[mn3]

Since the Pistons figure to be lousy next season as well, I suppose this doesn't matter too much. Still, we desperately need a guy like Drummond is supposed to become.

[mn3]

Originally Posted by Kstat

That can change by the game.

Not that he's my #1 target, but it would be nice to have that option if we're drafting 4th or 5th.

Anthony Davis....that kid was born to play in a Piston jersey. This needs to happen.

I can get Washington as the worst team in the league. But how many other teams are as bad as or worse than the Pistons this season? New Jersey, N.O., Charlotte, G.S., Sacramento are the challengers I guess. So, are we fighting for 2-7 in the ping pong ball derby? Right now, I get us as the 2, 3rd or 4th worst team.

[B.I.G.]

I don't know about Anthony with a unibrow...not a good look...LOL

[Hobbs]

Can't take Drummond seriously at this point. He has 2 good games in the tourney and all of a sudden he "just feels ready" for the NBA.

Davis is exactly the player we need.

[Dave Bing]

Have you guys seen Meyers Leonard at all? Does he deserve the lottery hype?

[hack]

Concerns about Davis being too skinny, Hobbs? We do have Monroe to guard the other team's bigger big, so that's good. His upper body looks like he'll fill out nicely, but in this picture -- and I'm just guessing -- it looks like he'll have a narrow base and not much of a girth to box out with. But, again -- how many teams will have 2 bigs that can manhandle a 6-10/230 type of guy? (I know he's listed at 220, but assume some gain...)

[Kstat]

When you're 7 feet tall with freakish athleticism and wingspan, you don't need to be shaq.

Marcus Camby averaged double digit rebounds 12 times in 13 years, and this kid has the same build, but is way more gifted.

[hack]

Sure but not every long-armed and athletic seven footer is the same player. John Henson's a good example. Henson will be picked mostly based on his production and Davis mostly on his potential. It's worth Joe's while to take a very, very close look at these two. Or, to save some time, someone should just send Joe the authoritative-sounding post on the two of them that Kstat is about to write.

[Dave Bing]

Marcus Camby averaged double digit rebounds 12 times in 13 years, and this kid has the same build, but is way more gifted.

Saying that he's way more gifted than Camby devalues how great Camby was coming out of college. He was the Wooden and Naismith winner and carried a perennial doormat to the Final Four.

[Kstat]

I'm not devaluing camby. Im saying Anthony Davis is even more gifted.

[hack]

Agreed, Bing. Camby is also useful as a comparison to recall how much offense Camby had in college and what a specialist he turned out to be in the pros. I think we should have realistic expectations for college bigs who project as great defenders and mysteries on offense. For the record I'm 100% on board with drafting a guy unlikely to ever average 10 points a game. If we think Henson projects to be every bit the defender as Davis, and yet available at 5 or below because of Davis' potential on offense, I would be very skeptical of that potential and wondering about the possibility of trading down and getting Henson, rare as that sort of draft-day action is.

That said, this is speculation. I've seen Henson but not enough Davis.

[Kstat]

Camby had limitations to his offensive game that Davis does not. That's why I'm saying Davis is a better pro prospect.

[hack]

LOL/sigh...

[Kstat]

Henson isn't even the defender Davis is. Similar body types, but Davis has a bigger frame. Davis is a center type that can hold down the middle defensively, and does not easily give ground. Henson is a power forward type that still has yet to show the strength to defense NBA-sized big men under the rim. He's a fantastic help side defender, but the defensive potential is not the same.

If Davis was off the board, would I take a long look at Henson? Absolutely. He brings raw athleticism that we need, albeit not as polished.

If we landed the 1 pick, would Henson get consideration over Davis in any scenario? Hell no. You take your franchise center with the first pick and thank your lucky stars that they aligned on your behalf.

[hack]

Nothing I've read indicates that Davis is going to be able to body up anybody for quite a while now. Save for your post. I'll see for myself soon enough, of course...

[Kstat]

Davis has been a center from day 1, and he's played brilliantly. Henson has been a PF and protected from guarding primary post players for years now.

I've seen Henson get manhandled quite a few times. I have yet to see that happen to Davis. He seems very at home in the middle. His intimidation factor reminds me much more of Patrick Ewing at Georgetown than Camby at UMASS.

To clarify, I'm not comparing them as overall players. I'm just saying the body language is the same. Davis is a bully.

[hack]

Again, you've seen Henson for two full college seasons now and into this one. He's been exposed. You've seen Davis for less than half a college season. He's been much less exposed. Henson will be evaluated based on his production; Davis on his upside. I hope Joe understands the difference.

[Kstat]

Granted, but Davis is doing things from day 1 that henson has not ever done. There's a clear difference.

Not to mention, he's already out-producing Henson in both rebounds and blocked shots.

On that note, Davis leads the entire country in blocked shots, and he's in the top 20 in rebounds. And he's a freshman.

You are assuming Henson is further along right now than Davis. He's not, aside from maybe his perimeter shot.

[hack]

No I'm not assuming that. But speaking of assumptions...

[DYNOMITE]

I will patiently wait to see how Davis/Henson measure out compared to Favors, I mean Dwight Howard, before I cement my opinion. I do agree with Hack that we should all have realistic expectations for college bigs who project as great defenders and mysteries on offense.



........starting now.

[Hobbs]

Davis just went through a huge growth spurt, so I'm more than willing to give him a little leeway on the weight thing. He does need to bulk up some, but my guess is he can. If he can't, then you hope for the Camby type career.

Davis is definitely my favorite for us. There seem to be at least 5-6 big guys that are quality this year though, so even if we strike out on him we should get something to fill that whole.

[mn3]

Originally Posted by Hobbs

Davis just went through a huge growth spurt, so I'm more than willing to give him a little leeway on the weight thing. He does need to bulk up some, but my guess is he can. If he can't, then you hope for the Camby type career.

Davis is definitely my favorite for us. There seem to be at least 5-6 big guys that are quality this year though, so even if we strike out on him we should get something to fill that whole.

According to Chad Ford, NBA scouts haven't been this excited about a big man in the draft since Oden. I don't get Insider, so I don't have any further idea about what they're saying to him, or why.

[hack]

Davis is everybody's favorite this year though. At this point it looks like we'll need to win the lottery to have a shot unless somebody set at 4 and 5 win it and we're second.

[Kstat]

That was always the thinking, though. Davis is the clear cut #1 pick.

[Forsh]

Davis kind of reminds me of Kenyon Martin in college with his shotblocking. Martin was a demon paint defender in the Big Ben mold back then ... for some reason, he never became a huge shotblocker in the NBA. Probably just lost that blue collar work ethic.

[Forsh]

I do realize that Davis' overall game is much, much more similar to Camby, though ... which, yes, would be amazing for the Pistons.

[Mel Kiper Jr]

Originally Posted by Forsh

Davis kind of reminds me of Kenyon Martin in college with his shotblocking. Martin was a demon paint defender in the Big Ben mold back then ... for some reason, he never became a huge shotblocker in the NBA. Probably just lost that blue collar work ethic.

The work ethic is part of it. In the NBA, there are way more athletes in college. Martin relied on his athlicism a ton in college.

[hack]

Martin blew out his knee in his senior season too, right?

[Forsh]

Originally Posted by hack

Martin blew out his knee in his senior season too, right?

Damn, good call there!!

[The King]

Broken leg.

[Inbetweengame]

We're currently projected to draft number three by NBADraft.net which puts Anthony Davis out of reach. There's still 56 games left but I'm hoping we either stay at three or move up.

I would love it if we could make a trade to get two picks in this draft because there are several players who I like. Among the bigs I'm interested in Arnett Moultrie, Jared Sullinger, Anthony Davis, John Henson, Festus Ezeli (Ezili I approach the microphone because I ain't no joke...), Furkan Aldemir. The last two are second round guys with potential. I'm also impressed with Jeremy Lamb and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist if we have to draft based on talent alone.

It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out but say we stay at three and miss out on Davis would you swap #3 for #6 and #16 if Houston wanted to move up?

[Inbetweengame]

Oh and Kenyon Martin broke his leg because he kicked so much ass.

[rpmfla]

I'm not commenting on anyone specific because I haven't researched/watched any college hoops other than my team (the 'cuse), but the following quoted from Mlive is exactly what I don't want to hear about the next Piston big man...

"...but should be able to add weight to his frame as he grows into his body."

For lack of a better word, I'd prefer a high motor "bruiser" type player. I really hoped we'd get Cousins, even with the personality issues, but have grown to appreciate Monroe for his professionalism and skill. Another big I liked around draft time was Enis Kanter.

The Pistons are too soft and get pushed around on both ends of the court. If your going to play soft, they should at least be fast and athletic. The Pistons are neither. They look slow, soft and not particularly athletic. Tayshaun was a great complimentary player on the great Pistons teams years ago, but now he represents exactly what I don't like. I think the Pistons could be doing about the same without him re-signed.

[Dave Bing]

That's why I hated the Daye pick. Fucking toothpick.

[Inbetweengame]

Especially with Jrue Holiday on the board! I was so pissed when we ended up with Austin "You can score on me all." Daye.

[Dwight Schrute]

We need to do whatever we can to acquire some 2012 picks. Deepest class of big men (SF-C) that we've had in a long, long time. Potentially.

[El Axe]

I didn't want to start the game thread...

But the worst power ranking in the league may very well be on the line tonight. Charlotte and Detroit have made significant surges over the last 5-6 games with consecutive losses, while Washington slipped up Tuesday with a win over the Raptors. This leaves the three teams in a virtual dead heat, a significant distance ahead of the Nets and Kings.

[FadedMario]

These are the potential 1st round picks I wouldn't mind - it's hard to tell where we'll be picking at this point. So I'll just list them all -

Andre Drummond
Anthony Davis
Harrison Barnes
Jeremy Lamb
Jared Sullinger
Thomas Robinson
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Perry Jones
John Henson
Meyers Leonard
James McAdoo
Cody Zeller
Quincy Miller

I like all these guys. Don't know who will stay and who will enter - so I listed them all. This draft is so deep - really doesn't matter where we pick, because we know we'll get one of these guys. I honestly think we should take the best player available . We need talent on the team - not potential talent. This is not the year to take a gamble. These are the possible 2nd round guys I like -

Draymond Green
JaMychael Green
Renardo Sidney
DeWayne Dedmon
Alex Oriakhi
Tim Hardaway
Dion Waiters
Fab Melo
Will Barton
William Buford
Kris Joseph
Christian Watford
C.J. Fair
Adreian Payne
Seth Curry

[Dave Bing]

That's a lot of names.

[FadedMario]

Originally Posted by Dave Bing

That's a lot of names.

Been watching a ton of college B-ball this year. I like all of them. Sure there's some I like more than others - but all these guys can play and play well. Hard to say who stays and who enters the draft - but if the majority of the 1st rounders I listed enters - this draft could be one of the all-time great drafts for talent.

[FadedMario]

One of my favorites is Perry Jones.

[The King]

Jones seems too passive. We don't need another one of those guys. "We need gangstas. Not gangstas like thugs, but tough guys."

[Inbetweengame]

One thing I don't want is a tweener unless that means he can play either center or power forward. Joe Dumars has been obsessed with versatile players in recent years (Austin Daye for example) and I think it's hurt us. So if Perry Jones is committed to playing power forward and scouts believe he can do it then I'm interested if he's going to be a bullshit tweener forward then forget him even if it means taking a guy with a slightly lower ceiling.

Of course our number one need is for a big guy who can erase mistakes at the rim, collect rebounds by the dozens and demoralize teams and crowds with dunks that are not only athletic but cruel. Do you all see that guy in this draft? I'm not sure if I've seen him yet.

Beyond that we need size and defense on the perimeter and just talent in general.

[DYNOMITE]

Thomas Robinson is probably the most athletic dunker in this draft. We would have to pass because I don't think his dunks are cruel enough to overcome Greg Monroe's rather passive and gentle low post bank shots.

[Inbetweengame]

That's a shame.

I was researching him a bit and the kid has some game. Sad story about his family though eh? Only him and a kid sister left, I hope he has a successful career so that they're okay financially at least.

[Inbetweengame]

After watching clips and reading up on him I'm in the Anthony Davis camp. He really seems like a good compliment to Greg Monroe and a player who could help bring back our traditionally stingy defense. Now how do we arrange it so that we can pick him and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist this summer??

[hack]

Seems like Davis is an absolute no-brainer. I suspect every lottery-team fan is in the Davis Camp too.

[tin mad dog]

Monobrow and Moose!

[King Mob]

I don't like his thin frame, but then I think of Tyson Chanandler and don't mind as much.

[Inbetweengame]

Yeah Davis is a pretty obvious choice I just didn't know much about him prior to the last month or so. He does seem to have a real talent for defense and rebounding and along with that an incredible amount of untapped potential. It's going to take a lot of luck for us to be worse than Washington, New Jersey and the rest though.