In case you want to check things out during the Draft, I will be live blogging The Pistons Draft Picks for ESPN over at True Hoop.
I will also be at The Palace for The Pistons Draft Party. I am meeting up with a few Need4Sheed readers, so if you you are attending drop me an email.
As always I leave the comments up to you.
Draft day!! YEAHH! i hope Al Thorton falls to 15 or Acie Law… wonder if this years picks have a sense of fashion and wear nice suits
heard that mcdyess might opt out and go to the rockets wow..
Whoever we get in the draft they better be fast and they better be able to create ther own shot. Because i for one am sick and tired of people saying that the pistons are old and slow.
Whoever we get in the draft they better be fast and they better be able to create ther own shot. Because i for one am sick and tired of people saying that the pistons are old and slow.
Thaddeus young Future Piston baby
Free Press says: McDyess coming back to Detroit next season!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/SPORTS03/70628056/1048/SPORTS
man i am so nervous about this draft. as long as we get someone vital, strong, young, agile, and someone who knows how to play both great d and offense we have the money in the bank. oh yeah someone who can take on the big guys and hit them down low as well.
and on mcdyess. i know he is deseperate for a title and i really want him along with
web(star)to get one. but i do not want him to resort to another team to win it. i’m telling you just give it one more chance and this time it will happen. that will be sad if he decides to leave and we end up winning the ship. i know he will beat hisself up for the rest of his life. so dyess please don’t go. good things come to those that wait. and it will come in 08 so don’t be late cause it’s gone be great. so tune in to abc june 6 and let’s call it a date. lol
i think dyess’ return to the pistons serves more as an encouragement than anything. I knew he would return from the beginning. Just listen to him and you can tell this man is in it for the trophy, not the money. I feel like the Pistons hit rock bottom this season and they will never let it happen again.
What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. SO this season’s loss has united us all! With a new man in just a few hours, i’m so excited for the pistons 🙂 hard work pays off, guys!!
WHAT DID I SAY ACIE LAW IS GONE AND SO IS MIKE CONLEY! RETARD. WE ARE GETTING STUCKEY
MAYBE JULIAN WRIGHT OR AL THORTON
we got stuckey
Ain’t that a bitch. The damn hawks took Acie Law. Now that’s what i call irony. I’m from Atlanta and the team from the city i’m from took the player I wanted for the Pistons. If that’s not irony I don’t know what is.
BigDee36.. all I can say is WOW! LOL!
Im curious… why did they choose two gaurds? I thought they were gonna switch it up?
Stuckey…I LOVE IT!
Who the shit is Aaron Afflalo? lol
mannnn we need to make more fuckin changes to our line up. dumars better get to work.
amanda…..
you dont know who Aaron Afflalo is???? Do you not watch basketball? He’s a 1st team all-american guard from a team, UCLA, that was a national contender all year. That’s who he is.
Amanda, in reply to your question:
Aaron Afflalo is a point guard out of UCLA. I think it’s a good choice for the Pistons. He’s a tough-as-nails defender, he can create his own shots in the clutch. Just like J-Maxx under Huggie Bear in Cincy, Afflalo was trained by a defensive mastermind in Ben Howland. He might not be as electrifying as Stuckey will be, but he’ll be a good backup for Rip.
I haven’t seen much of Stuckey, but I just read his interview on ESPN.com. The kid’s ELATED to be in DETROIT (Take that Bucks fans… you picked Jianlian, who HATES MILWAUKEE!!!!), and I LOVE his attitude. Just like J-Maxx when he came to us, this kid’s gonna click with the team.
Overall, I think Joe Dumars made some wise draft picks. Think about it, why draft big men when he needs to give Amir and J-Maxx more time. Along with Dyess and if they get the Acker and the Samb kid in Europe, there’s enough to choose from. Our weakest link is at guards. We needed backups for Chauncey (Stuckey) and Rip (Afflalo), Flurray alone couldn’t do it and we all agree that Hunter is primed for the front office. If anything, these 2 draft picks are part of Hunter’s retirement plan.
And, we still got one more pick in the 2nd round… lots of big men still available… you never know!!!!
Raul El Patron
you pretty much answered my questions and I liked your answers. they put me at ease. THANXX
I think the pistons need a SF to back up Tay. All they have behind Prince is Ronald “I look good in a suit, and people like having me around” Dupree. I was rooting for them to take a 3 late in the first, but i like the Afflalo pick. Not super athletic or a natural scoring machine, but he plays defense and he is a WINNER (final four two years in a row). In the second round, i have my eye on Demetrius Nichols from Syracuse–great shooter and long at 6’8″. I’d love to get Derrick Byars, but he’ll be long gone.
More on Arron Affalo… please read this and somebody tell me this is NOT Detroit Basketball:
“For me, defense is all pride and effort. I’ll make it as tough as possible. Plus defense is a team thing.”
And something on Rodney Stuckey:
“Wooh. It’s good to go to a team that’s been to the Eastern Conference Finals the last few years. They have high expectations. They’re going to be ready to work. They’re going to be ready to have their guys work. I’m just excited. I’m looking forward to the future of Detroit basketball and the fans. I can’t wait to get started.”
I’m feeling happy to be a PISTONS FAN tonight, let me tell you. We picked two good guards with a chip on their shoulder and Joe D didn’t waste a draft pick on Josh McRoberts…
Wow Portland is now a squad they got Rudy Fernandez and now they draft Josh McRoberts? who Greg Oden called the #1 pick if Durant and him werent there… and they still got another pick
Here is some info on the strengths and weaknesses of our draft picks the lack of defense from Stuckey makes me a bit nervous but I think our staff can shape him out to be ready to play some Detroit Defense! Dammit I can’t believe Thorton was takin right b4 that had me sad
Arron Afflalo- Guard- UCLA
Some background on this pick courtesy of Yahoo Sports and DraftExpress:
Strengths: Afflalo has shown throughout his time in Westwood that he can lead a team to success. He was arguably the top player the Pac-10 had to offer these past two seasons. He is a tough player who has proven to be a lockdown defender. His body is NBA ready, and his high basketball IQ will help him greatly at the next level. Afflalo’s outside shooting ability is his biggest weapon on the offensive end. He has shown the ability to shoot it out to the NBA 3-point line with regularity.
Weaknesses: He is a bit undersized for a SG/SF prospect, and has always struggled creating his shot. Having only average athleticism and first step, many wonder how well he will be able to score in the NBA. Afflalo’s play has been remarkably inconsistent throughout college, so you never know what you’ll get when he steps on the court.
Outlook: Afflalo signed with an agent this year after testing the waters in the 2006 draft. He is currently sitting as a second round pick, and could have benefited greatly by playing in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp. His defensive abilities should allow him to carve out a niche for himself somewhere in the league as a role player.
DraftExpress covers the NBA Draft for Rivals.com. Their work can also be found at http://www.draftexpress.com.
PISTONS TAKE STUCKY
Thursday 06-28-2007 10:27pm ET
The Detroit Pistons drafted Rodney Stucky, guard out of Eastern Washington, with the 15th pick in tonight’s NBA Draft.
Here’s some background on our newest Piston courtesy of Yahoo Sports and Draftexpress:
Strengths: Stuckey’s biggest strength is creating his shot off of the dribble. He uses his strong body and superior quickness to get past his man, then either pulls up for the jumper or takes the ball to the rack. He can finish with either hand and absorb contact. Stuckey does a good job running the point as well. He averaged five assists per game this season without many great options on his team. He has the size (6-5) to play either guard position at the NBA level.
Weaknesses: Stuckey struggled with streaky outside shooting throughout the season, finishing up the year averaging around just 27% from 3-point range. This is partially related to the degree of difficulty and volume of attempts, however. Defensively, Stuckey must play with better effort and focus, though he has the tools to be a capable defender at the NBA level.
Outlook: After a very good season at Eastern Washington, Stuckey is one of the better kept secrets in the draft this year. He will likely land somewhere in the mid-first round, where he can be very appealing to a team looking for a third guard.
I just realized something: Joe Dumars picked a version of himself with Afflalo. That’s probably why he was at the draft tonight. He wasnt projected until well into the second round. Joe D probably guaranteed him the 25th pick and told him to come. They say player-GMs do that…pick players that remind them of themselves.
Can someone explain me something? okay if we got affalo and stuckey then what will happen with murray, acker, blalock and hunter?
Oh and about Afflalo not being able to create his own shot that’s not a problem first of all he’s a rookie so he has time to improve second we can still work him off the screen ala Richard Hamilton so I like the picks although i would have liked a big man maybe Tiago Splitter can;t believe we didn’t get Thornton tho
I like the blazers now with all the picks they have made greg oden, derrick byars, josh mcroberts and rudy fernandez!..
i LOVE the Blazers drafting/trading the past two years….but they are going to win 20 games at most next year. They’re all going to be a bunch of strangers. About the only two players who have played with each other were rookies last year (roy and aldridge). Nate McMillan is a great coach, but man, he has quite the task ahead of him. Plus, they have to hold tryouts–they have 4 second round picks. I’m intrigued. For the city of portland’s sake, i hope they havent overdone it.
LOL 20 games at most HAHAHAHAHA man you must be a retard yah and the pistons are gonna go 0-82 next year fyi Nate is a much better coach.. yeah and stuckey and affallo wont be strangers or anyone in the draft? for the citys sake we should all be paying for finals tickets and preparing the parades becuz we will have them RINGS not like mcdyess or webber.
KISS THE RINGS BITCHES!
kentucky shut your mouth is obvious you dont know basketball.
hey anonymous….dont get ahead of yourself. i’m sure portland will be great in a few years, but dont expect sh*t next year. i dont think portland is even expecting to make the playoffs next year.
yeah and im sure you dont know who Greg oden, Brandon roy and Alridge are they will make the playoffs. 20 games at most? man kentucky dont ever open your mouth your a retard.
11:38… I love it when non-Pistons fans show up with their awful 2nd grade spelling to insult us. Let’s set the record straight: Portland didn’t get a lottery pick because they’re so ripe to be a dinasty but because your team SUCKS. I think Oden is a freak of nature, yes, but to think that him and Roy are going to be the second coming of Kareem and Magic is stretching it a little bit. First, make sure your teams cleans up their act completely… then try to win games with a bunch of rookies… oh, and while you’re at it, tell Greg Oden that when he gets tired of losing, Detroit always welcomes with open arms lottery picks coming from Portland and we give them rings… you don’t believe me? Ask RASHEED WALLACE!!!!!
i dont know shit about basketball? maybe it is you who lacks the knowledge if you think portland is going to be winning a ring next year.
Look at their roster: Aldridge–2nd year player next year; Dickau–who cares; Fred jones–to the knicks; Raef LaFrentz–dont make me laugh; Darius Miles–He’ll be gone soon (portland has a fire-sale going on their bad character guys); Przybilla–hahaha; Zach Randolph–to the knicks; Jarret Jack–To the knicks; Roy–Great player, but 2nd year; nobody else of consequence on the roster, and many will be cleared out for the new guys–including Channing Frye and STEVE FRANCIS–enjoy his contract!!!
Look, 20 games was a bit of hyperbole, but they arent going to win much more than that NEXT YEAR. Face it: you cant throw 12 new guys in a locker room and expect them to win right away in the nba.
my bad…Dickau to the knicks, not jack.
First lets see who wins us vs detroit im sure greg oden will destroy whats left on webber’s knees and sheed’s ankles dont be crying becuz oden will dominate YEAH ONLY 1 RING WAIT TILL DYESS WEBBER AND HILL DONT RETURN BECAUSE THEY ARE TIRED OF WASTING TIME IN DETROIT THEY WILL NOT GET A RING DONT BELIEVE ME? ASK MCDYESS!
Hill?
man, another guard…
Portland winning a ring next year is about as realistic as the Pistons going 0-82. When this dude dreams, it’s a big one. Talk about fantasy island — DAMN!!
kentucky.. like i said can you keep your mouth closed? you dont know basketball. they are buying out francis contract darius miles why have him when we have udoka and outlaw in the team already? pryzbilla? i didnt hear he got traded check againg get your facts rite i did not say they are getting rings next year. i said they WILL BE MAKING THE PLAYOFFS.
hey portland fan….try reading. nobody said pryzbilla was being traded. your ignorance is terrifying. please go away.
Mcdyess IS coming back next season by the way!!
maybe you try reading…(portland has a fire-sale going on their bad character guys) and 2 you would of wanted joel pryzbilla in your team but no you got NAZR INSTEAD HAHAHAH
I’m happy with the picks. And Natalie totally called Stuckey! Good job, Nat!
We really have no reason to keep Flip Murray now so I’m hoping Joe trades him for a late 2nd round pick somewhere, or pretty much give him away so that these young guys can get in there.
For the reccord, Kentucy, Amir Johnson is going to be Tayshaun’s backup.
~Richie~
For the record, Kentucy, Amir Johnson is going to be Tayshaun’s backup.
I thought we tried playing Amir as a SF before and it didnt workout so now he is a PF?
Thanks, Richie…
The thought had crossed my mind, but i wasnt sure if they wanted to get Amir down on the block now that he’s grown. He came in as a 3, i think, but he played big in the D-League. Now that i think about it, he’s certainly quick enough. Very athletic. I’ve been worrying about how they’d get Amir in there with all the bigs they had playing last year. If he’s the guy spelling Tay, i’m very, very happy.
ha….I just saw the comment above mine. Maybe its not set in stone yet, so i guess we’ll see…If Amir can play the 3 and Maxiell can keep improving, i like detroit’s future.
I am surprised that the Pistons took 3 gaurds nut I like who they took. I’ve started to think of some nicknames for the new pistons how about triple A for aaron because his initials are aaa. anyways tell me what you think. Oh and Rod for Rodney
Rip FINALLY talked to the reporters. I am soo happy that he talked. It reassures me. The story is on Pistone.com
Wow lots of comments. Where should I start:
1. Nobody’s denying that Greg Oden will be a force. But seriously 11:55, get off the peyote man! Oden’s surrounded by a bunch of rookies and STEVE FRANCIS, are you kidding me? I get the feeling that Portland just loves to F*** it up on Draft Day. It’s like their GM likes to tell everybody, “Hey, I know we f***ed up by not choosing MJ… but I think we can one-up it this time!” So they draft Oden and they trade for Steve Francis… Nice choice, that guy has been a FAILURE in every team he’s played, let alone a locker room cancer. Let me tell you, he’ll screw up Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Oh, and picking Josh McRoberts… they’d have done better picking Ronald McDonald! McRoberts will be yet another Duke bust like Shavlik Randolph, Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, etc…
And Kentucky is right… Raef LaFrentz… give me a break!!!! They may have picked Greg LaFleur from “Dodgeball” and actually get a clutch player!!!
Really, 11:55… I know you’re really excited to have Oden, and trust me, I’m a fan of Greg’s from day one… but he still has a long way to go. Yes, when all is said and done, he’ll have some hardware of his own… definitely at a DECENT, COMPETITIVE team… then again, he could do that too at Portland, who knows?
i was just reading Rip’s comments about the draft on pistons.com. He said he thought they should take guards to spell him and chauncey (Tay too).
“I definitely think we need a backup point guard,” Hamilton said. “Anyone in that 1, 2, 3, to give us guys rest, but guys who can actually play right away.”
I was beginning to get scared that Joe D was searching for a Chauncey replacement. Maybe the guys begged him for help after the playoffs ended, and he’s just trying to make them happy. i hope so.
What is with this Portland fan, If he’s really a Portland fan. Where the freak is Portland anywayz?(not serious)Do you actually believe that your team will be winning anything next year. They have a nice core, but come on let’s be honest here. Portland is still going to be fighting for the last playoff spots. We all know that more than likely out west there will be SA, PHX, DAL, UTAH, HOUSTON, DEN, and the rest is a toss up. I’m sure your excited because yall have Greg Oden or shall I say Lebron James Daddy, but Dang your lame. On what’s suppose to be a pretty exciting day for the city of Portland and it’s fans, you are sitting here on a Pistons fans site and that just goes to show you how much you are intimidated by the Detroit Pistons. DEEETTRROOIITT BBASSSKKETTBALL!!! YEAH!!! LET’S GET IT DETROIT!!! 2007-2008 season is ours, I don’t care what everyone else thinks. YEAH!!!
no kidding…Portland added 7 players to their team in 4 hours. SEVEN PLAYERS!!!! NFL teams dont do that in a 7 round draft. How many players are on an NBA active roster? 12?
Wow you guy should read i already answered what you guys are saying.
1)they are buying out francis contract
2)I did not say they are getting RINGS NEXT YEAR. i said they WILL BE MAKING THE PLAYOFFS.
3) I am a Sheed/Blazers fan.
4) Jeez i was only mentioning there were preety good draft picks made by portland and you guys go hostile on me?
evidence? Anonymous said…
I like the blazers now with all the picks they have made greg oden, josh mcroberts and rudy fernandez!..
and for raul el patron
Like Joe doesnt know how to f*ck it up on draft day…rodney white, darko, delfino COUGH i could go on and on.
HEY I KNOW I FCKED UP BY NOT PICKING CHRIS BOSH DWADE CARMELO OR JOSH HOWARD
Cant say Josh McRoberts is a bust when he hasnt played and why cant i say stuckey and affalo wont be busts too? and we added so many players becuz this draft is deep and we rebuilt.
I say we leave it there and change topics.
I agree Oden has ways to go thats why he and the team will grow together into what i believe will be a championship contender think what you want.
Speaking for all pistons fans, we’d love to move on and talk about something other than the Blazers…like maybe the pistons? It’s just hard for us to let many comments like yours go unaddressed.
I agree and for the record i wasnt trying to rub it in. you guys should take things more lightly and hey i was talking pistons… now if i have to a name to each comment i make its a different story.
Anonymous said…
Wow what is goin on with the picks we are now guard loaded.. should of taken a small forward or at least D.J strawberry. 3 picks all guards
12:15 AM
Anonymous said…
For the record, Kentucy, Amir Johnson is going to be Tayshaun’s backup.
I thought we tried playing Amir as a SF before and it didnt workout so now he is a PF?
dj:
This is a basketball blog? Wow. This whole time I thought we were talking about shuffleboard…
Sorry, I don’t watch college ball. Just can’t get into it. But thank you for making me feel like an idiot! I appreciate it, wholeheartedly.
JoeD = Millen
Terrible Draft
3 SGs
Thanks for the memories pistons
I liked our picks. But I thought we were going to take Tiago splitter. He ended up going to the united nations of the NBA, the SanAntonio Spurs. They literally have enough foriegn player for the entire NBA. LOL!!!!
PS: Thank god we didn’t take McRoberts. I HATE DUKE DAMMIT!!!!
Amanda, college ball is a whole different thing than the NBA. Not knowing about it is no biggie… not everybody can follow both of them, and in all fairness, many who follow basketball full-time actually start with college hoops all the way and NBA on the sidelines and pick up the NBA at full speed in April, when things start heating up a bit more.
For 1:14… last comment before I drop it off and go back to analyzing the team I really like: True, Joe D screwed up royally by not taking the likes of Carmelo or D-Wade and picking Darko. But, one thing is for sure… Nobody can beat the clusterf*** of picking Sam Bowie over MJ, trust me, even after Joe D screwed up with Darko, the conversation shifts immediately when then bring Sam Bowie… AT LEAST Detroit has been able to stay somewhat competitive in the absence of ‘Melo, D-Wade, Bosh, etc… and last time I checked, Detroit won its 3rd world championship 3 years ago (At least Dumars has more than compensated with his trade moves for that… really, STEVE FRANCIS? That joke’s too easy to make… didn’t you see how happy the Knicks fans were? Someone got the short end of the stick…) How long was it for Portland, almost 30 years, during which time they were taken to school first by the Bad Boys and then by the very same man that you took away (and by the way, losing to MJ in the finals is A LOT more embarrassing than losing to D-Wade [With SHAQ no less]… at least Darko was on the roster unlike Bowie!)
Oh, and about McRoberts, I’ve seen him play at college, and I still think he’s pretty much overrated, just like some of the other big men from Duke… anybody remember Shelden Williams, now an afterthought in ATL? Williams the Bad (not to be mistaken with Williams the Good, as in DERON WILLIAMS, thank you very much!) was a better presence on the post than McRoberts…
Now, let’s PLEASE talk about what REALLY brings us here: DEEETROIT BASKETBALL….As DREW requested:
Ok, so we’re pretty much guard-loaded. bigdee, taking Tiago wouldn’t make much sense right now. Tiago is going to be sent to Europe to develop, from what I last read. Plus, why have TWO big men developing… don’t we have Samb playing in Greece anyways?
Plus, as some have said, one thing to work on was guards who can offer depth in the position. We didn’t have a reliable bench option to give Chauncey and Rip a break. At least in the forward department, we still have J-Maxx and Dyess as backups, with Amir under development… and could anyone PLEASE tell Nazr Mohammed to earn his pay, thanks???
Also, I can’t blame Joe for sitting out on Splitter… he’s still getting roasted for the last time he picked a foreign center… at least this time, he drafted the way he knows… based on some needs. If you listened to the interview that Natalie posted, Joe was clear that there’s young talent at the F/C positions that needs to be groomed, yet he really didn’t make the same assertion at the G, while stressing the importance of the draft picks. We were short-handed at the guard and that’s what he took care of. Plus, the last time I checked, the offseason wasn’t over tonight! I imagine some more moves might be in store now that we have solid draft picks.
PISTONS FANS… it is an exciting time to keep rooting for our team… unlike other teams, WE’VE NEVER STOPPED ROOTING NO MATTER WHAT… We root for the team regardless of who’s playing, that’s what TRUE FANS do… I guess some “fans” from other “teams” might take a page from our book…
DEEETROIT
BASKETBALL!!!!!!!
wow…rip has resurfaced again? i gotta go look that up lol. I agree with Joe D for not picking Tiago Splitter. One, we never have much success with foreign players as an organization. Two, Rip and Chauncey deserve a few rests in the games so back up guards are the right decision. With that said, cheers 🙂