While I would rather see the Pistons draft Hansbrough, I would not be disappointed with Blair. Seems the biggest knock on him is his height (but excellent wing span-7"3’), and that hes had both knees operated on. Reports are that he’s lost 35 pounds, so that should save some wear and tear on the knees, but will that make him easier to move out of the post?
He really looked good in the NCAAs when the pressure was on.

Given this draft, what our team needs are, and where we’re selecting, it would be hard to build a case against Blair, I think it’s hard to build a case against Blair.

We need big men. We need big men who can rebound, defend, and score in the post (in that order of preference). We know Blair can do at least the first two of those.

What we do not need: another point guard. Stuckey and MFWB are just fine at PG — and considering they’re both young and need time to develop, what sense does it make to clog things up with another young guard who needs time to develop?

We could also really use a backup SF (assuming Tay stays, and we don’t sign Ron Ron)… but I think the big men need is more pressing.

Draft a guy like Blair, sign him to his rookie deal for three years, and we’ve got a potentially explosive big man on the extreme cheap with almost no risk.

brgulker: Yeah, if Blair falls he has to be the choice. He’s not perfect, but what he does well, we desperately need.

“But it remains to be seen whether those rebounding numbers can translate…”

Rebounding, particularly offensive rebounding, has traditionally been the stat that translates the most from college to the pros. If you’re a good rebounder in college, you’ll be a good rebounder in the NBA.

Also I think the best comparison I’ve heard for for Blair is Larry Johnson. Here’s a short article that compares their similar size and college stats:
http://mvn.com/bucksdiary/2009/06/dejuan-blair-more-like-grandmama.html

I like Blair. I give him a slight edge of Hansborough because Blair wasn’t in a uberglam program and when the spotlight was on (vs. sexy UConn on national TV) Blair was at his best. That’s how it’s always going to be in Detroit. I like Sam Young out of Pittsburgh too.

I’m loving this series on the draft but I suspect that Detroit will package the #15 and one of the second round picks and move up a bit. I’ve seen reports that the Nets want to trade down so maybe we should be looking at who is available a bit higher on the board.

Best Case: Paul Millsap…For lack of another good comparison (commenters, any thoughts?), we will assume Millsap’s season single season this past year is the best case scenario.

I also think he’s got some David Lee in him.

Can Curry consistently afford to play an undersized Blair/Maxiell front court?

No baby would be safe.

Blair and Maxiell do have one significant thing in common. They both have arthritic knees.

Blair is about 1" taller than Maxiell but has a significantly longer wing span. He is a significantly better rebounder.

Neither guy can play center and both are one position players.

I guess the Pistons could always spit the time at PF before two guys with arthritic knees. 24 minutes each should be able to keep both of them on the court somewhat effectively.

I agree with joejoejoe we should trade with NJ and go after Earl Clark he’s perfect for our needs and I won’t have to worry about my worst nightmare being picked at 15 Daye.

Blair and Maxiell do have one significant thing in common. They both have arthritic knees.

Blair is about 1″ taller than Maxiell but has a significantly longer wing span. He is a significantly better rebounder.

Neither guy can play center and both are one position players.

I guess the Pistons could always spit the time at PF before two guys with arthritic knees. 24 minutes each should be able to keep both of them on the court somewhat effectively.

Bottom line? Trade Amir now.

interesting invites to the green room. more interesting actually are those not invited: earl clark and dejuan blair. could indicate they could last past the lottery. or could mean jack squat.

Two things, one a curve?

Detroit News reports the Pistons expect Kwame Brown to exercise his $4M player option for next season.

‘No chance’ Pistons trade pick
Pistons president Joe Dumars told The Detroit News Saturday there was “no chance” he was looking to trade his first-round pick (No. 15). Nor was he looking to trade for an additional first-round pick. No promises or guarantees have been made to anybody.

Draft Express just released it’s Just By the Numbers column for power forwards. It’s certainly worth a look.
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Just-By-the-Numbers-This-Years-Power-Forward-Crop-3273/

Synopsis: Blair is really friggin good. He does a ton of things well – rebound, of course, scores efficiently, doesn’t turn the ball over, and he’s the best thief in the pf class. As to Hansbrough, he obviously does very well with the scoring categories, but is mediocre to bad along the rest of the board. And Jordan Hill kinda sucks.

What’s with Leo Lyons of Missouri at PF? He sounds like a great pick with one of the 2nd rounders based on that DraftExpress article, kind of a poor man’s Lamar Odom and a very consistent scorer in college (double digits in all by 4 games for Missouri in only 23 mpg).

Earl Clark doesn’t look too good in that Draft Express analysis. They also have those numbers for shooting guards and small forwards, which makes me more in favor of using second round picks on Dionte Christmas and Danny Green, if available.

DeJuan Blair just dominates a lot of those numbers. He’s even ranked second in steals, which is pretty impressive. He’d look good as a Piston, as would Taj Gibson in the 2nd round.

Birdman, I figure comparing Clark to power forwards is kind of like comparing Stuckey’s college numbers to fellow point guards. I suppose he’s a combo-forward. The more I look at his numbers, the more he just looks like Julian Wright – I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…

So the Detroit News is saying Joe Dumars said there’s “no chance” he’s trading the 15th pick and, while no one is “untouchable,” he’s not shopping Rip or Tay.

I’m really glad to hear we’re actively pursuing the improvement of this roster.

@ TDP: I think he’s locked into someone at 15, whether it’s Blair, T, Clark or Mullens. Just depends on who falls.

As for trading, there’s a difference between “shopping” and listening to a possible offer (i.e., who initiated the call).

Fella’s Blair looks damn good. He just seems to have the Piston DNA. I would be happy if he were 6-19 but he isn’t, so oh well. I wouldn’t worry about the undersized thing so much in regards to we already have Maxiell. He can be traded if need be or not play if Blair steals all his minutes. Let’s get a Big Man in free agency and let Blair play 20-25 mins a game off the bench at PF. He may not have Franchise player upside, but he seems to be a lock at being a solid solid contributor. We could draft a Terrence Williams type who potentially has more talent an a higher ceiling but he also has a higher floor (risk factor). At minimum Blair would be a solid NBA player, at best he can be what we all thought Maxiell would blossom into, a poor man’s Charles Barkely. For the record, I want nooooooothing to do with Daye. We have enough thin (tin) men between Tay and Rap. What the hell do we need another scarecrow for. Come on Thursday. Tired of waiting. and July 1st seems years away. Come on calendar, move already.

I meant 6-10 of course.

6’19" wouldn’t be bad, either. He wouldn’t have to jump on his slam dunk shots.

Chad Ford’s lastest mock draft has the Pistons taking Clark, Demarre Carroll and Danny Green with our 1st 3 picks. I like all 3 of those guys, but my favorite pick would be Danny Green. He’s a 4 year player who can do a little bit of everything with his two main positives being he’s a very good defender and 3 point shooter. Even though he’d be a 2nd round pick, I think he may have a chance to be our back-up SF and potentially beat out Clark, who can also play the 4.

For the first pick in the second round, I’m intrigued by Derrick Brown from Xavier. The guy has great numbers (strength, agility and wing span) in the combines. He’d be the perfect guy to stash in Europe so he can develop some skills.

By the way, Pistons.com has really well-written profiles of all the Pistons candidates at pick 15. Covers the strengths and weaknesses of all of them. Also they have profiles of who they might take in the second round. Well worth the read.

As for trading, there’s a difference between "shopping" and listening to a possible offer (i.e., who initiated the call).

Those calls need to be made… by us.

Yeah he looks interesting QD. I like Sam Young, and those two look pretty similar – although Brown being 3 years younger is certainly a nice advantage.

If Oklahoma City gets Thabeet and we trade Amir there, Da Thunda easily become my #2.

Da Thunda become/becomes… whichever is appropriate.

in vegas scare money never win!!! this is the starting line the pistons need to become champs once again!!!
pg:barbosa/trade
sg:T Will/draft
sf:ariza/free agent
pf:D Lee/free agent or trade
c:stoudemire/trade

this is a hard starting five to beat, just because of their energy and athletics!!!

iloveathleticsandhatepunctuation!!!

@Colin:

Do you also love copying and pasting your exact posts from thread to thread (obnoxious)?

And I’m pretty sure you couldn’t even put that roster together on NBA Live.

ARE YOU ALL DELIRIOUS ABOUT DEJUAN BLAIR BEING A GOOD DRAFT PICK JASON MAXIEL 6’7 HIMSELF WOULD CRAP ALL OVER "CRUCK KNEES "BLAIR GRANTED MAXYPAD DIDN’T HAVE A GREAT SEASON BUT GIMME A BREAK. EVEN YOU CONSTANT LOYAL VETERAN DBB BLOGGERS THINK HE’S A GOOD DRAFT CHOICE UNBELIEVABLE (YES, ALL CAPS I’M YELLING AT THOSE DELIRIOUS BLOGGERS OUT THERE ) NUFF SAID!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe = coachDP’s doppleganger.

I also love how joe’s “championship lineup” features no current Pistons.

@mike payne
i love the current pistons players like rip and prince but joey d plans is to get rid of our key players, so if thats the cast i don’t want bums in return like boozer and gordan. that why my championship list look the way it do.

What is with this onslaught of “no punctuation/all caps/grammar like a mail-order bride” lately? Most of these threads are becoming unbearable to read. Joe’s posts in particular have recently addicted me to xanax.

@Joel
I’m sorry that my bloging is not living up to your standards, but this is not where I get my pay check from. Apologie excepted buddy?