Pistons take White, trade him
They send star Indiana forward to Sonics for two second-round picks, select project at No. 32.
Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS -- Pistons president Joe Dumars has always been a hunch player when it comes to late draft picks. On Thursday, he traded out of the first round to take a chance on an unheralded and at times troubled prospect who played a total of 18 collegiate games over the last three years.
The Pistons drafted D.J. White, a 6-9 power forward from Indiana, with the 29th pick and traded him to Seattle for two second-round picks -- Nos. 32 and 46. And with that pick he took Walter Sharpe, a 6-9 small forward from Alabama-Birmingham.
"There were two teams who were feverishly trying to move up (in the second round) to get him," Dumars said. "He's good; very good. He's a 6-9 kid with length who can handle the ball like a guard. He's a highly skilled guy who I would have taken at 29."
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But, by moving out of the first round, Dumars won't be saddled with any guaranteed contracts and he picked up the two extra second round picks.
With the 46th pick, the Pistons took Trent Plaisted, a 6-11, 245 pound power forward from Brigham Young. He played four seasons at BYU, averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. He earned first team All-Mountain West honors last year, averaging 15.6 points and 7.7 rebounds.
With the 59th pick, the Pistons took Deron Washington, a 6-6, 199-pound small forward from Virginia Tech.
Both have agreed to play in Europe next season.
"When none of the guys you want fell down, what you look for is talent that shouldn't be there that late in the draft," Dumars said. "This guy has real talent. And after finding out a lot about his background and all he's gone through and how he's persevered, it really says a lot about him."
Sharpe began his college career at Mississippi State. He was ruled academically ineligible there and was ultimately kicked out of school. He transferred to UAB, but before he even played a game there, he was arrested for disorderly conduct. He also took a stray bullet in the stomach in a separate incident.
He averaged 14 points and 6.8 rebounds last year at UAB, but was ruled academically ineligible and missed the second half of the season.
"We spent an entire week talking to more people in Alabama than I can even recall," Dumars said. "We did an extensive background check and we feel very comfortable about who he is and what he is."
Part of Sharpe's troubles stemmed from the fact that he suffered from narcolepsy -- a sleep disorder which caused him to fall suddenly asleep. That wasn't diagnosed until five months ago.
"Some of his early issues came because he didn't know what was going on, he didn't know what was happening to him," Dumars said. "People thought it was a just a kid being irresponsible. But once it was diagnosed and he started taking medication, he's had no trouble since."
All three draft picks will play on the Pistons summer league team in Las Vegas in July.
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