Pistons links: Scouts watching ungodly amounts of NBA tape, Stanley Johnson fitting in and probably too much D-League draft news

Pistons leaving no game unwatched in hopes of uncovering the NBA's secrets -- SI.com

Michael Rosenberg with an excellent article.

(And thanks to fan mannie32 for letting us know about it in the FanShots too)

They apply the same philosophies to college and international scouting that they use for pro scouting. Their scouting operation is massive, and unimaginable just a decade ago. The NBA is swimming in money, Gores is willing to spend it, and thanks to technology, scouts can watch most of the relevant games that take place anywhere in the world. As Bower says, "We are only limited by time."

The tricky part is taking this volume of information and molding it into something useful. There is a risk in knowing so much: You can lose sight of what is important. The Pistons are well aware they are putting together a collection of people, not film clips. The people must be able to work together. Bower says, "Our target throughout the summer and all of last year was talent, character and compatibility."

Rookie Stanley Johnson looking like a perfect fit for Pistons -- CBS Sports

While Johnson is already a solid defender and will only get better, his offensive game is far from polished. He will need to improve his 3-point shot (28 percent through three games) but the Johnson believes the spacing and actual rules of the NBA will help him be a better offensive player than he was at Arizona.

"College basketball is a lot different with the rules," Johnson told CBS Sports. "I think the NBA game is a help for me because when I drive to the basket there is not three or four defenders at the rim, there is only one. This makes my reads a lot easier and it makes attacking the basket a lot easier."

NBA Sunday: Andre Drummond Is For Real -- Basketball Insiders

I remember walking away from the conversation thinking to myself that Drummond seemed a bit too friendly and happy to be a difference-making big man at the NBA level. Over the years, we have exchanged pleasantries and I have kept close tabs on Drummond, again having an in-depth, one-on-one conversation with him during All-Star Weekend in Houston back in 2013.

Less than three years later, I never would have thought that he would have risen majestically as the centerpiece of the Pistons franchise, a key member of the United States Men's National Basketball Team and, an opportunity to be the most dominant center that the NBA has seen in a long time.

Detroit Pistons: Finally, This Is Stan's Team -- HOOPS Habit

Many of the Pistons' offseason moves were ridiculed - they acquired Ersan Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, Reggie Bullock; and signed Jackson to a five-year, $80 million contract.

None of those names really inspire, but the moves made sense when you take into account SVG's plan. Ilyasova and Morris are good shooters at their size, Baynes is a good, reliable backup for Drummond, and Jackson was a necessary piece.

The 3-0 start to the season has already resulted in a few outlandish predictions for the Pistons' season. Unfortunately, many of them will not come true. They could still make the playoffs as one of the lower seeds, but the team still has a very volatile feeling to it.

2015 NBA D-League Draft Board -- dleague.nba.com

Some notable (and frankly a few surprising) names sprinkled around in the seven round draft worth noting.

Jimmer Fredette, Perry Jones III, Cartier Martin, Amir Williams (Detroit high school product), Ronnie Brewer, Rodney Carney, Russell Byrd (former Spartan), Duke Mondy (former Oakland Grizzly) and a couple former Eastern Michigan Eagles.  John Stockton's other basketball playing son (not David, but Michael) was drafted by Grand Rapids, but was dealt after the draft.  I could go on but I should probably stop.

For more on the Grand Rapids' selections, do read the solid update that's linked below from DBB contributor Jacob Kuyvenhoven...

Sam Thompson, Brett Comer among Grand Rapids' D-League Draft selections  -- DBB

Good note. Almost forgot about the Covington selection...

Grand Rapids had the top pick in last year's D-League Draft as an expansion team, but their selection Robert Covington never played a game for the team, as he was immediately called up by Philadelphia (and, of course, scored 25 points against the Pistons hardly a month later).

Luckily for the Drive, this is unlikely to happen with (Sam) Thompson. He went undrafted in 2015 and was waived by Charlotte, a team without a lot of wing depth, on October 23.

Meet The Draft's Most Intriguing Players -- dleague.nba.com

Brett Comer makes this list.  Name should sound familiar to every March Madness follower.

FGCU's Brett Comer picked by D-League's Grand Rapids Drive of Pistons in draft -- Naples News

As mentioned earlier, Stockton was traded after the draft, so this seems like a decent chance for Brett Comer to get playing time and see where it can take him in his professional hoops career.

"I think it was a good selection," Walton said. "They selected another point guard as well in Stockton. But the only guards they have on the roster going in are him (Comer), Stockton and Ryan Boatright (an undrafted rookie from UConn who signed with the Pistons last week), so we're happy with the situation. Detroit's an up-and-coming franchise. They've started off the season 3-0 under Stan Van Gundy, and Van Gundy knows Florida really well, so I'm sure they saw a lot of him, which is always a good thing.

Wonderful Monday to all the readers out there, only one more day until the Pistons are back in action!