develop him (he is 20 years old - so much room to grow / learn) and draft an athletic / good sized shooting guard who can be somewhat of a go to scorer (potentially)..
If they switch him back to PG and they had the 3rd pick I would take Oladipo. He reminds me of D-Wade. The way he attacks the rim. Shabazz and McLemore are overrated to me. Those 2 should stay in school for another year. MCW has great court vision.
There's no way I would draft Oladipo with the #3 pick. He's not the next Dwayne Wade. I also don't really want McLemore with a pick that high. I'm not really sold on him as a NBA player. I would really look at Marcus Smart or Shabazz Mohammad. Otto Porter is potentially looking like a top 5 pick too. We are thinking too much of Knight. I don't think he's the PG of the future of this team anymore. Marcus Smart could be an extremely good one in this league though. I think letting Calderon walk and drafting him could be a good long term strategy.
I kind of been thinking that the Pistons should trade Knight too. If the trade him and draft a PG like Smart, then who will be the SG? I don't see Stuckey and Bynum in their plans. Its a toss up on English and Middleton stay too.
[QUOTE=idizzle]I kind of been thinking that the Pistons should trade Knight too. If the trade him and draft a PG like Smart, then who will be the SG? I don't see Stuckey and Bynum in their plans. Its a toss up on English and Middleton stay too.[/QUOTE]
I would think either English or Middleton would last at least one more season because they can be kept around pretty cheap. Other than that I don't really see them lasting too long in the NBA. I mentioned that before though. I don't really get my hopes up for too many 2nd rounders.
SG would be the question if we drafted someone like Smart. I would guess Singler would play either SF or SG for now. I think if they draft a PG they'll pursue a SG or SF in free agency or through a trade. I'd really like to see Knight get moved for a 1st rounder next year. I see him being a good combo guard off the bench but that's about it. Maybe he fits somewhere else better but I really didn't like how this season played out.
I would like to have Stuckey around as one of our guards, but the team just doesn't utilize his strengths anymore. Frank always tries to get him to do stuff that is out of his comfort zone. I think he's definitely going to bolt to a better team and be a 6th man / part time starter somewhere else. He can't be happy with how things have played out in Detroit.
Mate I hear what your saying and I respect your opinion - and everyone else as well... But I have seen enough out of a 20 year old PG in Knight, on an extremely bad team (we are, lets face it) we have to give him at-least another year surely? I mean, it is not like Pistons have great vetran leaders at the moment, and it would be extremely hard trying to be the floor general of this developing team. He has a great outside shot and excellent athleticism, he is FAR from a completed product and FAR from reaching his potential, as this is only his second year... Most players take the big step forward in their 3rd year and I would love to see Knight given the chance to do the same with us at the point... Sure some people don't think he can be a floor general, but I think with good coaching and when he develops and learns the game he will be perfectly suited to today's proto-type PG. Imagine if Boston gave up on Rondo after his 2nd year with averages of 10/5 as a starter... Knight at 14/4 is far from being a scrub, and in my humble opinion deserves more time and a bit of faith. I gave Stuckey, and so did a lot of other people, about 5 years worth of faith before finally deciding he wasn't a starter of the future for us... As our team gets better, the game will come a lot easier for him. i think the Pistons and Knight are on the same time frame in terms of growth over the next few years...
But then again, I could be completely wrong ;)
Knight does have a good outside shot. I agree with that. His athleticism isn't anything great. He's average in that area. I've seen other PG's come into the game on teams just as bad, if not worse and do far more. That's what worries me. The rules in the NBA favor PG's now. That's why having a great floor general like that is such a big deal now. Also you brought up coaching. The Pistons don't have great coaching (and really haven't for a long time). I don't see the coaches helping the development of the younger guys. Am I 100% on let's get rid of him now? Not really. I'm just saying right now his stock is still high. If we have the chance to get a guy like Marcus Smart, then we really have to think about trading Knight. That's my point. If we can get an upgrade at that position, then move him and hopefully get a 1st round pick for him. I see Knight as a 6th man off the bench sort of player. That's not bad, but that's not what we need right now either.
The Calderon trade really opened up my eyes as to how the front office views this situation. If Knight was the PG of the future they definitely wouldn't have done that. Even more so is the fact that they've been so open to saying they want to sign Calderon long term. :wtf: If we just drafted our starting PG why would we invest so much money in another? It's very obvious having Knight and Calderon on the court at the same time is not a good combination. It's actually a pretty dumb move. I don't think it's the type of move a guy like Phil Jackson or Greg Popovich would make. They can put the PR spin on it all they want, but it's apparent the front office pretty much gave up on Knight. Having Calderon as our starting PG scares the hell out of me. Toronto has been awful for quite a while. They needed to go out and get Lowry. So now we're supposed to waste all this cap space on Calderon and a couple other mediocre players? The worst thing that can happen to us is getting stuck in mediocrity.
Yeah you are right, it is a gamble to keep him in the fact that, if he doesn't show much improvement, his trade value diminishes considerably... On the other hand he develops like we thought he would when we apparently stole him at pick 8, then everything works out... It is a tough call to make, but I feel he gets the benefit of the doubt due to the fact that he is incredibly intelligent and has a great attitude. In the end I think it comes down to Frank thinking he can use him effectively or not...
Do you think Smart is going to be a pure PG in this league? That is my only concern, would hate to draft another tweener...
[QUOTE=Aussie Dunker]Yeah you are right, it is a gamble to keep him in the fact that, if he doesn't show much improvement, his trade value diminishes considerably... On the other hand he develops like we thought he would when we apparently stole him at pick 8, then everything works out... It is a tough call to make, but I feel he gets the benefit of the doubt due to the fact that he is incredibly intelligent and has a great attitude. In the end I think it comes down to Frank thinking he can use him effectively or not...
Do you think Smart is going to be a pure PG in this league? That is my only concern, would hate to draft another tweener...[/QUOTE]
I think Smart has far more upside and will probably be very good.
[QUOTE=dd24]I think Smart has far more upside and will probably be very good.[/QUOTE]
Is he the kind of guy that will happily be feeding our bigs, 8+ assists kind of guy, or will he be more of a combo... That is my only concern. Other than that I love his intensity and intangibles and leadership
[QUOTE=Aussie Dunker]Is he the kind of guy that will happily be feeding our bigs, 8+ assists kind of guy, or will he be more of a combo... That is my only concern. Other than that I love his intensity and intangibles and leadership[/QUOTE]
Everybody keeps calling him a combo because of his size, but all that he's played in college is PG. He's been a good passer so far, but he is a bit turnover prone. He needs some experience but his size for the position he plays will make him a tough matchup in the NBA. He kinda reminds me of Chauncey when he was young, except Chauncey had a better outside shot.
I'm ready for the NCAA tournament to start so we can see who steps up this year.
Some mock drafts have him going in the 2nd rud. Depending on how NC State advances and how he plays in the tournament his stock might go up.
But probably not top 6 which is where we hopefully will be drafting...
[QUOTE=Aussie Dunker]But probably not top 6 which is where we hopefully will be drafting...[/QUOTE]
I just hope the ping pong balls somehow fall our way this year. With our cap space and another high pick we could end up being mediocre. That would mean no first round pick next year..... We really have to get a solid player this year.
It's really starting to look like an extremely weak draft class. I haven't been all that impressed by any of the top players in the tournament.
Is MCW the only guy who has helped his stock? I'm not so sure he has even helped his own, or if everyone else has just performed so poorly he's looking better and better.
[QUOTE=Kombo]Is MCW the only guy who has helped his stock? I'm not so sure he has even helped his own, or if everyone else has just performed so poorly he's looking better and better.[/QUOTE]
If you would've asked this before yesterday it would've been a no. After yesterday he did help himself. I will say this though, he and Syracuse need to do well against Marquette. If he can do that his stock will go up quite a bit.
The player whose stock has went up the most is Nerlens Noel. Everybody else played so bad Noel looks like he could be the top pick again. At least with him a team knows they're getting a big man who is a solid defender and rebounder. They can hope to work on his offensive game. I'll say it again though, this is a really weak draft class.
Trey Burke has been so impressive all year yet he's getting overlooked a bit when it comes to draft talk. He doesn't have great size, but the kid can play.
MCW and Trey Burks stocks are bananas right now. I still like MCW though. Pistons shouldn't get Burks if they plan on keeping Knight.
The thing I like about MCW is he's really more of a playmaker for others than he is a scorer. Knight is more of a scorer than a playmaker. They could potentially really compliement each other. At 6'6" and 6'3" they would be able to match up with most backcourts, and either one could handle the ball at any time so it could potentially be dangerous. I'm still not really liking this draft class though. I'm still looking at the same guys; MCW, Muhommad, Porter, and Smart. I'm really thinking Porter and MCW are the fits for this team right now. I definitely wouldn't pass up on Smart though. I think he might have the highest ceiling in this draft.
After watching some more of his games, Porter is really impressing me. I like the thought of a front court that looks like:
Drummond
Monroe
Porter
Some very good play making, hustle, defense and scoring...
Doesn't help our messy, messy back court situation though!
I've been saying Porter to be in the mix of who we should be looking at too. One thing I've been thinking about lately though is his lack of an outside shot. With big guys like Monroe and Drummond we really need to surround them with shooters. A SF who can hit the 3 would be ideal. I like Porter because he's the best SF available in the draft and it's a position we really need to get more athletic at. If he doesn't develop an outside shot it could really hurt his game and limit him. I'm not sure we're going to draft high enough to get him either. It may take a top 3 pick to land him. Who knows though.
[QUOTE=dd24]I've been saying Porter to be in the mix of who we should be looking at too. One thing I've been thinking about lately though is his lack of an outside shot. With big guys like Monroe and Drummond we really need to surround them with shooters. A SF who can hit the 3 would be ideal. I like Porter because he's the best SF available in the draft and it's a position we really need to get more athletic at. If he doesn't develop an outside shot it could really hurt his game and limit him. I'm not sure we're going to draft high enough to get him either. It may take a top 3 pick to land him. Who knows though.[/QUOTE]
I think his outside shot is strong in two regards,
1. He shoots 43% from behind the arc and easily has NBA 3pt range
and,
2. He doesn't fall in love with the 3pt shot, so he isn't going to be jacking them up. I think he will be open a lot more in the NBA than he is in college, especially with Monroe and Drummond up front...
In my opinion he is one of the better shooters from deep in this draft without heavily relying on it
Yeah, I guess looking at the numbers his percentage is high. The knock on him has been his outside shot, but the numbers are there. I wouldn't be mad at all if we ended up with him. I have a feeling Detroit is going to go after a SG in free agency. Maybe someone like Tyreke Evans or OJ Mayo. I hope the Gerald Henderson rumors aren't true. I like Mayo but we would have a really small back court and wouldn't be a contender. Evans if healthy would make a lot of sense. I could also see them possibly going after Trevor Ariza too. If that was the case they wouldn't draft Porter.
[QUOTE=dd24]Yeah, I guess looking at the numbers his percentage is high. The knock on him has been his outside shot, but the numbers are there. I wouldn't be mad at all if we ended up with him. I have a feeling Detroit is going to go after a SG in free agency. Maybe someone like Tyreke Evans or OJ Mayo. I hope the Gerald Henderson rumors aren't true. I like Mayo but we would have a really small back court and wouldn't be a contender. Evans if healthy would make a lot of sense. I could also see them possibly going after Trevor Ariza too. If that was the case they wouldn't draft Porter.[/QUOTE]
Evans has star potential but again - what position is he going to play? SG?
Drummond
Monroe
Porter
Evans
Knight
We would need atleast 2 of those players to become all-stars to be relevant... But I could deal with this
I am just scared with Evans because there is a huge difference between his best and his worst...
I like Mayo - but again he is undersized
Ariza can plug a hole, but I'd prefer him off the bench
Gerald Henderson??? No, just no...
[QUOTE=Aussie Dunker]Evans has star potential but again - what position is he going to play? SG?
Drummond
Monroe
Porter
Evans
Knight
We would need atleast 2 of those players to become all-stars to be relevant... But I could deal with this
I am just scared with Evans because there is a huge difference between his best and his worst...
I like Mayo - but again he is undersized
Ariza can plug a hole, but I'd prefer him off the bench
Gerald Henderson??? No, just no...[/QUOTE]
Evans is a 2 guard for sure. He has the size to play that position. What scares me with him is his health. He's restricted anyhow so I would think Sacramento would think really hard about matching.
Anyway, those are the FA's Detroit is thinking about. So depending on who we draft will dictate who Detroit goes after in free agency. Ariza is a starter in the NBA. He's not the most appreciated guy, but he can play. He was a starter on a very good Lakers team. People don't seem to remember all he did for them. The thing I like with going after a guy like Ariza is he won't be super expensive. If we could get him for 6 million per season, then we'd still have money to resign our young rookies and still go after another player.
Oh and I could see more than one player on that list potentially being an all-star. Monroe has the potential, Drummond does, Evans does, and maybe even Porter could.
[QUOTE=dd24]
Anyway, those are the FA's Detroit is thinking about. So depending on who we draft will dictate who Detroit goes after in free agency. [B]Ariza is a starter in the NBA. He's not the most appreciated guy, but he can play. He was a starter on a very good Lakers team. People don't seem to remember all he did for them. The thing I like with going after a guy like Ariza is he won't be super expensive. If we could get him for 6 million per season, then we'd still have money to resign our young rookies and still go after another player.[/B]
Oh and I could see more than one player on that list potentially being an all-star. Monroe has the potential, Drummond does, Evans does, and maybe even Porter could.[/QUOTE]
You make some very good points on Ariza - I guess teams needs players like him, glue guys who play hard defense that can stretch the floor :cheers:
Yeah I agree all have potential to make all-star teams - I ment we need two of them to actually fullfill that potential and become all-stars
I see this years draft as a very interesting draft. The top 7 players could go in any order- no consensus order
Pg-m smart
Sg-Mclemore
Shabazz m
Pf- a Bennett
Pf/c- Noel
Zeller
Olynyk
Way I see it is that if the pistons pick 5-7 shabazz is the most likely pick, if they win a top 3 pick I see Mclemore as the most likely pick.
If you have Bennett and Zeller on the board would you really pick porter or oladipo?
[QUOTE=el gringos]I see this years draft as a very interesting draft. The top 7 players could go in any order- no consensus order
Pg-m smart
Sg-Mclemore
Shabazz m
Pf- a Bennett
Pf/c- Noel
Zeller
Olynyk
Way I see it is that if the pistons pick 5-7 shabazz is the most likely pick, if they win a top 3 pick I see Mclemore as the most likely pick.
If you have Bennett and Zeller on the board would you really pick porter or oladipo?[/QUOTE]
I don't really want to draft McLemore as a top 3 pick. I'd hope we'd have a chance at Porter or Smart. Which answers your last question, yes I would pick either of those guys over Bennett and Zeller. I don't see how either fit on our team with Drummond and Monroe. It actually makes me laugh that there's mock drafts that have us selecting Bennett. Sure some places list him as a SF but he's a PF and he's only 6'7". Bennett will be a bust IMO.
Zeller makes no sense at all. We just used a lottery pick on Drummond, who is a better player. I like Zeller actually. The only reason I would pick him would be to trade him to a team that really wanted him though. Drummond is the future C here and we still have Kratsov as a backup who has shown quite a bit of promise. I think next year we'll have a solid 4 man rotation of Monroe, Drummond, CV, and Jerebko with some more Kratsov sprinkled in there. Yes I did say CV. I don't think they'll amnesty him and pay him to play for another team. He's actually been pretty decent when he got a chance this year. Having a big that can stretch the floor is pretty important.
I could still see us drafting Shabazz possibly. Then we could go out and try to get someone like Ariza in free agency.
[QUOTE=dd24]I don't really want to draft McLemore as a top 3 pick. I'd hope we'd have a chance at Porter or Smart. Which answers your last question, yes I would pick either of those guys over Bennett and Zeller. I don't see how either fit on our team with Drummond and Monroe. It actually makes me laugh that there's mock drafts that have us selecting Bennett. Sure some places list him as a SF but he's a PF and he's only 6'7". Bennett will be a bust IMO.
Zeller makes no sense at all. We just used a lottery pick on Drummond, who is a better player. I like Zeller actually. The only reason I would pick him would be to trade him to a team that really wanted him though. Drummond is the future C here and we still have Kratsov as a backup who has shown quite a bit of promise. I think next year we'll have a solid 4 man rotation of Monroe, Drummond, CV, and Jerebko with some more Kratsov sprinkled in there. Yes I did say CV. I don't think they'll amnesty him and pay him to play for another team. He's actually been pretty decent when he got a chance this year. Having a big that can stretch the floor is pretty important.
I could still see us drafting Shabazz possibly. Then we could go out and try to get someone like Ariza in free agency.[/QUOTE]
I guess we see porter at a different level. I see him a level or more behind the top group and that it would be a bad move to draft position of need over talent.
I like smart over Mclemore as well but would draft smart as a pg.
I also don't think it would be the worst move to draft a big if that's the best player in the spot no matter how highly you think of the 2 you g ones you have. There is enough time for 3 guys to play 30 mins
[QUOTE=el gringos]I guess we see porter at a different level. I see him a level or more behind the top group and that it would be a bad move to draft position of need over talent.
I like smart over Mclemore as well but would draft smart as a pg.
I also don't think it would be the worst move to draft a big if that's the best player in the spot no matter how highly you think of the 2 you g ones you have. There is enough time for 3 guys to play 30 mins[/QUOTE]
We'd end up losing one of those bigs in the long run. It just doesn't make sense. Like I said, I'd do it for a trade, and if it could help out our back court situation I'd do it.
I agree, Smart is a PG. That's where I would want to draft him at. Most everybody has Porter as a top 3 pick right now. He needs to bulk up a bit, but outside of that he really seems like a Danny Granger type player to me, which for this draft is solid. It seems like it's going to be a really weak draft.
I like Shabazz but he just seem like a headcase. These are guys Tim Hardaway Jr, MCW, Porter and Lorezo Brown.
Lets say we get pick 5 (probably the most probably projected position)
If we get Mclemore at #5 I'm happy - he fills a need and has the tools to be successful in the NBA.
If we get Shabazz at #5 i'm happy - obviously incredibly talented, worth taking at this position and fills a need
If we get Smart at #5 i'm happy - only if Dumars trades knight for something really good, because I wouldn't want to keep him around and experiment with him as a 2-guard...
If we get Porter at #5 i'm happy - reminds me a little bit of Batum, and fills a need..
Those are the only 4 guys I would be happy with, the only 4 guys that makes sense to draft... Obviously this is a weaker draft, so expectations are down, but still hoping for a starting player who can make a real impact on our team..
What do people think about trey burks?....
[QUOTE=Aussie Dunker]What do people think about trey burks?....[/QUOTE]
I'm really liking what Trey Burks is doing right now. I think this Final Four will be very interesting with MCW playing against Burks. That's going to tell us a lot. Sure Syracuse plays a zone, but both of their guards are much taller and it'll be good to see how Burks handles the size difference. I think Burks has probably worked his way into the top 10. He may just be the best PG in college basketball. I'm not sure yet. Smart is the overall guy who I'd pick first. But Burks is really working his way in there. If we draft #5 I'd really consider Burks. I'm not sure what to do with Knight. I think Burks is a better pure PG and he definitely has more speed. His size concerns me, but a guy like Ty Lawson has done pretty good in the league so far. I really think PG is probably the most important position in the NBA now. Knight worries me as a long term solution as the Pistons keep trying to tell us he is. I'm telling you guys, that Calderon trade speaks volumes to me. Either Knight is the PG or take him off the court because he is just too small and he doesn't have the game of a Monta Ellis.... (and I wouldn't want Monta on my team either, lol, he's just too small for his position).
For your other post, yeah if we land at 5 any of those players is a solid pick. I'm just scared about Bennett at #5. He reminds me of a poor mans Derrick Williams. Williams is too small to play PF and too slow to play SF. In the right system he could be good at PF.... Since I don't see Bennett as good as him I don't see him being good in the NBA. He has bust writtten all over him to me. I'd really like to see us in the top 3. We need a chance at one of the better players in this draft.
porter could be staying in college ... what do you guys think of glenn robinson III?