Seven is a lucky number and that’s what the Pistons are counting on in this year’s draft. So they didn’t land a top three, but there were some quality player picked in the number seven spot and below.
Past number 7 picks.
2009 Stephen Curry PG
2008 Eric Gordon G
2007 Corey Brewer G/F
2006 Randy Foye G
2005 Charlie Villanueva F (TBD)
2004 Luol Deng SF
2003 Kirk Hinrich PG
2002 Nene Hilario PF
1999 Rip Hamilton SG
It’s also not so much the seven spot either. If you take a look at the past drafts you will see that some quality players were drafted below the spot. Guys like Dirk, Amare, Rondo, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, Iguodala, David West, Joe Johnson, and our very own Rodney Stuckey fell below the spot Detroit will be picking in come draft time.
Now this doesn’t mean much if Dumars and his team doesn’t do their job. Do they pick the best player that is available at seven, or do they fill the Pistons needs? I’m all for them serving up a quality big man on a plate, but only time will tell what happens.
I know who I would like the Pistons to pick….who would you like to see in Pistons red, blue and white come November?
I’m going with Chad Ford’s rankings just as a guide for the vote. Let’s go from 4 to 15 and just assume Detroit’s pick will be one of these players.
| 4 |  |
Wesley Johnson | 22 | SF | 6-7 | 198 | Syracuse | Top 5 |
| 5 |  |
DeMarcus Cousins | 19 | C | 6-11 | 260 | Kentucky | Top 5 |
| 6 |  |
Cole Aldrich | 21 | C | 6-11 | 245 | Kansas | Top 10 |
| 7 |  |
Al-Farouq Aminu | 19 | SF | 6-8 | 205 | Wake Forest | Top 10 |
| 8 |  |
Ekpe Udoh | 23 | PF | 6-10 | 240 | Baylor | Lottery |
| 9 |  |
Greg Monroe | 19 | PF | 6-11 | 250 | Georgetown | Top 10 |
| 10 |  |
Ed Davis | 20 | PF | 6-10 | 215 | North Carolina | Top 10 |
| 11 |  |
Daniel Orton | 19 | C | 6-10 | 260 | Kentucky | Lottery |
| 12 |  |
Luke Babbitt | 20 | SF | 6-9 | 220 | Nevada | Mid to late first round |
| 13 |  |
Avery Bradley |
19 | SG | 6-3 | 180 | Texas | Late lottery to mid first round |
| 14 |  |
Hassan Whiteside |
20 | C | 6-11 | 225 | Marshall | Lottery |
| 15 |  |
Gordon Hayward |
20 | SF | 6-8 | 200 | Butler | Late lottery to mid first round |
Also take a look at the Pre-Draft Video via Pistons.com before you cast your vote.
[flashvideo file=http://nba.cdn.turner.com/nba/big/teams/pistons/2010/05/21/PreDraftSound1m4v-1324282.flv /]
VOTE- Take into account that it’s highly doubtful that Cousins or Johnson will be available at 7.
i know im gonna get bashed for this but i like ekpe udoh for our 7th pick IF monroe is already gone if not then monroe. udoh is a great defensive player. GO PISTONS
why would you get bashed I would love Epke for us we need a solid low post defender and presence to help our non existent defense I mean seriously Big Ben was our D thats it..I would also like Monroe if he’s there. my 3rd option would probably be Cole.
I heard they might trade up for Cousins.
The scouting report sounds good on Monroe, being a great passer and defender. I’m okay with Udoh and Cole. I really don’t think we can do all that bad at the 7th position. I’m to a point where I prefer Monroe over Cousins because of his lack of commitment and maturity. Plus, Monroe is in better shape.
Really hope we get Monroe.
We just need Wall (Wizards), Turner (Sixers), Favors (Nets), Johnson (Kings), and Aminu (Warriors) to be gone before seven and then we will be sure to get either Cousins or Monroe. A lot can still change before the draft though.
Joe D talks a lot about having high character guys on the team. I hope he sticks to that and we don’t get Cousins. I had enough of temper tantrums and sulking with AI! We need a team player , like Monroe.
Cousins wont be available by the time the pistons draft, but im not sure id want him anyway
greg monroe is an underrated big
as a jayhawk fan, id say stay away from cole and especially away from henry. both would be a reach at 7. if we had the 13th pick, cole would be a great pick
Hassan Whiteside Joe! Dont you dare pick The Big Country look-alike!
At this point, unless someone slips, I’d go with Cole too. He’s not flashy, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be a steady starting center for the better part of the next decade. We are so far away from competing that grabbing a piece like that at #7 seems reasonable to me. We are likely going to end up with a role player anyhow. I think Joe will pick Udoh though.
cole? a big man? he wears big shoes! for real look on pistons home page he was 6 9 without shoes same as udoh and davis and monroe, then with soes he gains 2 inches to get his 6 11 davis needs bigger shoes he only gained 3/4 inch lol. u gotta look at height without shoes and whiteside has the advantage 6 10.25 plus a 7 7 wing span and a 9 5 stand reach, best of all prospects and he is a great shot blocker. dumars might go for him. i think we get monroe, udoh or whiteside. i dont think joe takes cousins even if he is still on the board, to me he is just another kwame brown, high ceiling big with no work ethic. = bust. ILL BE HAPPY WITH WHOEVER WE GET. GO PISTONS
SORRY I WAS WRONG COLE GAINED 2 AND A 1/4 INCHES. sorry about all caps
Im too rooting for Monroe to be our pick mainly because he has a great work ethic and will help us immediately with some post scoring and presence down low
sorry for my bad english but im not from america …
Yeah I too think Monroe will be great…he has great frame,legitimate Big man…but if Cousins is still there when we pick, then I think we should take him…still either way I think it´s going to be a good draft for us
Yeah, Monroe is definitelly our guy.
But a lot can change (and will change) during the combine. Some ppl might be impressed by one or two athletes, and some teams ahead of us may pick a different player, so we might have options.
I expect JoD to stick to the basics, and grab a good solid player, not an all-star project.
I’m looking for the biggest of the skilled big men. Cousins at 7 is wishful thinking because even if Sac doesn’t take him at 5 I don’t see the warriors passing him up, so with that said I think the best bet is either Greg Monroe, or as much as I hate project picks anymore, perhaps Whiteside. Whiteside needs to bulk up but he’s a young athletic shot blocking center already getting Camby like comparisons if that means anything. I voted Monroe cause he seems more NBA ready. Either way it goes I feel we gotta go center even if it means trading up or down to get one, though I hope it doesn’t come to that.
i get that shoes play a role in players height, but sometimes i think people look into it too much. everyone wears shoes when they play, and i dont think Cole is wearing elevator shoes out there, but who knows. maybe he was slouching or something…
that being said, i want cousins, monroe, or aldrich (assuming he is 6’11”, joe d can be the judge). maybe whiteside, but i dont want a project. i’m tired of having undersized big men that are not really centers but can play center… other than big ben, it doesnt usually work out well, especially against the 7 footers
Some good quality PF/C out there but please dont draft another SF.
I really like the rumor i heard on mlive.com about us trading Tayshaun Prince, Chris Wilcox & the 7th pick to Philadelphia for Elton Brand & the 2nd pick. We could select either Turner, Favors or Cousins which would leave us with a more balanced roster of:
PG/SG: Stuckey, Bynum, Gordon, Hamilton.
SF/PF: Brand, Villanueva, Maxiell, Daye, Jerebko, Summers.
C: Wallace.
If we draft Turner then we will have to trade Hamilton.
If we draft Favors or Cousins then they can back up Wallace or even start so they can keep Big Ben fresh.
I know Brand’s contract is a killer but he is will at least bring us 15pts & 8rebs a game. He is coming off an injury which usually takes a full season of playing to get better which he has under his belt now so he could possibly contribute 17pts & 10rebs a game. I would be willing to take a risk on Brand as long as Philly switch picks this year which allow us to draft either Turner, Favors or Cousins who will all be all-stars in this league one day. Philly get rid of Brands contract, Prince and with the 7th pick can select a PF or C while we get 2 big men we desprately need…everyone is happy!
Any thoughts?????
I would like Favors but not Brand at 80 mill. I would consider it for Rip.
I think I like the rumor that has Dumars making a trade with Minnesota for Al Harington and the fourth.
Jefferson I mean
I would only do that Philly deal on 2 conditions.
1) Pistons take Favors with the pick.
2) Pistons have another deal in place for Rip.
Adding Brand is just too many bad long contracts without removing one…. Rip, Gordon, CVill… plus Brand… plus Jerebko and Stuckey will have to be paid soon. That sounds like a lot of money too tie up with no guarantee that you would actually be good.
I don’t like it.
Prince is our only real good asset for trades, so it wouldn’t be wise to trade him just to climb in the draft.
Cousins has question marks, as has Davis. He has a lot of potential, as Davis. If you’d like to take a chance at a possible all-star, it would be better to get Davis at 7 than Cousins at 2.
If you’re moving up to 2, you gotta get Turner.
On another situation, it would be ok to trade with Philly, THEN trade down to 4 with Minny, if Rip is sent away.
I’d be cool with that.
mr anderson like it or not, we have to deal tay soon. If we wait until the season next year, there is a good chance he will get injured (I’d say 50% chance based on the miles on him and how his back has never actually healed). At that point his value will go to zero, we have to deal him as quickly as we can, because he just got off one month of injury free play.
We need 2 or 3 players, and we need an allstar, we are just about as far as you can get from a championship team.
It’s going to be a real chess game to make a solid team out of all shooting guards and small forwards.
I’d love to deal Ben Gordon, rip hamilton, tayshaun, summers, basically we have get rid of a bunch of shooting guards and small fowards.
then we need to get two or three bigs and one or two point guards. Ben Wallace if he’s health should be a tutor.
the fact that ben wallace has been our best player for the entire season says a lot about how awful the moves that Joe made last year were. Without Ben Wallace we could have finished in next to last place. Not that 2nd place in a lottery pick would have been bad. But it would have made watching this team unbearable.
I don’t buy that you must take certain players in certain pick ranges. A few years down the line one or two spots doesn’t matter much. If the 2007 draft, had the Hawks taken Rodney Stuckey 11th overall they would have gotten killed for it…. that night, because Acie Law, Al Thorton and Thaddeous Young were all still on the board. In retrospective, it wouldn have been a steal to take Stuck there.
If you like the player, and he fits your system just taken him. There are probably 30 different draft boards arranged by 30 different teams, I bet not a single one of them will accurately rate all the lottery players in the correct order.
I like your website!
I think Joe D. will make some big moves this summer.
check out the story on ryan richards over at the pistons website. He looks like a great find.
It’s obvious that Philly has no use for Brand anymore, but why would they give up their own 2nd pick just to get Tay and the 7th pick? To me that seems like a downgrade for them from both angles. I like Tay but there’s no way he’s better than Brand.
@pistons 4 life. Elton Brand of 3 years ago before he signed with the Sixers was a better player – stats wise – than Prince, but he has done nothing for the Sixers except get injured and waste a whole lot of cap space. Philly would do anything to get rid of Brand’s contract for an expiring contract like Prince. Just shows how badly the Sixers want to get rid of his contract if they are willing to go down 5 spots in the draft.
The only thing I don’t like about the trade is that it is quite a risk, if the draft pick turns out to be a bust, then we have used one of our best assets to get an overpaid, injury-prone, former all-star and a draft bust. I really think Joe needs to be looking at getting an established all-star. I think it is possible for two reasons:
1) A lot of teams are going to have cap room to offer max contracts
2) Not enough free agents worth throwing max money at.
SO, either a team that misses out overpays a mediocre player, or they look at trade avenues. GM’s would take Rip’s contract in a heartbeat if they thought it might save their franchise and their job.
@ James (Australia)
I pray that you are right that someone will take Rip off our hands. Don’t get me wrong, i still think Rip is a great player but he just doesn’t seem to fit with this team anymore. I think he would fit perfectly in Denver where he could start in place of Afflalo to give them that extra scoring punch they need. Maybe R.Hamilton/D.Summers for JR.Smith/C.Andersen.
We could them draft Udoh or Monroe with the 7th pick and have a line up of:
PG: Stuckey, Bynum
SG: Gordon, Smith
SF: Prince, Daye, Jerebko
PF: Villanueva, Maxiell
C: Wallace, Andersen, Wilcox
Rookie: Udoh or Monroe
Once the trade deadline comes about we could then deal Prince and before you know it the roster looks a lot more balanced. Not great but balanced!
I think we should trade the number seven pick for that kid that plays in Minnesota – you know? The seven foot Serbian guy? He has a huge upside! He really played well down the stretch for Minnesota. He played in the Euro league when he was just a kid so he has over ten years of pro experience. He doesn’t play that weak soft European style like Dirk – he is ready to bang with the big boys!
if we’re taking on a contract of that size I wouldn’t expect them to get the 7th pick back as well..
Tay + Wilcox, with or without Rip for salaries for the #2 pick and Brand.
If we are unable to pull that off I would seriously trade whatever it takes to get Dragic from the Suns.. damn… Nash has a lot left in him, no sense not trading Dragic while his value is up.
http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2010/05/detroit_pistons_elton_brand.html
Rumor is that we trade #7 and Prince for Brand and #2…
I honestly think we should do this despite how bad Brand has been playing. The upside of this is, we can get the big men we want in the draft. Also, I don’t see Tayshaun Prince resigning here because he can probably get more money elsewhere. Plus I don’t even want him anymore!
I say we take the chance on Brand (shit we already did it with CV and BG) and do this trade. And just hope Brand turns back into that double double monster he once was..
If we get Brand, we better hope that Arnie Kander is more than a miracle worker. Personally, I think that deal is a very expensive waste of time. People here complain about Rip’s contract? Brand’s is beyond belief!
rip is actually probably worth his contract, the problem is that we have rip, stucky and ben gordon all shooting guards, and that’s an impossible rotation.
brand would be expensive but he would be at a position we have 0 players at right now — I’ve never counted Charlie V as a true power forward, he plays more like small forward even when he’s at the 4.
I would expect very little from brand if we got him, but it would make sense. With Brand in and rip out, we could shorten the rotation at shooting guard, and play stuckey as a shooter.
Right now we are stuck playing all kinds of small ball because we are overloaded at the 2 & 3.
On the other hand . . . brand is constantly injured. I dont think thats gonna change. Rip by contrast has been incredibly healthy his entire career, and even this year, after his injury he came back stronger than ever.
If we get brand and he just sits at home eating cheetos on the injured list that would suck. I have a feeling that is that kind of player he will be. He doesn’t seem like an Antonio McDyess able to reinvent himself after his knees gave out.
I know it was an awful season for Philly, but Brand was relatively productive. Played 76 games, 30.2 mpg, 13 points, 6 boards, 1 steal & 1 block. Oh yeah, he actually knows how to play defense… AND plays like a real bigman… 1 3pt attempt all season, gotta love that.
I have faith that the Pistons medical and training staff can help Brand along. In fact, that’s really the only part of the organization I do have faith in right now.
You know what? I just looked at Brand’s contract, and I changed my mind. I thought it was comparable to Rip’s…. paying Brand $36 mill over the last two seasons of the deal would be unbearable… especially if the owners get their way in the CBA.
@A Pistons Fan.
Prince seems to be an extremely loyal guy so I think his first preference would be to stay with the Pistons, but if we don’t trade him this summer, I don’t see the point in resigning him. We have at least two rookies who play his position who for the short term will be cheaper, but still get the job done.
You can’t really waste money in todays economy
Sheed is going to the NBA Finals!!!!!!!!!!
CONGRATS SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED.
We need a game changer on the team. Trade Hamilton, Wilcox and the 7th pick for Brand and the 2nd pick.
Pick up Turner. Draft another big with the 36th pick and trade Prince for a center.
Sheed back in the FINALS!! I wonder if they win if he will make all his teammates championship belts like he did in Detroit. I was hoping to see him get crazy last night during the trophy presentation but he just had his hat backwards chilling behind everyone else.
How can anyone get exited about either team. What a played out early eighties whack ass series. I hate them both equally so who can I root for? It’s played out like Hall and Oates and Michael Jackson, Gery curls, wispy blonde joe dirt staches, hair before the advent of product, chants of “taste great” “less filling”, the wave, Footloose, Marlboro Man billboards.
Give me 1.21 gigawatts and a hoover board. I’m out of here like last year. “Who you gonna call?” Eddie Murphy as a handicapped blind man on a skateboard.
I’m with you Dio, First off your looking at two teams that just had all stars handed to them in one sided trades, and second the 12th reunion tour off this match up is about as exciting as the Jackson four in concert. Sorry but I cant be happy for Rasheed either, and I don’t understand how he could have any fans in Detroit after he quit on us like 3 or 4 years ago, then signs with a rival for the vet’s minimum after trying to extort us for 8 million.
GO LAKERS!!!
To be fair, Terry, it took more than the Veterans minimum to sign Sheed, pretty sure it was a full MLE deal. But I’m with you guys, I hate the Celtics and hate the Lakers, who to choose? I think I’m just going to focus on the draft, David Stern and NBA.com will just overrate Andrew Bynum and Glen Davis anyway.
You guys are crazy; this is going to be a great finals…. REMATCH! Who cares who you’re rooting for, just enjoy the games because they will intense and hard fought. Plus there are a ton a great players involved… I can’t wait. Rondo time!!!
i would pull that trade. who knows elton could produce in the right system. plus we would get turner and he could start instead of gordon. but then again we really do need a big. i dont think the sixers would pull that trade though.
Is this what free agency has become? A bunch of super stars huddling in a dark closet plotting and making sure they all become free agents at the same so they can try to pile up on the same team? I’m not sure I like where this is going. I remember a time when the rivalries were so fierce you couldn’t even imagine this kind of scenario. Michael Jordan refused to play in the Olympics if Isaiah Thomas was allowed to play. Of course that’s when David Stern really showed how weak he was when he allowed a player to over rule league decisions. It’s not like they needed him to win, so if he didn’t want to play with a player that was fairly chosen he should have either had to suck it up or stayed home. That’s beside the point, I’m just saying it’s time for Lebron, Dewayne, Chris and Joe to come out of the closet.
joe johnson is overratted as well as bosh. lebron will most likely end up in chicago and nothing will happen. i really think if the nets won the first pick it would of been over and he would of flew to ny. still rooting for boston to win the finals though. hope sheed shows up and gives gasol and bynum some solid d.
I dont care where lebron (lechoke) goes. or bosh or wade, just get the pistons season back i cant to watch the new team.all those free agents are dumb, they show how week they are. you never seen Jordan doin stuff like this he would find a way to win and did it. let get palyers who wnt ot play to win and get a gaint paycheck and stats. thats how the pistons won thats how boston , la and chicago did it. they all just said..” we want to win” and fought and battled and won. forget these nba (babies) I cant belive they cant make up their own minds. funny.
the nba is so watered down from 10 years ago and its call the rules made ppl babies and everyone thinks they are the greatest thing since fried chicken
Personally believe that Ekpe Udoh could have potential at becoming the next Ben Wallace. While Prince has always been my favorite player, we do have to trade him cause his fuel is on low supply. I love Stuckey but we need a more “traditional” PG that can knock down 3’s and assist like a madman *ahem Chauncey Billups* YES I know he’s not coming back, we need a new guy. While I do like the line up it just wasn’t very good this year, I don’t know if we need to free up our roster and get new guys…or what? We’ll just have to see what this trade brings around, maybe we already have the right tools…probably we don’t = we just need to keep them healthy…
To the comment about Free agency and how they’ll all pile onto one team – you’re just mad it isn’t our team.
hey natalie can we get a “around the way” thing?
i have to admit its one of my favorite things you put on this ssite, i know news is slow but your like a investigative reporter sometimes cause you find articles and im like where the heck did she find those?
Keep being great im looking forward to this upcoming season and cant wait to see how joe d goes bout getting this team back to tough minded.
Motejunas can change his descision about the draft and stay in Europe for a year, ’cause he showed a solid lack of defensive skills.
It’ s a god thing, now I can leave my fears behind – Joe won’t draft him) No Darko 2.0 in our roster!
rumor has it that pistons are looking to move up in the draft to snatch demarcus cousins. this move will have to include tayshuan/rip and max/summers and our 7th pick. i just hope we could get cousins and get rid of rip stupid contract.
http://www.freep.com/article/20100606/SPORTS03/6060489/1356/SPORTS/Kuester-Kobe-Sheed-factors-in-NBA-Finals
kuester picks lakers? this proves kuester doesnt know basketball to me, or rather doesnt know champiionship basketball. This isnt because i dont like kobe cause hes sometimes tool i admire players that have that focus and competitiveness. But the celtics are just tougher, kuester doesnt get that then he needs to stop leading this team
im not guessing either, celtics WILL win the series and i personally dont care either way who wins.
Izzo to the Cleveland Cavaliers? WoW the cleveland Pistons and the Detroit Cavs? ok on topic now … I vote 4 Greg Monroe
Interesting that you only say that after Boston win game two, why didn’t you say that after game one when the Lakers beat Boston. I agree, I don’t care who wins, but to say that Kuester needs to be fired because he thinks the defending champions will go back to back is foolish. I think well over half the basketball world would think the Lakers are going to repeat, does that mean they don’t know anything about basketball?
Obviously we need a center. And I don’t want some skinny 6’10” power forward masquerading as a center… that’s a sure-fire way to lose a lot of games. What we need is a true center who can be the anchor of our defense.
So, it’s pretty much down to Cousins, Monroe, or Whiteside. In that order.
james just cause i didnt post anything about it doesnt mean i wasnt thinking it i just was more posting the article more
i cant say anything about these players thouh cause i know nothing about them haha
Dumars also told me that Charlie Villanueva has been true to his word – he’s spent most of his summer in Detroit and he, along with Ben Wallace, have been the most frequent workout participants. FROM PISTONS .COM
thats what i like to hear a in shape and stronger charlie v is what we need. maybe he can get that starting position back.
I chose Monroe based purely on upside. I am not convinced Cousins is as great as they say. The fact that he is compared to Eddie Curry & Derrick Coleman don’t get me excited. Out of all the bigs, despite his lack of athleticism Monroe has the skills to become a star. Plus he would play better along side Ben Wallace. It would be great if we could move up, but that would only be if we could land Turner at SG or Favors at PF. But Favors would mean he is a bench player or plays behind Ben. No way they start together & as good as they say Favors is, I wouldn’t want to see him at Center with CV in the starting line up. So the best & perfect fit would definitely be Monroe over anyone else.
Instead of hoping that CV eventually “gets it”, the Pistons should just accept the fact that his best role is, and will always be, coming off the bench. I honestly cannot see a situation in which CV would be a starter on anything close to a championship caliber team. He is a momentum stopper on offense, and a liability on D; he is only useful if his shot is falling. He has played lazy, selfish basketball his whole career, why now at the beginning of his first big contract is he going to start playing the right way?
CV is going to show all you haters, that his skills will be much greater. I put that on my gators. He’s finally on a real team with a philosophy of toughness that he has bought in to. This aint wack ass Milwaukee, the pistons are a blue collar organization that won’t accept complacency. He’s heard the criticism and he’s determined to prove em wrong. I can respect that
http://guyism.com/2010/06/rasheed-wallace-finds-your-call-incredulous.html
the video made me laugh too hard haha
Right, because CV has demonstrated throughout his career that he will do whatever it takes to win…. never being on a team that has won more than 34 games in a season… Averaging more turnovers than assists for his career… starting less than half the games he’s played in despite being more talented than his competition.
Don’t waste your time believing what players, coaches or GMs say publicly, EVERYTHING is a calculated PR move; in fact I bet CV’s agent is behind his comments.
He is so cleary the opposite of what “pistons basketball” is supposed to represent, I’m baffled as to why fans stick up for him, or what they see beyond the jersey that makes them feel like they have to stick up for him.
its just that cv is a PISTON we have to look out for our own, other wise who will?
I cannot remember being more disappointed in France. That was a quick exit. I guess I just expected that they had a solid opportunity to do well in this years world cup. Maybe in four years. Maybe its time to jump on the Argentina bandwagon. Looks like Demichelis has already scored. Go Argentina. To make me feel a little better from that by France, I have been watching some funny jokes.. This one is pretty funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3j7uSbccSc