but we've seen him show that at the nba level unlike rookies just being drafted. he's a very good rebounder (one of the best rebounding rates in the nba) and shot blocker. right now he's a bit like dalembert. superstar? no. but i think if we could've gotten dalembert late in the 2nd round, we'd all be thrilled with that.


potential is in every draft player out there. In reality he's shown nothing consistent but jumping out of the gym as an undersized tweener at SF.

Harold Minor is about what you have at the moment, and before you get pissy about the comparison, its actually an insult to Minor who was an elite scorer in college along with his jumping.

I could be wrong, but i dont care about getting Bill Walker.

notice how quick washington took walker after us?

How how quick san antonio and utah passed on him ahead of us!!! lol...i agree that this draft was a waste. But it was whether we drafted Walker or not. Maybe this weakness scared Joe away.


Has a bit of a temper, which can get the best of him at times ... Needs maturity and composure ..

it's like waking up on christmas morning and having to go to school...

Hahahahah. Trent Plaisted.

Hahahahhaa. Walter Sharpe.

true. but since it already appears we're asleep at the wheel, i'm not expecting a sensible pick at #59. we already took 2 guys at #32 AND #46 who both would make more sense at #59. (personally i don't even buy that, especially with shawn bradley junior)

so i hate to see who we actually think is worthy of the #59.


I believe we drafted Amir Johnson at #59...

man all the detroit kids (hendrix, hairston, c-d-r) are getting boned by their hometown

but we've seen him show that at the nba level unlike rookies just being drafted. he's a very good rebounder (one of the best rebounding rates in the nba) and shot blocker. right now he's a bit like dalembert. superstar? no. but i think if we could've gotten dalembert late in the 2nd round, we'd all be thrilled with that.
Dalmebert is an athletic no so smart shot blocking center. Bill Walker is an athletic (well used to be before the acl) SF who hasn't seen enough court time to warrant your uproar.

man all the detroit kids (hendrix, hairston, c-d-r) are getting boned by their hometown
Fuck them, not even low picks should be about where you are from.

Hardin looks like he has terrible hands.

yeah but they were all more deserving than Walter Sharpe...

the top of Chris Mullin's head is flat

we should've kept white. that i could get on board with and be excited about. neither of these kids are doing shit for us.

or if we wanted to trade white away, why not trade him to seattle for a future #1? i'd take THAT over the mess we've made of this deal.

maybe seattle is on 'punked' and we're going to show up with ashton kutcher and tell them we're backing out of the trade. we punked them by telling them to take sharpe and junior bradley for nothing.

man all the detroit kids (hendrix, hairston, c-d-r) are getting boned by their hometown

dont forget Joe Crawford

maybe seattle is on 'punked' and we're going to show up with ashton kutcher and tell them we're backing out of the trade. we punked them by telling them to take sharpe and junior bradley for nothing.

hahaha. Sadly, I was thinking something along the same lines.

i'm not terribly upset we didn't get bill walker. a whole lotta teams passed him up, so Joe D was the only one passing him up. it certainly would have been more exciting to have the athletic upside of walker, but i don't think we made some monumental mistake passing him up. his injuries probably scared off lots of teams.

uproar? what are you talking about? i have an opinion on the kid. is that OK with you?

plus, if that's your logic then none of us can have any opinion on any of these kids. until any of them play in the nba nobody can be sure what they'll do. i do know that walker has long been considered one of the top talents in this class. and he has shown that potential in his short time in college.

of course we'll have to wait and see what all these kids end up becoming in the nba. maybe our guys will pan out and surprise. but for the time being, i'm not drinking that cool-aid.


Dalmebert is an athletic no so smart shot blocking center. Bill Walker is an athletic (well used to be before the acl) SF who hasn't seen enough court time to warrant your uproar.

Sharpe isn't really that different from Bill Walker.

Walker has a ton of questions about both his health and his character.

Sharpe is also incredibly athletic, but faces similar questions.

You can't say you wanted Bill Walker but you didn't want Sharpe. It makes no sense.

i wish my power never came back on...

tonight would've been less of a letdown

In a few months (or weeks), we'll all be rolling on the Walter Sharpe hype train. Can't wait.

I was gone all night, so I just read the entire thread starting from the first post today.

All I have to say is, lol. I haven't even looked at the draft board on ESPN, but lol @ this thread.

it comes down to sharpe being a bigger reach at #32 IMO. and also that he's a less known talent. i think he would've been wiser to take at the later pick.

In a few months (or weeks), we'll all be rolling on the Walter Sharpe hype train. Can't wait.

Langlois will be the engineer.

it comes down to sharpe being a bigger reach at #32 IMO. and also that he's a less known talent. i think he would've been wiser to take at the later pick.


If Dumars was that sold on his ability, someone else may have been too.

Can't get too upset about a 2nd rounder.

Langlois will be the engineer.

Langlois says Sharpe will be the second Pistons max contract player.....right after Amir Johnson.

as i said before, i'll come around on the sharpe pick. as i did the maxiell and okur picks. but even if i do, i will still maintain that sharpe could've been taken at #46 at least.

i don't know for certain but from the outside at least, it doesn't seem that any other teams would've taken him before #46. i could be totally wrong in that statement as i'm basing it solely on 'popular opinion' which could certainly be wrong. but that's just how i view it right now.

i will reserve final judgment on these kids as its only fair. but for right now, just allow me (and others) to gripe about the completely unexpected and surprising picks over guys we personally wanted. we're not GMs by any means, but we are in here for all intents and purposes. so let it be for now.

Sharpe is very athletic.

If you wanted Bill Walker because he was a fantastic athlete, then you'll like Sharpe as well.

He might pan out and he might not, but the potential is the same.

From my narrow view....worst. draft. ever.

I hope to be so wrong that people quote that as their sig to mock me for years. It seemed like with these picks there was so much more we could have done.

no doubt. we have very limited insight into this whole process so we can't really know. but i'm just expressing some frustration at not getting guys I wanted. what can i say- i'm selfish. i'm saving up my money so i can buy a team and make these calls.


If Dumars was that sold on his ability, someone else may have been too.

Can't get too upset about a 2nd rounder.

From my narrow view....worst. draft. ever.

I hope to be so wrong that people quote that as their sig to mock me for years. It seemed like with these picks there was so much more we could have done.

THere was absolutely nothing solid after the top 15 or so picks. This is one of the most thin drafts in NBA history.

Dumars traded for multiple 2nd rounders and didn't eat up cap space with a guaranteed 1st round contract to someone he didn't like. It's what you do when you don't like the talent pool.

in all seriousness, you have to think we're making a trade involving a big man if we took 2 big men in this draft.

well dont gripe too hard. outside of white none of your choice picks were sure things. Its different when you pass on sure things, but again i could care less about the difference between sharpe baby bradley and hype Walker. none of those guys strike me as close to an impact pick. So i van't bitch too hard.

in all seriousness, you have to think we're making a trade involving a big man if we took 2 big men in this draft.

Sheed's gone, of course. I won't shed any tears if Maxiell is shipped out as well. McDyess could retire or be traded, or both.

i just can't buy into that. one of the most thin drafts in nba history? how do you suppose that? no way man.

this is a pretty deep group and literally everyone i've heard talk about it has said as much. not deep on star power, but very deep on capable, solid nba talent.

in all seriousness, you have to think we're making a trade involving a big man if we took 2 big men in this draft.
not anymore, you have to think he's keeping his options open trading away a pick to avoid paying him for sure money.

Just in case no one made the joke:

Walter Sharpe, a diagnosed narcoleptic? Talk about a sleeper pick!

sure it's a crapshoot. but personally i think the guys i wanted were more worth the gamble than these guys.


well dont gripe too hard. outside of white none of your choice picks were sure things. Its different when you pass on sure things, but again i could care less about the difference between sharpe baby bradley and hype Walker. none of those guys strike me as close to an impact pick. So i van't bitch too hard.

My guess why this trade went down: Dumars had one guy he was targeting with the #29 pick, and he was already taken. Therefore, he decided, "To hell with this," and traded it away for throwaway second rounders.

Why did we skip over Douglas Roberts twice? He could have been a serviceable backup SF.

My guess why this trade went down: Dumars had one guy he was targeting with the #29 pick, and he was already taken. Therefore, he decided, "To hell with this," and traded it away for throwaway second rounders.

He brought Sharpe in for a pre-draft workout. It's not like he randomly selected him.

I don't like Plastaid at all, but Sharpe has real potential. He might relize it and he might not, but it isn't like there was a more athletic player there at #32.

I'm not sure sheed's gone since we traded a post scorer for summer league fodder. And again he's probably the weakest offseason trade value we have. His value would be worth more midseason for a team trying to make a run.

Boston just bought the rights to Bill Walker...

sure it's a crapshoot. but personally i think the guys i wanted were more worth the gamble than these guys.
thats 100 percent opinion and so far you haven't based it on much fact. You are picking favorites in a second round class, and getting drama hype about it. get a hold of yourself, we aren't a lottery team and this wasnt make or break us this go around.

He brought Sharpe in for a pre-draft workout. It's not like he randomly selected him.
Certainly, he wouldn't just pick someone at random, but I'm just speculating that this wasn't his first option. I don't know what Joe wanted to do, but I wouldn't be surprised with either scenario.

C'mon Pistons, draft an All-Star at 59!

Boston just bought the rights to Bill Walker...
HP is gonna burst now.

Certainly, he wouldn't just pick someone at random, but I'm just speculating that this wasn't his first option. I don't know what Joe wanted to do, but I wouldn't be surprised with either scenario.

It could be that he was waiting to see if he got lucky. Either way, it was the smart play if he didn't like anybody remaining. Don't tie yourself to a guarenteed contract.

Deron Washington was definitely a Curry pick.

People may call me crazy, but Affalo is by far a better prospect than every SF that was available to us. He'll also be in scenario for him to excel as we get back to defense and getting our already talented young guys involved. I'd take Affalo over Walker, and for that reason i'm not tripping over the idea of gambling on him.

And with the 59th pick, some WNBA player.

I don't know much about this guy, but then again, I'm not an NCAA watcher. Is this Deron guy any good?

well he plays defense at least, so i like him. the 59th pick that is. Im still irritated we passed up douglas-roberts twice.

more fodder, but it'd be naive to expect otherwise.

And with the 59th pick, some WNBA player.

I don't know much about this guy, but then again, I'm not an NCAA watcher. Is this Deron guy any good?

Think of Michael Curry with a little more athletic ability.

Mind you, this is a best-case scenario. He has to develop a jumper before he can call himself Curry's equal.

LOL- get a hold of yourself. if you don't like my opinion, then don't read it. i can express my opinion in any way i want. so get over yourself man. i don't get what your problem is. is it that you just want me to say i love all the picks? am i not allowed to express an opinion?

how can my assesment of a player's ability be based on anything BUT opinion?

i could most definitely be wrong. but so could you or anyone. i will gladly admit my mistake if it turns out that way. but for the time being we're talking ball and voicing opinions.

no, we're not a lotto team and this is not make or break. i don't see where i said anything close to that. but anytime you're drafting players you want to get the best players you can. and IMO (if that's OK with you!) i don't feel we've done that at this point.

if we want to win a title we need to hit on some of these picks too. unless you're content to just accept whatever we get and not worry about getting 2nd round players too.

Actually he may have the best shot of finding a spot on the bench.


NBA Comparison: Rodney Carney/James White
Strengths: Track star type of freakish athleticism and leaping ability ... A slasher. Highlight waiting to happen ... Above average defender ... Has terrific length. Combine that with his quickness and he has the tools to be an outstanding defender ... A big senior season could vault him into the first round ... Shows a willingness to go inside. Solid rebounder ... Best utilized playing alongside a great lob passer as he can let the bunnies loose for ally oops ...

Weaknesses: Must develop better mental toughness and intensity ... Lacks offensive polish. Not a bigtime scorer, struggles to create for himself and lacks a great shot off the dribble ... Doesn't seem to have a great feel for the game, or the desire to truly maximize his tremendous physical gifts ... Scores best around the basket and on the break, his jumpshot lacks consistency, although it has shown recent improvement ... Shot selection is key ... Does not always seem to play to his abilities. Shows flashes of great potential but seems to have trouble sustaining it ... Needs to improve from the line where he shoots under 60% ... Added strength would be a big benefit as it would allow him to better use his great athleticism to finish drives to the basket. He seems to have the body type that will always be on the skinny side ... Most likely a role player for the NBA unless he shows a great deal of progress in his senior year.

Notes: Son of former NFL player (DB) Lionel Washington. Could be primed for a break out season as he will likely be asked to assume a bigger role in the team's offense in his senior season with a number of the Hokies' top players graduated (Gordon, Collins and Dowdell).

actually i like the washington pick. especially at that spot. he's a kid with a lot of athleticism and with some coaching he could be a factor down the line. smart move IMO. i kind of hoped for gordon at this spot but this kid has some skills to work with.

he plays good D and fits in our style.

LOL- get a hold of yourself. if you don't like my opinion, then don't read it.
Likewise about my opinion of your whining. :) You're getting slightly childish with the "i can bitch all i want about nothing" tantrum. But honestly nevermind, have you fun blowing your gasket over these important second round picks and the great bill walker. I care far less about the shit than you do, so i retire and bill walker is michael jordan.

washington has a bit of cockiness to him too that i like.

Great Bill Walker is a Celtic. Perfect.

Washington was my favorite of the 3 picks too.

At least that's a pick that address a specific need - situational defense.

99OCS02NAn8

Sharpe is #42.

LOL- you really are full of yourself. what was it- the exclamation marks that got you? get over it man. you don't know shit about me.

you're right though, i'm sorry since i've obviously offended you. i should have just posted: "golly fellas. i don't want to be a negative ned but i just don't know about this pick. but i will trust the pistons front office and not have an opinion of my own."

so sorry i allowed my emotion to come out for a minute. *roll eyes*

come on man! lighten up. you're way too uptight. do you think i'll lose sleep over this draft? it doesn't affect my life. but i sure as hell am not apologising for ranting a bit in here. it happens in here on a daily basis and why you've taken this approach is beyond me. i'm a level headed guy as you would know if you paid attention to 99% of my posts.

there is a ton of anticipation and leadup to the draft so naturally it brings out a bit more passion than normal.

but i'm not whining at all. you're the one crying about me being vocal. you don't like it, don't read brother!




Likewise about my opinion of your whining. :) You're getting slightly childish with the "i can bitch all i want about nothing" tantrum. But honestly nevermind, have you fun blowing your gasket over these important second round picks and the great bill walker. I care far less about the shit than you do, so i retire and bill walker is michael jordan.

no. it's completely different. you're directly addressing me. i'm simply posting something to the board- nothing was directed at you at all. until you decided to make an issue out of nothing. get a life and let people post as they wish. stop getting your panties in a bunch over nothing. since when is ranting or complaining not allowed in here?

i'm sorry, i didn't realise YOU were in charge of personal conduct in here now. if so, you need to rein in a bunch of other people before me my friend.


Likewise about my opinion of your whining. :) You're getting slightly childish with the "i can bitch all i want about nothing" tantrum. But honestly nevermind, have you fun blowing your gasket over these important second round picks and the great bill walker. I care far less about the shit than you do, so i retire and bill walker is michael jordan.

well a lot depends on what else we do in the offseason. but washington could have a shot at the roster IMO.

sharpe makes it on upside and the fact that we must really like something about him. not sure about baby bradley. he is more unknown but he has skills. but he could get caught out in a numbers game.

will be interesting to hear joe's insight on these kids. obviously he'll talk them all up but i still want to hear what he was thinking.

some explanation for tonight's picks:

http://truebluepistons.blogspot.com/


Trent Plaisted and Deron Washington, the two other second-rounders, were picked in part because they agreed to play in Europe next season. Dumars said the organization asked potential second-round picks if they would be willing to play overseas because he didn’t anticipate having a roster spot for them next season. Those who answered no, the Pistons scratched off their list. That’s one reason they didn’t take Bill Walker, though Dumars said “we liked him a lot.”

(there's a lot more at the link, that's the official Pistons blog) - he also says Sharpe is going to play SF, which is a little intriguing.

well we must really have some plans then. because don't we already have like 5 roster spots open potentially?

will be interesting to see how we fill all those spots. and with high quality players too, not just bodies.

so sharpe is going to play SF.......? wow. can't wait to see this.

prove us all wrong joe. make a fool out of me, please!

I know nothing about him but all I've heard so far is he's an undersized PF with a ton of atheticism. That sounds like someone that could convert to SF to me.


Again, I've never even heard his name before.

I know nothing about him but all I've heard so far is he's an undersized PF with a ton of atheticism. That sounds like someone that could convert to SF to me.


Again, I've never even heard his name before.


He must be a small 6'10" 240 if he's an undersized 4.....

I thought I read that in someone's post when we drafted him, guess I read wrong. I know nothing about him, don't hold me accountable for any opinions on him for a few days.

If Joe liked Walker, why didn't we buy the damn pick? How much can a second round pick cost anyways? Hell, we could have taken up a collection here at WTFDetroit and bought the damn pick. Then at least we'd feel that the draft wasn't a total loss.

If Joe liked Walker, why didn't we buy the damn pick? How much can a second round pick cost anyways? .
thats not the issue, he basically stated that Walker had to be willing to play overseas if picked, he was not. Open and shut case.

so sharpe is going to play SF.......? wow. can't wait to see this.

prove us all wrong joe. make a fool out of me, please!
He may be cut, but doesnt make or break us imo. for once the stars align and i agree with kstat that its a thin crop this draft in the second round.

he better not be cut. there are guys taken in that 2nd round- early portion especially- who will have long nba careers. if we passed on one of them for a guy who ends up getting cut.....that was a really bad move and we missed.

that being said, sharpe himself COULD be one of those players with a long nba career. we'll have to wait and see.

thats not the issue, he basically stated that Walker had to be willing to play overseas if picked, he was not. Open and shut case.

Not really open and shut IMO. If you like a guy and can draft him relatively cheaply, you give him a chance to make the team and if not you cut him. The Pistons have wasted how many millions on paying coaches after they were fired? A few bucks spent on a prospect that Joe really likes seems like a good investment regardless of whether he agrees to play overseas or not. It just seems that the Pistons are cheaping out......again.

Well I hated last night (from a Pistons perspective).

I don't know jack shit about these dudes other than what I have read, but I do know that we passed on a bunch of guys that I would have rather seen us take.

Best posts in this thread so far:


hey, we dont have to guarantee a contract to pick #32!


WOW. Joe makes a great trade then eats a retard sandwich before he makes the pick. Go figure.

I fucking hate the Plaisted pick, hate it. THE GUY HAS FUCKING ALLIGATOR ARMS. Seriously, check him out, I've seen point guards with longer arms. And he's going to be 23 by the time the season starts, so he's not a "project", he pretty much is what he is going to be.

And I know I wasn't alone last night yelling at the TV after we passed on CDR, Chalmers, etc.

Joe had better bring in 3-4 additional solid NBA players this summer, because crossing guys off the draft board just because they won't play in Europe is just stupid when you've only got 10 players on your roster and the D-League to work with.

If this was just about money, and it seems like that is the case, then just trade or sell the fucking picks.

And I'd rather die than watch Stu Scott host another draft.

Fuck, give me Chris Berman instead.

Yeah, that's right, I said it.

Stu was all over the place trying to fit in his pre-preared factoids that were irrelevant to the discussion and, in some cases, repeating things that Bilas has just said, verbatim.

I'm not watching a single minute of this.

I love being able to stick to my word for once.

I was shocked that Boston didn't take Chalmers at #30. They must really like Gabe Pruitt.

I like what Charlotte did at #9 with Augustin, but I don't get taking the foreign C at #20, I think Koufos would have been better there.

The Lopez twins sound as dumb as a box of rocks.

I LOL'd when the Rockets took Batum at #25, everything that I read leading up to the draft said that the Spurs were locked in on him at #26. And then Houston traded him.

OJ Mayo's fake glasses made him look really smart.


Yes, yes they did.

NaqxreC2wgo

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/5291/wtfbabyshirtww2.jpg

HAHA

Anybody else notice that the SF we drafted weighs the same as the C/PF that we drafted?

245 lbs.

To be fair, Plaisted would probably go closer to 275 lbs. if he didn't have LITTLE FUCKING BABY ALLIGATOR ARMS

:chad:

Detroit Pistons Grade: B
http://espn.go.com/i/teamlogos/nba/lrg/trans/det.gif (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/team?team=det)

Round 1: None

Round 2: Walter Sharpe (http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2008&playerId=19314) (32), Trent Plaisted (http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2008&playerId=19029) (46), Deron Washington (http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2008&playerId=19319) (59)

Analysis: No one knows if Sharpe will be a stud or a bust. But I like the pick just because it's Detroit president Joe Dumars being bold, as usual, trying to reach for greatness. Sometimes things don't pan out, but he keeps trying.

Plaisted is solid at No. 46, and Washington is a great athlete who will probably play overseas. Sharpe will be the guy to watch, and since he's such a gamble, I'm not sure how to grade the pick. But for boldness, it gets a B.


Always remember that after giving the Pistons an A after they drafted Darko, that Ford's Pistons grades should always be docked at least two letters downward.

he has nothing of substance to say about sharpe because he knows nothing about him. funny.

i doubt we'll bring in any UDFAs but if we did, i'd put jamont gordon high on that list. he was a guy i wanted with our late 2nd and i think despite being undrafted, he could potentially develop into an nba player down the line.

More trades.


Cavs Acquire Draft Rights To Darnell Jackson, Sasha Kaun

Jun 27, 2008

The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired the draft rights to forward Darnell Jackson from the Miami Heat in exchange for the lower of the Cavaliers' two second round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft.

In addition, Cleveland purchased the rights to center Sasha Kaun from the Seattle SuperSonics.

Jackson was selected with the 52nd overall pick by the Miami Heat while Kaun was selected with the 56th overall pick by the Seattle Sonics.

Both Jackson and Kaun were four-year members of the Jayhawks and helped lead Kansas to the 2008 NCAA Championship and four straight Big 12 regular season titles.

Can we just pick Cheick Samb a second time.
Samb has a brother.

OJ Mayo's fake glasses made him look really smart.

They did look cool.

What do you guys think?

If we can pool together about $1,500 I bet he'd consider it.

http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/6551/necktat2vp5.jpg

They did look cool.

Getting a pair.


http://www.grizzliesinfo.com/grizzlies/galleries/gal-080627-mayo/images/81727463_10.jpg

http://www.grizzliesinfo.com/grizzlies/galleries/gal-080627-mayo/images/81728475_10.jpg

Man, those are STYLIN'!

On second thought, forget $1,500, I bet he'd take $295

:mccosky:


CDR talks back

My friend and colleague Dave D'Alessandro from the Newark Star-Ledger talked with Chris Douglas-Roberts on Monday. Apparently, Chris has a bit of a chip on his shoulder after falling to No. 40 in the draft. He doesn't appear to be in the mood to take any blame for it, never mind he wouldn't work out for teams at the back end of the first round, including the Pistons, who asked twice.

Here is a snippet of CDR's presser:

How upset were you at dropping to 40?

"Ooof. That first day I was extremely (upset) - extremely. I'm pretty sure anybody in the world knows how I feel to be under-appreciated. That's all it was. But once I looked at the situation and once I looked at where I was picked, I looked at it in a positive way. Because it's a blessing to be here (New Jersey). I could have ended up on the Lakers, you know? Somewhere like that, where there's no playing time. So being here is great for me. I looked and over all it's great. Being picked 40 is horrible, and I don't know what people are thinking, but overall I'm happy."

Chip on your shoulder?

"Big. Big chip. Big. That's the biggest motivation I have. Getting picked 40, I'm gonna write a book."

Where did you think you might go?

"Oh, I was, like, 15 to 25. And it just so happened that some teams I didn't work out for had 25 to 30, and I didn't workout (for them)... that's how it happens. That's just how it happens. Why? I still don't know why. But that's yesterday's news. You have to be mentally strong to be in this business, and you have to form amnesia. And that's with anything in basketball. You make a mistake on the floor you can't let it affect the next four trips down the floor."


You know they are upset at you in Detroit?

"Oh, yeah. They are. They are."

So why did you turn down their workouts?

"I didn't. That was. ... I don't know where that came from - it was the same with Memphis, they said I turned their workout down and I didn't. Detroit said I turned theirs down and I didn't. But that's yesterday's news."

Why did your agent not schedule a workout with the Pistons?

(Long pause) "Too close. Too close to home."

So, there it is. Some semblance of truth. First he says he didn't turn the Pistons down, then he acknowledges his agent never set up a workout with the Pistons. Then finally it comes out - he didn't want to play in Detroit. Too close to home. Same reason he left the state to play at Memphis. You can't be mad at him for that. You just kind of wish he'd come clean and say that up front.

But you know how these things work out, right? First time the Pistons play the Nets, CDR's going to post a career-high. Always works out like that.

I love how McCosky always has to add in that these other beat writers are his "friends". I bet he's doing it intentionally now after that whole Orlando thing.

That's why he never talks about what other Detroit beat writers report.

They aren't his friends.

Odds to win the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year

Anthony Randolph (GS)
30/1

Brandon Rush (IND)
20/1

Brook Lopez (NJ)
12/1

Chris Douglas-Roberts (NJ)
30/1

Darrell Arthur (POR)
40/1

DeAndre Jordan (LAC)
50/1

Derrick Rose (CHI)
5/2

Danilo Gallinari (NY)
22/1

DJ Augustin (CHA)
13/1

Donte Greene (MEM)
25/1

Eric Gordon (LAC)
13/2

Greg Oden (POR)
3/1

Jerryd Bayless (POR)
12/1

Joe Alexander (MIL)
15/1

Kosta Koufos (UTA)
30/1

Kevin Love (MIN)
13/2

Marc Gasol (MEM)
13/1

Michael Beasley (MIA)
2/1

OJ Mayo (MEM)
7/2

Roy Hibbert (IND)
25/1

Rudy Fernandez (POR)
18/1

Russell Westbrook (SEA)
12/1

Field
8/1

8 to 1 on Sharpe is eazzzy money

A couple of stats from the summer league.

--In 3 games, Kevin Love (MIN) is averaging 21 pts and 15 boards

--Marreese Speights (PHI) finished the 5 games averaging 18/10 with over 2 blocks per game

and bayless is a fucking beast...