Looking for an outside opinion

[Pistons < Spurs]

Ok, so the Pistons draft Baby Ben (Maxiell). I've known for the last week or so that Joe D. was high on this kid.....or maybe he was just high...but I'm still very suprised that we chose him...especially in the first round. If we could have gotten him in the 2nd, I'd be very happy....but....

He sounds like a quality player. Definetly a little undersized, but a wing span that's oout of this world. Hustles,Rebounds..and definetly blocks shots.

But is this what we needed? I was so looking forward to getting a legit scorer off the bench. A solid player that could back up Tay. Perhaps Gomes? or even Stoudamire? Simein?

Myabe it's just me, but I'm not really happy with this pick at all. It looks like one of those "best player available" picks...but I question even that.

You all saw us for 7 games. What do you think?

[Marcus Bryant]

At that pick you are looking for someone who can make it in the NBA. That guy looks like he will fit in Detroit.

[Pistons < Spurs]

OVERVIEW: One of the top defensive players in the nation, Maxiell led Conference USA in blocks with 2.8 per game, and finished his collegiate career fourth in the league history with 252. Maxiell, who did not miss a game in his four-year career at Cincinnati, finished 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,566 points. He scored a career-high 30 points and blocked seven shots in a win over Longwood this season. He was named C-USA Sixth Man of the Year in his freshman season and was second team all-league selection his final two years.

LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: There has been speculation that Maxiell has received a promise in the late first round from an unidentified team. It is certainly possible, but if not true, then Maxiell could be picked anywhere in the second round. Some teams don't like undersized power forwards, while others feel they can be productive in the right setting.

POSITIVES: Maxiell has explosive leaping ability and uncommon strength. He is an undersized power player in the Charles Barkley vein who is most effective when he is battling in the trenches. Furthermore, he has has a shocking 7-3 wingspan that enables him to play much bigger than his listed height. Maxiell will be even more effective in the NBA, where he will be a role player unconcerned about picking up a couple of fouls for being so aggressive.

SHORTCOMINGS: Maxiell doesn't have much shooting range for his height. He is a great jumper and is used to getting shots off close to the basket against bigger people, but the next step in his development as a player is to increase the range on his shots. If he could consistently make a 15-footer, it would put him in an entirely different category than he is right now. For now, he is simply a huge effort player.

[SequSpur]

wgaf

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

He's basically McDyess without the three ball.

[ducks]

the big question is when will larry brown ever play him

[Solid D]

Detroit is probably going to look at the FA market for their wing scorer. There are several, if they can afford them.

[jochhejaam]

OVERVIEW: One of the top defensive players in the nation, Maxiell led Conference USA in blocks with 2.8 per game, and finished his collegiate career fourth in the league history with 252. Maxiell, who did not miss a game in his four-year career at Cincinnati, finished 11th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,566 points. He scored a career-high 30 points and blocked seven shots in a win over Longwood this season. He was named C-USA Sixth Man of the Year in his freshman season and was second team all-league selection his final two years.

LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: There has been speculation that Maxiell has received a promise in the late first round from an unidentified team. It is certainly possible, but if not true, then Maxiell could be picked anywhere in the second round. Some teams don't like undersized power forwards, while others feel they can be productive in the right setting.

POSITIVES: Maxiell has explosive leaping ability and uncommon strength. He is an undersized power player in the Charles Barkley vein who is most effective when he is battling in the trenches. Furthermore, he has has a shocking 7-3 wingspan that enables him to play much bigger than his listed height. Maxiell will be even more effective in the NBA, where he will be a role player unconcerned about picking up a couple of fouls for being so aggressive.

SHORTCOMINGS: Maxiell doesn't have much shooting range for his height. He is a great jumper and is used to getting shots off close to the basket against bigger people, but the next step in his development as a player is to increase the range on his shots. If he could consistently make a 15-footer, it would put him in an entirely different category than he is right now. For now, he is simply a huge effort player.

I almost posted the same thing on this board except I had deleted the shortcomings part. :lol I'm surprised he did so well against Longwood....who's Longwood? :lol

As a Piston fan I hadn't heard much about him but I like what they have to say about him. Maybe a Barkley with a defensive game?

[picnroll]

Pistons can quite likely attract a Jalen Rose, Alan Houston, Michael Finley type at a discount with the potential of getting a ring.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Detroit is probably going to look at the FA market for their wing scorer. There are several, if they can afford them.


That the one thing I'm hoping for. Jalen? Rumors of Larry Hughes????--doubt it though....

I think in 7 or 8 months, all of detroit will be doing "MMMAAXXXIELLLL" chants. I think he could bring alot of the hustle that Detroit fans love. Defense from the bench may get a huge boost.

But where is our scorer. I was getting sick watching Billups being our only offensive weapon.

Hopefully Joe D. sees a bigger picture than I do right now.

[Guru of Nothing]

He looked a lot like Malik Rose.

[jochhejaam]

Detroit is probably going to look at the FA market for their wing scorer. There are several, if they can afford them.

Does the Mid Level Exception count against the Cap?

[DDS4]

My guess is they couldn't get a proven shooter at their position.

[Guru of Nothing]

Does the Mid Level Exception count against the Cap?

Nope, hence the word exception.

[jochhejaam]

That the one thing I'm hoping for. Jalen? Rumors of Larry Hughes????--doubt it though....

Hopefully Joe D. sees a bigger picture than I do right now.

Joe definitely has a better take than we do...doesn't he? :lol

The Larry Hughes thing would be great but I believe it was a hoax. Jalen would be a good possibility if he gets waived.

Maxiell....Delfino...Darko...I'm startin' to get excited about the coming season!

:elephant

[Solid D]

Does the Mid Level Exception count against the Cap?

No it's a Cap exception.

[jochhejaam]

Nope, hence the word exception.

Thanks for the info. appreciated

(also thanks to solidD)

[Guru of Nothing]

Thanks for the info. appreciated

This marks the first time EVER I posted with authority on a salary cap question.

I feel woozy.

[ShoogarBear]

Detroit could make out well with one of the Salary Cap Cut Casualties, someone like Houston or Finley.

[AI-square]

That the one thing I'm hoping for. Jalen? Rumors of Larry Hughes????--doubt it though....

I think in 7 or 8 months, all of detroit will be doing "MMMAAXXXIELLLL" chants. I think he could bring alot of the hustle that Detroit fans love. Defense from the bench may get a huge boost.

But where is our scorer. I was getting sick watching Billups being our only offensive weapon.

Hopefully Joe D. sees a bigger picture than I do right now.

I'll be shocked if Larry Hughes goes to Detroit to play on the bench. It's a scary prospect but an unlikely one. I agree that the Pistons could do with some scoring off the bench, especially at SG or SF. How about hunting down free agent Donyell Marshall? His 3-point shooting could add a dimension to the Detroit offense.

[2centsworth]

Detroit is going to make a run at Michael Finley who would be an incredible pick-up.

Can play very good defense and can get red hot from outside.

[Pistons < Spurs]

I'll be shocked if Larry Hughes goes to Detroit to play on the bench. It's a scary prospect but an unlikely one.

I agree with you. It's been the major RUMOR in Detroit today I guess. who knows. It'd be huge...but I have lots of doubts about it.

[CubanMustGo]

Finley? Defense?? Gosh, I've lived in the D/FW area for five years and not heard those two words put together (of course, before this year it was the Allas Mavs - No D). But as an additional scoring option, still a great fit for the Pistons.

[wesanity]

Another Cincinnati hoodlum in the NBA? When will teams learn not to draft players who played for Bob Huggins. They are bad news…they are the jail balers of college basketball… however i do resepct joe dumars and think he might not be wrong but who knows he really blew it with darko

[jochhejaam]

Here's a nice related article from todays Det. Free Press (with a couple of teasers);

1. Toughest player in the draft," Pistons director of scouting George David said.

And Joe Dumars said: "We felt that this guy, Jason Maxiell ... has the same DNA as the rest of the Pistons."

Maxiell is 6-foot-7, small for a power forward, but the Pistons aren't worried about that. They feel he has the strength to defend bigger players. He also has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, something I'll keep in mind if I ever organize a revival of Hands Across America.

2. And at No. 11, Orlando picked Fran Vazquez. Here's my opinion as a basketball expert, albeit a basketball expert who would not know Fran Vazquez if he broke into my house and started doing laundry: Fran Vazquez? What kind of basketball player is that?

In the top 11, we had an Andrew, a Chris, a Raymond, a Charlie, a Channing, another Andrew and a Fran. If they don't make the NBA, they can always try out for "One Life to Live."


To view the entire story see the url. below
http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/rosey29e_20050629.htm

[GrandeDavid]

I'm a University of Cincinnat alum and know Jason Maxiell's game very well. I was hoping he'd fall to the Spurs. Great addition. Quiet, very hard-working guy who, although you call "undersized" (disagree), has a wingspan of a seven footer. He's a shot blocker, defender, never quits, is used to playing through double teams and has some nice moves around the basket.

Great draft pick.

Btw, I predicted your team would draft him WITHOUT having consulted any Detroit draft news or resources.

Props to me, my friend. :lol

[Useruser666]

Doesn't Detroit have some high draft pick on their team right now that they're not using? :lol

Do any Detroit fans want Brown back?

[GrandeDavid]

http://cmsimg.enquirer.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=AB&Date=20050629&Category=SPT0101&ArtNo=506290363&Ref=AR&Profile=1064&MaxW=300&MaxH=700&border=0

He'll help keep 'D' in Detroit
Defense made Bearcat 1st-rounder

By Bill Koch
Enquirer staff writer

Enquirer file

Jason Maxiell's a Detroit Piston now.

The first-round picks kept rolling past and the University of Cincinnati's Jason Maxiell's name wasn't among them.

But Maxiell wasn't concerned. He and his agent, Richard Katz, had received assurances several weeks ago from the Detroit Pistons that he would be their selection.

So when the Pistons' turn came up with the 26th pick in Tuesday's NBA draft, Maxiell, sitting at a table in Fifth Third Arena's UCATS restaurant, joined hands with his grandfather, James, and his mother, Patricia, as commissioner David Stern made the announcement.

Maxiell, a 6-foot-7 forward from Carrollton, Texas, known for his defense, was a first-round draft pick on his way to the Pistons, a top-echelon NBA team also known for its defense.

"It fits like a glove," Maxiell said. "Defense is their game, and defense is our game."

As the selection was announced, cheers went up from the gathering at Fifth Third. Maxiell's mother, who remembers her son telling her when he was 5 years old that he wanted to play in the NBA, began to cry.

"I thought I could hold it together," she said. "But when I heard his name called, I lost it."

Maxiell was his usual impassive self.

"That's just me," he said.

He hugged his mother and his grandfather. UC coach Bob Huggins hugged Mrs. Maxiell, then made his way to Maxiell and embraced him.

Maxiell is the first UC player to be selected in the first round since Kenyon Martin and DerMarr Johnson in 2000 and the 10th player in UC history to be taken in the first round.

To the rest of the nation, Maxiell's selection in the first round probably came as a surprise. He was not listed as a first-round selection in the mock drafts on the Internet.

But Katz and the UC coaches were confident Maxiell would be a first-round selection.

"I know the Web sites didn't say that, but we knew early in Chicago that there were a lot of people who really liked him and loved what he is," Huggins said.

"He's a wonderful human being. He's a great teammate. He's got a great work ethic and he's going to come and play every day."

Maxiell said he had a good workout with the Pistons and left Detroit believing he had found a home.

"I thought Detroit was the place for me," he said. "It'll be great going up there and trying to win a championship."

Knowing he probably would be drafted by the Pistons, Maxiell said he watched the NBA Finals, won by the San Antonio Spurs over the Pistons in seven games, with particular interest.

"I was watching to see how I fit in," he said.

Under the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, first-round selections receive a two-year guaranteed contract.

During his four years at UC, Maxiell scored 1,566 points - 11th on UC's career scoring list - and pulled down 491 rebounds.

Last season, he averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots.

But it wasn't his numbers that defined him. It was his work ethic and the way he carried himself during four years at UC.

"The thing that everybody says about our guys is that they come in every day and they work, and Max is at the top of that list every day," Huggins said.

"Max is at the top of that list. He's going to play in the league for a long time because he'll show up every day and play."

Late Tuesday, another former Bearcat, Robert Whaley, was selected by Utah with the 51st overall pick.

^That's a HORRIBLE pick by Utah.

Detroit made a great pick.

[GrandeDavid]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050629/COL03/506290350/1064

Cheers to Maxiell for doing it right
Basketball only part of Max's legacy at UC

By Paul Daugherty
Enquirer staff writer

Jason Maxiell did it right. The whole thing. Max went to class, made the grades, endured Bob Huggins' practices, learned and worked and strived and grew. He leaves the University of Cincinnati as the total package.

He also can play a little basketball.

The celebrating Tuesday was for Maxiell's entry into the NBA. More than 50 family members, from at least six states, gathered at Fifth Third Arena to toast Jason's success. "He has a chance to live his dreams," was how his grandfather, James, put it.

Yeah, he does. But it's more than that. Maxiell leaves UC a better place for having been there. His example should stand for every kid who ever shows up in town dreaming big, whether it's basketball or biology. Maxiell didn't get anything handed to him. He earned it all.

Ideally, basketball players go to college and end up this way. Their games improve enough, the NBA becomes interested.

Their minds improve enough, they leave with a degree. (Maxiell's is in psychology.)

Their selves improve enough, the 18-year-old child leaves as a 22-year-old adult.

"He speaks so well now," Patricia Maxiell was saying. "He writes so well. He's become a man."

Jason was 5 when he announced to Patricia, "I wanna be in the NBA."

"OK, baby," she said.

Seventeen years later, she opened her mail one Saturday morning in March and started crying so hard, she didn't stop until Sunday night. "I got this letter from the university," she said last night. "I thought, 'OK, what bill did we not pay?' It was his diploma."

Patricia calls the NBA "a perk." Imagine that. She says The Association is just a small part of what she hopes will be a long life for her son. "He can't play basketball the rest of his life. That degree will last him forever."

She was there for Jason, always. Preaching the motherly gospel of support. Never allowing herself to dream that Tuesday would come, satisfied only that her son was working hard and good things would happen.

"He was always a hard worker. He got that from my dad," Patricia said.

Her dad was at the gathering Tuesday. James is quiet, reflective and big as a house, same as his grandson. "I told him I'd be his grandfather and his father," James said. "And I was." Jason and Patricia lived with her parents until Jason was 14, in Hazelcrest, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

Jason saw his grandfather go to work every day for the Chicago Board of Education, then come home in time to take Jason to the gym. He saw his grandmother do the same. He watched Patricia earn her degree in accounting. A house full of strivers.

By the time he got to UC, Jason was who he was. Credit Huggins for honing Maxiell's work ethic and his game. Next to Kenyon Martin, there has been no bigger success story in Huggins' 16 years at UC than Maxiell.

Mostly, credit Maxiell, who did it all himself.

There is a very good chance no Bearcat has ever been screamed at less by Huggins than Maxiell. There's an equally good chance no player needed less introduction to hard work. Maxiell never cheated himself or anyone else. Celebrate that, because that's why David Stern called Maxiell's name Tuesday night.

The Detroit Pistons, second-best team in the league, took him as the 26th pick in the first round. That surprised the "experts" who believed Maxiell would go later. Maybe they don't know him very well. "Be courteous and listen," James had told his grandson. "Be responsible and do your best."

That was a long time ago, but the advice still applies.

[SouthernFried]

Christ...that guy sounds like SPURS material. Screw detroit! ;)

[WayDowntownBang]

Christ...that guy sounds like SPURS material. Screw detroit! ;)

LOL, I guess I'm going to use this as my "Well, if we can't have the title..." bit. I'll trade you this guy for the rings in a heartbeat.

I like the pick. I'll be honest.. I knew NOTHING about him when they called his name.. somehow I missed the boat on this guy, had no clue who he was. I did a little research, and I like it. Even more though, I like the fact that Joe wanted him weeks ago, and this wasn't a "our guy is gone, lets take this guy" move.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Sounds like he would fit right in, although if Larry comes back I wonder if he'll see any real minutes.

[WayDowntownBang]

Doesn't Detroit have some high draft pick on their team right now that they're not using? :lol

Do any Detroit fans want Brown back?

Watch for Darko to emerge in Summer league play, and get some quality minutes this year. You can Vbook that.

And yes.. Brown is the best option for Detroit. Anyone who DOES NOT think that he's our best coaching option hasn't been watching.

[ObiwanGinobili]

This guy has Spurs written all over him. damn damn damn.
I admit , I'm not happy to see DET. picking up ANOTHER big bad shot blocker.

But I'm very surprised they didin't go for a scorer. Billups can't do it all. He's only 1 man. granted others do pitch in occasionaly - but Billups is the constant offensive force on that team, and he's a guard. Maybe DET. will get somethign good out of the FA market. But i hope not for the sake of my Spurs.

[ObiwanGinobili]

If I was a DET. fan I'd def. want Brown back. No matter what can be said about the yguy - you can't deny that he gives 110% to his teams and is one of the best coaches of all time.
I think your 2nd best option would be to blow up Duke while Coach K is on vacation thus forcing him ot take an NBA job.

[SWC Bonfire]

What is it with Detroit and the long-armed players? Isn't Teyshawn Prince enough?

Fits in well with the team, I guess.

[GrandeDavid]

LOL, I guess I'm going to use this as my "Well, if we can't have the title..." bit. I'll trade you this guy for the rings in a heartbeat.

I like the pick. I'll be honest.. I knew NOTHING about him when they called his name.. somehow I missed the boat on this guy, had no clue who he was. I did a little research, and I like it. Even more though, I like the fact that Joe wanted him weeks ago, and this wasn't a "our guy is gone, lets take this guy" move.

Bro, I hope you enjoyed my insights being a Cincinnati alum from San Antonio. Rare combination on the boards here!