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Jason Maxiell?

Jason Maxiell, the new Piston, is one of those players for me that seemed to play at the college level for ten years, like Sherman Douglas and Calbert Cheaney. I'm sure you have your own.

Maxiell is a 6'7" bruiser, just an absolute monster. Maybe he can do some of what Ben Wallace does as Wallace, ages, though the Free Press compares him to Darvin Ham, who of course is a critical part of the Pistons' team. I don't like the pick. Maxiell can't backup Hamilton, he can only maybe back up Prince, and he can definitely take fourth big man minutes away from Darko. The Pistons need immediate specialized help -- outside shooting from a backup swingman -- and they didn't get it. The second round picks are a high schooler who won't make the team and a swingman Alex Acker, who fits backup 3 profile but has character problems. He actually seems like a reasonable risk at the last pick to me.

In non-Piston news:
--The Raptors' pick of Charlie Villanueva is perplexing -- they've taken Chris Bosh and Araujo the last two years and Villanueva is a head case who would have come out after high school but doesn't try. I really like the player they got at 16, though, Joey Graham, but throw in Jalen Rose and Morris Peterson and it seems like you have a logjam of mediocre 3s. They are going to be the worst team in the East.
--The Clippers' first-round pick, Yaroslav Korolev, is 18, Russian, has a blond crew cut, and might weight 190 pounds. I'm sure he's skilled, but he looks about as NBA-ready as the starting second basewoman on your daughter's high-school soccer team.
--Who do you think is happier? Deron Williams, who got picked third but has to move to Salt Lake City, or Chris Paul, picked one spot later but moving to New Orleans? The Jazz, by the way, gave up a ton to get Williams' spot: the sixth and 27th picks this year, plus a conditional first-rounder next year, which I can assure you will be a high pick. Williams also looked much thinner at the draft than he did at the NCAA tournament. Either he's got a parasite or he's been working hard to harden up his round college PG body.
--I loved Isiah as a player, but I'm thrilled I'm not a Knicks fan. Or a CBA fan, for that matter. I have to agree with the Sports Guy on Channing Frye: Loren Woods, though Frye is beefier.
--I'm also pleased not to be a Sixers fan. One pick, and it's a small HS point guard who is years away?
--The Pacers got the consensus sixth best player in the draft (Danny Granger) at 17, and they get Artest back next year. Watch out.

posted by Jeff Gray @ 10:36 AM