Detroit Pistons
Head Coach
Mike Krzyzewski
Four time NCAA National Champion
Three time Naismith Coach of the year
Two gold medals on the international level
The best coach in the world.
The Starters
John Wall- PG
PPG APG RPG
16.4 8.3 4.61
John Wall is gasoline that makes this Piston go. He will force the tempo get the ball to our athletes on the break and drive the hole when that is the best option. We also expect him to show himself the elite defender that he proved to be in college. The sky is the limit for this kid and this year we expect him to take several steps closer to the sky.
DeMar DeRozan- SG
PPG APG RPG
17.2 1.8 3.8
DeRozan is a player that has not gotten his deserved publicity due to where he plays. He is a high flier that attacks the rim and goes to the line a lot. There are few players in the league that possess his speed, agility and overall athleticism. Although his defense wasn’t great for Toronto we believe that his athleticism will generate many turnovers when surrounded with other good defenders. In the second half of the year his scoring jumped to 19 points per game showing him as a young player on the rise.
Jeff Green- SF
PPG APG RPG
13.3 1.4 4.81
A lot of people on these boards have strong opinions on Green. When he was most successful for our boys in green was when he got out and ran. Time and time again he showed the ability to beat his man down the court on the fast break. With the Celtics only Rondo was able to move the ball at a speed that benefits green. On the Pistons he will constantly be running. In other way he will finally find the role that best suits him.
Josh Smith- PF
PPG RPG BLKPG
16.5 8.5 1.6
The athletic freak that is Josh Smith has never been unleashed in an uptempo system with a good point guard… until now. Very few players are better suited to run the floor, block shots grab rebounds and throw down some thunder like Josh Smith. Finally being set up by an elite fast break point guard, Smith’s fast break opportunities should only increase, which should lead to career numbers.
Emeka Okafor-C
PPG RPG BLKPG
10.3 9.5 1.8
In order to get out and run you need to create stops through defense and finish them off with a rebound. There are few centers in the league who are as good at those things as Okafor. With him and Josh Smith protecting the paint, it allows our athletic wing defenders to play aggressive and completely disrupt the other teams offense. Much like Tyson Chandler for the world champs this year, Okafor will be our defensive captain. With teams constantly retreating to defend our fast break Okafor will get many transition rebounds that he hadn’t otherwise seen in the past.
THE BENCH
Lou Williams
PPG APG RPG
13.7 3.4 2.0
Every team needs an offensive punch off the bench. Williams showed more than capable in this role for a team that plays almost the same style we aspire to play. It can never hurt to have a veteran back up who can mentor a young star point guard. He can also be used as a two guard in curtain situations to bring another ball handler onto the court.
Tony Allen
This year Tony Allen proved to be one of the best defenders in the league, as evidenced by his second team all defense selection. If you doubt his importance look at how much Memphis improved defensively by adding him and Battier. The battle for the starting two guard should be an intense one between him and DeMar. Ultimately we believe that TA is better off the bench, coming in with energy locking down scorers and changing the momentum of the game. Again Tony is another player who is suited for fast break because he is an athletic player who has the majority of his offense come at the rim.
Tyler Hansbrough
PPG RPG BLKPG
11.0 5.2 0.2
In my opinion my best pick. In the first round he put the Pacers on his back several times, taking over games against the top seed in the east. Once he finally got playing time his numbers skyrocketed with Indiana. Watching him play the improvement of his jump shot and athleticism from his first year to his second jumps out at you. He is a player that will outwork any others, which is evident in these improvements as well as his on the court hustle. In an up-tempo offense he will get plenty of open jump shots which he showed more than capable of making this past year. In transition teams will lose track of him which will lead to many offensive boards. Averaged 15/7 in the second half of the year.
Jared Dudley
PPG APG RPG
10.6 1.3 3.9
First of all you know he got a first rate education. Jared Dudley is the perfect glue guy for a contending team. He plays defense, grabs rebounds and hits the open 3. With him Hansbrough and Tony Allen on the bench you can expect the second unit to scrap and claw the Pistons to win. His scrappiness is not the only reason he will see court time, he is an excellent floor spacer shooting 41.5% from 3 point land.
Greg Oden
We all know what the deal with Greg Oden is. Unbelievable talent but has trouble staying healthy. This makes him a perfect fit for the Pistons who are one of the deepest teams in the league. If he is healthy he can play minutes behind Okafor bringing the same defensive intensity plus a solid low post game. If he can’t play then we have plenty of big man depth (especially because we are an up-tempo team) to thrive.
Jeff Foster
PPG RPG BLKPG
3.3 6.3 0.6
Rugged big man who can come in get rebounds give some fouls and finish on the offensive glass. Another scrappy player that will help us scratch and claw our way to victories. Insurance policy in case Oden can not find the court.
Marco Belinelli
PPG APG RPG
10.5 1.2 1.9
Back up combo guard that can come in hit 3’s at over 40% and play very good defense. Some say he looks a lot like Stallone, which can only help the team.
Anthony Parker
PPG APG RPG
8.3 3.0 3.0
Veteran leadership for my young wings. Good defense and good three point shooting. Had the Celtics traded for him at the deadline he would have gone a heck of a lot higher.
Philosophy:
We’ll be the team of the present in the future. We have no interest in being the team of the future now. Potential is the enemy of the present, we are focusing on the here and the now. We will win now and in the future. Our mix of defense speed and athleticism is unrivaled in the league. From day one our goal is to win the division, then the conference then the title.
Scheme:
We are going to play aggressive team defense that forces a lot of turnovers. When we have the ball we will push it, forcing teams to match our speed in the open court (can’t be done). Our depth will aid us in this, it will allow us to constantly run keep fresh and keep the dip in our play to the minimum. Coach K will teach hard nose defense and hustle play to a team made to play that way. We will get every lose ball, every 50/50 rebound and give maximum effort all the time. If Coach K can get every superstar to play like that in the Olympics he can surely bring the same mentality to an NBA team.
Best Move:
Trading picks in the first and fourth for multiple picks in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th. We looked at the draft board before this started and realized that most of the superstar players would be gone when we picked in the first. So we moved back and were able to select Wall and Josh Smith (first round talent) in the second, then James Harden and Emeka Okafor in the 3rd. Great value in that trade.
Toughest Decision:
Trading James Harden for Jared Dudley and Tony Allen. When this trade was worked out I loved it. My problem with it from the start was public opinion. I knew people overvalued (in my mind) Harden and would not like the value I got in return for him. However, after looking at DeRozan’s stats I became comfortable with him starting at the two and was willing to trade Harden for the depth that would allow my team to play at the pace I prefer and become better defensively.
Topic: CB Draft 2011 Central Division Press Conferences (Read 53034 times)