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.