Detroit Bad Boys

2012 NBA Draft: Brandon Knight will represent Pistons at lottery

2012-05-25T00:12:47Z

Like the Moose did for the Pistons last year, the Pistons' first round pick from the previous year will represent the team at the NBA Draft Lottery next week per the Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis:

@BrandonKnight12 will represent #Pistons at draft lottery next week. @MooseGM10 did it last season.
— Vincent Ellis (@VinceEllis56) May 24, 2012

As Tom Ziller said last year, sending the previous year's top pick never works. The Pistons need to exploit the children like Dan Gilbert or send a guy dressed up as Robocop. If the extremely lucky lefty Greg Monroe couldn't bring home a pick better than where the odds already placed the Pistons, then Brandon Knight's probably not going to either. Here's a list of "lucky charms" I'd rather see represent the Pistons during the lottery:

Tom Gores
Tom Gores' personal assistant [wink, head tilt]
Batman
Calvin Johnson, because he survived Millen
The Spare Tires
Cee Lo Green
a family of Red Pandas

Who would you like to see represent the Pistons? What lucky charm should Knight carry with him since he's going no matter what we say?

The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery will be next Wednesday, May 30, and will be televised on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET, before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Austin Daye is working out with ... Clay Matthews

2012-05-24T21:08:46Z

Last offseason Austin Daye worked out with Kevin Durant, which was encouraging to hear mostly because Durant is pretty good at basketball. Daye went on to play in Russia for a little bit during the lockout, actually lost weight he couldn't afford to lose and was again underwhelming -- to say the least -- for the Pistons this past season.

Daye needs to beef up and, according to a tweet he sent out today, he seems pretty serious about it:

Just had a crazy lift wit @claymatthews52 that dudes inhuman in the weight room SMH
— Austin Daye (@Adaye5) May 24, 2012

As linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, Clay Matthews is a fairly large human being. He certainly knows how to get swoll with it, brotha. Matthews replied shortly thereafter that he'd be lifting with Daye "same time tomorrow." There's no question that Daye has been a little, uh, soft for the Pistons and hopefully Matthews can help him get that something with a little grrrr.

2012 NBA Playoffs Open Thread

2012-05-23T21:26:48Z

They're back by popular demand. And by popular demand I mean that one person requested an open thread for the playoffs. I think we'll probably do a new open thread once a week so that there are more than 10 comments per thread. We'll see how that works out.

Read Detroit Bad Boy's official Eastern Conference and Western Conference semi-final playoff previews and laugh about how wrong we'll probably get it.

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers -- ESPN ( Wed. at 8 p.m.)

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers -- ABC ( Sat. at 8 p.m.)

The Celtics looked wobbly early in the series but now they have the Sixers on the ropes. Will Philadelphia be able to find any offense to go with their exquisite defense?

Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers -- ESPN (Thurs. at 8 p.m.)

Still waiting to hear back about any punishments from flagrant foul-gate, but this one is chippy and there is plenty of bad blood on both sides. Unfortunately for the Pacers, that bad blood seems to have focused both Dwayne Wade and LeBron James who have gone in full original Terminator bad-ass assassin mode. This series looked like Indiana's for the taking and they still have a shot -- the Heat can't afford any injuries or subpar games from either James or Wade or they're almost certain to lose.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs -- TNT ( Wed Sun. at 8:30 p.m.)

This is the match-up I've been waiting all playoffs for. No two teams have looked better in either conference and they are mirror opposites. The young, hungry, limitless energy of the Thunder who are looking to establish their legitimacy as a powerhouse against the old guard Spurs. San Antonio is playing great, winners of 18 games in a row and counting, and while many prognosticators wrote off their chances months ago they look primed for another showing in the Finals. Behind savvy, methodical veterans and a grizzly old coach the Spurs hope to spoil OKC's fun.

Former Piston Tracy McGrady stars in new Chinese beer commercial

2012-05-23T13:25:58Z

Former Detroit Piston Tracy McGrady might be a backup in the NBA these days, most recently with the Atlanta Hawks, but he is still a bonafide superstar in China. I'm sure all those years as Yao Ming's most famous running mate in Houston didn't hurt matters. And now superstar McGrady is out starring in a new Chinese beer commercial and he even rocks some Mandarin (purely a guess) to boot!

I'm not sure why they decided to have McGrady feebly hop to try and free a stuck basketball as opposed to, I don't know, dunking the damn thing but it comes out pretty well in the end. Check out the video and I'm relying on the Detroit Bad Boys community to have at least one person that can give me an English translation for everything said in the video.

Or even better, perhaps people should just write their own script in the comments section.

Tom Gores: Pistons "lucky" to have Dumars as GM

2012-05-22T22:57:27Z

The Detroit Pistons released a teaser video about the annual "State of the Pistons" event held for season ticket holders last week. In the video, Tom Gores, Joe Dumars and Lawrence Frank spoke about the state of the team, its future and their aims to right the ship. The video precedes an hour-long special on Fox Sports Detroit at 7:00p.m. on Thursday, where the State of the Pistons event will be shared with a wider audience. In this video, Tom Gores had some praise to share about GM Joe Dumars:

"We might be able to figure out how to win and win big for one year, but that's not the point," Gores said. "The point is how do we deliver something that is genuine, that is real?

"I think we're fortunate to have (Dumars) as a GM, because he wants to deliver that every single day."

If Gores' comments reflect his "genuine, real" opinion of Joe Dumars' job as a GM, it's safe to assume that there won't be any changes at the top in the near future. One year ago, Gores presented fans with a results-driven approach to franchise management and a will to challenge Dumars to "think about every different way he can do something". Yet as soon as free agency opened, the old Dumars came right back to repeat the type of moves that damned the franchise in 2009.

These sales pitch platitudes are tough to swallow, since they signal a genuine pleasure with Joe's body of work one year in, or they suggest that Gores doesn't care much for the win/loss record. If Tom is truly pleased with Joe's "want" to deliver every single day, how can he be pleased with the lack of execution? The alternative might suggest that the "entertainment" wing of Palace Sports and Entertainment is pushing the revenue needle enough that the "sports" wing isn't a priority. It's hard to say that Gores is pushing the Pistons organization as a passion project when one night he's sitting courtside in LA and then he's praising an inactive GM a night later.

My hope is that Gores is doing his best to make nice with season ticket holders while holding Dumars accountable behind closed doors. There's no way of knowing Gores' true opinion on the matter, but if you take these comments at face value, Pistons fans can expect more of the same from this franchise. While new ownership brought with it the promise of change, the only difference under Gores is what happens at half-time, not during regulation.

Draft Day Dreams - Kyle O'Quinn Norfolk State (2nd Round, Houston Pick)

2012-05-22T22:13:15Z

As I perused the Portsmouth Invitational commentary, I came across Kyle O'Quinn, a player I apparently missed during the NCAA tournament this year. Just like every year since Art, I try to find a big in the 2nd round that I'd love to see us draft. This year, my cart is being hitched to the horse of Kyle O'Quinn. So why Kyle O'Quinn? Well what first struck me was his overall frame, but what sealed the deal was his ability to wear his emotions on his sleeve...something the Pistons have missed out on since Roscoe was around. In all seriousness, the following column will present what I believe to be a great argument for going after O'Quinn with either of our 2nd round picks.

The Measurements

O'Quinn pictured above, measured 6'8.5" without shoes, 6'10" with, and 241 pounds at the Portsmouth Invitational. He sports a standing vertical of 30.5" giving him solid explosiveness for a man of his size but perhaps the most compelling aspect of his physical stature is an impressive 7'5" wingspan (for comparison sake, he's 10 pounds and 1 inch less than DeAndre Jordan but with a comparable wingspan and a better vertical). The wingspan and leaping ability were translated into 2.7 blocks and just over 10 rebounds per game in 31 minutes of play, both of which should translate to the NBA given his overall size and athleticism.

Competition & Team Impact

While O'Quinn didn't play against the greatest talent this season, he did have a few games against solid talent and is best known for his key play in Norfolk State's upset of Missouri in the 1st round where O'Quinn put up 26 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, and a steal while shooting 63% from the field. He also added a key putback bucket in the final minute that gave Norfolk a 3 point lead after completing the And 1. In addition to his play against Missouri, he also played solid games against Marquette and Virginia Tech.

Against a relatively weak conference however, O'Quinn dominated both ends of the floor. While I don't know how much stock Win Shares holds at the NCAA level, O'Quinn still led his team in both Offensive Win Shares and Defensive Win Shares (4.2 and 3.6 respectively). In fact, he was so important to his team, that if you took away his DWS entirely, he'd still be the most impactful player, or the 2nd most impactful if you took away his OWS.

He was the only player on his team to average more than 4 rebounds per game, was 3rd in assists, and had 60% of his team's total blocks for the season with 97. He put up his team's highest O-Rating at 116 and his team's lowest D-Rating at 90 (a full 8 points lower than the next closest player). In short, Norfolk State is nothing without Kyle O'Quinn. He also earned both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards for his conference 2 years running.

Key Stats & National Comparisons

8th in the country in Total Win Shares behind expected 1st rounders like Sullinger, Davis, and Tyler Zeller
11th in the country among all big men in Offensive Win Shares
18th in PER (28.6) among all bigs
24th in TS% among all bigs
10th in total blocked shots
8th in total rebounds

Intangibles & Growth

As you'll see from O'Quinn's averages each year, he's improved every season. That improvement combined with being comfortable as the focus of his team's offense and spending 4 years in college should all lend themselves to a solid work ethic and someone who could come in and immediately challenge our relatively weak frontcourt for well-earned minutes. He's often described as "having a high basketball IQ" (although not surprisingly, ESPN contradicts this assessment) works well out of the pick and roll, and can consistently hit the 10-15 foot jumper.

He took home the somewhat meaningless award of MVP from the Portsmouth Invitational where he pulled down 12 boards and added 6 blocks.

Highlights (really hard to find any highlight reels for Kyle O'Quinn so I did my best)

Highlights from Hampton Game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGpzw36EW8o
Post Game with Craig Sager (Post Mizzou upset): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohL3MVNd2D0&feature=related

Why does O'Quinn Make Sense?

I think plenty of us would love to see us go big in the 1st and follow it up with targeting a guy like Scott Machado in the 2nd (I've already done a draft day dream on Machado), but if Machado ends up going before we have a chance at him or Joe decides to go with an inexplicable "BPA" mentality and take a slipping Bradley Beal, then an athletic big with high basketball IQ in the 2nd round will be just what we need. While he's already 22 from playing all four years, he seems to be a player who supports his coaches, listens to his mama, and gives credit where credit is due. Sounds like just the type of player that would consistently challenge Monroe in practice, while fighting for valuable minutes alongside Macklin and Maxiell. Most importantly, his defensive abilities would lend themselves well to the tutelage of a twilight Ben Wallace, back due to popular demand for one more year.

Lastly, if, somehow, we can get Machado with our 1st pick in the 2nd, and O'Quinn is still available with our 2nd pick, passing on him would be a massive mistake...

Brandon Knight named to NBA All-Rookie First Team

2012-05-22T19:42:35Z

Last week, Brandon Knight finished EIGHTH in the Rookie of the Year voting, ranking fifth in votes. As MFMP noted, he probably should have finished much worse than that. However, today the NBA All-Rookie teams were announced and Knight was named to the FIRST team.

The NBA has announced its all-Rookie teams, as voted on by head coaches: FIRST TEAM - Kyrie Irving, Cleveland (58 voting points); Ricky Rubio, Minnesota (49); Kenneth Faried, Denver (46); Klay Thompson, Golden State (43); Iman Shumpert, New York (40); Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio (40); Brandon Knight, Detroit (40). SECOND TEAM - Chandler Parsons, Houston (33); Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento (27); MarShon Brooks, New Jersey (18); Derrick Williams, Minnesota (16); Tristan Thompson, Cleveland (16).

Mike does a fantastic job, as usual, digging into the rookie numbers in last week's post, so you should probably start there if you haven't read it. Most view Knight's future while squeamishly looking through their fingers, but I'm a little more hopeful and excited to see how he develops. His rookie numbers on the whole were bad, but he's 20 and showed enough in crappy circumstances to trigger my inner-optimist.

Jonas Jerebko's summer plans are precisely what Detroit needs

2012-05-22T02:12:27Z

Thanks to a lockout-shortened season, Detroit's Jonas Jerebko had little time to develop his game beyond finding his post-injury footing. After a torn achilles robbed Jonas of his sophomore season, his focus in 2011-12 was to return to the physical form and ability he showed as a rookie. In a recent interview with Pistons.com writer Keith Langlois, Jonas emphasized two key points of focus for his offseason workouts: handle and shot:

"For 18 months, I’ve been working on building this," he says, grabbing his injured right leg, "up to this," touching his left. "Now that I’m there, I can start working on getting stronger and on my game – handle, shot."

This should be music to the ears of Pistons fans that would prefer Jonas at his career-natural position of small forward. Before the draft and during much of his rookie season in the NBA, Jerebko spent most of his time on the wing instead of the frontcourt. Jonas' size and speed have made him an apt defender at the 3, but his limited offense has always seemed more suited to a power forward's playbook. As a result, Jonas has been stuck between positions-- defensively challenged against NBA big men but too limited to bring the isolation/perimeter play of an NBA small forward.

Much of Jonas' offensive game during his two NBA seasons has been based on off-the-ball cleanup. In 2011-12, three of his most common play types according to SynergySports were spot-up shooting, cuts to the basket and offensive rebound put-backs. Yet spot-up shooting, which dominated Jonas' usage, joins isolation as his two least effective plays. Out of 578 plays recorded this season, Jonas attempted 186 spot-up plays while scoring .85 points per possession-- good for 222nd in the league. Yet only 29 of Jonas' attempts this season came in isolation, an area where his 14% turnover rate didn't earn him much faith from the coaching staff.

It stands to reason that some work on his handles would help Jonas improve his isolation play, a trait which would add another weapon to a five man NBA offense. Fans may be weary of inviting iso plays from yet another Piston, but if Jonas can create his own offense when receiving the ball on the wing, this only adds to a team's versatility. Additionally, if spot up shooting is going to continue to be the offensive focus for Jonas, some work on fundamentals and form might pay dividends. His slow release has caused him problems in the past, and some work on footing and lift might give him a boost on the perimeter.

The Pistons are most likely to add a big man in the first round in the 2012 draft, and the power forward position could be crowded if Jason Maxiell opts in and Charlie Villanueva stays healthy. Another body up front might put pressure on coach Lawrence Frank to play Jonas Jerebko where he logically belongs-- at small forward. The real question is if Jonas shows the right kind of improvement, will Frank reward Jonas with play time at the 3? Or will the Pistons' baffling loyalty to Tayshaun Prince continue to derail a much-needed youth movement? If Jonas Jerebko forces Frank's hand, it will be a great thing for the Detroit Pistons.