Hittin' the Links: Potential No. 7 Picks To Work Out With Pistons, Joe Dumars Q&A, and Fennis Dembo References FTW

by Packey on Jun 8, 2010 8:00 AM EDT in Morning Shootaround

Game 3 tonight at 9 PM EST. If Jason Bateman and Rainman locked lips on the kiss cam in LA, what would be its equivalent in Boston? Ben Affleck and Dane Cook?

The Pistons are finally bringing in potential No. 7 picks for work outs. Greg Monroe is supposed to be first on Wednesday. After spending all off-season weighing their options for the No. 36 pick and potential undrafted free agents, Dumars and co. will now spend from now until the June 24 draft kicking it into high gear:

Dumars said the Pistons have gotten favorable responses from the agents of all the players they’ve requested for workouts. "At seven, you’re not going to ask a couple of guys who are supposed to go one-two to come in at seven, so you don’t even put yourself in that position. But other guys who are targeted for that range, it’s usually no problem getting them in."

That probably means the Pistons aren’t asking the consensus top few players – John Wall, Derrick Favors and Evan Turner – to work out for them.

I asked him specifically if he thought there was a chance that DeMarcus Cousins could fall as far as No. 7, and while he didn’t answer the question directly, his answer indicates he wouldn’t rule it out: "I’ve seen it happen before. A lot of talented guys – Paul Pierce dropped to 10th, I think. Amare Stoudemire dropped. You’ve had some talented guys drop before. History tells us that it can happen."

Keith Langlois has apparently been throwing some soft toss to Joe Dumars of late, as well. Look for a Langlois/Dumars Q&A to be posted on Pistons.com throughout the week. I'll try to link to it as soon as it becomes available.
Will the No. 7 pick bring the Pistons luck? Here's another look at past No. 7's.
It has been said that the Cavs are courting MSU coach, Tom Izzo. You can follow the updates on SB Nation Detroit as they become available. For any Spartans fans, this would be a triple-whammy of a travesty. Spartans fans or not, Izzo's a great coach and if he accepts a job with the Cavs, that's probably a pretty good indication that LeBron's re-signing -- double-whammy for non-Spartans/Pistons fans. Izzo would be a fool (a damn fool!) to take that job without knowing the status of LBJ for sure, though.
Fennis Dembo, an unlikely champion with an even more unlikely name.

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no worries

about izzo taking off. He’s said that he wants to leave a legacy in EL, and a 2nd/3rd/4th championship would be what that takes. Spartans are absolutely loaded for next season, too. Can’t see him walking away from a championship season for some extra cash. Maybe in a couple more seasons, though. Would be tough to hate the cavs so much, though, with izzo screaming and crying on the sidelines.

by C$ on Jun 8, 2010 10:20 AM EDT reply actions

it's not only about the legacy

It’s the fact that Izzo loves to have complete control over his teams, and quite frankly you can’t constantly yell at 30 year olds that make 3 times of what you do. That’s why many great college coaches fail in the NBA (Dick Vitale) initially, and need to spend some time as assistants first. If you recall, Chuck Daily (who coached the original Dream Team, mind you) actually failed with his first coaching stint coming from college. It took him a bit of time to morph into the fantastic character he was with the late Bad Boys.

If Izzo were to go there (which I think he would prefer to start with the Pistons, he’s said he loves Michigan) he would have to put up with LeBron and his big ego. Which likely means no control over player transactions, no control over assistant coaches, and likely very likely control over plays called. Sure he’d make tons of money, but he would be a puppet – and that is something I believe he would flat out refuse to do.

In all honesty, good NBA coaches have a bit of Phil Jackson in them. They sit there quietly in the games, hardly ever get animated, and will occasionally purposely let their team lose just to prove a point. Mind games are everything when it comes to millionaire crybabies. Doc Rivers is about the only exception I can think of, and I think that has more to do with KG backing him than his own coaching style.

by bearded thundar on Jun 8, 2010 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

Some coaches are meant to be pro coaches, some are meant to be college coaches. Izzo is meant to be a college coach.

My two favorite teams are the Tigers and Brewers. Drunk tigers. That sounds about right.
Me in 140 characters

by ReichardZ on Jun 8, 2010 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions

i agree with the sentiment here that izzo wont leave. i cant see izzo’s style working with the cavs. Lebron isnt going to take any guff from izzo.

by dandresden on Jun 8, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree 100%...

…Izzo isnt going to leave East Lansing to coach the Cavs…At least not yet…He said he wants to win another title before he thinks about leaving…I cant see him going at this point in the season either…If he does leave it will be after the college season is over and not right before a new one begins…he wouldnt leave his school in that kind of bind

by BennieBladesFan on Jun 8, 2010 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm not ready to say for sure he's not leaving

Mainly, if he was 100% not leaving EL like so many people seem so sure about, he’d come right out and say that. Maybe he doesn’t want to be like the countless other college coaches who say “I ain’t leaving” and then leave, should he honestly have a change of heart, but I think fans/spectators are acting a little too sure about this. $30 M (alleged offer) and the opportunity to coach LeBron James (assuming he even stays) is not something to sneeze at for a legacy in East Lansing, which he already has.

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by Packey on Jun 8, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

yes but it is far more impressive of a resume to say you won 2 college titles and 1 NBA with any team without LeBron title than 1 college title and 5 NBA title with LeBron as your star player.

Who really knows just how good of a coach Phil is? He’s got the most rings in the history of the game, but because of who won them, he is treated only as an above average coach. Chuck Daily on the other hand, is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, and yet he only won 2 NBA titles.

by bearded thundar on Jun 8, 2010 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I think most people outside of the internet believe Jackson is one of the greatest.

It’s just kind of an internet backlash thing. Success breeds jealously and people like to take away credit from the guy.

Neither the Lakers nor the Bulls were champions until Phil showed up, and a Laker fan showed me the difference between the 99 Lakers and the 2000 Lakers was minimal in terms of personnel.

by Terrence J. Lynch on Jun 8, 2010 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions

perhaps

The two things that Jackson brought were the right system (which he did not create, only improved upon) and respect from his teammates. I’m not conviced he’s a very good in game coach, as often times he was outcoached last year in the playoffs and failed to make adjustments when needbe. I am not sure whether that says more about the (little) impact of coaching in the NBA (meaning the system is all you need) or just the players he’s had.

Regardless, his legacy is not held at the same height of Aurbach’s, even though Jackson’s titles actually were much more impressive when you think about it (far more teams and talent in the league when Phil won, even back in the late 90s). IMO, the Zen Master has to win at least one title without a top 3 player to secure the position of greatest NBA coach ever.

by bearded thundar on Jun 8, 2010 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions

i hate

the nickname Zen Master. it is entirely misplaced, and also an oxymoron.

Uh, me, new?

by Mike Payne on Jun 8, 2010 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Jordan never won a title without Phil. The Lakers needed his system to win with Shaq and Kobe. He is a great coach. I think its fair to say Kobe wouldn’t have four rings without Phil. Maybe Jordan only gets 4.

- 13th NBA Finals appearence in 20 years for Phil Jackson.
- Might end up 11 for 13 in the finals.
- 47-0 in any playoff series after winning first game.

Big Red won most of his NBA Titles with Bill Russell. I never saw Bill play, but I’m guessing since they renamed the NBA Finals trophy after him he must have been good.

Favre's ankle, Starcaps BS and hopefully a busy Piston offseason, oh my. Go Netherlands/Holland/Dutch Soccer(no its not Football)! Also, Lesnar, Lesnar, Lesnar!!!!!!!

by VikesPma on Jun 10, 2010 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Not a fan of Dumars' logic

Yes, Pierce and Stoudemire fell, but they only proved their worth after they got to the league.

If you go back to those drafts, you would say those guys should have been picked sooner, but we can all play revisionist history. I don’t remember the consensus prior to the draft being that Pierce or Stoudemire should have been Top 3 picks only to fall.

But if you look at the history of guys who were projected top 5 falling three or four spots, it becomes much harder to find those guys.

My two favorite teams are the Tigers and Brewers. Drunk tigers. That sounds about right.
Me in 140 characters

by ReichardZ on Jun 8, 2010 1:06 PM EDT reply actions

Maybe Cousins’ secret plan was to eat a lot of donuts so other teams wouldn’t draft him because he really, really wants to be a Piston?

by garrettelliott on Jun 8, 2010 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions

The Barkley plan!

Wasn’t there some anecdote from King Charles himself that he ate a crazy amount of food to keep the 76ers from drafting him?

by Biz Markie Moon on Jun 8, 2010 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Wasn’t there a theory that Daye threw his combine tests on purpose so he’d fall to the Pistons?

Of course, that makes zero sense.

by Birdman84 on Jun 8, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah! He actually could lift the bar, he just didn't want to show you.

by Roll The Dyess on Jun 9, 2010 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Ford is reporting that Detroit is REALLY trying to move up.

Per sources in the league, the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder all have had discussions about moving up, down or out of the draft.

The Pistons, Spurs and Thunder have been the most aggressive about moving up.

The Pistons have been searching for a big and would love to get their hands on either DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors. The Spurs and Thunder also are in the hunt for a big and have targeted a number of teams in the lottery to move up a few spots. The Thunder have multiple picks to offer. The Spurs have Tony Parker or George Hill. While the Spurs aren’t necessarily shopping either player, they’re not untouchable, either. If the Spurs can get another big man to help prolong Tim Duncan’s career, they’ll do it.

by Terrence J. Lynch on Jun 8, 2010 4:53 PM EDT reply actions

makes no sense

Dumars said on record that he has not contacted a single team about moving up yet.

Of course he could have had his team do it for him, so he could make that statement.

by bearded thundar on Jun 8, 2010 8:53 PM EDT up reply actions

also

inexplicably, he said “i have spoken to no one as of 12:30 p.m. on June 7th.” So, what’d you do at 12:31, Dumars? Weird answer.

Uh, me, new?

by Mike Payne on Jun 8, 2010 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Quite strange

I found that odd too. I think he must have meant that he would certainly be having discussions in the future. Thank Jod! Hopefully he makes it happen.

by waulie on Jun 9, 2010 9:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, in the transcript he talks about it kind of being illogical to talk to teams this yearly, before you get to see all the guys that could be at your draft spot. So he’s basically saying you should have asked if i planned on talking to teams about moving up.

by Roll The Dyess on Jun 9, 2010 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions

I couldn’t help but wonder if Langlois inserted the time into the text of the interview so it was clear to readers …

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by brgulker on Jun 10, 2010 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions

grammatically

he would have had to put it in brackets to do so.

Uh, me, new?

by Mike Payne on Jun 10, 2010 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions

With all the talk about moving up to get Favors or more likely Cousins, Aldrich just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I’m leaning more towards Ed Davis, because he has the upside to get excited about.

by Roll The Dyess on Jun 9, 2010 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions