OT-In defense of Joe D
It was meant to be. It was the right move. It was the only move. The stars had alligned perfectly. We were not going to have to let go of Trey. He was still going to be able to be our guy. And then David Stern read the name of some guy named Pope and anger, disbelief, and frustration all came together to produce such declarations as "I am never going to watch the Pistons again." These reactions were natural. Visions of Trey nailing a 3 to cement a win with the crowd going crazy as the Palace were strong visions in deed, strong enough to turn a pick that was questionable at best into a pick that made perfect sense. The problem is that the pick never really made sense. Professional sports is a business, investments are made. Brandon Knight was an investment. Perhaps he is not a point guard in the John Stockton sense, but he is quite a hike from two guard, and while Brandon Knight has certainly been up and down, frequently down, through his second year, I can't say that there is enough of a sample size at this point to simply cash in those chips and start from scratch at a position that Joe checked off his list of needs when he drafted Knight just two season ago. Reports of Knight being "terrible" and other such descriptions are overblown. Softomore slumps are not the exception but the norm in the NBA, Knights was a little more perceptible than most, but to label Knight as one of the primary problems with the Pistons roster is absurd. In fact, to the contrary, the Pistons roster is littered with players that have proven that they are servicable at the point. True, at the moment, both Calderon and Bynum are unsigned at this point (I believe), but there is no reason to believe that they won't resign if presented with offers. Trey Burke is a special talent, but the Pistons are trying to build something. I don't think a log jam at the point when other needs could easily be filled makes a whole lot of sense. And while the product on the court is far from optimal at this point, there are the peices to make this team into something formidable in the short term, and like it or not, a wing/two with the ability to create his own shot is the glaring defeciency in the Pistons roster at this point. Pope looks like he has this in spades, and if a talented two guard on the floor only means that I have to look at Rodney Stucky any less than I currently do it cannot be that bad of a thing. Nobody wanted to let go of Trey Burke yet, and the sudden possibility that we would not have to made a bad fit look like a perfect fit, and lead many of us to a conclusion that anything else but Burke was objectively the wrong decision. It may have been, only time will tell. However, let's see how this kid looks before we write off the Pistons for ever. There is the chance that the Pistons got the steal of the draft. His very presence will certainly not stir up the images of glory to us as Trey would have, and the Palace will not enjoy the month of (articifical) sell-outs like Trey Burke would have. But I am both a Pistons fan and a Michigan fan. I am mostly a Michigan fan. The Michigan fan in me hated the pick, but after considering the fact that the Pistons are not the extension of my favorite college team, it may just be that my maize colored glasses convincted me of something that was not in the cards from the get-go.
No, winning isn't the only thing. There's also filling the seats, but he's failing at that too.
What's a softomore slump?
Props to the OP - you took on a monumental task considering the complete list of people harder to defend than Joe D consists of:
1) Tsarnaev brothers
2) Aaron Hernandez
Jose Valverde
Reports of Knight being "terrible" and other such descriptions are overblown. Softomore slumps are not the exception but the norm in the NBA, Knights was a little more perceptible than most,
Knight's second season was basically a carbon copy of his first season. He's turned in two mediocre seasons. He's not a very good distributor and takes (and misses) a lot of shots. Thus far there is no good reason to believe he has what it takes to be a good starting point guard, and he's too small to be a good shooting guard. There is no reason to be committed to him when a guy like Burke is available. Drummond and Monroe are the only Piston players that should be penciled in as starters. The rest are interchangeable parts.
BTW, Drew Sharp is defending Dumars here, so you know it's pretty bad.
I agree 100% about Knight. The Pistons didn't have a SG or a PG. They drafted a really good SG prospect instead of a really good PG prospect. What's the problem with that?
I still hate the pick. He should have taken Burke.
Here's what it boils down to for me: I'm pretty much a lapsed fan. I've hardly watched the Pistons play the last few years. I've accepted that they are unlikely to contend anytime soon, and it doesn't bother me. I've lost interest in pro sports in general, and I don't really miss them.
Last night, though, I found myself genuinely excited about the Pistons for the first time in a while. If they'd drafted Burke, I'd still be excited now. I'd actually be looking up ticket information. Burke would be enough to make me care again. I'm a big enough fan of his that I'd make plans to watch Piston games.
KCP isn't enough. Drafting him might be a good "basketball move" from the standpoint that maybe he'll help them win 35 games instead of 30, but it does nothing for my apathy. It was a huge buzzkill for his name to be announced instead of Burke's. My mometary excitement is gone and I feel the same way about the franchise now that I did a week ago, which is that I don't really care. Joe D had a golden opportunity to win me back as a fan and decided to let it go. OK, back to Michigan sports.
I'm willing to bet that Burke Piston jersey sales would have topped the Pistons ticket sales for next year.
Sorry had to do it lol
He's not Isiah. He's trying to be Vinnie Johnson. And that would be lucky.
Bynum would resign, but there's not tons of evidence the Pistons are excited about signing him. There's lots of evidence Calderon doesn't care if he resigns here (unless we WAY overpay him). We're not a winner, not a town he's used to, and probably don't want to break the bank for an average PG.
You can't count two free agents as a log jam at PG. We don't currently have a PG on the roster. We do have 4 shooting guards though....Knight, Stuckley, KCP, and English. THAT'S a log jam. (We also really don't have a SF, but that's another story.)
Where does it look like Pope can create his own shot? Even with decent quickness, he's not known for going to the rim, but as a jump shooter. No one said anyone but Burke was a bad decision. If one more wacky pick had been made and Ben McLemore had slid one more spot, people might be disappointed, but they wouldn't kill them for taking him over Burke. KCP had up and down workouts, and some had him going shortly after the Pistons; others didn't have him going till later in the lottery. The fact that no one better slid to the Pistons to take over Burke who also slid is the reason people don't like it. (No one was taking KCP before the Pistons, that's for sure). What evidence do you have that he'll be the "steal of the draft?" Every team in the NBA is saying that about their draft pick. Now THAT'S just fanwank.
The best part is will be when they sign some middle of the road free agent, overpay him, tie up cap space for another 6-7 years, just miss the playoffs, and lose their pick to the Bobcats. Then the complete fail of the franchise will be complete.
When you start trying to analyze the NBA everyone can tell that you don't know much about the game. KCP can't create his own shot. He's a mediocre athlete with decent quickness and a good jump shot. Brandon Knight is not a PG.
Anyone who +1'd the OP should be sent to the bolivian
saying "can create his own shot"?
He played in the SEC in BASKETBALL, not football. Do they play defense at the level of the B1G or even Big East?
And he led them to what record? 15-17?
With the 8th pick in the draft, who but someone trying to tank a whole season is taking the scorer on a team that was 307th overall in scoring?
Still mad at Joe D. The Pistons are still dead to me.
It is Saturday June 29 and Dumars still sucks as a GM.
superstar players instantly make their teams better. Trey Burke made Michigan a better team from the first game he stepped on the court with them. KCP's team went 15-17 last year. Now I'm not blaming him completely--I never watched Georgia so maybe he was playing with a team full of worthless bums. But USUALLY, guys who are superstars and who are going to excel in the NBA have the ability to elevate their team in college to at least a winning record.
This isn't football where you need 22 guys to win. In college basketball, usually having a top-10 NBA draft pick on your team means you're at least going to be a .500 team. So IMO either the rest of Georgia's team is the worst collection of talent in Div 1-A, or KCP is significantly overrated.