Weirdest Draft Ever

This was the weirdest NBA Draft I have ever witnessed. The guy everyone projected to go either #1 or #2 dropped to #6! Bennett, a guy many thought might slip to the Pistons at #8, went first overall. Cody Zeller went 4th... If they could combine his offense with Biyombo's D they might have a player (Codack Zellyombo), but how was Noel not the pick there? I have to think that something came out about Noel's knee that made a lot of teams squeamish.

The biggest surprise for me (after Bennett going #1) was the Pistons passing on Trey Burke to get Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. In my opinion, the Pistons have holes all along the perimeter. The 2 biggest holes (again, in MY opinion) are at PG and SF, with SG being more of a... pothole I guess. Taking a guard with the first pick would have implications on Joe Dumars' evaluation of Brandon Knight. If he had taken Burke, obviously he'd being saying Knight isn't a PG (he isn't), and since playing Knight with Burke would be bad defensively, I'd expect a trade that would ship Knight out. Taking a 2 guard to me suggests Dumars still thinks Knight can play PG (he can't), and that is my BIGGEST concern with this pick. Other than the fact that Dumars left the most talented player on the board so he could fill a need (when either pick would have filled a need).

Enough with that, on to the pick. Pope DOES in fact bring several things to the table that the Pistons lack. He's a big 2-guard at 6'6", he's got a nice outside shot, and he plays solid defense on the perimeter. The Pistons' biggest need from a skill-set standpoint was/is scoring. He averaged 18.5 ppg last year, shooting A LOT of threes (over half his shots). He converted at a decent clip (.433/.373/.799) and did other things too, like get steals & rebounds. My main concern is I think he needs a better PG than Detroit currently has on the roster to be an effective scorer in the NBA.

Sacramento did it to Detroit TWICE this draft. In the first round they took Ben McLemore a pick ahead of the Pistons (which probably means they're letting Evans go). In the second round they took Ray McCallum right before the Pistons... I liked McCallum as a pick if Detroit didn't end up with Burke in the first. I guess the Pistons didn't like Wolters enough right there because they grabbed Tony Mitchell with the first of their 2nd round picks. Mitchell was probably the best player on the board at that point anyway.

I like Mitchell's game A LOT. He's just about proto-type PF size, plays good post defense, and he can stretch it out on offense & make perimeter shots. For some reason his numbers dipped across the board in his 2nd season (possibly due to a coaching change), otherwise he would've been a first round pick. Downsides - he's got motor concerns, and he's... not exceptionally bright. 

I like the Pistons' last pick too. At #56, you're just hoping to get someone who can make the roster. Siva is that, and probably will end up as the Pistons' backup or 3rd PG. I'd like him to make his threes at a better rate, but he plays GREAT defense for his size, and he has the point guard gene (meaning he looks to pass & has great instincts).

Overall I'd give Dumars a 'C+' for this draft. Typical for him, he basically blew the 1st round pick and nailed the 2nd round. I hope KCP works out & he DOES fill a need, but Burke was the pick he SHOULD have made and it was pretty obvious. My hope is that Dumars makes a run at Jeff Teague in free agency, maybe working a sign & trade that would send Knight to Atlanta.

There were some interesting deals on draft night.

• Obviously there was the Trey Burke deal between MIN & UTA - the Jazz got Burke, T'wolves got Utah's 2 first rounders that they used on Shabazz and Dieng
• New Orleans dealt their pick (Nerlens Noel) & a protected 2014 first-rounder to Philly for Jrue Holliday and Philly's 2nd rounder
• The BIG deal was Boston sending Garnett, Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn for Kris Humphries (yes, that Kris Humphries), Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, and 2014, 2016 & 2018 first round picks. The picks are really the best part of this deal for Boston, but this SUCKS for Rondo, who'll be past his prime before they start to see any returns

Not a deal, but apparently Rasheed Wallace is in talks to become an assistant coach under Mo Cheeks here in Detroit. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, Wallace is a VERY smart player who knows the game well offensively & defensively and had a few coaching moments while he was here. On the other hand, he's got some crazy in him, led the league in technical fouls 4 times while in Detroit, and hasn't been a very hard worker throughout his career. I like Sheed, but I'm uneasy about this move. On the other hand, Rasheed has been friendly with players at every stop in his career and has no small amount of cred there (good quality in an assistant). I don't know...

Now that the Pistons have a new coach (bleh) and the NBA Draft is over (grrrrr), Dumars' next challenge is to master free agency. Given how the last 2 things went... I'm a little queasy. If he blows that, I'll start up a weekly Fire Joe Dumars post. This is getting out of hand.

All NBA Draft!

Chad Ford's Umpteenth Mock Draft (actual draft takes place tonight at 7pm), including my Cliff's Notes of Ford's analysis:
1. Cleveland picks Nerlens Noel The Cavs would prefer to trade the pick or could go for Len or Oladipo here, but Noel is most likely the pick.
2. Orlando picks Victor Oladipo If Noel is gone, it's probably between McLemore & Oladipo with Oladipo getting the edge
3. Washington picks Otto Porter Bennett is starting to get buzz here too
4. Charlotte picks Ben McLemore Other options being Len, Zeller, Bennett, or Porter (if he's there)
5. Phoenix picks Alex Len With the better scoring wings gone, it's between Len, MCW and Zeller
6. New Orleans picks Michael Carter-Williams It seems the team has soured on Greivis Vasquez despite his REALLY good season last year, and so PG is their #1 need (I disagree, but I don't run the team & it isn't my mock)
7. (the moment of truth) Sacramento picks C.J. McCollum According to Ford they want to trade this pick (probably to get Shabazz Muhammad 5 or 6 picks later), but if they don't, they like McCollum here as a shooting PG (I think he's a SG, which would give them the shortest perimeter in the league with Isaiah Thomas at 5'9", McCollum at 6'3", and Evans at 6'6")
8. Detroit picks... Anthony Bennett With Burke still on the board & PG a need I'd hope they would pick Burke, but Ford thinks they like Bennett too much to pass him up. More on this in a minute...

I'll skip most of the rest. Other notable picks - Zeller goes 11th to Philly, Burke 12th!!! to OKC, Giannis Antetokounmpo (say that 5 times fast... or 1 time at all) goes 17th to Atlanta (via Houston), Shabazz 18th to Atlanta (which is a HUGE steal in my opinion), and Hardaway 25th to the Clips.

A couple keys in this draft to look out for - does the #1 pick get traded, or does Cleveland pick someone besides Noel? What will Sacramento do? In last year's draft, I believe the #2 pick was the first event that led to Detroit getting Drummond. If Charlotte had picked Thomas Robinson 2nd (like many predicted they would), Drummond most likely would have been gone by the time the Pistons came up & they would have to chose between John Henson and Meyers Leonard.

In this mock, Ford has both Trey Burke AND Anthony Bennett available with Detroit's pick. I like Bennett ok, but out of all the players that could slip he's my least favorite. Hopefully either McLemore or Burke (or Porter!) slip instead & make Dumars' decision easier. I trust Dumars to make the correct call less and less every year.

Interesting tidbits:

• The Kings (one of the 2 CRUCIAL picks in this draft for Detroit) are talking about trading their pick to Utah, who want to get CJ McCollum. This is good for Detroit, because McCollum slipping ahead of them means probably Bennett, Burke, or (fingers crossed) McLemore (not THAT guy) slip back to 8th
• Weird rumor that Bennett could go #1 to Cleveland. I don't believe it, but it's out there
• More Bennett - he is more & more likely to go to Washington at #3, with more upside than Porter & a better fit with John Wall

If you haven't guessed, where Bennett goes is crucial (and also is anyone's guess). If he goes on the early side (like #1 or #3), it could push a bigger name like McLemore or Porter down to Detroit. It's possible if both he and Trey Burke are available with Detroit's pick & the Pistons go for Burke, then Bennett could slip as low as 10th or 11th, but I don't think it's likely.

The Finals are over (thank GOD), and the Draft is about to begin

I should say something about the NBA Finals, so I'll say this - I'm old. Game 7 started at 9pm. I opted to read a little and go to bed. I watched the last 5 minutes of the 1st quarter, then went upstairs. I joked a little with my wife the next morning, asking if she packed my prune juice & metamucil in my lunch. I wouldn't have liked the outcome anyway, given that I was rooting a) against the Heat, and b) for Tim Duncan & the Spurs. 

I had switched over to kind of rooting for the Heat this year, given their level of play. I would describe it as a begrudging admiration. LeBron lost me this playoffs, however. He's become a massive whiner, and he complains about good calls & bad calls with equal intensity. He does it in a way that borderlines on pro wrestling showmanship, playing to the crowd. Drives me nuts. It's actually taken him out of the play several times this finals, which should never happen with a great player, but it happens with LeBron a lot. He's still growing up. I used to hate Duncan for his Tim Duncan Face, which he put on any time a call went against him. He's basically put it away & I've found it easier to like him.

Anyway, Spurs lost, Heat won, on to the draft...

...Which is tomorrow! I've really been looking forward to the draft, especially since Dumars flubbed the coach hiring. It actually reminded me of The Office episode "Halloween" in season 1, where Michael decided to fire Devon instead of Creed because he'd already talked to Creed & didn't want to look stupid. Kind of like how several high quality coaches became available (or more likely to sign with Detroit), but Dumars was already on his 3rd interview with Cheeks & didn't want to look stupid. Yes, I just compared Joe Dumars to Michael Scott. That's not good.

Anyway, it's looking like 1 of a couple top prospects could slip to the Pistons at the 8th pick, which would almost make up for the fact that they didn't tank and played themselves back by 3-7 picks. If Zeller or McCollum slip into the top 7 picks, Detroit could be in really good shape. First, Trey Burke is definitely in play. The Magic could end up with Noel if CLE goes another way, or they could pick Oladipo (like most think they will). After that, there are only a couple of teams that are even THINKING of drafting a PG and they both seem to be lukewarm on Burke.

Second, Bennett is probably more likely than Burke to slip. He needs to drop some weight and work on his speed if he's going to be an NBA SF (at the moment he's a combo-forward, which isn't great), but he's got the skills that make him well worth the pick.

Lastly is Ben McLemore (yeah, nbadraft.net did a mock in which Detroit got Porter, but they're CRAZY). His stock has been slipping since the combine, and he's basically flipped places with Oladipo. This is probably a case of over exposure, like HD making an attractive person look less so because you can count their pores. McLemore has his flaws, but so does everyone in this draft. I don't think he falls to the Pistons, but it's in play.

There has been lots of talk about trading picks in this draft, more than usual to be sure. A couple possibilities are trading back to OKC's pick at 12 or Dallas' pick at 13 (which would include taking on Shaw Marion's contract). Shabazz Muhammad might be still around then, or a guy like Dennis Schroeder. I'll be sure to check in tomorrow if there's any late moves worth talking about.

Personal sports update & NBA mocks...

How about a little personal sports update before getting to the nitty gritty? I may have mentioned before that I was playing in a soccer tournament the weekend before last. Well, it didn't go so great. We made the semis but lost there 4-0. I played okay all weekend. Made some mistakes, but only one was costly. I made several good plays too, but I've been thinking about getting into a soccer club or playing on a regular basis. I'd like to get good enough to play center back, but I need more reps. I played a little there in our last game, but I don't always know where the play is going and I don't always get a good read on the ball.

I played a decent amount. I played the entire first game, then our captain switched up our alignment & I was the odd man out, so I missed the second game. I played in about a third of the 3rd game and 3/4 of the last game. Like I said, I played a little center back (I ended up having a decent amount of energy despite being the oldest guy on the field at the time), but mainly right fullback. 

Last weekend I went on my longest run ever. I was still a little tight from soccer the previous weekend (my right hamstring clenched up on me in the last game), so my goal was to average a 9 min mile pace. I finished 10 miles in 1:35:55, which is a little over a 9:30 pace. I was on trace for a while, but my legs died in the final 2 miles. Yesterday I spent a little more time stretching & managed 4 miles in 33:49, which is just under 8:30 pace. I saw a tortoise & a hare on my run (not sure what that signifies). My long run this weekend is 8 miles, and I'd like to hold an 8:30 pace this time.

On to the professional sports scene...

There have been umpteen NBA mock drafts by now, and the Pistons have picked just about 6 different players. There's hardly a consensus in this draft. SI has them currently taking Michael Carter-Williams, a 6'6" PG from Syracuse who can't shoot and turns it over a TON. Chad Ford most recently has them taking Trey Burke. Now that's more like it.

For a while Burke has been considered one of the top 6 talents in the draft. As so often happens, values have shifted around based on different teams' needs and projections of upside. So how does Burke end up slipping to Detroit? Well, it starts with Orlando taking Oladipo. Ford thinks they'll trade for a PG, so Burke would be a luxury at that point. The next piece to fall is New Orleans, who he has taking Alex Len. The Pelicans had a decent PG last year in Greivis Vasquez, but the word is they aren't satisfied with him. Ford thinks they'll try to make Austin Rivers into their starting PG (WHAT???) and draft a big to pair with Anthony Davis. The final piece is Sacramento. They also have a PG in Isaiah Thomas (not Isiah, don't get giddy), but he's only OK at best. Still, for some reason he has them taking MCW over Burke.

I'd love to get Burke. He'd be about 4th or 5th on my list out of all the players in the draft. I've thought for a while now that he could slip to the Pistons at #8, so keep your fingers crossed.

San Antonio blew it last night. I don't know how they win game 7 after choking like that. There were several times I thought they were going to put the game away and Miami came back like mad. 

I've heard this tune before...

Finally the Pistons' coaching search is over, with Maurice Cheeks winning the job over several more intriguing candidates. Why don't I like this hire? Well, Cheeks has been the epitome of mediocrity as a head coach. He's never won a playoff series, been fired mid-season twice, and missed the playoffs 5 out of 8 seasons (counting the 2 when he was fired before the end of the year). Add to that the fact that he hasn't been working under a great coaching mind (Scottie Brooks got severely out-coached by Lionel Hollins, who was in turn SPANKED by Greg Popovich), and there isn't a lot of hope for more than mediocre results.

I got the feeling that Dumars was pretty locked into hiring a former player, which is stupid, but fits how he's ran things so far. After LB skipped town, Dumars wanted someone who would be more compliant and more offensively minded, so he hired Flip Saunders. After Saunders lost the locker room, Dumars wanted someone the players would respect, so he hired Michael Curry. After Curry made EVERY rookie coaching mistake possible, Dumars wanted someone with more X's and O's knowledge so he hired Kuester. After Kuester beefed with nearly EVERYONE on the team, Dumars wanted someone with head coaching experience and hired Lawrence Frank (although he would have preferred Mike Woodson). With Frank struggling to connect with the players, Dumars decided he wanted a coach with head coaching experience AND playing experience (Villanueva said several times he had problems respecting Frank because he "never played the game". The lesson here is DON'T BASE YOUR HIRE ON WHAT CHARLIE V SAYS).

The top 5 coaches in the league right now are probably Greg Popovich, Rick Carlisle, Tom Thibodeau, George Karl (whenever he gets a new job), and Doc Rivers. Guys threatening to climb the ladder: Kevin McHale (did wonders in Houston), Monty Williams (nothing to work with), Mike Budenholzer (wait & see), Frank Vogel, and Mark Jackson.  Of that top 5 group, Pop and Thibodeau never played NBA ball, and Carlisle and Karl were only minor bench players. Of the second group, Budenholzer and Vogel never played NBA ball, and Monty Williams was a career bench guy. Out of both groups, Popovich, Thibodeau, Monty Williams, Budenholzer and Vogel all had zero NBA head coaching experience before coming into their current jobs.

A good coach can be a former player, a scout, a GM, an assistant coach, or a guy that was fired from his previous HC job. Dumars seems to have centered his preferences within non-essential parameters like "has HC experience" and "is a former player" instead of going outside the box. Mike Budenholzer would have been outside the box for Joe D, and Zelly Obradovich would've been even more so. Instead we get a hire that reminds me of the past 3 HC hires - listless and uninspired.

I'm not optimistic (obviously) that this will work out, but allow me to spend a paragraph rebutting myself. It's possible that Cheeks has gotten a bit of a bad rap. That Trailblazers team was difficult to work with, and the 76ers were constantly a team in transition while he was at the helm. Detroit is almost a tabula rasa, and that could be a good thing for Cheeks. Some coaches prefer to go into a situation practically tailor-made for their style, others prefer to mold the team themselves. Mo Cheeks might be one of the latter types. The best coaching he ever did was with the 2007-'08 76ers, which had the youngest roster in the league.  Making odds up on the spot, I'd say Cheeks has a 10-15% shot at finding the magic here.

Stay Tuned for Game 7...

Reasons why I think the Heat will win tonight:

1. Birdman is back. The Heat missed him last game, and with their secondary players (not LeBron) struggling to score, they need Chris Andersen. Sad.
2. LeBron's supporting cast will play better. In the last game, LeBron made 10 shots and the rest of the team made 16. Either Allen or Battier will start making shots, or Wade will come back to life.
3. The TV ratings for a Pacers-Spurs Finals matchup would be quite low. Remember how everyone complained about the Pistons-Spurs in 2005 (well, everyone outside of Michigan and Texas)? This would be worse. And it's a shame, because the Pacers are a REALLY good team. Expect a fair few questionable fouls called if Indiana has a late edge. Remember this?

Reasons why Indian might win:

1. Dwyane Wade is DONE. He's shooting .403/.333/.739 the last 5 games, averaging 13, 4 & 5. Bosh looks DONE. Worse than Wade, he's shooting .378/.538/.833, averaging 10 & 4 the last 5 games. WHAT?
2. Indiana isn't scared of Miami, and they aren't scared of playing there. Really this series should be over already with Indiana getting ready for San Antonio, but Miami stole game 1 with that crazy layup by LeBron in OT.
3. The NBA is no longer able to pull a snow-job like they did in the 2002 WCF with the Lakers and the Kings. Everyone was suspicious at the time, but the Donaghey thing woke everyone up.

I think this goes to Miami, that LeBron gets a little help from his friends and a little from the refs. Not '02 WCF Game 6 help, but maybe '06 Finals Beno Salvatore help.

The Search for Coach

Not much going on in the Detroit Sports Scene right now. The Tigers are locked in a tight division race with Cleveland, but it's still early. The Wings lamentably were knocked out of the playoffs after being up 3 games to 1. The Lions are still patching together a team...

Which brings us to the Pistons. They're still mired in the search for their next coach. At this point I'm a little embarassed for them. Budenholzer (my favorite candidate for the job) was offered a job with Atlanta & took it. I'm not sure if he would've picked Detroit over Atlanta had Dumars extended an offer, but we'll never know now. Larry Drew (another name to pop up) took a job with the Bucks. Brian Shaw still can't meet with teams yet (his team is still alive vs. Miami), but he's one of the 2 favorites to win the Clippers' job.

That leave us with 3 main candidates:

• Nate McMillan - He's been one of the top guys available since the process started. He's not a sexy hire, but he's a solid coach.
• Maurice Cheeks - Joe D likes him, and it's probably close to even between him and McMillan. Cheeks is a mediocre coach, but he WOULD be a step up from Frank. Barely.
• Lionel Hollins - He looks very similar in style to McMillan. Got severely out-coached in the playoffs by Popovich, much like McMillan going against Rick Adelman. He wants to stay in Memphis, but Dumars should at least give him a look

Today began week 1 of my 20 week marathon training program. After playing 2 hours of basketball on Saturday and 2 1/2 hours of soccer on Sunday, I wasn't really feeling up to it. Still, I got up, limped out the door and ground out 3 miles in 26:38, which isn't great for me, but I wasn't feeling great. Actually, I felt good about doing as well as I did.

After my shower, I weighed myself and my jaw about dropped. I haven't weighed under 200 lbs since my senior year of high school. I was a muscular 195-220 lbs that year. Well, now I'm a slightly less-muscular 195. I'd like to pack on a little more muscle, but overall I'm pretty happy right there.

I should say a little about soccer too. I'm playing in a 2-day tournament this weekend and have gotten out exactly twice to kick a ball around. Yesterday was really the only actual practice I've had in a year, so I still feel a bit rusty. I got pretty tired in the 2nd half of our scrimmage, but hopefully that was a product of playing a ton of basketball on Saturday and not me just being old.