Comments on: Pistons take Andre Drummond with No. 6 pick in ESPN’s initial NBA mock draft

By: tarsier

tarsier — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:09:15 +0000

Getting Monroe instead of Udoh/Davis almost makes up for getting Milicic instead of Anthony (I would rather have Bosh or Wade, but that was never gonna happen). I’m not actually much of a fan of Melo, but I’m sure he could have been flipped for Ray Allen or Pau Gasol or Paul Pierce or or Joe Johnson or Elton Brand or someone. Think how many championships that would have meant.

By: oats

oats — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:07:49 +0000

It occurs to me that I may have weakened my argument by comparing the players. The real point is that it is just way too hard assess players this early in their development and while seeing so little of them. It also should be noted that I don’t recall hearing any Thomas Robinson is secretly great talk last year, which further demonstrates how hard it is to make that kind of call on these guys. I’d like to see McAdoo head back to school and see what he can do in starters minutes, but since he is already being rated as a lottery pick that seems unlikely.

By: oats

oats — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:57:08 +0000

They both came in to the league as 3/4 guys. and have very similar height and weight. They are both reasonably athletic, and they are both farther along as rebounders than at anything else. Williams is a little more athletic and has better range so most saw him as a 3 while most project McAdoo at the 4, but there are some definite similarities here. Of course, Williams is also the more productive college player. Most importantly, they are guys who people loved despite them being glued to the bench behind some very good players. In short, they are both great unknowns.

I’m aware sometimes very good players are stuck on the bench in college due to the nature of the college game. Yes, Robinson is an example of one of those guys being good. There are also tons of Marvin Williams/Daniel Orton type guys that people over rate while they are on the bench. Similarly, there are plenty of college players people really like that go back to school only to flop. For a lot of these guys, their greatest asset is that we haven’t had a chance to dissect their game. Sullinger had a higher rating last year than this year for that reason, and looking at a one and done bench player just amplifies the problem. I really don’t feel like it is a good risk to take them while they are still just giant question marks. The draft is already a crap shoot, I don’t get why people insist on handicapping themselves by taking flyers on college back ups.

By: RationalSportsFan

RationalSportsFan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:37:50 +0000

Food for thought: until this year TRob struggled statistically, because he was playing behind the Morris bros and Cole Aldrich. Did that change the sort of player he was? If someone drafted him high last year, it would have been a good pick, given the quality of player he is. You don;t always need NCAA success to deem a player to be good.

And The McAdoo/Williams comparison seems strange. They aren’t really similar players. All they have in common is that they are much-hyped 6th men for UNC. Not really the stuff that quality comparisons are made of.

By: oats

oats — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:29:16 +0000

You added in before I could. Still, this McAdoo thing reminds me of GMs calling Marvin Williams the Michael Jordan of his draft…

By: oats

oats — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:25:22 +0000

Fair enough. Similarly, I really don’t think McAdoo is a good risk. He really hasn’t done anything yet. I think he really should stay in school. If he’s good, he can prove it and enter a weaker draft. As it is, I wouldn’t take him in the lottery at all. I’d rather have a known quantity like Tyler Zeller, and if I’m taking a risk I’d rather go after Tony Mitchell and gamble on a guy who I know can be productive at some level of college play.

By: RationalSportsFan

RationalSportsFan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:20:52 +0000

As for McAdoo, his college stats are irrelevant to me. He is on a loaded team with 4 other lottery range prospects. I see him as having a higher upside and projectable as the more well-rounded player.

Chad Ford was told by multiple GMs that McAdoo was in their top-5, and no one had him below their top-10. So, I don’t think I am way out on a limb here. He might not do anything exceptionally in the NBA, but he will do basically everything well, and not take anything off the table. Henson and Sully just don’t have his upside.

But, it is real close between McAdoo and TRob in my mind. I wouldn’t fault anyone for putting TRob ahead of McAdoo.

By: RationalSportsFan

RationalSportsFan — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:12:31 +0000

I do have TRob lower than most, but that is more of a reflection of how highly I think of those first 6 guys. I think TRob will be solid and would be fine if we ended up with him.

By: oats

oats — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:00:58 +0000

Wow, you really don’t like Thomas Robinson. I have Robinson as my clear #2 target for Detroit, and have been going back and forth on who comes after him. Robinson has decent size, is a good athlete, and is really good on the boards. His defense needs some work, but I can see him being a really good defender down the road. He’s also a capable scorer, and if Detroit combined him with Monroe they would have one of the best offensive front courts in the league. I know he isn’t a great shot blocker, but that is really the only knock I have on him. Still, as Boozer is proving, you can be a good defender and not block a bunch of shots. Having Robinson behind McAdoo seems really strange to me. McAdoo has played 15 minutes a game, is also a poor shot blocker, and really only has a handful of good games on his resume. I don’t see how a 14 and 8 against Maryland and a 17 and 6 against Vermont make him all that great. Then again, McAdoo feels an awful lot like when Marvin Williams was the consensus #2 pick, at least in my opinion. I think he’s better than Williams, but I don’t get why I should like him better than Sullinger or even John Henson (the latter of whom doesn’t make your list).

By: Max

Max — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:43:26 +0000

If they get Drummond with the 6th pick, it will be the third draft in a row where the Pistons make an absolute steal due to others stupidity and would prove the futility of tanking. At this point, Monroe would probably go first in his draft and I’m still convinced drafting Knight at 8 was incredibly lucky.