Detroit (#27) - Pistons select Petteri Koponen

It's Detroit's second pick in the 2007 NBA draft.

Feel free to discuss potential players to be selected, team needs or any other topics related to this pick in this thread.

Once you know who you think they should pick, post your selection in this thread in bold red type. Only vote once per thread.

At 5:00 pm, whichever player has the most votes will be Detroit's pick in our mock draft. The time will be longer to give us more time to discuss the pick at #27 since a big man to Houston was pretty much a no brainer anyway.

Players selected so far: http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9551

Best available players: http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9601

Team information to follow.

Since it looks like McRoberts will be the Houston pick, let's start the discussion for us (and assume he is the pick for them). I will edit this to update our team info in a minute.

Players under contract:
Rasheed Wallace - 2 yrs
RIP Hamilton - 3 yrs
Tayshaun Prince - 4 yrs
Nazr Mohommad - 4 yrs
Jason Maxiell - 2 yrs
Lindsay Hunter - 1 yr

Free Agents:
Chauncey Billups (UFA)
Antonio McDyess (UFA) (Player Option)
Chris Webber (UFA)
Dale Davis (UFA)
Flip Murray (UFA) (Player Option)
Ronald Dupree (UFA) (Player Option)

Will Blaylock (RFA)
Amir Johnson (RFA)

Picks in the draft:
#15 - Thaddeus Young - SF
#27
#57

Our big needs right now are looking like C and backup PG. I'd like to see us take that Kopenen guy. From what I've heard, he's looked pretty damn good in all his workouts. Address the C with trades or the MLE. We picked Young first and he can backup SF and SG, we have Sheed, Dice, Max, and Amir at the PF spot. Sheed can be used as a C and we have Nazr, or we could trade and pick up someone like the Nazr for Haywood trade I threw out there. Either way, I like the 19 year old foreigner so far. Every true C seems like a reach for us right now.

Yeah every true center seems to be a reach. It'd be pointless to take another forward becauase we have Max,Amir, and now Thaddeus. We take a backup point guard or the back up center. Since the next best possible center would be Marc Gasol or Aaron Gray who are projected to be early first rounders, we shouldn't waste this pick. Hopefully, someone stands up and tries to persaude everyone to take a center.

Koponen sounds like he could really turn into something as a late first rounder although I haven't seen or read anything about him. The Knicks and Spurs are interested. I'm liking Taurean Green out of Florida. He seems to be doing well in the predraft workout and games.

I likeJared Jordan as he describes the perfect point guard, unselfish and might be the purest pointguard in the draft. Reading all different things about this kid but no way in fuck does he get first round or even early 2nd round.

The guys in bold are the ones I'd consider taking.

At Center you have Fysenko or Gasol or Gray basically.

At PG you have Koponen or Dowdell or Sessions or Green.

I'm leaning towards center because I think you can still find some PG's later (we might be able to package a future 2nd to move up some if need be). We also still have Blalock and Hunter as fall backs.

at #57 there is no way we find a center that can help us.

Then again, a PG will probably be more NBA ready then a center who will probably be a project for at least a year or 2. Then again, center is a bigger need (unless Joe has a trade brewing).

I really wish we would have drafted center or PG at #15 to make this choice easy. hopefully Jarvis or Law will be there, but I won't hold my breath.

McRoberts to Houston is official in our mock BTW.

That's the thing. Joe said he wants guys that are ready to play, and a C this late in the draft is a sure project. I don't think we'll grab one unless someone really steps up and stands outbetween now and thursday. I wouldn't expect much from a late 2nd PG. We'll just get another guy like Blalock, who's got everything except shooting, which is why he wasn't a 1st rounder.

In his interview with Chad Ford he spent like 3 minutes explaining why he'd take BPA no matter if its a project or what.

I don't remember what interview it was in, I just remember him saying he wanted guys that could come in and contribute right away.

I'm just going to go with the BPA even if it is another PF.

The Pistons select - Nick Fazekas

Whoa, how did Fazekas become BPA? My opinion, and my opinion only, guy's the next Rick Rickert....Ha, NBADraft.net actually has that comparison. Nice.

I'll go with the Finnish PG I know very little about, but has been receiving great reviews. Pistons select Petteri Koponen.

Petteri Koponen

Fazekas is a college senior who averaged 20 & 11 and has 3 point range. He is labeled as a tough competitor with good hands and has a huge wingspan. Sounds like somebody Joe would consider.

Yeah, and if we didn't have those two young PF's Joe would give him a good look, but we're already stacked at that spot. Not just with talent, but with young talent.

20 and 11 for Nevada remember. The average center is probably 6'8" in that conference.

I'm not saying he isn't going to be anything, but take the numbers with a grain of salt.

I'm going to go with Petteri Koponen

He would provide some immediate help backing up Billups and be an effective change of pace PG. He excells at running the pick and roll, which benifits Dyess off the bench (and probably Max and Amir down the road).

While I'd like to draft a center, I think even the guys I like here are still projects and may not be any better than Nazr or another journeyman big at this point.

I'm going to go with Marc Gasol

So that Pau wants to come to Detroit and we get him cheap. :)

Actually I'm flipping a coin between him and Fazekas and he won.

Petteri Koponen

I like Fazekas too (mini-Rasheed).

Koponen is a hell of a player. I know Chad Ford usually spits out shit but other sources have claimed he is an NBA ready player.

Petteri Koponen

I like Fazekas too but Joe's not going to draft a mini-sheed when we already have sheed, and 3 backups for sheed.

a quick run down in the final 20 minutes or so:

Nick Fazekas - 1
Petteri Koponen - 5
Marc Gasol - 1

i really don't have too much of a clue this late in the draft, but i like the idea of taking a gamble on a young PG.

Detroit selects - Petteri Koponen

Pistons select Petteri Koponen

Check out the hustle at the end (even though he gets blown by)

Anybody wish they selected Aaron Gray or Marc Gasol?

Well, we blew the first pick and had to get a PG (as you see in my comments). I wished we had drafted a center or PG with #15.

In reality, I'd be happy with a Thaddeus Young draft pick.
At the time I was counting on him, actually. I wanted no part of Stuckey.

Koponen was also on my draft board, though. I was furious when Afflalo was taken, as I'm sure everybody esle was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lospistones

In reality, I'd be happy with a Thaddeus Young draft pick.
At the time I was counting on him, actually. I wanted no part of Stuckey.

Koponen was also on my draft board, though. I was furious when Afflalo was taken, as I'm sure everybody esle was.

yeah i was probably the only one on this board that liked him.

and since he was taken i wanted al thorton or nick young

but ill take stuckey over any of them

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cross

yeah i was probably the only one on this board that liked him.

and since he was taken i wanted al thorton or nick young

but ill take stuckey over any of them

I was huge on Thad, I had him going to us in my mock.