The Wrong Right Pick

Entering this year's NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons badly needed a shooting guard, or just a shooter in general. The only two-guards on their roster were Rodney Stuckey (who doesn't quite fit at shooting guard or point guard) and Kim English (who belongs in the D-League). Thus, it seems logical that Detroit selected Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a shooting guard out of Georgia, with the eighth pick of the draft. The 6'5 guard has both athleticism and a shot that are difficult to overlook. Obviously, he was not overlooked by Detroit. They needed a shooting guard. So Dumars made the correct pick given the team's needs, right? Wrong. Dumars made the right pick for the roster, but the wrong pick for the organization and future of the Detroit Pistons.

Dumars missed out on a real game changer, the national college player of the year, and a Kyrie Irving-like talent when he selected Caldwell-Pope. With all due respect to the former Bulldog, the Pistons were just as foolish as the seven teams who drafted before them and failed to select this draft's best player, Trey Burke. It's one thing to draft the position of need, but its another (tragic) thing to surpass the draft's best player, especially when he has slipped several spots to your team. Former Michigan Wolverine Trey Burke is not only one of the prospects with the most potential in the 2013 NBA Draft, but he is also the player most NBA ready. Though he stands at only 6'0 tall, he is without a doubt the most skilled player who will enter the NBA in 2013. As just a sophomore at the University of Michigan, Burke not only won the Cousy Award which goes to the nation's top point guard, but he also claimed the Wooden and Naismith Award's which recognize college basketball's best player. His accolades speak for themselves.

Perhaps Dumars deems awards and accolades as overrated. Well, Burke didn't just win awards, he won games too (and he put up numbers while doing it). The point guard led his team to the NCAA National Championship against Louisville, and finished his sophomore campaign tallying 18.6 points per game and dishing out 6.7 assists per game. I get that Detroit is currently home to Jose Calderon, Andrew Bynum, Brandon Knight, and Rodney Stuckey, who can all play point guard. Burke, moreover, would surprise me if he's not better than all four of the aforementioned guards. I also get that Dumars wanted a shooter. While Caldwell-Pope might be able to fill that void, Burke is actually the better shooter. Caldwell-Pope shot 33.9% from beyond the arc in his career at Georgia, while Burke shot 36.7% from three point range in that same two-year span. As sad as this is to think about, had Detroit taken Burke with the 8th pick in the draft, he could have very well been their best player from day one. Unfortunately, for Pistons fans, we will never know if such a statement reigns true. Dumars, furthermore, has had a history of regret come draft time. Perhaps the year 2003 rings a bell?







***As a die-hard Michigan State fan, it pained me to write an article praising a former Wolverine.