Detroit Pistons NBA Draft Options - 05/19/2010
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Written by Evan Jacoby
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May 19, 2010
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The Detroit Pistons are coming off a disappointing season that not only saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in 9 years, but has their future outlook very precarious and uncertain. The Pistons finished with a 27-55 record in ’09-’10, their worst record in 15 years. Injuries were a huge reason for the team’s struggles. Their veteran go-to guys Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince were both hurt for extended periods of time during the season. Major free agent acquisition Ben Gordon also had a nagging ankle injury. But even a healthy Detroit lineup was not a playoff team. The team has been revamped in just 2 years, and it’s been a restructuring full of awful front office moves. For the amazing job that General Manager Joe Dumars did over the last decade in building a tough juggernaut in the East, he has done a shockingly awful job with the Pistons in the last 2 seasons. We won’t harp too much on the past, but it does require a full paragraph rundown. It’s all gone downhill since Dumars traded franchise centerpiece Chauncey Billups for the enigmatic Allen Iverson. The Iverson experiment was a huge failure, and he was gone within a year with nothing to show for the Billups loss. Detroit made a major splash in the 2009 offseason by signing free agents G Ben Gordon and F Charlie Villanueva. They both underperformed last season and seem grossly overpaid. Dumars spent a combined $90 million on these two guys that are not even projected starters this season. Detroit then drafted string bean Austin Daye with their lottery pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, who looks nothing like a productive NBA player. The signings of Gordon and Villanueva also put a major hit on the team’s ability to make moves in the offseason. Detroit is stuck without the necessary cap space to sign any free agents to big deals. It’s time to move on from last year’s disastrous offseason. As we saw with teams like Milwaukee and Sacramento last season, an entire franchise’s outlook can change with one good draft pick. And while Detroit failed miserably with their selection of Austin Daye at #14 last NBA Draft, they struck gold with second round pick Jonas Jerebko. The Swedish power forward had a tremendous rookie season and appears locked in as the future power forward for the team. The Pistons’ best opportunity to add to their roster for next season will come with their draft lottery pick. Detroit was awarded the 7th overall pick in the draft after last night’s lottery. This pick will be crucial for the franchise. Let’s take a look at their current roster, and then the options for the Detroit Pistons with the 7th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2010-11 Projected Starters (And Backups): PG - Rodney Stuckey (Will Bynum)
C Ben Wallace and PF Kwame Brown are unrestricted free agents, and don’t expect Detroit to bring them back. Backup center Chris Wilcox has a player option for next season, so he potentially could be gone as well. Top NBA Draft Prospects: G John Wall
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Where does the Pistons roster need help? There is definitely some depth with this team, especially at guard. While I don’t think Rodney Stuckey is the long-term answer at point guard, he’s very formidable. And his backup, Will Bynum, is a terrific spark plug off the bench that is a very tough player. Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon make for a strong scoring tandem at shooting guard. Tayshaun Prince, Jonas Jerebko, and Charlie Villanueva are all productive forwards that can score, face up at the basket, and create. None of them are good rebounders, though, and the lack of size is troubling. None of them are predominantly paint players, and the defensive toughness is not there. And at center, Jason Maxiell is equally undersized, and the depth at the position is unclear with the free agents. There are a lot of good role players and secondary scorers on the team, but there’s no star. Hamilton and Prince were perfect complementary pieces to the championship team, but they struggle as go-to scorers. Rodney Stuckey is not a great distributor at guard, but he can be relied on to score. Gordon and Villanueva can also score off the bench. The Pistons were the worst percentage 3-point shooting team in the league last season, reflective of their collection of mid-range scorers that are not great shooters. Nor are they good rebounders, and the team was 26th in that category. They also lack playmaking guards, and were in the bottom 5 in assists. Defense is a definite issue, and there is a general lack of size inside. There’s no way to fix all the problems. Shooters can be acquired more easily, and defense is often times a reflection of team chemistry, effort, toughness, and size. There’s a CLEAR, glaring weakness in the low post. All of these scoring guards and small forwards are great to have if you have a dominant low post player. It’s time for Detroit to try to get one if they plan on winning with this roster. Can the Pistons acquire a dominant low post player in the draft? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What players should the Pistons target with the 7th pick? Well, let’s first eliminate Wall, Turner, and Favors. They’re all locks to be gone. DeMarcus Cousins is not a lock, but likely to be gone before 7, so I’ll get rid of him. Detroit would love to draft Wall as a playmaking franchise point guard, but he’s going number one. After Wall, there’s no other franchise point that they can consider at 7. There are, though, many options of low post scorers in this draft. That’s our focus here, since that is the main roster weakness and also most available position. Here are the top remaining options for Detroit, in terms of low post players with size that can defend and score: C Cole Aldrich
I don’t think Aminu will be available at 7, nor do I think he is a fit here. He’s an athletic small forward with great upside but he’s too similar to the guys they have. C Hassan Whiteside has terrific upside as a long, athletic center, but he’s a project. Detroit cannot wait on him to develop. Ed Davis is in a similar boat as a tremendous upside forward, but he doesn’t have it yet. He’s also too skinny and not defensive-minded enough for what this team is looking for. That leaves Aldrich, Monroe, Udoh, and Patterson as my top remaining guys for Detroit. C Cole Aldrich
Cole Aldrich will be on many mock drafts as Detroit’s target. It makes sense; he’s a fundamentally sound big man with tremendous size as a 7-footer, and great defensive principles. He can block shots, and is a great rebounder with nice technique. Still, I don’t think he’s the answer. He’s just not going to be an impact player in the league offensively, and he doesn’t fit the title of “dominant low post player.” He’s a solid addition for defense and rebounding, but we want more here. Patrick Patterson is an enticing prospect. He has very good size and strength, is a polished low post scorer, and has range to shoot open jumpshots. I think he is an option. But he’s not the best option, to me. Patterson appears to be a bit slow, and looked like he was often laboring at Kentucky to get up and down the floor. Also, he has a tendency to drift outside the paint in a similar way that Villanueva does for them. I think he’s in more of that mold than they desire. Don’t rule out Patterson, but I don’t love the fit. F Greg Monroe
My 2 top guys are Baylor F/C Ekpe Udoh, and Georgetown F Greg Monroe. Monroe is a very intriguing NBA prospect, as a tall, long forward with shot blocking and rebounding prowess. But his best skill is his passing ability as a big man. He’s an offensive weapon with his versatility. He’s not a polished scorer or finisher, but he has moves and a great basketball IQ. He’s not a world-class athlete by any means, but he’s mobile and quick for a big man, and has the long arms to be a disruptive defender. VS. Udoh is a tremendous athlete as a power forward or center. He’s a defensive specialist that will be an immediate impact defender, and although he’s not a great technique rebounder, he has the size, toughness, and energy to be a good NBA rebounder. What’s most intriguing is that Udoh has burst onto the scene with his offensive skills. He proved in the NCAA Tournament that he can face up and hit a 15-foot jumper. He’s also incredibly aggressive at the rim and attacks the basket hard, with the ability to finish with contact. He still is raw in terms of skill moves offensively, and his awareness on offense needs improvement. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Verdict: EKPE UDOH Monroe is a tremendous NBA prospect, and his game translates very well at the next level. He will be a smooth big man that can create, score, and rebound, and a polished team would love to add him for immediate help. However, I think he lacks what Detroit most desperately needs. He’s not a traditional low post guy, he’s not defensive-minded, not a tremendous athlete, and likes to work outside of the paint more than he does inside of it. EKPE UDOH does everything that the Pistons need, and he is my number one target for Detroit. Udoh will be an immediate upgrade defensively and on the boards, while adding toughness and an attacking mentality. But he also has the offensive potential to become a real scoring option down low. He has an NBA body to bang down low and get to the rim, and he’s skilled enough to make jumpers. His upside is tremendous, and he continues to fly up draft boards. My selection for the Detroit Pistons with the 7th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft is Baylor power forward/center Ekpe Udoh. There’s still much time left before the draft on June 24th. Workouts, interviews, tests, scrimmages, and more workouts are still to come. Much more information will come out to help teams decide who to pick. Detroit can’t get Wall or Favors, so they have a lot of scouting to do. I’ll be entirely shocked if they don’t select one of the low post options that I highlighted. Ekpe Udoh is my guy for the Detroit Pistons.
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