That was … interesting. I don’t think anyone outside of 5 Championship Drive thought last night would go the way it did, passing on guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts, Mario Chalmers, DeAndre Jordan, Joey Dorsey and Nathan Jawai twice (and Bill Walker three times!). DBB reader Fuj summed up my feelings, and I’m guessing many of yours:
I thought Joe fleeced everyone when we traded down and CDR was still there, but then…blah. And then Bill Walker was there, but then…I’m sure you all were feeling it too. I left the bar feeling like we should have used the trade w/Seattle to address our two biggest needs: take the best center prospect left with the 32 pick and Walker as backup SF with the 46. I don’t know what happened here. In Joe we trust I suppose.
Instead of any of the guys rumored to receive a promise — instead of any names most people actually recognize — the Pistons ended up with a narcoleptic who’s played 18 games the last three years, a 6-foot-10 (and a quarter!) big man who plays small and an amazing athlete with a reputation for flopping and playing dirty.
(Quick note: Walter Sharpe’s collegiate career spans 40 games, not 18, as some outlets have mistakenly reported. He played 22 as a freshman with Mississippi State in 2004-05, six as a sophomore, sat out his third year and played 12 last year after transferring to UAB. Everyone seems to be latching on to the idea that his entire career is 18 games long because ESPN and Yahoo and the like are only showing three years on their player profile pages, but he’s from the high school class of 2004, the same as Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Rudy Gay, J.R. Smith, Boobie Gibson, Shaun Livingston, Arron Afflalo, DJ White, etc … I now return you to your regularly-scheduled post …)
Is there a method to this madness? Or will this end up being the most disappointing draft since 2003?
Time will tell, but I found this explanation by Keith Langlois comforting (hat-tip: several readers in the comments, with Quick Darshan being the first):
Joe Dumars was smiling like a guy who knows something about Walter Sharpe that nobody else knows. He watched “a ton of tape” on him and brought him in to work out, holding him over for a second day.
“He’s good, man, he’s good,” Dumars said. “Handles it, shoots it, long and smooth.”
Dumars said Sharpe will be a small forward in the NBA, though he was playing out of position at UAB as a power forward.
As for Sharpe’s history of off-court trouble - arrested for disorderly conduct, academically inelgible, shot two years ago though it appears he was an innocent victim - Dumars said almost all of it traces to the narcolepsy only recently diagnosed. He said Sharpe is now on medication and that “he says it’s changed his life.” Dumars said he’s talked to “more people in Alabama than I care to remember” and is perfectly convinced Sharpe has a firm grip on his life now.
Dumars was apparently ready to take him at 29 when Seattle called asking them to take DJ White. As for Trent Plaisted and Deron Washington, they’re apparently headed to Europe for a year. Dumars told Langlois that he didn’t think there would be a roster spot for more than one rookie, so he didn’t even consider players who told him they wouldn’t be interested in playing a year overseas. Most of us viewed Walker as a potential backup for Tayshaun Prince, but if Dumars thinks Sharpe can fill that role, I can understand not wanting to clutter the roster with redundant parts.
That being said, is there really a shortage of roster spots? The Pistons have five unrestricted free agents — Jarvis Hayes, Walter Herrmann, Juan Dixon, Theo Ratliff and Lindsey Hunter — and I’d be shocked if more than one returned, if that. Since Dumars is apparently only planning on one rookie making the roster, that means there are four other roster spots up for grabs. The Pistons do have the full mid-level exception to spend, but they’ll almost certainly end up filling the end of the bench with minimum wage veterans.
I’m not a scout — hell, I’m not even much of a college basketball fan — but you’re telling me that one of those cheap vets will be more useful (next year and down the road) than a guy like Douglas-Roberts, who simply fills buckets, or a guy like Dorsey, DeAndre Jordan or DeVon Harden, who could someday blossom into a starting center?
Right now, I’m not convinced. But I’m also not worried.
For one, I don’t think the other shoe has dropped. Who knows, maybe in a few weeks when the Pistons pull off their long-awaited blockbuster we’ll understand the true value of an empty roster spot? Or maybe in a year or two when Plaisted and Washington return with a few more stamps in their passport and are ready to contribute to a rotation we’ll have a greater appreciation for being patient.
All I know for sure is that while it’s natural to make an instant judgment on the draft, it’s also completely foolish.
At this point a year ago, I wasn’t sold at all on Rodney Stuckey. Now? I understand completely why he’s Detroit’s only untouchable. (And don’t think Dumars hasn’t been tempted — DraftExpress reports the Grizzlies offered the No. 5 pick and filler for Stuckey, which the Pistons shot down.) When Jason Maxiell was drafted, I thought it strange that the Pistons were wasting their time with an undersized power forward. Same with Tayshaun Prince — surely he’s too skinny to last in this league, right? And back in 2003, I thought it was a no-brainer to take Darko over Carmelo (and honestly, it took me until last year to admit that Darko probably won’t ever reach his potential).
What’s my point? I’m in no way, shape or form enthused about this draft … which is all the more reason to think things will turn out just fine.
If there’s one thing this front office deserves, it’s the benefit of the doubt. I’m willing to wait to see how all of this shakes out.
Non-draft-related side note: Thanks for putting up with the extended absence this past week — the move is still a work in progress, but things should get back to normal now that I have an actual internet connection.
(That said, everyone knows the comments are the lifeblood of this site, and those never stopped hopping — traffic actually increased as the front page grew more and more stale. I’m guessing that Baron Davis rumor helped spur that along, but if there was ever a reminder of who drives this site, that was it.)
these will be the new bad boys for Pistons. Narcoleptic guy and that kid with dirty manners and flopping. Lets go Deeetroit !
I am delighted to be the first to reply to this post.
Let me tell you, it was a shame to have to fall asleep after my boy Eric Gordon was taken. But hey, that’s the trade-off to live in London, right?
Anyways, after reading 4 Pistons web sites and some 400+ posts, I must say, I came away extremely impressed by Joe D and this draft.
I can’t tell you how many people have complained that we didn’t draft CDR, Bill Walker, etc. or any other name droppers w/ the 29th pick (…well 32+46). Let me just provide you some name droppers that have been picked in recent memory. Just do a quick google search on the reception these teams got after choosing these players. People responding w/ admiration and hope for their team. How about Sebastian Telfair, Jay Williams, Kwame Brown (gotta love those Kwame’s), Dajuan Wagner, Stromile Swift and MANY MANY MANY more.
Look, even more to my point, these were highly touted players that went in the lottery portion. We were picking 29 to start - this is certainly not a loterry spot. I know most of you out there think you are a basketball guru, and some of you might be, but college ball is a very different world then the NBA. This is why plenty of players who were expected to be great have failed. It’s not to say any of the name-dropping players we could have picked would fail, but there is certainly a reason Joe D did not pick them.
First and foremost, I think the most recent posting on the Pistons web-site is key into the man’s thinking. He wanted to address the SF position with someone who could contribute right away off the bench and did that w/ Walter Sharpe. Understandable there may be some dought w/ off the court issues (isn’t this Carmelo’s big knock - but dude can certainly play ball) and lack of playing time but 6′9 and 245 is amazing. I watched plenty of his highlight and the kid is mobile and athletic. I believe (and hope) he will be a great back-up to Tay and be able to guard the likes of Lebron, Paul Pierce, et al. With that height/weight, I honestly believe you could throw the dude in front of Lebron right now and he’ll keep him quasi in check (look, no one can keep Lebron in check, but that is def. genetics that help).
The other key from that article is that Joe D picked the second two draft picks w/ the understanding from these two kids that they will be coming over here to Europe. Gotta love that. We have three picks, not one of which is guranteed a contract and two of which, late second round picks, are happy to come work on their game in Europe right now. Even more so, I believe this puts us in perfect shape for a trade later this season. I couldn’t be more estatic that Joe DIDN’T pull off a mega trade on draft night (although should be expected as he said he wouldn’t). I’m sure with all these other trades going down, there was some pressure on him to pull the trigger on something, but I’m thrilled he’s waiting for the right move. What he did do was set the Pistons up perfectly both financially and structuarly to pull off something special this off-season.
The man has something planned, something big. We already have a core of young players that need/deserve playing time (Amir and Afflalo barely played and Max+Stuck need more minutes… and SAMB?) so only adding one other young guy to the rotation, in a needed spot (back-up SF) is fine by me. Have trust in Joe D that he will make this team better. The dude is not a schmuck and see’s everyone else getting better around him. Stop complaining and assuming he doesn’t know what he’s doing w/ his draft picks and strategy. We only think of the great coup’s that were pulled off late in the draft (which Joe is notorious for.. not so much in the early rounds) and never all the busts. There are plenty of busts and even if Walter Sharpe turns into one of those, he was still a need at SF.
Hope I wasn’t redundant and got some points across. Be positive about this. We picked up a nice under the radar (ala okur, max, tay) guy in the late round and have some space to pull off a great trade and get our young core more involved.
All the best from London.
Well… second to post!
And a great article in the Free Press just pushing my point a little more: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/SPORTS03/806270422
dennis rodman had asthma and this effected his workouts - only the pistons knew that it was the asthma and not something else and they drafted him in the second round . . .
Dumars knows what he is doing with Sharpe
you will all be very surprised
I’ve got to say that my morning coffee would taste a lot better this morning if we had kept D.J. - dude plays with guts, toughness, can score, and plays in the paint. Nuts. Oh well. I trust Joe a hell of a lot more than I trust myself.
I went to Indiana mate and can attest to all of the above. But WHY?
We both know a trade is coming but see our current roster: Sheed, McDyess, Maxiell, Amir, Samb, Ratliff.
Our boy Amir barely got any playing time and according to Joe, this kid has the stuff. Sheed, Dyess, Max and Amir are all 4’s (even though they play Sheed and Dyess out of position) and not 5’s. DJ is the same, another 4. You can’t play him at 5 b/c he is too small. So you want to pick DJ and take time from Amir, Max and whoever we get if we decide to trade Sheed? It just doesn’t make sense. We got someone who can play the 3, a position we def. needed. And with our later picks, we have projects for the long-term.
NBDL fodder. Nothing against DJ White… or Walter Sharpe, but they’re not going push this team to the next level. We’re essentially the exact same team we were entering the draft.
In reality our only need is a center who can bring some inside presence! plus go and get josh smith !
Nice…
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Word-on-the-Street-Draft-Day-Rumblings–320-PM-EST–2950/
Looks like Stuckey will be on the Team USA practice squad as the lead PG. Should be some nice experience for him if that article is true.
Draft is over, time to start looking forward to summer league. Langlois has some info on his blog
http://truebluepistons.blogspot.com/
Looks like Acker will be there and two mystery players that Langlois says “The two that aren’t solid yet, neither of whom would be Pistons property even if they play in Las Vegas but could be invited to camp or signed to contracts even before camp, both will be familiar to NBA fans.” Any ideas? M
@Cheers - I think I’m one of the minority here who isn’t worried about not having a “true center.” I prefer toughness over measurables. I’ve never really gotten it the infatuation with “true centers.” There are a ton of true centers in the league like Yao, Bogut, Z, etc. who are just terrible on defense. I mean, Kwame Brown is a true center, but there’s still no way he’d crack Detroit’s rotation even if we are all 4s. Here are all the “true centers” from the last couple drafts: Greg Oden, Spencer Hawes, Jason Smith, Shelden Williams, Patrick O’Bryant, Mouhamed Sene, Hilton Armstrong, Bogut, Channing Frye, Diogu, Bynum, Sean May, and Johan Petro. Every single one of them have either had major injuries in their first couple years (whereas none of our young true 4s have had any injury problems) or completely suck.
I just think there’s an over-infatuation with true centers which leads to Seattle and Golden State annually throwing away draft picks for a couple extra inches or stiffs like Brown, Bynum, and Olowokandi going in the top pick. I’ll take Jason Maxiell guarding Dwight Howard over any guy on that list above except Bynum or Oden when they’re healthy, which isn’t often with true centers (see: Shaq or Yao).
I don’t mean to pile on or anything, it’s just my opinion.
Best line from Simmons draft diary…
“5:23: Just took a quick look through reader e-mails from the last hour and everyone seems to agree: We’re all excited for the Gay-Love Era in Memphis.”
Fair assesment, Shinos. Point well taken but the only issue I see is that after watching DJ for 4 years, I simply cannot see him guarding others who play the 5 - even if they are a natural 4.
I still don’t totally understand the point of drafting White and then trading for the picks. Like, if you REALLY wanted Sharpe because you think he’s so great, then why not just take him instead of White? If the other picks are throw-aways, what was the point of it all?
It’s not a guaranteed contract if you take him in the second round. More roster space, plus more assets in hand to trade (i.e the later two picks)
“Point well taken but the only issue I see is that after watching DJ for 4 years, I simply cannot see him guarding others who play the 5 - even if they are a natural 4.”
Also fair enough.
Cheers…After a nights sleep and some research on Sharpe I’m thinking the same way you are. Obviously his sleeping disorder caused him a lot of issues in the past, though we can assume some of it was due to immaturity too. Joe said he’s talked to tons of people that knew him with one of them being Mike Davis who’s coached Sharpe and DJ White. I’ll trust his judgement that now that Sharpe has been diagnosed and is on medication that he’s a changed man. I figured he’d need a year or two in the D-League but Joe was quoted as saying this isn’t no automatic D-League guy, he can play.
It’s a small sample size, but if you use stats from this year based on playing 30 mpg. he averaged 17 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg, 1.5 spg, and 2.2 bpg while shooting 53%. He’s 6′9, 245, long wing span, athletic and Joe said he’s smooth, can score and has handle like a guard. Something like 85% of all second round picks are out of the league after 3 years…why not take a flier on a kid who probably has more upside then anyone else left in the draft, who fills a position of need in back up SF, who hasn’t even been able to play ball once his sleeping order was diagnosed, and who has a lot to proove?
Cheers: Ah, thanks for the insight! I didn’t know that about the contracts.
I think Cheers hit the nail, at least according to ESPN this morning:
Joe Dumars said both Plaisted and Washington will spend the summer with the Pistons and then head overseas for seasoning.
“We make a list of all the kids who say yes (to playing in Europe) who we like,” Dumars said. “Those two kids were kids who said yes.”
As for why not draft Sharp rather than White and the trade? simple: no gauranteed contract for a first rounder. If this guy can come in 5-10 minutes a game and not hurt us, why not? Finally, J. Hayes was signed to a one year deal last year and obviously people aren’t lining up at his door come 1-July. Perhaps a second go-round this year?
Finally, do we still have our MLE?
We’ve got the full MLE.
drafting that late in the first round you are always taking some sort of risk. I’m actually impressed with the picks…
no other player that was available would have me thinking “this is definitely the answer”. I’m actually excited to see what Sharpe can do. A little skepticism would have been there no matter who was picked.
Can’t wait to see the rest of the pieces fall in place this summer.
I like the idea of our young guys getting more minutes next season rather than bringing in some crap player for the MLE. Joe I hope will hold onto it until some disgruntled vet gets bought out near the trade deadline. As for Jarvis, I can accept him playing again for us, give him consistent minutes and use him. Herrmann I hope will stick around but if he goes its no great loss. I think the next step for our squad as currently assembled will be the breakout of some young players and some consistent play and coaching of our bench.
Unless Joe makes a blockbuster deal, I predict we will be runners up to Boston again.
As for our draft, I will only give it an incomplete as I am sure it is part of a larger puzzle.
In Joe, I (fingers crossed) trust.
At least we didn’t keep DJ White. And, with the exception of us and Cleveland, the rest of the central got better yesterday. Well, summer league should be fun to watch…
It’s hard to imagine a draft candidate that WASN’T suggested during the past month as hordes of idle Pistons fans worked out their anxieties, but Joe found one. Amazing. Every year the name coming out of Stern’s mouth is somehow jarring and bewildering, yet makes a certain sense after the passing of time.
All I know is, any choice that would have made fans wildly happy would have been wrong. So let’s give it some time and see what Mr. Sharpe shows in Summer League.
Good points above. I definitely agree that it’s too soon to judge Walter Sharpe. Given the way Maxiell has developed and now contributes to our team, it’s reasonable to believe Dumars has a great eye for finding talent late in the draft.
You have it right on the dot LanierFan. Almost reminds me of Stuckey last year, except there is much less standards/expectations w/ an early second round draft pick then the 15th overall pick.
Hopefully he’ll just leave it all on the court and play like no one cares how he does.
Where does all of this “I trust Joe D” love come from? Has anyone really looked at his draft record? Its not good. I mean, don’t get me wrong, think he’s great at making trades and signing free agents, I just think he’s bad at drafts. Everyone always points to the fact that he found gems like Tayshaun and Maxiell late, but those have been his only good first round picks. Stuckey was good, too but they took him at #15 — one pick outside of the lottery — so that’s not really a steal.
Everyone always glosses over the fact that he took Mateen Cleaves (14th pick), Rodney White (9th pick), and Darko (2nd pick). Darko is one of the worst all-time screw-ups in any draft in any sport. In 9 years of drafting players as the Pistons GM, he’s only found one starter (Tayshaun). Everyone else has been a bust or a 5th/6th/7th man option at best. Also, they keep drafting project players, but the Pistons have shown zero ability to actually develop any talent. I think White or CDR would have been good solid picks, but instead he tried to roll the dice and took a guy that has a “chance” at being good. Too many NBA teams do this in my opinion. If you just take the proven good guy, you will come out a winner more times than not.
Also, why does everyone think this Sharpe kid, who has documented learning problems, is going to suddenly learn how to play and develop into something worthwile now that he’s on medication? Isnt’ that kind of a giant leap of faith?
“Where does all of this “I trust Joe D” love come from? Has anyone really looked at his draft record? Its not good. I mean, don’t get me wrong, think he’s great at making trades and signing free agents, I just think he’s bad at drafts. Everyone always points to the fact that he found gems like Tayshaun and Maxiell late, but those have been his only good first round picks. Stuckey was good, too but they took him at #15 — one pick outside of the lottery — so that’s not really a steal.”
I think the trust Joe D is in the later part of the draft (outside the lottery). Everyone you just mentioned as busts were in the early part. Late draft picks: Mehmet, Tay, Max, Amir, Afflalo, Delfino, and Stuckey (I know, one outside the lotto). I could be wrong, but that’s the consensus thought I get w/ Joe D and picking talent in the draft.
“Also, why does everyone think this Sharpe kid, who has documented learning problems, is going to suddenly learn how to play and develop into something worthwile now that he’s on medication? Isnt’ that kind of a giant leap of faith?”
Narcolepsy isn’t a learning problem. I trust you’re an intelligent guy so you should know this. Also, a prime example that a friend once told me:
A good example of being misdiagnosed with something is Chris Kaman. He was misdiagnosed with something, got it figured out last summer and then went on to have his best season as a pro last year. So these types of things can really bring you down. Hopefully that is the situation here.
I can’t see critcizing Dumars after the prosperity this team has had the past 5 years, in part due to him. I don’t see a better guy out there to put in his place, and I see alot of other teams in the league nowhere near contention. I expect to see more good things from the pistons this year and beyond.
I’m starting to buy into the Sharpe talk, but I still have a problem with the two latter picks.
Joe D said they wanted to take players who would be willing to go overseas, so that cuts who you’re going to draft (maybe in half, maybe more). You’re saying you are going to draft who is willing to take a few years to develop rather than the best available player when in all honesty, those two players probably won’t ever play for the Pistons.
As a fan who would like to see instant results (which is a flaw, as most fans don’t want to wait for the bigger picture), which means taking the best available player (in my mind, Walker) and see if he could make the team this year. That would have been more exciting than guys who, best case senario, will be on the team in two years but in all reality probably will never make the team.
I sort of agree with CK. I think Joe D hasn’t done the best job drafting guys. Mateen Cleaves, Rodney White and Darko…oh Darko don’t even get me started… were bad picks. I agree Joe has had some success with Tay, Amir, Stuckey, Afflao, Okur but he has also passed up several good prospects in drafting this aforementioned group, so it’s not like he got steals. It’s more like he didn’t pull a Darko. So I don’t think Joe is great at drafting talent but he isn’t horrible. Plus, the “mistakes” he made were early in the career, except for Darko and I am willing to move on, no-one is perfect. However Joe is good at smart trades which leads me to…
I am not excited about this draft but I am not upset either, just indifferent. I think the real issue here and has been since Game 6 in that he is blowing up part of the foundation of four. In the end we have no first round picks i.e. no guaranteed contracts and we still have the MLE to re-shape this team. In that regards it was a successful draft and we have money and flexibility to bring in talent that will effect our team NOW rather than later with a late first rounder or early second rounder.
CDR, Walker and guys like that are not as good as bringing in an established player like a Carmelo and BD (obviously those trades aren’t happening but you get my point). If we sit and do nothing and trot out the same starting line-up, I will be upset but if we can make one or two smart trades then by all means… In Joe we Trust.
i do remember joe saying similar things about rodney white as he’s saying about walter sharpe.
the only positive from this draft is no guaranteed money is due any of these cats. and no matter how happy you are to have gotten your targeted guy, it seems like sharpe could have been had at 46 or even 59. obviously dumars didn’t think that was possible or didn’t want to risk it. he’s that high on the kid. but getting walter sharpe in the 2nd round doesn’t seem like a make or break move. and the way picks and players were flying around last night, even if he went #43 instead of #46 and you still wanted him that bad, send the team #46 and one of our 2nd rounders from next year.
and if you’re trying to stash dudes in europe, then draft some europeans.
yeah, i’m just not into this draft class. seems like a ricky paulding year.
I think the reason Joe D. drafts so many project players is probably because that’s who you have to pick from when you draft in the late 1st round and in the 2nd round. You’re not usually going to be able to get immediate contributors, so you take a chance at guys with promising upside. I guess he does have less success when picking in the lottery, but if that’s true we should be happy we’re a 50 win team.
On bringing back Jarvis and Walter, I’m not sure. Jarvis proved himself to be a bit of a defensive liability. That’s why his minutes were cut, not because of his streaky shooting. Obviously more time on the floor would help his jumper, but it’s his defense that’ll give him that time.
And Walter, well everyone has said that he’s more comfortable playing the 4. We all saw how well he guarded mobile 4s (Dirk Nowitzki), but I think he’d be at a disadvantage against a lot of 3s (which are a lot of team’s 1st option on offense). I liked the flashes of what the guy could do, but I’d rather those extra minutes at the power positions go to Amir.
I’d like to see Jarvis get another chance — he was lighting it up at the start of the season, and he LOOKS like he has the tools and athleticism to be a good defender, so maybe he can turn it up a notch if he gets some consistent burn.
And I hope Walter Sharpe comes out and dunks on EVERYONE over and over and over again. It’s been a while since we had a highlight reel type player on the team, and it would be good to see some above the rim action again. Either that, or just let Amir loose.
Yeah I always liked Jarvis, seems like a hard worker and a good guy. I wanted to believe when he lit it up at the beginning of the season that he was a “never reached his potential until joining the Pistons” kind of guy. But I’ve come to believe he just shot above his percentage for the first half of the season, only to shoot below it for the rest of the season…returning him to his average.
I like dunks too.
Re: The Darko pick
If the Grizzlies offered the #5 pick for Stuckey then Dumars is more than ahead on the Darko draft. He flipped Darko (#2) to ORL for something worth the #5 pick (Stuckey) PLUS Kelvin Cato’s expiring $8M salary. If Dumars had simply picked Wade or ‘Melo or Bosh you couldn’t simply add that player to today’s roster in your mind and go “Aha! We’re better!” Chris Bosh makes $16.5M per year. Where do you get the money to pay him? By not resigning Billups? Not lock up Amir? The Pistons won a Championship and haven’t done worse then the Eastern Conference finals since drafting Darko. I like the Detroit way of doing business (win, win, win, win) a lot better than the way (win, suck, win, suck) they do things in Miami.
gimme a break. At the time guys like Darko and Rodney were taken, A LOT of other teams would have made the same picks.
Generally speaking, the draft is a crapshoot. And the second round is a total crapshoot. They all have similar amounts of talent/upside, but only half will still be around in 3 years.
It was very smart to trade a late first round for an early second round. Sharpe must have made a pretty good impression. If CDR and Walker slipped so far, a lot of other teams passed for similar reasons.
Be grateful our team isn’t in a position where we NEED one of these 2nd rounders to become somewhat productive.
besides if we didn’t take Darko, who knows how 2004 would have turned out?
I didn’t like the pick at first either probably for most of the same reasons that others didn’t.
But I trust this pick. It is not like we were the only team interested in him.
Of course he is a gamble, but he has the physical and basketball skills to become a good NBA player. How good, only time will tell.
But it is not everyday that you can get a “very good” “long and smooth” 6′9″ 245 lb guy who can “handle the ball” good enough and shoot good enough to play the #3.
I love Tay and his game but I would take a little less skill in some areas (how much we will have to wait and see) to get 30 more pounds of muscle at the #3, especially against the bigger SF in the league and continue to get bigger.
I don’t think it is any accident that Tay has had troubles the last couple of years in the playoffs with Lebron and Pierce.
Of course taking Sharpe is more of a risk than taking a local player like CDR, but that must tell us how much Joe D. thinks of his potential and ability to help us this year. No Europe for Mr. Sharpe.
I advise fans not to fall asleep watching Pistons games this year and in the future or they might miss some exciting stuff coming from Mr. Sharpe
Sharpe has the LVSL and the exhibition season and maybe even November to show that he doesn’t belong in the D-league when it starts in December? of this year
I trust Joe’s judgment and like this pick a lot
I’m starting to like the pick too, Mike.
Lawyerboy and I watched the draft together and the Philly fan cracked up at the blank look on our faces when the Pistons picked Sharpe. “They don’t even have highlights for this guy!”
But, the fact that no one seemed to have heard of this guy actually got me excited. I’m thinking, wow, Joe D. might have another steal.
* a philly fan
I’m happy with Prince’s defense on Pierce and LeBron. The Pistons lose when Rasheed Wallace gets outplayed by Kendrick Perkins and Billups gets outplayed by Rajon Rondo, not when Prince gets outplayed by the likes of Pierce and LeBron.
You had to watch w/ Lawyerboy? I sure feel bad for ya!
For the record, “Cheers” and I are good friends from our days at IU, and dude knows what he’s talking about (some of the time), certainly he does totally right now.
Oooooookay … As mentioned previously, I was watching the draft w/QD all night (God, I love that guy), and here’s what we agreed on (mostly hypothesized by QD) … Joe did not love ANYONE at #29. That’s very important to understand. That’s not good news, but what he did about it is real good news. He traded out of the first round so he doesn’t have to guarantee any roster spots or any collective bargaining agreement structured deal (though at #29 you’re talking seriously negligible money, you do have to sign the player for a specific length of time with escalating money each year) as we’ve discussed. The trade is a good deal in terms of flexibility.
Now Joe can decide what to do with three players in the future instead of two. With only one first round pick, Joe automatically has to put DJ White (or whomever he selects) on the team with a contract that Joe has ZERO control over. That’s not a huge deal cap wise, but it is if Joe wants that roster spot open down the road just in case (also previously discussed) or if he wants to make a deal with different years than the one the NBA’s rules dictate.
That all being said, we weren’t in a good position this draft, but Joe certainly made the best of it. I remember cursing at the radio in my car when I found out Joe took Afflalo. 365 days later, it not only looks like a wise move, it looks like a move that has no possibility of looking any worse later than it does now, only the possibility of looking better. I give Joe a B on this draft, but he never really had a chance to do A-quality work with the hand he was dealt.
Also, all the people (foolishly) criticizing Joe’s past draft work, newsflash: The last even QUESTIONABLE draft pick Joe made was Carlos Delfino (Darko came 23 picks earlier in full disclosure) in 2003. Ever since then, he’s managed to snatch Max at 26 and Amir at 56 in the same draft (with Acker at 60 coming back to play on our Las Vegas SL team this year). As QD put it last night, Joe learns from his mistakes.
As for my most clear-cut draft night A grade: Clippers. Eric Gordon is more of a “horse” (I guess that really does rhyme with divorce, kudos Big Shaq) than Shaq is at this point in his career. Here’s the list of guards or guard/fowards selected in last night’s draft who weigh more than Gordon: NONE. And he’s only 6′3! The amazing thing is, he doesn’t lose a lick of athleticism because of his strength/build. Gordon has about 28-30 foot range without question. Physically (not in game-wise of course) he’s a 6′3 LeBron. Under the right tutelage, he will destroy guards in the NBA. He weighs about 20 pounds more than Deron Washington, the 6′7 we took at #59. Damn.
Honorable mention goes to: The Blazers. Everyone here should stop hyping Pritchard and let ME do it, since I developed the man crush on him last year before anyone on DBB was paying attention. I left the bar last night saying to QD “Damn, Pritchard might already be even better than Joe. He might be the best in the league”.
The story people don’t realize (which I once mentioned on DBB) is how Pritchard came to be the #1 in Portland after starting out the #3 in command there. When the 2005 Draft came around Pritchard told then-GM John Nash and then-Team President Steve Patterson to take Paul. The Blazers’ higher brass overruled him and decided to deal the pick to Utah. At the end of that season, John Nash’s contract was not renewed. Steve Patterson abruptly resigned (was he pushed out?) in March 2007. Now Kevin Pritchard is deservedly the only show in town. The guy also worked as a scout for R.C. Buford, so he already knew what a good executive looks like. Like I’ve also said, countless times on DBB, long story short: Blazers (if they stay healthy) in ‘08-’09 are the Hornets in ‘07-’08.
DeVon Hardin at 29 is looking better and better
Jawai for Australian Diplomat ‘08!
I can think of many teams that make questionable decisions at the draft..
just think Adonal Foyle and Michael Olowakandi were lottery picks. I’d take Darko over those 2 clowns anyday
Oh, also, I know people were wondering about it in another thread: Darius Miles’ injuries were dubbed “so severe” by an independent doctor that back in March, the NBA granted Portland’s petition to have him removed from their salary cap since the extent of his injuries were deemed “career-ending” by the aforementioned physician. Just for extra info, the deal he was on was for six years/$48 million signed back in the offseason of 2004 and would’ve paid him exactly $9 million/per for this coming season and ‘09-’10
Also worth mentioning regarding Pritchard’s future moves of genius yet to be made: Raef LaFrentz’s 7 year/$69,973,750 deal comes off the books next off-season. This year, Raef is scheduled to make $12,722,500. Also, from the Zach Randolph-Knicks deal, Steve Francis’s waived contract costs Portland $17,180,000 in cap room this year as well (probably about 85% of that in actual money to Francis). That comes off the books next summer.
Before any of the moves in last night’s draft, Pritchard had committed just south of $20 mil. in salary for ‘09-’10 on 3 players and here were the players comprising that $20 mil. from most money to least: Przybilla, Aldridge and Oden, and with team options (read: Pritchard’s call) to pay the following players the following amounts in the ‘09-’10 season (not included in the $20 mil.): Webster ($5,030,692), Frye ($4,264,760), Roy ($3,910,816), Rodriguez ($1,892,035). I imagine all but Frye are shoe-ins to be exercised, with Frye still having a good shot at being exercised. This doesn’t take into account any draft picks or trades from last night (or Rudy Fernandez’s deal once he officially comes over), but DAMN Prtichard is an absolute warlock of an executive! Portland also owns the rights to: Rudy Fernandez (is an awesome swingman and has gone on record giving his word that he’s joining the team this year) Joel Freeland, Federico Kammerichs, Petteri Koponen (is supposed to be quite awesome), Marcelo Nicola, Doron Sheffer and Nedzad Sinanovic.
Pritchard got the draft rights to Rudy Fernandez (watch his awesomeness when he comes over this year) and the services of James Jones (for just the ‘07-’08 season with him officially declining his $3 million dollar option this week, clearing a little bit of money for the TrailBlazers’ massive list of unsigned players) on last year’s draft night. All he had to do? Send Phoenix the same $3 mil. in cash considerations he sent New Orleans last night for what ended up being Darrell Arthur at the #27 spot last night. Absolute genius. For those other guys Portland owns the rights to, look ‘em up. I’ve done enough work for one post
As an IU alumn living in Indianapolis, I’m always amazed at the number of in-state connections on DBB.
Anyways, the 29th pick in the draft will be small potatoes compared with what Mr. Dumars decides to do in terms of trade activity this summer, whether that means dealing some of the core or standing pat.
Shinons: What graduating class are you? Cheers and I are ‘06
Also, I forgot to mention how great what Pritchard did last night really was: jettisoning Brandon Rush and Jarrett Jack for highly-regarded, big value pick @ #11, Jerryd Bayless and underutilized Ike Diogu who is only owed about $3 million this year before he becomes a restricted free agent. Dealing Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey for Nicolas Batum (who was a surefire late lottery pick two weeks ago before literal heart problems dropped his stock) also looks really good, and dealing Omer Asik (who I’m admittedly quite high on) for THREE future second rounders from the Bulls will end up being extremely fruitful down the road even if Asik is as good as I think he will be.
I’m in Indiana too. No IU connection though. Boiler Up.
anyhoo, can i claim ownership if the nickname “Sandman” or “The Sandman” catches on for Walter Sharpe? Has anyone else thought of this for him? Seems a perfect fit.
I think it was the Amir beach workout clips in the other post that got me thinking….
Aaron, you’re on to something there. I love it. The Sandman it is!
I like “The Sandman”…well done Aaron.
Graduated in ‘05. Small world.
Nice work on The Sandman, Aaron. It’s got my vote.
+1 Aaron … it’s starting to look unanimous. Infinitely better than “Spellcheck” for Afflalo, my two cents.
http://punchout.vgfort.com/nes_mr_sandman.php
Anyone who wants to criticize Joe’s drafting as terrible lacks the perspective to make such a judgment. Read this article.
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Eight-Rules-for-Draft-Night-Success-Let-History-Guide-2934/
In a nutshell: nearly half the first-round picks drafted 15th or below are out of the league or on the bench within 5 years. So if you think only the Pistons have had draft failures, think again. EVERYONE has ‘em. And as the article points out, using Joe’s draft record as the defining criterion of his ability doesn’t make a lot of sense given how few difference makers really turn up in the draft.
PS. CK, if you think Darko is one of the worst picks of all time, look up Luther Wright or Leon Smith sometime.
Following up on those CK comments:
Darko as the worst pick of all time, really? Yo man, pass me some of that shit you’re smoking mate. Have you met Michael Olowokandi? I mean, there are def. plenty of others I could throw out there but I wouldn’t want to bore you.
But the thing you have to remember about Darko is that he’s still a kid - he’s only 23. Yes, he probably wasn’t worth the second pick, but this is not to say he many not one day turn into something special. Look at Jermaine O’neal for example. It wasn’t until his 6th season that he started putting up significant numbers. Hell, the dude averaged 3 points per game his first 4 seasons with the Blazers.
Just saying. Kid could still do things. Not worth the second pick, right. But still not worth saying one of the worst picks of all time.
PS. Lawyerboy, tell Ricky Mahorn I send my love.
I don’t have a problem with Sharpe and Plaisted in terms of where they were drafted. They were both in the top 50 on my draft board, and they continue a trend of acquiring difficult names to spell.
My problem is that we passed up NBA ready talent to grab them. Surely at least two of these guys were going to be undrafted, which allows us to bring them into summer camp.
When it comes to the draft, I think Joe fixates on players, and sets his mind to drafting them. In the case of Stuckey, this meant passing on overhyped, undertalented players. In this case, it meant passing on no-brainer picks.
In fairness, CDR wasn’t going to make a big impact on our championship hopes. But look at the trade offer Stuckey’s season yielded. Assets are assets. Incidentally, was the Memphis offer the same one the Wolves took for Mayo? If so, that would be tempting.
“My problem is that we passed up NBA ready talent to grab them.”
NBA ready talent that would actually find minutes in our roster?
“But look at the trade offer Stuckey’s season yielded”
There was no one beyond 29 that could have found Stuckey-type minutes and had the opportunity to become a participator or a trade asset on this team.
If memory serves, Darko was widely considered one of the best prospects of the ‘03 draft. We already had a pretty solid line-up (one that, with the addition of Sheed, would win the NBA Title the following year) and were looking for a true center. An agile 7-footer with great footwork and decent range fits the bill pretty well.
Uncharacteristically, Dumars overlooked drive and work ethic, perhaps on the basis that Darko was still very young. Or maybe it was the culture gap. But those are hard things to judge, regardless. There is no question about Darko’s talent, which is why we were still able to, in effect, exchange him for Stuckey a couple of years later.
Was it a mistake? Absolutely.
Anthony, Wade, Bosh, and even Kaman would have been able to contribute coming off the bench within a year or two and this edition of the Pistons might well have a couple more rings. But you aren’t looking for a bench player at #2, you’re looking for a future starter. For Detroit in 2003, that would mean either a center or dealing one of the starters for a center.
In that light, the various alternatives are not obviously better in hindsight. Drafting Anthony, Wade, or Bosh would have meant dealing Tay, Rip, or Big Ben. At the time, none of those players had strong trade value, which is how Dumars managed to get them in the first place. Kaman would have been a fit, but not with the #2 pick.
Also, none of these players are obvious upgrades today. Anthony is not a great defender and has off-court troubles. Wade’s durability is a bit of a question at this point. Kaman versus Ben Wallace? Um, no. Bosh? Sure, but presuming we still picked up Sheed in ‘04, you’re #2 is now coming off the bench anyway.
The reality is that the best option for Detroit was probably to deal the pick and spread their bets. There was this guy Kendrick Perkins picked up at #27, for example, who would have been perfect. Every other option would have been basically about adding depth, while still having a gap at center. Dumars tried to fill that gap instead of conceding that, as luck would have it, the best talent in the draft was at positions where he was already strong.
However, this is hardly a mistake of epic proportions. Had Dumars traded the pick, and passed on an athletic 7-footer, that would have seemed even crazier than picking Sharpe. And, ss noted already, Dumars later turned Darko into Stuckey, so that may yet work out in our favor after all.
As to this year, Dumars traded down and got an extra pick, so I’m not sure why people are so confused as to why he did that. He’s just playing percentages. And, over the years, Detroit has had trouble developing younger players, so it makes sense to say, when talking about second rounders, none of whom is a lock to ever play in the NBA, that we are only interested in guys willing to develop their skills for a couple of years where they will get playing time.
Specifically regarding the pick of Sharpe, that is classic Dumars. Pick the guy everyone else is probably overlooking, whose real talent has been hidden from plain sight. That is what he did, basically, with Stuckey, who was overlooked because he didn’t play for a major. Anyone saying it wasn’t a steal at #15 should take a second look at the ‘07 draft board. He’s arguably the 3rd best pick of that class, and certainly one of the top 5.
Bottom line: the jury is really still out on the Darko pick, because Stuckey may well turn out to be an All-Star. In which case, it becomes a gamble to pick up an athletic 7-footer that was later parlayed into an All-Star point guard. Not bad, and certainly no reason to question Dumars’ judgment. Which can mean only one thing: watch our for one Mr.Walter Sharpe!
Walter Herrmann is actually a “restricted” free agent, not unrestricted.
The Pistons can match any NBA offer he gets. But Herrmann may get offers from Spain that he prefers.