2014 Draft

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The Wrap: Week 9, Summer Edition

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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. ¬– The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club has selected Spencer Dinwiddie with the 38th pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft held on Thursday, June 26.

Dinwiddie, a 6-foot-6 guard from the University of Colorado, averaged a team-leading 14.7 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 17 games before an ACL injury ended his junior year.  At the time of the injury, he led the Buffaloes to a 14-2 record and a No. 15 national ranking. Dinwiddie scored a season-high 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 11-of-11 from the free-throw line at Colorado State. He was selected to the Top-50 Preseason Watch List of the Bob Cousy Award, the James Naismith and John R. Wooden Awards.

A native of Woodland Hills, CA, Dinwiddie was a member of the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s University Games Team in Kazen, Russia, averaging 7.9 points and leading Team USA with 44 assists (5.5 apg) and 12 steals (1.5 spg) in eight games. During his sophomore season, he was selected as an All-Pac-12 Conference First Team and led Colorado in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (3.0 apg), three-point field goals (47) and free throw percentage (.825). In his freshman season, Dinwiddie was selected to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman team. He graduated from Taft High School with honors and chose Colorado over Harvard University.

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Detroit Pistons Select Spencer Dinwiddie with the 38th Pick in the 2014 Draft

Keith Langlois

The first draft choice Stan Van Gundy executed provided a little insight into how the dual-role dynamic he fills with the Pistons is going to work.

For those concerned Van Gundy the coach would trump Van Gundy the president of basketball operations in sacrificing the future for a marginally improved present, rest easy.

Van Gundy resisted any temptation to cede future assets to move into the first round, standing pat with the 38th pick. And he clearly looked beyond his first training camp in taking a player, Spencer Dinwiddie, who is coming off a January ACL tear that puts his status for the summer in doubt.

If not for that knee injury that cut short his junior season at Colorado – where they once had a pretty fair point guard named Chauncey Billups – Dinwiddie was widely viewed as a first-round talent.

“We felt he was a first-round talent. I know that’s a cliché, but we really targeted him as a player we were very impressed with,” Pistons general manager Jeff Bower said Thursday night. “We think it was a good night for the organization.”

Van Gundy said earlier this week that the Pistons weren’t looking to draft a great athlete and hope he developed into a great basketball player. He was looking for players who did one or two things well enough to crack an NBA rotation. Dinwiddie, a rangy point guard with terrific vision and a 41-percent 3-point shooter, gives the backcourt an immediate injection of size and should boost their perimeter offense.

“His ability to move the ball and pass the ball and his instincts,” Bower said of what immediately struck him about Dinwiddie. “We think he’s got outstanding size for the point guard position. Strength, a very good feel for moving the ball, creating plays as well as his scoring ability and the ability to shoot the ball.”

Dinwiddie said he sees himself “as a pure one and I think I showed that in college, but at the same time I think I bring defensive versatility with my size and also my shooting, as well. I expect to play multiple positions in the league, not just the one.”

The Pistons, Bower said, were comfortable with Dinwiddie’s medical report on the left ACL tear, which occurred on Jan. 12 and was surgically repaired on Jan. 20. He has been doing his rehabilitation in Houston and, he says, he’s not limited in his movement but still needs to regain the explosion in his left leg.

“I talked to the coaching staff,” he said. “They said they don’t want me to set a direct timetable for my recovery.”

“We’re very comfortable with the medical reports and the stages he’s at in his recovery,” Bower said. “Our medical team dug deep into it and we had all his records and where he’s at and conversations with both his surgeon and his therapist. All were positive and gave us the comfort that this was a player that was very successful in his recovery.”

Bower, who said he expected Dinwiddie to travel to Orlando for Summer League next week but not to practice or play, said the Pistons did a video interview via Skype with Dinwiddie on Wednesday. They also got some background intelligence from a very reliable source – Rodney Billups, younger brother of Chauncey Billups and a Colorado assistant coach.

“I think that’s a great path to follow, to be honest,” Dinwiddie said of following in Chauncey Billups’ footsteps from Colorado to the Pistons. “He’s the best player in my school’s history and obviously the best point guard in my school’s history. I want to be like him someday and win championships.”

Dinwiddie averaged 14.7 points and 3.8 assists in 17 games before suffering his knee injury last season at Colorado after averaging 15.3 points and 3.0 assists as a sophomore. At the Chicago draft combine in May, he measured 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds with a 6-foot-8¼ wing span.

“His instincts are of a point guard,” Bower said. “But he does have the size that gives him the flexibility to do a lot of different things.”

Van Gundy the president of basketball operations said he was looking for high-character, highly competitive players who were tough and smart. In his first major decision since accepting the dual role from Tom Gores to relaunch the Pistons’ future, he gave Van Gundy the coach just such a player.

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SVG's first act as Pistons boss: drafting Spencer Dinwiddie

Stan Van Gundy said Tuesday that history suggests the Pistons have about a 50-50 shot of getting a player with the 38th pick in tonight’s draft who’ll make a mark in the NBA. Recent Pistons history suggests he’s right, but they’ve beaten the odds in recent drafts, as I wrote last month.

That 50-50 guess might be about right for this draft, which not only has some star power at the top but depth into the second round.

Well, let’s start with a look at who they won’t get. I’ve identified 12 players they have no shot to get – “locks” to be taken well ahead of the 38th pick – and another group of 12 almost as certain to be gone by the end of the first round.

Then there’s a third, smaller group of eight players unlikely to be available and yet it would be less than an upset if one or two among them was still on the board at 38. Beyond that is another group of 10 that seem to offer something the Pistons would find of interest.

LOCKS (12) – Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Aaron Gordon, Gary Harris, Doug McDermott, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Dario Saric, Marcus Smart, Nik Stauskas, Noah Vonleh, Andrew Wiggins.

It would be an upset if any of them slipped out of the lottery, though Saric’s recent agreement to play two years in Turkey puts him in danger of slipping a little. Not much, though. There will be teams picking in the teens or early 20s happy to not have to commit any salary cap space for next season to a player who might be a legitimate top-five pick in either of the next two drafts.

Embiid, coming off a back injury that cut short his freshman season at Kansas and now a broken foot that scares many, also might slip, depending on what teams know about his medical evaluation. As of 48 hours before the draft, it appeared only two teams – Cleveland and Milwaukee – had seen the reports. If there’s something horrific in there, he could sink like a stone. If there’s not, his representatives will be scrambling to distribute the news in the final hours. In any case, assume that if Embiid fell to the Pistons at 38 that they would pass, too.

NEAR LOCKS (12) – Clint Capela, Tyler Ennis, P.J. Hairston, Rodney Hood, Zach LaVine, K.J. McDaniels, Shabazz Napier, Jusuf Nurkic, Adreian Payne, Elfrid Payton, T.J. Warren, James Young.

There seems to be enough consensus about the two young European big men, Capela and Nurkic, to group them with the near locks. Hairston used his D-League experience to solidify his first-round status after that seemed a long shot once he was booted out of North Carolina. Napier’s NCAA tournament charge – and the helpful link to Kemba Walker three years ago – has boosted his stock tremendously.

That’s 24 players the Pistons have virtually no shot to land. If one of them somehow gets out of the first round, there will be lots of raised eyebrows in other draft rooms – wondering what they’ve missed.

Then we come to another group of eight players more likely than not to be gone after 37 picks. But if you were going to bet that one or two might slip through the cracks, you’d probably have to accept lousy odds.

THE UNLIKELIES (8) – Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant, Damien Inglis, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Jarnell Stokes.

McGary worked out only for Milwaukee, which holds the top pick of the second round, yet rumors he’s been given a first-round guarantee persist. Michigan teammate Robinson and Grant are exceptional athletes who lack developed perimeter games and that might run counter to what the Pistons are looking for, given what Van Gundy said earlier in the week about targeting players who bring a clearly defined NBA skill to the table.

Adams is a natural-born scorer and UCLA teammate Anderson a terrific passer. Missouri’s Clarkson would lend size, versatility and shooting to the backcourt. If one of those three slips, the fit might be right for the Pistons.

It’s no worse than 50-50 that one of the 32 names we’ve ticked off makes it to 38, but no lock that the Pistons would jump on him. Very little separates the player who’ll go in the early 20s from the ones who’ll be available in the late 30s. At this point, the draft becomes very much a “beauty in the eye of the beholder” proposition.

Let’s say for the sake of discussion all 32 are off the board, though. Here’s another group of 10 that would be next in line for consideration.

EVEN MONEY (10) – Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jabari Brown, Markel Brown, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cleanthony Early, Joe Harris, Vasilije Micic, Walter Tavares, C.J. Wilcox, Patric Young.

There are plenty of players in this group who fit Van Gundy’s wish list. Bogdanovic is a great scorer, both Browns big-time shooters, Dinwiddie a point guard with vision and size, Harris a top-notch shooter, Wilcox a slasher, Taveras a massive defensive presence and Young a thick-bodied defender who’ll set strong picks.

Also keep in mind that Van Gundy has identified character as No. 1 on his list – not just an Eagle Scout, but a highly competitive player who brings one or two NBA-ready skills with him and has no red flags for character.

It points to three names if Van Gundy wasn’t engaging in typical predraft posturing: Joe Harris, Patric Young and Spencer Dinwiddie. Harris and Young are four-year college players who come with gold stars for character. Dinwiddie is a three-year player who was widely considered a first-round talent but for the ACL tear suffered in January that ended his season and prevented him from working out for teams.

We’ll see how it shakes out. It will be Van Gundy’s first time on the clock and it remains to be seen if he’ll stay as true to the eye-opening frankness with which he spoke about what the Pistons will seek. If he does, keep the names of Harris, Young and Dinwiddie in mind late tonight when the Pistons make their pick.

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At 38, SVG’s priorities point to short list of Pistons draft candidates

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NBA Life: Drummond and Daniels

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Pistons Draft History Quiz

(Editor’s note: Pistons.com continues a five-part draft series with a look at the group of point guards. Coming Thursday: a look how the draft is shaping up given the latest news and speculation.)

The Pistons start their off-season understanding they need to find 3-point shooting in whatever form they can land it. Depending on what happens with Greg Monroe’s free agency, they could determine an urgent need to add frontcourt size and depth. Adding a player or two with the size and athleticism to defend wing scorers adequately wouldn’t be a bad route, either.

Point guard is the one position on their roster with three – and perhaps four, depending on whether the Pistons exercise their option on Chauncey Billups – capable players already under contract.

But the three for-sure returning players – Brandon Jennings, Will Bynum and Peyton Siva, assuming the Pistons pick up the second year of his deal, which appears a lock after the promising finish to his rookie season – are all, essentially, 6-footers.

In a division with big, athletic point guards like Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and George Hill, the Pistons would do well to give themselves a little more backcourt defensive flexibility.

So on Thursday night, if the draft gets to 38 and the Pistons don’t see a 3-point shooter ready to contribute or a big man who’d offer some immediate depth, it wouldn’t be a stunner if they drafted a point guard – especially one who could defend either backcourt spot.

Here’s a look at some players who could fit that profile or offer value too good to pass up at 38.

Spencer Dinwiddie – From Chauncey Billups’ alma mater, Colorado, Dinwiddie was considered a first-round prospect until tearing his ACL early in the Big 12 season. Though his prognosis is good, Dinwiddie wasn’t able to work out for teams and won’t be available to play in Summer League or much before training camp, if then. At 6-foot-6, he’s got great size for the position. He’s not the athlete that high lottery pick Dante Exum is, but Dinwiddie can handle and shoot and likely will prove capable of defending either guard spot.

Semaj Christon – At 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-7 wing span, Christon is an elite athlete who could develop into an elite perimeter defender with strength and experience. He’s leaving Xavier after a sophomore season in which he averaged 17.0 points and 4.2 assists. Nobody’s really sure where he’ll fit in the NBA, though. There are questions about his feel for running a team and his jump shot is a work in progress, but he’s a good passer by all accounts.

Vasilije Micic – Think Mark Jackson, the player. Micic is all point guard, but not really a scorer or shooter. He’ll draw high marks for his vision, playmaking and basketball IQ. At 6-foot-4, he’s got ideal size. The question is if he’s athletic enough to defend NBA point guards. From Serbia, Micic is 20 years old.

DeAndre Kane – He sometimes looked like a man among boys in college, which figures – Kane turned 25 earlier this month. A transfer from Marshall who came to Iowa State with some character red flags, Kane was a model citizen for the Hawkeyes and his toughness helped make the Cyclones a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament in March. At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Kane obviously would change the makeup of the Pistons’ point guard crop. He wouldn’t help their 3-point shooting, though.

Nick Johnson – The 6-foot-3 junior from Arizona is more shooting guard than point guard right now, which is why he almost certainly will be available at No. 38. But the tools are all there – size, plenty of athleticism and the ability to defend – to become a solid point guard if he can make the transition. Johnson averaged 16.3 points and played 33 minutes a game for the team that spent more time ranked No. 1 than anyone last season. He can shoot it, too, hitting 37 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Deonte Burton – Burton might be 6-foot-1, but with a long (6-foot-7) wing span and a solid 193-pound frame, he’d give the Pistons a little more size at point guard on the defensive end. Like Johnson, he’s probably more combo guard than pure point guard. Another very good athlete, he’ll attack the rim with the best of them. He averaged 20.1 points and 4.4 assists as a Nevada senior. He turns 23 on draft day.

Jahii Carson – The Arizona State sophomore, 21, was an immediate impact player for the Sun Devils, averaging 18.5 points as a freshman and staying remarkably consistent, averaging 18.6 as a sophomore. He wouldn’t add any size to the position for the Pistons at 5-foot-11, but he’s a unique player and an amazing athlete. He wouldn’t be his team’s featured scorer in the NBA, though, and that leads scouts to wonder what else he has to offer. Rarely uses his left hand.

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Point guard not a glaring need, but Pistons could go for one with size at 38

(Editor’s note: Pistons.com continues a five-part draft series with a look at the group of centers and power forwards. Coming Tuesday: a look at backcourt candidates with the 38th pick.)

Everything Stan Van Gundy has said in his six weeks on the job points to Josh Smith spending nearly his every waking minute at power forward next season. He’s talked about the possibility of Smith, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe all playing somewhere around 32 minutes to accommodate a workable frontcourt rotation. He’s said they would represent the best such trio in the Eastern Conference. He’s said the results when all three played together last season – with Smith at small forward – were less than inspiring.

So maybe adding another center or power forward with the only pick the Pistons hold going into Thursday’s draft at No. 38 isn’t high on their priority list.

But the draft comes five days before free agency opens and the Pistons can’t be sure whether they’ll still have Monroe when the team gathers back in Auburn Hills for training camp in October. Even given the history of restricted free agency and the inherent advantage the home team holds, the Pistons have to at least weigh their options if Monroe fetches an offer sheet from another NBA suitor for the maximum allowed.

No doubt, they’ve already had those discussions internally. And maybe they’ve decided that their response will be swift and absolute: to match any offer sheet, even the maximum, and keep Monroe.

But maybe they’ve decided there are only so many resources – only so many of the projected $63.2 million salary cap dollars – they can afford to expend at two positions when their perimeter needs a boost. And maybe there’s a tipping point where they decide their most prudent course is to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal with a team of Monroe’s choosing.

In that case, then finding a player at 38 who can at least press to be in the mix for backup minutes behind Drummond or Smith moves up a notch or two on that priority list.

If it follows that a team willing to spend big on Monroe would do so because of a glaring frontcourt need, then it’s unlikely that team would have frontcourt players to spare as the return in a sign-and-trade deal. At least not ones good enough to pencil in for the minutes void Monroe’s departure would create. So the Pistons would have to restock the shelves from other sources – with however much cap space they have left after executing a Monroe trade, foremost, but also with the draft.

If it comes to that and the Pistons prioritize landing a college big man ready to compete for NBA minutes immediately, it looks like they’ll at least have some decent options – not always the case in that draft range.

There are at least four or five three- or four-year college players who figure to get past the first round. Here’s a quick look at that group.

Two European players also deserve mention here. It’s not as likely they’d be able to offer immediate help, but their long-term potential could be greater. Here’s a quick look at them.

A third player, Baylor’s Isaiah Austin, would have been included in this group. A former highly touted recruit projected as a potential lottery pick, Austin on Sunday announced that medical testing conducted as part of the draft combine revealed he has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a serious condition that will force him to quit playing basketball.