Chad Ford answers my question on SF

Post #1 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:23 pm

I asked him in today's chat about our SF position. I was hoping it would include free agency options as well, but he was focused on the draft today. Still, a little bit of inside info:

Mark (Santa Cruz)
What's the best possible scenario for the Pistons at SF next year? Most likely?

Chad Ford (1:30 PM)
It's their biggest need and if they don't get into the top 3 in the lottery they'll have their choice of Mario Hezonja, Justise Winslow, Kelly Oubre and Stanley Johnson. I think of those four I lean Hezonja right now as the best prospect. Great combo of athleticism and shooting. On talent, Oubre is probably next, though he's probably the rawest of the four. Johnson and Winslow are probably the most ready to compete right now and given Stan Van Gundy's drive to make the playoffs, could be the the direction he heads.

MotownMadness · Post #2 » by **MotownMadness** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:48 pm

theBigLip wrote:I asked him in today's chat about our SF position. I was hoping it would include free agency options as well, but he was focused on the draft today. Still, a little bit of inside info:

Mark (Santa Cruz)
What's the best possible scenario for the Pistons at SF next year? Most likely?

Chad Ford (1:30 PM)
It's their biggest need and if they don't get into the top 3 in the lottery they'll have their choice of Mario Hezonja, Justise Winslow, Kelly Oubre and Stanley Johnson. I think of those four I lean Hezonja right now as the best prospect. Great combo of athleticism and shooting. On talent, Oubre is probably next, though he's probably the rawest of the four. Johnson and Winslow are probably the most ready to compete right now and given Stan Van Gundy's drive to make the playoffs, could be the the direction he heads.

He pretty much hit in on the head with what we've all been saying about the 4 of them. They are all different with different projections. I was leaning towards Johnson originally but I've really been becoming a big fan of Winslow. Just his defense and motor are off the charts. And with Oubre and Hezonja it could be one of those few years away from making any sort of impact picks, Which is why I would prefer Johnson or Winslow over them because I getting sick of developing players.

Post #3 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:55 pm

Mario Hezonja

Positives
Long athletic guard
Can score from anywhere on the floor
Good shooter with deep range
Explosive leaper
Strong for his age
High basketball IQ

Negatives
Can be selfish on both ends
Just a so-so defender
Chemistry issues

Post #4 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:57 pm

Stanley Johnson

Positives
Physical, athletic wing
NBA body and strength
Always playing in attack mode
Great rebounder for his size
Excellent motor
Super high competitiveness
Elite, physical defender

Negatives
Needs to be a more consistent shooter
Can play out of control leading to turnovers and poor shot selection

Post #5 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:58 pm

Kelly Oubre

Positives
Rangy, athletic wing
Good shooter, albeit with an unorthodox shot
Explosive athlete
Good penetrator and finisher around the rim
Great lateral quickness

Negatives
Needs to improve his handle
Can, at times, settle for bad outside shots
Not a committed defender

Post #6 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:59 pm

Justise Winslow

Positives
Athletic, powerful forward
Terrific motor
NBA body and strength
Quick feet
Potentially elite defender
Scrappy, cleans up around the basket
Excellent rebounder
Very poised, a leader

Negatives
Not particularly skilled offensively
Lacks a great jump shot and handle
Total lack of a mid-range game
A bit of a tweener

Post #7 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 8:01 pm

Malik Pope

Positives
Freaky, versatile athletic forward
Explosive leaper
Runs the floor like a guard
Very skilled, can score from everywhere
Good handle for his size
Solid rebounder
Has range out to the three point line

Negatives
Needs to add strength
Missed a lot of development time in high school with injuries
Battling back from two leg injuries

Post #8 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 8:11 pm

I really want us to get someone who can play both sides of the ball. So they need to be a great athlete to play D, even if they don't do well now, D can be taught. Offensive skills? I don't want a MKG on our team. So I'd rather have someone that has already shown that they can score. So I think I'd pass on Winslow if we have a choice of all these 5. Maybe this order:

Mario Hezonja
Kelly Oubre
Stanley Johnson
Malik Pope (would be higher if not for injuries)
Justise Winslow

princeofpalace · Post #9 » by **princeofpalace** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 8:31 pm

Winslow may not have a midrange game but he can shoot the 3. Hes shooting 39% on 3 attenmpts a game and he can get to the rim at will and score there as well. There is no real comparison to MKG other than they are both elite defensively.

I would caution against relying on Chad Fords observations about players. Ford is good for only one thing, which is reporting how NBA GMs are thinking.

treefi · Post #10 » by **treefi** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:00 pm

Chad Ford. :lol:

How much money does he make to do what all of us are addicted to doing?

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/1/25/7 ... ngs-change

"Here's an example of the changes made to Ford's rankings: a cached version of Ford's 2013 rankings from July 2013 shows Giannis Antetokounmpo ranked No. 17 in the class. As of Saturday, the living version of Ford's 2013 rankings had Antetokounmpo at No. 9. It appears that Ford is revising his own rankings after the fact to make them look better."

Yeah, I had Darko ranked #28 in 2003. I'm serious, I'm awesome.. Trust me, just check my 2003 rankings on ESPN... lol

aad · Post #11 » by **aad** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:04 pm

I want oubre or johnson but any one will be great for our team

treefi · Post #12 » by **treefi** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:08 pm

Honestly, I will be happy with ANY of these 4 players. Whoever SVG likes the most from workouts, I'm down and very excited!

treefi · Post #13 » by **treefi** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:11 pm

Personally: 1)Johnson 2)Winslow 3)Hezonja 4) Oubre

Wouldn't be shocked to see Oubre become the best player(i'd prefer to slowly bring him along, sign an effective SF vet), and Winslow is quickly gaining on Johnson.

treefi · Post #14 » by **treefi** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:13 pm

The biggest question for me will be, "who is better at defending NBA SF's, Winslow or Johnson?"

That's what I'm looking for. #1) Defense #2) 3-point shooting

treefi · Post #15 » by **treefi** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:16 pm

I think a player like Hezonja would thrive on a team like the 76ers... ROY-candidate... but on a team with established go-to franchise-level players, I worry about him pouting. He seems to want to be 'the man', and he damn well may deserve to be, but I dunno, worries me a bit for the Pistons.

Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture... We are damn lucky to be presented with 3 or 4 lottery prospect options at SF where we're likely to be picking. This draft class couldn't have arrived at a better time than now for the Pistons. :nod:

Post #16 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:31 pm

treefi wrote:Chad Ford. How much money does he make to do what all of us are addicted to doing?

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/1/25/7 ... ngs-change

"Here's an example of the changes made to Ford's rankings: a cached version of Ford's 2013 rankings from July 2013 shows Giannis Antetokounmpo ranked No. 17 in the class. As of Saturday, the living version of Ford's 2013 rankings had Antetokounmpo at No. 9. It appears that Ford is revising his own rankings after the fact to make them look better."

Yeah, I had Darko ranked #28 in 2003. I'm serious, I'm awesome.. Trust me, just check my 2003 rankings on ESPN... lol

I don't think Ford did that - I bet someone was just f--king around doing a re-ranking (a lot of post mortem articoles like this) and someone didn't realize they were changing the production page. And Ford readily admits if he blows picks - he reviews them a few years after. He seems pretty legit.

But on your other point - he does have a great gig that I'd do for free :-)

Post #17 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:33 pm

treefi wrote:I think a player like Hezonja would thrive on a team like the 76ers... ROY-candidate... but on a team with established go-to franchise-level players, I worry about him pouting. He seems to want to be 'the man', and he damn well may deserve to be, but I dunno, worries me a bit for the Pistons.

Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture... We are damn lucky to be presented with 3 or 4 lottery prospect options at SF where we're likely to be picking. This draft class couldn't have arrived at a better time than now for the Pistons.

Isn't that the truth? In past years we've always been hoping someone would drop since there were limited wings. But now, with a few bigs and gps taking up the top of the draft, we are going to have a great selection wherever we draft.

Kilo · Post #18 » by **Kilo** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 9:41 pm

All four could be off the board when Pistons pick if we pick 11th or worse.

Post #19 » by **theBigLip** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 10:00 pm

Kilo wrote:All four could be off the board when Pistons pick if we pick 11th or worse.

We're #8 now. Will probably end up ahead of Boston and Utah, so that puts us at #10. We're still going to be able to get someone good.

But of course, we're winning the lottery this year, so it won't be a problem :lol:

ComboGuardCity · Post #20 » by **ComboGuardCity** » Wed Mar 4, 2015 10:16 pm

I think oubre is a hidden sure fire gem. Can shoot and athletic.

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