The Detroit Pistons- Someday, we will rise again!

[sotola]

I thought I remembered you saying he was bigger and more athletic but you did say stronger.

As for "all the physical tools".... Stromile Swift, Kwame Brown, Tyrus Thomas, on and on..... league is littered with the dudes. and many would argue that Swift/Thomas had far more upside than Drummond due to their athletic ability.

I agree that he was the right pick for the Pistons but I wasn't overly impressed in the few games that I saw him. He seems to have his head firmly on his shoulders so he's definitely got more going for him than the average athletic, but basketball skills deficient, first round pick. I think this year's draft is going to have lots of surprises because except for Davis.... too many guys have some really good qualities but lack some really important qualities. Whoever improves their weaknesses the most will go down as the steal and I don't think that has a draft slot number.

[sardis]

We'll trade you Tyrus Thomas for Drummond...

[Jungle Rat]

[tin mad dog]

Monroe as Mentor
Pistons team effort in nurturing Drummond starts with Greg Monroe
by Keith Langlois, Pistons.com | @Keith_Langlois

Greg Monroe hopes to be a mentor for rookie Andre Drummond.
Hoskins/McIsaac/NBAE/Getty Images Sport
ORLANDO – Greg Monroe stands as the shining example for Pistons fans that first impressions show no more than snapshots of a motion picture under production. The Monroe who didn’t get off the bench for the first two games of his NBA career and then had difficulty getting shots off without them being blocked bears little resemblance to the double-double machine on the verge of stardom today.
But you have to start somewhere, right?

For Andre Drummond, it started Thursday night in the Barnett Recreation Center on West Colonial Drive in Orlando, where he and Monroe met and traded elbows during an intense 2½-hour practice as the Pistons prepare for five games in the Orlando Pro Summer League starting Monday.

“He definitely had a very good practice,” Monroe grinned after it was over. “He altered a lot of shots in the paint. He has some work to do, but we’re going to make sure he works hard and he’s going to get better. I’m not worried about that. The coaching staff is great. The players on the team are going to make sure we do our part, also, to help him get better.”

Since the moment Monroe began emerging as the player the Pistons hoped they were getting when they spent the seventh pick in the 2010 draft on him after two years at Georgetown, Joe Dumars and his staff have been on the prowl for a young frontcourt player to complement his skills. Drummond’s length and athleticism make him the ideal candidate, but at 18 and with only a challenging year at UConn under his belt, the transition won’t be immediate.

“Any player coming into the league, there’s a big adjustment,” Monroe said. “You can say that about anybody. He’s still young. He has a long way to go, but he’s here now and it’s our job to make sure he continues to get better.”

Dumars spoke of the mentoring required for any young player last week. It’s not about any individual assuming responsibility, he said, as much as it is establishing a nurturing culture where positive examples are everywhere. But no individual will be more critical in Drummond’s development than Monroe, only two years removed from arriving as a highly touted young big man. He’s already walked the path Drummond now embarks upon.

“Coach L told me to take some personal responsibility as far as helping him out a whole lot and working with him on some things,” said Monroe, who remembered his first day as a Summer League rookie. “He got lucky, actually. I think the first day we got into Vegas my rookie year, we had a two-a-day. He has one practice. Tonight he gets to go home and think about stuff from one practice. I had to go home and think about stuff from two. But I think he’s catching on pretty fast.”

Monroe expected Drummond’s length and athleticism. He was surprised by a few other things.

“He’s definitely strong,” he said. “He’s definitely a Brahma bull down there. But the thing that surprised me is he has pretty quick hands. That’s going to help him out a whole lot early. It’s one thing to change shots above the rim, but if you can also keep guys off guard by also catching the ball while they’re still on the ground, it helps you out a whole lot.”

Monroe took note of Drummond over the course of the college season. He ventures up to the second-floor offices of Joe D and his staff once or twice a week during the season and takes note of the large whiteboards in the offices of the scouting staff that list the names of draftable prospects. Drummond’s, of course, was listed prominently, though the Pistons never really believed until the final days leading to the draft that they might have a chance to land him with the ninth pick.

“I go up in there and pick their brains and learn about some players I might not know about,” Monroe said. “A guy like him, playing in the Big East and being on television a lot, you get to see him. But I asked about him and saw how much they liked him. I’m happy he’s here. I think they made the right decision and now it’s just time to get to work.”

Monroe won’t play in Summer League games as a well-established NBA starter, but Frank strongly believes in the value of young veterans being around their teammates in this setting and joining them for practices. Monroe readily agreed to participate.

“To get some time early with Andre and just to work out with the team, build some chemistry early,” he said. “Even though I’m not playing in games, we’ll still have a few days of practice, make sure we get that timing early so that part will be out of the way when we start training camp. We’ll be back (at the team’s Auburn Hills practice facility) in September, but right now just getting some good work in. There’s nothing like practice, so I decided to come out here. They asked me. Of course I would come, get some work in and be around my teammates.

“We’re trying to build something different here. It started last year and right now I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help it continue to get better.”

One way the Pistons get better is to tighten up defensively, something that in theory, at least, becomes easier to achieve with a 7-foot shot-blocker at the back end. Drummond has every physical tool to fill that role.

“When a guy is taking up that much space, you have to at least think about him,” Monroe said of the value Drummond offers. “That’s something that is going to be added with him out there and that’s something we needed. Hopefully, he continues to get better and he’s ready for the season.”

But as Greg Monroe can attest, the Drummond that starts the season likely will bear little resemblance to the player he becomes. It’s a journey that has to start somewhere. For Andre Drummond, it starts next to teammates willing to take every step at his side.

[tin mad dog]

The education of Andre Drummond


Drummond, Pistons Fall To Thunder

Andre Drummond scores 10 points and grabs nine boards in Pistons' 83-62 loss to Thunder. The Detroit Pistons took a calculated gamble when they selected project big man Andre Drummond with the No. 9 pick in last month's draft. Three days into the Orlando Pro Summer League that's exactly what he looks like, with all the intrigue and pimples that come along with such a prospect.

There are two things you notice when watching Drummond play at this level after he matched up with some legitimate NBA big men so far this week.
One is that he resembles a player who came to the NBA right out of high school. That's almost true. He enrolled at Connecticut a year early and is still a month away from his 19th birthday, making him the youngest player currently on an NBA roster. The other is that there aren't many 6-foot-11, 280-pound men in the world who can move like him. That is precisely why he's where he is.

The Pistons have been a bit surprised at how little Drummond actually knows about high-level basketball. If he was taught much about it at UConn, it didn't stick. They are having to go very slowly with him over certain basic concepts, especially as it pertains to managing a pick-and-roll.

During the first half of the Pistons' game Wednesday, a game they lost 83-62 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank came over from the stands with a legal pad after 10 minutes of action and sat with Drummond. He started doing intensive in-game coaching. Frank has been having these little sessions with Drummond regularly over the past two weeks.[+] Enlarge<CITE>Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images</CITE>Andre

Drummond, the No. 9 pick in the draft, is still the age of many high school seniors.


"This is going to be a big adjustment for Andre, in all aspects -- physically, emotionally, mentally," Frank told reporters last week. "It is for everyone but especially an 18-year-old."
But that doesn't mean Drummond is slow. In fact, the Pistons have noticed they usually don't have to tell him things twice. He has been receptive and coachable -- there's just a lot of coaching to do.
"There's new terminology. I haven't heard some of these words before," Drummond said. "I ask a lot of questions. This whole summer league is a big learning experience for me as I move into training camp. I overthink sometimes and try to do it all."

Indeed, sometimes Drummond looks lost out there. Sometimes he gets out of position because he tries to block every shot. Sometimes he gets worked over by players obviously more experienced than he is.
Tuesday, for example, he became the personal target of\Orlando Magic rookie Kyle O'Quinn, who was the 49th pick overall. O'Quinn went after Drummond both physically and mentally, bashing into him and trash talking all the way. Drummond did not appear totally up for the moment, posting a three-point, three-rebound game. Afterward, O'Quinn, a four-year college player at little Norfolk State who showed polished footwork and extreme confidence, crowed about outworking the lottery pick from the big school.

"I wouldn't say people look at me as a target, just a player they need to play against," Drummond said matter-of-factly. "Why would someone target me just because I'm a lottery pick?"

Well, they are, and he better get used to it.

But then there's a stretch like the first quarter Wednesday and you understand why Pistons general manager Joe Dumars got so excited Drummond fell to him at No. 9.

Playing against the Thunder's Cole Aldrich, a player OKC plans on having in its rotation next season, Drummond had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in a 10-minute stretch that drew some "wows" from the scouts and media in attendance.

Drummond has terrific natural footwork. He does not move like a big man. He runs, jumps and corners like smaller and lighter players. And though some instant detractors have labeled him another Kwame Brown, Drummond seems to have reasonable hands. His stats in college and so far in Orlando are not impressive. But he outplayed Aldrich in that first quarter and had good success the Utah Jazz's Enes Kanter on defense in the first summer league games on Monday.

He finished with 10 points and nine rebounds Wednesday. In the three games thus far he's averaging 7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3 steals and 3.3 blocks a game. He's able to play long minutes day after day, showing he's in reasonably good shape, though of course the team hopes to get him in better condition. He's 3-of-11 from the foul line. He has avoided a classic young big man's mistake of heavy fouling, collecting a reasonable 11 in the three games.

Calling it too early to tell on Drummond is an understatement. You can see all the challenges and all the potential. The Pistons will have some interesting decisions on how much to play him. Last season they played rookie point guard Brandon Knight heavily and let him play through mistakes. Giving Drummond minutes as a rookie will take patience as well.

The Pistons are currently considering bringing back veteran big man Ben Wallace. He could act as a mentor to Drummond but he could also take some of his playing time. Detroit may want to see what they have with the rotation of Drummond and Greg Monroe.

In the meantime, Drummond is planning on moving to Detroit in the next few weeks to start workouts leading up to training camp. He's got a long way to go but that doesn't mean he won't get there. His attitude about his situation seems to be a mixture of naiveté, curiosity and confidence. Which is probably exactly what to expect from a talented 18-year-old in his position.

"I'm trying to soak it in," Drummond said. "They're pushing me around a bit, I'm a rookie. But I'm not giving in to anybody."

[sotola]

ahhh summer league... I remember watching Joey Graham go off for 20 points on a regular basis. those were good times

[Bklyn]

Calhoun did not coach Drummond much last year. So he had that going against him, as far as not having any developed understanding of high-level basketball...but I am truly shocked by his low number of fouls. That basically never happens with rookie big men during Summer League.

[sotola]

if you want to roll the dice on a player, I think Drummond is exactly the type of project that you do.

I probably, subconciously, also just shudder at hearing a U Conn player being taken in the first round the same way that I do when I hear a Duke player being taken. I am a Duke fan but they never seem to become good NBA players. There are definitely exceptions but the number of failures always seems to outnumber the successes.

[hedge]

Amen, brother!!

[tin mad dog]

ahhh summer league... I remember watching Joey Graham go off for 20 points on a regular basis. those were good times

You don't really watch the summer league for numbers (unless the guy is putting up 50 and 25). You just watch to get an idea of what your teams' player(s) can do.


Like this: [img2]http://c0014384.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/x2_d65c2c1[/img2]

Obviously, the angle makes it look more impressive than it is but he is up pretty damn high.

[Bklyn]

That's Howardesque.

[sotola]

Dunking on guys that are much shorter always does look more impressive. I am not ragging on him but summer league doesn't tell you anything except athleticism. Ross looks awesome right now but I need to see him against guys with similar talent before I am completely ecstatic. Summer league is always feel good for athletic talents due to the nature of the games.

[tin mad dog]

Dunking on guys that are much shorter always does look more impressive. I am not ragging on him but summer league doesn't tell you anything except athleticism.

That's 6'11" Enes Kanter that he's in that photo with.

[Jungle Rat]

Bam!

[sotola]

you are right, I should have said, dunking on guys who are shorter (not much) but athletically inferior, always looks more impressive. Kanter looked great on the bench in street clothes, didn't he? I hope you guys are right about Drummond since the Pistons' franchise has taken some serious steps back in the last couple of years and I always liked the Pistons dating back to the bad boy days. It's a shame how much they have fallen in the last few years. I have always said he was the right pick for your team but most of Dumars' gambles haven't paid off recently.... combine that with my distrust of high picks from UConn and I am sure you can see why I am hesitant to be delirious. Two former UConn players that are drastically overpaid for their contributions already reside on your roster so I am a little surprised you are not a little scared as well.

[tin mad dog]

[youtube]WkQg65PGqSo[/youtube]

So far, things are looking promising. He has a much softer touch than I thought he would. He also has power.

[Bklyn]

How tall is Drummond?

[tin mad dog]

6'11"

[Bklyn]

I thought he was big. He seems to play a little smaller than that, as far as his explosiveness off of two feet. Not a big deal, but he definitely is no Chris Webber, athletically.

[sotola]

got to see him a few times now against "Nba" competition, although it was weak NBA competition, and he definitely won't be Thabeet but his game is raw.

he was definitely the right guy at that slot for the Pistons but I don't see a "can't miss" tag on him by any stretch of the imagination