The last time the Detroit Pistons held a top-five pick in the NBA Draft, they selected Darko Miličić at No. 2 overall in 2003. The time before that, they selected Grant Hill with the fourth overall pick in 1994. So it's fair given the lack of recent draft credentials and the small sample of hit-or-miss history if you're skeptical that Detroit winning Tuesday night's lottery portends future franchise success. I get that.
Heck, I'd understand if the Pistons themselves might be on pins and needles hoping not to blow a good opportunity.
However, Pistons GM Troy Weaver expressed excitement Tuesday about winning the top pick and embraced the expectations that come with getting first dibs in a loaded draft.
"I'm happy we have the No. 1 pick. Some people wouldn't be, but I'm ecstatic," he said. "Excited about moving our franchise forward. As far as getting the pick right, I mean, that's what I was hired for."
It feels at this point like a foregone conclusion that Cade Cunningham will be Motown bound and down. He is and has been for months been viewed as the No. 1 prospect in the draft. He's already committed to visiting just one team, too: Detroit. But Weaver on Tuesday didn't commit one way or another, saying "four or five players" will get consideration at No. 1.
"Now we're number one, so we get to pick the best one we see fit to move us forward," he said. "That's the goal. Whoever we pick, that's the number one goal – to continue to help us restore the Pistons and build this franchise back to where it once was."
No team is going to tip its hand before draft night, so we can't fault Weaver for not laying out the full five-year plan. But in version 7.0 of my NBA mock draft, we'll cut through the cloud of coyness and get right to it -- with Detroit selecting Cunningham at No. 1.
https://ift.tt/3xJkzFh
Sports
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "2021 NBA Mock Draft 7.0: Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green are top three picks after lottery - CBS Sports"
Post a Comment