Pistons draft Brandon Knight

Well, A+ Joe D. It took some luck and predictably unpredictable drafting, but you got Brandon Knight. He was one of the 4 players I didn't we had a chance of getting. Granted, it's another guard, but you gotta take the BPA. This grade goes higher if you can get rid of Rip, Gordon, or Stuckey. Higher than an A+ you ask? We will have to invent one. Z? Do you think it just rolls around to Z?

COLLEGE CAREER

As for the type of player Knight is, he averaged 17.3 points and 4.2 assists per game as a freshman at Kentucky. He will not be a classic pass-first PG, but more of a scorer like Derrick Rose or even Chauncey B-B-B-B-BILLUPS!!! He also improved dramatically as the year went on. He was named Most Outstanding player of his region in the NCAA Tournament. All SEC, All SEC Freshman team, and actually broke last year's Kentucky Freshman scoring record. Dude is legit. Oh, and he eliminated Ohio State.



HIGH SCHOOL


I am a big recruiting fan, so I have known about Brandon Knight for a long time. And Knight was the number one player in the country for a majority of his senior season. He was also only the third junior to be named Gatorade Player of the year, joining Greg Oden and Lebron James. He won the award again as a senior. When the final recruiting rankings were released, he was the #6 player over all to both Scout and Rivals.

NEXT SEASON


Who knows? Tracy McGrady averaged 23 minutes per game. Will Bynum? 18.4. Then add in starters Rip and Stuckey. Something's gotta give. I have to hope Knight gets major minutes, if not starts from day one. You now have 2 legit building blocks in Knight and Monroe. Austin Daye and Jerebko are nice pieces. That's it. I would keep Stuckey if I could get rid of Hamilton and Gordon. Imagine a starting 5 of Knight, Stuckey, Daye, Monroe and Big Ben. Good and young with Ben's defense. Is it a playoff team? Probably not, but it's a start. Plus they have two more picks. The third pick of the second round (#33 overall) and the 22nd of round 2 (#52 overall).

Overall, I give it an A+. He wasn't supposed to be there at #8. Hell, he didn't even work out for Detroit. But it was like Nick Fairley. I didn't even consider him when Detroit was on the clock, because I never thought he would be available. Until I say Jay Bilas' "Best Available" ticker, I figured we would draft a Morris brother, or Kemba Walker. I am stoked. I also wouldn't be surprised if he's traded soon. He doesn't fit the biggest need right now.

2011 NBA Draft Primer

It’s that time again, Pistons fans. Time for Joe Dumars to throw a dart and select the newest members of our team. For every triple-20 (Monroe, Jerebko) he throws, he also hits the wall (Darko, Daye, the narcoleptic Walter Sharpe).  Rarely does he hit a solid 15 to close it out (Stuckey). So it is more exciting than the NFL draft in that you never know what’s gonna happen.

My love of the NBA draft started in 1991 when Larry “Grandmama” Johnson was drafted by Charlotte first overall. I watched him beat Duke in the NCAA Final, and was a huge fan. Plus I had a teal starter Hornets jacket. This one in fact...

I thought I was the SHIT in that jacket. And as it turned out, I was. I got pooped on by a seagull on the left shoulder while feeding the fish outside Reflection's restaurant in Belleville. Ironic, huh Alanis?

Anywho.... My love continued when Chris Webber went number one overall in 1993. Timeout aside, I loved Webber. I saw him play in Ypsi when he was a senior at Country Day when my sister sang the National Anthem. Then he got traded right away for Penny Hardaway. My first introduction to the business side of sports.

Up next was 1995. I was at my dad's softball game when I heard the Pistons got Grant Hill. As much as I hated Duke (and still do for that matter) I liked Grant Hill. Of course had I known the teal era was forthcoming, my excitement would have been tempered.

The next big one for me was 2003. Darko. Fuck.

So now I will provide my guide to tonight's festivities.

The Pistons draft 8th (barring a trade, more on that in a bit) in one of the weakest drafts in recent memory. How weak? A mormon that will shoot anytime after he reaches mid-court is a lottery-lock.

There are 4 players that have a less than 1% chance of lasting until 8th.

Kyrie Irving-PG Duke. Almost a lock to go #1 to Cleveland.

Derrick Williams-F Arizona. High floor/ low ceiling.

Enes Kanter-C Kentucky/Turkey. Looks like a randomized create a prospect from NBA Live.

Brandon Knight-PG Kentucky. Joins Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall as Calipari PGs.

Any of those guys in Detroit would get an A+ in my book. Another way to get an A+ is for Joe D to get rid of any of the following: Rip, Ben Gordon, Villanueva. They are expensive and shitty. Give up what you have to. Take on bad contracts. Just ship them out.

Assuming Detroit still picks 8th, there are some talented players available. I will break them down into grade-levels.

A

Jonas Valanciunas- Lithuanian (hello bias) C with huge upside. He has buyout concerns, so he may slip. Otherwise he's a top-5 talent.

Bismack Biyombo-Conganese. Congolian? Congan? He's from Congo. He brings blocks and dunks. A local favorite.

Jan Vesely-Huge Czech SF that projects to Andrei Kirilenko when he was still good.

These guys have A upside and huge bust potential. This team needs to swing for the fences.

B

Kemba Walker-UCONN PG. Undersized, but can definitely score. Led UCONN to the Title.

Chris Singleton-Florida State SF. A personal favorite, but may be a reach at #8.

Tristan Thompson-Texas PF. Meh. Should be good, not great.

Kawhi Leonard-SDSU SF. Like Thompson with slightly more boom/bust potential.

C

Marcus Morris or Markieff Morris Kansas PFs. Twinsies that will be seperated. How will they react. Marcus is the better player, fwiw.

Klay Thompson-Wash. St SG. Son of NBA player. Drug charges. Skinny. Good shooter.

F

Jimmer Fredette-BYU SG. National sensation. Adam Morrison but short. DO. NOT.WANT.

Anyone else gets an F as well. I can't see it being anyone else which means it will be some 5'6'' Eskimo with great intangibles.

Why Justin Verlander will win the AL Cy Young

With Adrian Gonzalez killing it in Boston (told you so), Miguel Cabrera will probably be on the outside looking in when the MVP is announced. Granted, it's only June but these things can be predicted this early. But Verlander is absolutely killing it in 2011.  Here is a chart of the important pitching categories:

Category	Value	AL Rank	ML Rank
Wins	9	T1	T1
ERA	2.54	4	7
WHIP	0.85	1	1
K	110	1	3
CG	4	T1	T1
QS	14	1	1
QS%	0.88%	2*	T2*
K/9	8.93	7	22
K/BB	4.23	4	7
BAA	1.81	2	2

Yeah.

The asterisked values for Quality Start Percentage are because the leader has only 1 start on the year. You will also notice the severe drop-off in K/9. Welcome to the advantages of pitching in the National League. His number 7 ranking isn’t great, but he’s top-5 everywhere else.

But as we all know, it isn’t all about the stats. Also in JV’s favor are:

       His No-Hitter

       His recent track record of success, dating back to 2006

       Being the “Ace” on a team in playoff contention

       His closest competitors are CC Sabathia and Jon Lester

       CC isn’t a real name

       Jon Lester rhymes with molester

       Shit. The stats above were from last night.

So, as you can see, I have made a Perry Mason-esque argument for JV to win. This means he will need Tommy John surgery in August.

TresseLOL is no more

FIRST REACTION-

SECONDARY REACTION-

Fuck. Wait, what?

The head coach of your biggest rival resigns amidst major accusations of player misconduct, and you are upset? The same coach that is was 9-1 against Michigan? The same coach that consistently lands top ranked recruiting classes months after playing in BCS Bowl Games? The guy that did for sweater vests what The Fonz did for leather jackets?

The exact same one. James Patrick Tressel. Coverer of facts. Look-a-liker of Owls. Molder of young men.

Yep. It saddens me a little. I foolishly thought he was clean. I knew Pryor was a "well compensated student athlete." Everyone did. Everyone whose school he was considering knew there was a fairly decent chance he would end up driving nicer cars than the coaching staff. Hell, I was happy with my 2008 Impala until he was seen driving around in this....

This picture is titled "pryor-fucktard.jpg" which is nice

But I thought Tressel would suspend him(or anyone else doing what Pryor does/did) for a season and regain his institutional control. I figured he would reach the Sugar/Rose Bowl with Braxton Miller and all would be forgiven. He could send a message to everyone that his big fish weren't above the law. I thought he was truly just looking out for his players. I thought UM-OSU was finally on the right track.

I thought wrong. It happens. Often.

Instead, it seems that he resigned before the real hammer comes down. Pete Carrol must have better timing than Tressel, since he landed in the NFL. Tressel will likely land in either airport hotel lobbies, or ESPN. I am already signed up for a "Prospering in college sports when dealing with inner city athletes" seminar with a yet-to-be-announced speaker.

I signed up early, so I got two free drink coupons. I can't see him ever coaching again. At least not in college, and let's be honest, he wouldn't make it in the NFL. 

So why, after all that, am I upset he's gone? Because he left on top. At least over Michigan. Sure, the eligibility of his players is in question, but on the field? He kicked our asses 9 out of 10 times. Ok, maybe 8/10 (thanks Shawn Crable "late hit" call in '06).  And we will never be able to get revenge. Ever.

Whoever they bring in next will be given the requisite 2-3 years, so even a win won't smell as sweet. And if it's Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, Jon Gruden, or some other top tier guy, they won't need much more than a year. And, yes, we may steal a few recruits this year. Tressel did such a good job that they can absorb a bad recruiting season. National Signing Day is months and months away.

I am a big fan of analogies, so imagine this. You have been getting bullied for years. The last few years, you had a broken arm which inhibits your ability to fight back (RR era). Now you got your cast off, and have been working out non-stop to regain your strength (Hoke-A-Mania). So you march over to the bully's house, and he has moved out. Joined some religious cult, and travels from airport to airport handing out literature. He has changed his name to escape the demons of his past. He's essentially disappeared.

Is his current situation revenge enough for you? Wouldn't you feel more fulfilled if you had been able to unleash a good 'ole fashioned ass-whooping? I know I would.

My 7 apologies

For the 7 people who read this site with any regularity, I want to apologize for the absence. I should be back to posting regularly within a few days. I traded the admin duties for a handle of cheap vodka and a carton of unfiltered Pall Malls thinking the rapture was coming. I still think I got the better end of the deal.

But seriously, I was car searching and starting a spring semester. I am taking Spanish, and was incorrect when I thought I could get a B just by knowing how to ask for beer and directions to the bathroom.

The car search was tougher than dollar store toilet paper, but we bought a brand new(ish) 2008 Impala. Thoughts on the OSU situation, Tigers, WNBA Draft, and more to come.

Good Night Sweet Prince

JV throws a no-no

As I was dicking around the internet waiting to hear some Michigan recruiting news, I had the Tigers' game on in the background. I was barely paying attention until I heard Rod Allen mention the unmentionable. So I turn the volume up, and check the ESPN gamecast. Perfect through 4. Alright, sweet.

A few innings go be with only a minor scare (The Edwin Encarnacion comebacker) and I am on the edge of my seat. Then the Michigan stuff starts happening. One commitment, then another. Cool, what a day. Then J.P. Arencibia works a 12 pitch walk. Motherfucker. Then Encarnacion grounds into the DP. Boom.

I get the feeling its gonna happen, and I remember that the Kentucky Derby is about to start. Meh. I'm not a Kentucky Derby guy. I just don't get it, maybe. A bunch of midets beating the shit out of horses just doesn't do it for me. I could see the same scenario in Tijuana for less money....And a happier outcome for everyone.

So the 9th starts, and Cooper swings first pitch, and "Uh-oh Rexy. I don't think this one's got the distance." 1 out.

John McDonald puts a minor scare into me as he grounds past a diving Verlander to Sizemore who throws to Miggy to beat him by 4 steps. 2 outs.

Up steps Rajai Davis. Normally this wouldn't scare me, but he played for Oakland. And Oakland has pissed me off all season. He works a 2-2 count before flailing at a pitch a foot outside. 3 outs. Holy Shi....sh-kabob. He did it. He pitched his 2nd no-hitter. He was one walk away from a perfect game. Wow.

Way to show Francisco Liriano how to do it...