One of the other legitimate Eastern Conference finals contenders, however, baffled me with their draft picks last night. The Detroit Pistons lost this year and the past three years in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Joe Dumars was adamant that the Pistons were going to get younger and more athletic to change the dynamic of the team. The mess started last night when the Pistons picked at 29, with both DeAndre Jordan and Chris Douglas-Roberts (my personal pick) still on the board.
The Pistons have always stated their desire to find a strong low post presence, since Rasheed Wallace insists on floating out near the perimeter and doesn't demand the ball when the pressure is on. The Pistons have also been looking for a legitimate backup to Tayshaun Prince for years - both Carlos Delfino and Jarvis Hayes have failed miserably to fill that role. So here you have two quality players to fill either of those needs so late in the draft. So what does Joe Dumars do? He takes DJ White out of Indiana and then promptly trades him off for additional second round picks. WTF?
My only thought here is that JD is ridding the Pistons of guaranteed contracts, in the hopes of making a run at a big free agent next summer (Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh will all be on the market among others). That's why I don't think the Pistons will trade Rasheed Wallace - his contract is expiring.
Still though, isn't it worth a rookie contract to fill up one of your two biggest needs? Douglas-Roberts is a slasher who puts the ball into the basket. Jordan is 6-11 and plays the 5 with strength.
I was wrong about the Pistons latest gem below - I thought they should've taken Nick Young last year.
Prove me wrong again Joe. Please?
No comments:
Post a Comment