Comments on: 2012 PistonPowered Mock Draft

By: TheoWalcot

TheoWalcot — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:21:43 +0000

I definitely agree with your logic on a wing falling in lieu of a big man. Do big men — with no injury concerns — EVER fall? And with the emphasis on PGs in the league right now, it’s likely that wing would be the least-sexy position to draft.

By: acr

acr — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:22:26 +0000

Thanks for the replies… I’m sure pistonpowered is going to be blowing up with comments tonight. Here’s hoping we get someone who turns out to be a good ballplayer…

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:14:07 +0000

To be honest, I just think it’s the nature of draft workouts. Robinson is exactly the type of guy who would be amazing in workouts — great physique, athleticism, intensity and his work ethic would show through as he goes through drills. Jones is more laid back, less impressive physique and I could see that getting mistaken for him being lackadaisical or whatever. Jones hasn’t seemed to ‘wow’ people, but he also hasn’t had anything real negative said about him either. He’s just the type of player who is much more impressive in actual game action than when you see him working out or going through drills. Again, that’s just speculation on my part, but I think gym rat monsters like T Rob tend to really improve their stock in predraft workouts while guys like Jones tend to not stand out all that much. In this draft, there’s not a whole lot of difference between who will go in the 10ish range and who goes in the 20ish range, so Jones probably just fell a tad behind some of those guys who rose with workouts.

Wouldn’t be a shock to still see him go in the lottery, but if he’s still there when the Celtics pick, no way he gets past them.

By: acr

acr — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:06:50 +0000

Is the not having a clear position thing based upon his game more than his size? That’s what I don’t get, how is he a “tweener” while Robinson is not? (Not implying that’s what you think, just general consensus). He has a lot of the same attributes as Robinson, but can handle it and shoot it a bit better. Though, I’ll grant that Robinson’s motor is off the charts compared to T. Jones, which may contribute to the less than stellar workout performances. It’s probably cliché because of the left-handed thing, but Jones reminds me a lot of Josh Smith. I agree that he’ll be solid at least, but think he could surprise some people and be one of the top players from this draft class.

By: Crispus

Crispus — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:01:53 +0000

I think #9 is a horrible place to be for the Pistons. At that point all the raw talent is very risky and picking for need means overpaying. It sounds like Houston might move up to 5. In that case our best hope to trade out of limbo is Boston at 21 and 22. Since Boston’s entire roster is going to free agency, they might be willing to take some of the players we have under contract but don’t really need. If we are down there we can try to get the Leonards/Sullingers/Moultries/Melos/Whites that slip through the cracks of this very deep draft and nab two of them at once.

By: Coach_Ackley

Coach_Ackley — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:46:51 +0000

I love the idea of Barnes falling but let’s face it it’s a pipe dream… I can see Drummond falling though reason: NOH Davis
Cats: T-Rob
WSH: Beal
Cavs: Barnes - cuz they really need a scorng wing
Kings: Henson
Por:    Lillard
GSW: MKG
Raps:   Waiters
Det:    Drummond

Now that is how I see the top 9 picks but we all have an idea on how the draft will go but we all know tht we will never be right anyhow cuz you always have that 1 team that wants to screw everything up…

By: Steve K

Steve K — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:37:02 +0000

Patrick,
I definitely agree with your logic on a wing falling in lieu of a big man. Do big men — with no injury concerns — EVER fall? And with the emphasis on PGs in the league right now, it’s likely that wing would be the least-sexy position to draft.

Furthermore, there’s been a string of underperforming SF lottery picks recently:

Derrick Williams in 2011 (already on the trading block?!)
Wesley Johnson in 2010
Al-Farouq Aminu in 2010 (already traded once)

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:33:14 +0000

Combination of him not having a clear position and I don’t think he’s had super impressive workouts. I think he’s probably a top 15 player talent-wise and will be a solid find if he lasts into the 20s.

By: acr

acr — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:11:09 +0000

An honest question – I don’t understand why most mock drafts have Terrence Jones being drafted in the late teens/early 20′s – can someone explain it to me? I would be fine if the Pistons picked him at 9 – seriously. Yes, the dude has the body language issues and had a few games where he didn’t show up last year, but he is frickin’ built like a truck with a ton of athletic ability. Number 10 prospect on Ford’s Big Board. Lot’s of people call him a tweener SF/PF – but he measured at 6’9.5 252 at the combine, which means his is both taller and heavier than the supposed #2 PF in the draft (Robinson) and is just as athletic – if not more so. He rebounds, block shots, attacks the basket, and can even shoot it a bit. While he gets emotional at times with the body language stuff – he’s 20 years old – he’ll learn to get over that stuff or to channel it in different ways. I’d rather a guy with passion over a stiff any day. He also sacrificed a lot of his game last year playing with Davis and MKG – and he won a championship too. This is what the Wildcat’s beatwriter for SB nation said about Jones:

“Jones gets far less of the spotlight than Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, but he is more skilled than MKG and has a much more NBA-ready body than Davis.
Not only that, Jones was absolutely the best defender on this Kentucky team from top to bottom, if you don’t consider Davis’ absurd shot-blocking. He defended his position better than any other player on the team, and did it whether he was having a good offensive game or not. This is another area that is undervalued in Jones — his commitment to defense. He wasn’t as versatile as MKG, but if you put him on a guy his size, he was terrific.”

I don’t know, if we’re going to gamble a bit on someone at 9 like Henson/Leonard/P. Jones, I think I’d rather take a shot with an athletic PF like T. Jones and pick up a center project later in the draft or through FA/Trades (Jason Thompson?)

At any rate, hopefully we end up with someone that helps us improve next year in some way…

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:38:49 +0000

Patrick “”Noah was listed at 223 the year he was drafted and he’s only 232 now. I’m honestly not that concerned about Henson’s bulk. He can block shots, that’s what Detroit needs. He’s not going to defend Bynum or Randolph or Howard or the Gasols effectively, but who really does guard those guys well?””
Noah is built differently…. Henson lower body is almost gone…. and henson is not really 216…thats weight gainer added for the combine…and to tell me he gained 30 lbs in 3-4 years means nothing….he is 21… thats about it…he might end up at 225 in maybe 4 years… so unless he is built like a Theo Ratliff or an Ibaka his body wont be able to take on some of the most physical players in the league

He will be facing:
Boozer
Noah
Davis West
Hibbert
Al Horford
Kevin Garnett (if he returns)
Dwight(if he is in the Eastern Conference)
Kris Humpries ( a monster on the boards)
Chandlers
Hell even LEBRON!
each 3-4 times a years….against a 210-215 F/C ….