Another event that hit the back-burner during the World Cup was the NBA Draft. It's terribly unfortunate how the Pistons completely screwed themselves last Spring. Entering the final slew of games, the Pistons were positioned with the fifth worst record in the NBA. Then Ben Gordon finally shook off his season-long slump and led the Pistons to a 4-2 record to finish out the year. That brief push saw them ultimately tie Philadelphia for the seventh worst record. The Pistons then lost a coin toss to Philadelphia which officially slotted Detroit behind Philly in the lottery.
The bad luck continued.
The two teams that Detroit leap-frogged in the final week (Philly and Washington) proceeded to WIN the lottery! Washington got the first pick, and Philly the second. The Pistons settled for the 7th overall. As folks on this blog know, I was a big fan of DeMarcus Cousins. He went exactly where the Pistons should've drafted at #5. The final top-shelf big man was inexplicably passed-over at #6 when Golden State nabbed Ekpe Udoh. So, the Pistons eagerly nabbed Greg Monroe of Georgetown. I know significantly less about Monroe than Cousins. It's entirely possible that Monroe may be a better pro... but I doubt it.
Last night, in their first head-to-head, Cousins and Sac-town absolutely demolished the Pistons rookie team 97-68. Cousins posted a double-double (14 and 10 but with 5 turns). Monroe had a quiet 7 and 7. I should note, however, that the Pistons rookie team did fare significantly better in their prior two games, both wins. Austin Daye showed off a polished offensive attack that neither the Lakers nor Warriors could contain. Monroe was relatively quiet but did pull down some rebounds.
I've followed the rookie league for a few years now and know to take everything with a grain of salt. Last year, Dajuan Summers was far-and-away the best Piston player, but he ended up spending the entire season on the bench. A few years before, Rodney Stuckey dominated the rookie league, leading to his first wave of hype. Against the big boys, Stuckey fared much worse. The rookie league won't often break any new star... but, if you hope to make a splash in the NBA, you better dominate. Most of the teams are populated by - at best - bench players and rounded out by guys likely to get cut. If you can't dominate that group, you'll likely get cut yourself.
Last year, the Pistons' brass didn't know what to make of Jerebko. He played sporadically in the rookie league, as the team wanted to see Summers and Daye. They tried Jerebko at center just to get him some burn. By the end of the summer league, Jerebko finished strong when he earned some minutes at SF and PF. The kid returned this summer, to offer some veteran leadership. He's clearly a better player. Despite the presence of high draft pick Greg Monroe, the Pistons may be better off grooming Jerebko and Daye. Granted, Monroe and Daye won't compete for minutes, but Monroe may steal starter minutes from Jerebko. We'll see how it pans out.
A bit more on Daye... I was worried about his long-term viability in this league after he withered last season. He showed flashes of impressive scoring touch, but he was terribly inconsistent. Watching him tear up the scrubs in the rookie league showed me the kid has a very high ceiling. He can create his own shot, pull up off the dribble, and drain the three. It's reminiscent of Danny Granger. I don't think Daye will develop, though, unless he gets starter minutes. With Tayshaun Prince ahead of him on the depth chart, that just ain't gonna happen.
My guess is that Tayshaun will be gone by at least the trade deadline. Daye will have to be patient until then.
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