Draft

I knew it was coming. When Charlotte moved up to pick seventh I knew Bismack was gone. On draft night I felt like the Pistons had missed an opportunity but after sleeping on it I found peace with the Pistons picks.

Brandon Knight: The more I watch this guy in interviews and gameplay footage the more I like him. I am a little tired about hearing about his GPA and his credits. Look, I'm glad he's smart and a hard worker. Both those facts bode well for the Pistons and Knight's future in the NBA, but give it a rest. Here's hoping he can be the point guard of the future. My gut, which is as a reliable indicator of NBA talent as there is, tells me he is going to be great.

Kyle Singler: If this guy can give the Pistons meaningful minutes from the get go then he will already be a success. He's got good size (6'8" 230) and he's got some maturity and experience due to spending four years in college. I'm hoping he can back up the small forward from day one.

Vernon Macklin: Watched this guy's interview and like him already. I actually remember watching him when he had 25 points in the NCAA turnament and asking my cousin who is a Florida alum, "Who is this guy?" and he went on to tell me how Macklin had underachieved his pedigree. He may be one of those rare players that, due to various circumstances during his college career, doesn't begin to hit his stride until late. His rebounding is the only real red flag that I see about the guy. But if he works as hard as he claims he is going to then he will be an asset to the Pistons this coming season(?) and be seen as a real value pick at #52.

Season Recap

*Prediction: The Pistons would make the playoffs, barring injury.

Jonas pretty much let me off the hook on that prediction in the first preseason game when he tore his Achilles tendon.

*Statement: Rodney Stuckey is the Pistons best player.

It's either him or Greg Monroe and right now, at the end of the 2010-2011 season, I'd have to go with Monroe though Stuckey played at an elite level the last few games of the season. If Stuckey comes back and plays consistently the way he did at the end of 2011 he will be tough to keep out of the All-Star Game.

*The Draft: The Pistons need to take the best available player regardless of position.

That being said I hope that the Pistons get another big man to pair with G-Money Monroe in the frontcourt. I really hope that they do not select a shooting guard or even a *gasp* combo guard.

Here's my list of hopeful picks barring the "automatic" top two, Irving and Williams.

1.Kanter
2.Biyombo
3.Valanciunas
4.Knight

Mowtown Mutiny

Actually, I'm not going to cover the "Mutiny" (which has been covered ad nauseum on blogs nationwide) let's check the players.

Greg Monroe: I am completely wow'd by this guy. When he dropped to 7 in the draft I was ecstatic, then Joe drafte him and I was relieved and ecstatic. I wrote several pieces on him in during last year's Summer League. Check them out under the "July" tab, they're insightful.

I had heard about Greg's basketball IQ, his coachability and his slick passing. But his rebounding? Nobody was saying, "You know, that Monroe kid is going to be a double-double machine by mid-season." And here we are. And the kid is quick, not particularly fast, but quick. Quick feet, quick hands, quick thinker. Love this guy's game and his attitude. You go big man, you go. Can I see him averaging 20 and 10? Eventually, yes, yes I can. Remember when someone questioned his motor? Yeah, it's a big block.

Now time for the Defense of Rodney Stuckey portion of my blog. Rodney is the Pistons best guard. He's a far better defender than Bynum or Gordon, he gets to the line and makes his free-throws (87%), and he apologizes to his coach when he misses the practice bus (+5 accountability). If the Pistons would have traded Hamilton and kept Billups we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Stuckey is a "guard" as Keith and Joe like to say, but he is better when he is at the 2. As I always say, "Rodney is a consistent jump shot away from the All-Star Game." And you can learn to shoot better, you can't learn the strength and speed Stuck has. Alright, I'm done.

The game last night against Utah was the best game I have watched all year. The rest of the season should feature this lineup:

Stuck
BG
Moose
Daye
Max or Cox

I actually like Will to start but we need him running the point when Stuck is out. Sprinkle in some Charlie V. and one of the Dynamic Dunking Duo (Max or Cox) and Summers off the bench and let's see what happens. What are we really losing at this point playing Daye instead of Prince and Stuck and/or BG instead of T-Mac? What, are we going to lose a bunch of winnable games? Too late. At his point every loss is a lottery win. Not saying I want to lose games. I'm just saying.

Speaking of Coach Kuester, sometimes the guy mystifies me with his momentum killing time outs and his rythm killing substitutions. But I respect the guy for being professional (even when Richard is cussing him out at practice) and trying to coach even though some of the guys don't want to be coached.

Ladies and gentleman, Joe Dumars is not to blame for the Richard Hamilton/Tayshaun Prince/Tracy McGrady/anyone else on the team not named Greg trade situation. It's Karen D. guys, it's Karen D. When the team is sold Joe is going to do an interview with Keith and he's going to say something that we all already know:

1. He worked the phones until the 11th hour
2. His hands were tied due to the team being sold
3. "See, I told you Greg Monroe was someone who could come in and help us right away, unbelievers."

There is still some value to be gained this year, playoffs or no. But only if the "young core" get games worth of experience. If by some miracle we make the playoffs, great. If not, hopefully we can pick up another piece through the draft, say farewell to Hamilton, Prince, McGrady, Wilcox and Summers over the off season (lockout?)and start fresh next fall with:

Stuck
BG
Moose
Daye
Jonas

Bynum
CV
High Draft Pick
Terrico White
FA
FA
FA