Detroit Pistons Draft Rumors 2014
Mar 28, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons mascot Hooper during player introductions before the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2014 NBA draft right around the corner, many Detroit Pistons fans are eager to see how new head coach and president of basketball operations, Stan Van Gundy will use his initial draft since taking the job in Detroit.
In what should be considered a monumental day and a true fresh start for Pistons basketball in the Motor City, it will instead wind up a reminder of what has gone horribly wrong in the past.
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Rather than possessing a lottery pick – the one benefit of having a horrible 2013-14 season – the Pistons will not select until the second round and the 38th overall choice. An unwanted gift left behind from Joe Dumars to Van Gundy.
In a move of desperation to unload free agent bust Ben Gordon and gain salary cap relief, Dumars traded a first-round pick with him to Charlotte.
When the draft lottery took place, the Pistons needed to come in inside the top eight to retain their pick. They came in 9th — and said so long to it. While it’s not a total loss as the Pistons were eventually going to have to settle the debt eventually anyway, it still stings a little more in SVG’s first year with the team.
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The Pistons have many needs that could be addressed with the 38th pick. A Mock Draft by ESPN’s Chad Ford has Detroit picking Joe Harris, a scrappy, tough 6-6 guard from Virginia.
Harris was a winner in college. Virginia won both the ACC regular season and tournament titles last year. Harris has good size, is a solid three-point shooter – at least beyond the shorter college arc – and has loads of intangibles. However, his athleticism is questioned.
Other possibilities at shooting guard for the Pistons at 38th overall include Oklahoma State’s Markel Brown, Colorado’s Spencer Dinwiddie and Missouri’s Jabari Brown.
There is also another angle buzzing in Detroit at the current hour. As previously reported by Detroit Jock City, the Josh Smith” href=”https://detroitjockcity.com/2014/06/24/nba-rumors-detroit-pistons-trying-trade-josh-smith/”>Pistons may be looking to trade Josh Smith. According to ESPN’s Mark Stein, a Smith trade would send J-Smooth to the Sacramento Kings.
One source insists nothing imminent, but I'm told Pistons and Kings have discussed a trade that would send Josh Smith to Sacramento
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 24, 2014
No word deal is imminent (yet) but Sacramento's well-known fondness for Rajon Rondo would help explain Kings' interest in his buddy JSmoove
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 24, 2014
Furthermore, if Smith is not traded, they may still be looking to draft Smith’s replacement. According to Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, they may want to draft a small forward to take Smith’s starting spot so that Stan Van Gundy can move the veteran over to a sixth man role that would fit him much better.
Shortly after Van Gundy’s hiring, the new Pistons head coach said that Smith would have to change his role and his game play a bit in an interview with Keith Langlois on Pistons.com.
Whether or not the Pistons will be fortunate enough to get a big lift out of this years draft will not be certain until after Thursday night. While Van Gundy isn’t responsible for the mistakes of Pistons drafts past, I myself wont get my hopes too high.