Tom Gores reaches deal to buy Pistons (or did he ?)

[RickFromFowler]

In a draft with LBJ all the hype was geared towards Darko???? No it wasn't.

There was no hype over LeBron.. 3 years earlier there was.. by the time draft rolled around, once the Cavs had the #1 pick in the lottery locked up, LeBron was a foregone conclusion.. there was no hype, none, zip.. everyone know they were taking LeBron.. all the hype was over who #2 was going to be.. and how the Pistons who had just lost in the conference finals were going to be set up as a dynasty team..

[MoOff24]

My point is that no pick is a "no-brainer", it just takes a keen GM and some decent scouts to see what a guy can do. With the info that came out about Darko after he was drafted, Dumars should've taken Melo all day every day

so based on info that came out AFTER the draft he should have taken someone else? hindsight is 20/20...hate that saying but it's so true in this case.

[MoOff24]

My point is that no pick is a "no-brainer", it just takes a keen GM and some decent scouts to see what a guy can do. With the info that came out about Darko after he was drafted, Dumars should've taken Melo all day every day

Hate on joe D for making the wrong pick...which in the end I suppose is all that matters. But I just cant stand when people act like he was going against the grain or opposite of what everyone else in the NBA would have done because that's just not true. The pistons unfortunately got the #2 pick that year. If they had gotten the #3 instead we wouldnt be having this conversation and Joe D would be hailed as a genius for taking Melo/Bosh/or Wade which brings me back to my main point that all these "great GMs" often are great because of circumstance....not because of anything they have actually done. If the Thunder get the 1st pick that year they likely take Oden and the team isnt nearly as good and the Thunder GM is terrible.

[pGekko]

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...es-leaves-town

[joeking1978]

Darko and Durant were both #2 picks

Jay Williams was also a number 2 pick. How about Greg Oden or Kwame Brown? Micheal Olowakandi, Adam Morrison and Darius Miles?

People need to get off the Darko bs. The NBA draft is the biggest crap shoot of any sport. Even lottery picks are far from guaranteed.

Joe has done well to be competitive despite having a team in the most unattractive market in the country (outside Cleveland) to an NBA star. Comparing Presi to him is laughable. Outside drafting Durant... What has he done??

[General283]

so based on info that came out AFTER the draft he should have taken someone else? hindsight is 20/20...hate that saying but it's so true in this case.

Info that Dumars knew before the draft that the fans got after.

Like:

Darko really wasnt ready to move to the US
Darko didn't really get that much PT in Europe and his stats were hilariously underwhelming
Darko didn't have the toughness to compete in the NBA at 18
Darko didn't play in a system that translated to success in the NBA

I love how you guys say "every GM would've taken Darko at #2!!!!!!!!" Like that excuses these idiots. NBA GMs as a group are an extremely underwhelming group. The fact is that Dumars failed with that pick.

[Bogen]

Info that Dumars knew before the draft that the fans got after.

Like:

Darko really wasnt ready to move to the US
Darko didn't really get that much PT in Europe and his stats were hilariously underwhelming
Darko didn't have the toughness to compete in the NBA at 18
Darko didn't play in a system that translated to success in the NBA

I love how you guys say "every GM would've taken Darko at #2!!!!!!!!" Like that excuses these idiots. NBA GMs as a group are an extremely underwhelming group. The fact is that Dumars failed with that pick.

Not that I normally say it, but LINK? If you say a lot was based on potential sure a lot of GM's loved his potential. You are more or less asserting that Dumars made the pick to screw the team over.

[dalemotown]

The NBA draft is the biggest crap shoot of any sport. Even lottery picks are far from guaranteed.

This is true.

I remember the 1980's Drafts (Ewing, Ralph Sampson, Clyde Drexler, etc.)....it seemed every year from 1980 thru, say, 1993, the first 15-18 picks all had star-to-superstar potential. I don't know what the heck has happened to the quality of amateur American basketball players.
Nowadays, the NBA Draft does well to produce 2-3 stars. Period.