Willie Cauley-Stein: Yay or Nay?

coordinator0 · Post #1 » by **coordinator0** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 8:18 pm

Out of all the possible prospects the Pistons could take with the eighth pick I think Cauley-Stein is the least discussed around here. There are some obvious reasons why that is but I'm not sure he won't be on the short list if available when Detroit is on the clock. This has been on my mind for a while and some Tweets that came out earlier today caught my eye.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Mike_Schmitz/status/605436076602171393[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/605450869463605248[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/605432811592368129[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/605429993993158656[/tweet]

A workout setting like this is far from an actual NBA game but if Cauley-Stein keeps improving his jumper that makes him a really interesting fit next to Drummond. Even with a decent jump shot he probably won't ever be more than a 4th or 5th option on offense but that would at least make him a viable candidate for the Pistons. With him and Drummond running the floor the transition offense wouldn't suffer either and I think Jackson would work as well with Willie as he has with Andre. Defensively power forward is probably the best starting position for Cauley-Stein given his lack of strength and ability to defend the post. The big thing to keep in mind here is his length and athleticism would/will make him a terror on the perimeter or in space against both wings and power forwards. That's quite a bit more important than post defense for that spot these days in my opinion.

This is tricky for Detroit since we have no idea who would be playing small forward in this scenario and that's a very important factor for this scenario to succeed. Cauley-Stein with a jumper would replace Monroe fairly well as the starting power forward and backup center but they would need a three that can switch onto some fours some of the time and be a viable offensive threat. There are virtually no options like that in unrestricted free agency this year and I doubt the trade market would look too good in that regard. Tobias Harris would be a pretty good fit for that but Orlando will likely match any offer for him.

I don't know, it's interesting to think about. What say you? How do you think Cauley-Stein possibly fits with Detroit?

Kilo · Post #2 » by **Kilo** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 8:40 pm

I once heard a story about a guy seeing some huge tatted up white dude pulling off all this crazy And1 **** on a local inner city court somewhere in LA while playing some three-on-three - breaking ankles off the dribble, windmill dunks, 360 dunks, shooting from anywhere on the court and the guy who saw this was amazed and wondered to his buddy who in the hell is that any why are they not in the NBA. Turns out the basketball player was once in the NBA - it was Cherokee Parks.

Post #3 » by **theBigLip** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 8:43 pm

Everyone is convinced he can play D at multiple positions. He is a very intriguing prospect.

DETermination · Post #4 » by **DETermination** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 9:28 pm

I'm not too sure about him but I wouldn't be mad if he was drafted by the pistons. I like the idea of having a 7 ft guy who can shoot like him next to Drummond or possibly as backup center. Just not sure if he would be my first pick at number 8.

sc8581 · Post #5 » by **sc8581** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 9:28 pm

I told everybody he could hit open shots a couple weeks ago and got killed for it. Yes I want this guy on the Pistons

coordinator0 · Post #6 » by **coordinator0** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 9:58 pm

sc8581 wrote:I told everybody he could hit open shots a couple weeks ago and got killed for it. Yes I want this guy on the Pistons

Willie's 11-22 sample size from last season is pretty small and didn't display consistent mechanics even with that few attempts. But his progress on free throw shooting from year one to the end of year three is encouraging and makes me think that he can actually add to/expand his shooting from the floor. It's something at least.

zeebneeb · Post #7 » by **zeebneeb** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 10:16 pm

WCS is interesting, but is he worth the 8th pick, and I don't mean that strictly by the position, but by the position he plays.

Who we stick next to Drummond is going to impact a ton of things down the road. Getting the perfect fit next to him will ensure the teams whole future.

Is anyone here that confident in WCS to make that call?

I would rather select a sf, and be done with it.

Btw, I feel the same way about zinger.

ImHeisenberg · Post #8 » by **ImHeisenberg** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 10:29 pm

Remember how Darko could drain 3's in a practice setting that made him look like an all-timer?

A 10 second gif isn't going to change my mind that WCS won't be a relevant scorer in the NBA. Maybe if his free throw shooting wasn't bad I'd be more apt to believe he could develop that part of his game, but it's not.

Kilo · Post #9 » by **Kilo** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 10:40 pm

61% isn't turrible for a center in this day in age.

coordinator0 · Post #10 » by **coordinator0** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 10:47 pm

zeebneeb wrote:WCS is interesting, but is he worth the 8th pick, and I don't mean that strictly by the position, but by the position he plays.

Who we stick next to Drummond is going to impact a ton of things down the road. Getting the perfect fit next to him will ensure the teams whole future.

Is anyone here that confident in WCS to make that call?

I would rather select a sf, and be done with it.

Btw, I feel the same way about zinger.

That's generally how I feel too. The scenario I'm envisioning is Winslow, Hezonja, and Johnson all going in the 4-7 range along with Mudiay. It's not out of the question in my opinion since Winslow could legitimately go to any of those four teams and two out of the three he doesn't might be seriously looking into a wing as well (with Mudiay going to the other). Then it gets interesting for Detroit. Cauley-Stein vs. Porzingis, Cauley-Stein vs. Kaminsky, Cauley-Stein vs. Booker, Cauley-Stein vs. Turner, etc.

sc8581 · Post #11 » by **sc8581** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 11:10 pm

If I thought Winslow or Johnson had offensive games that translated to the NBA I would feel differently but since I think they will just be adequate to good defenders I would prefer WCS.

Notanoob · Post #12 » by **Notanoob** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 11:17 pm

I think that he could be really, really good on defense. His mobility is just insane for a guy his size. He has the athletic tools to be KG+ better shot blocking - defensive rebounding, but of course he lacks KG's incredible instincts and intensity. Not that he has poor instincts, mind you, just not otherworldly. But this is a guy who could legit guard 1-5, blitz pick and roll ball handlers, close out 3 point shooters and always make rotations in time to contest shots at the rim. It's incredible. Plus, he's a constant alley-oop threat, so other big men don't want to help off him and open up easy dunks.

Still, I'm not going to count on him developing a jump shot, and the offense would be ugly if him and Dre were starting together unless he does turn into a 3 point shooter. If he can't start with Andre, then there's no point in drafting a backup big man at 8th, I'd rather trade our pick with the Celtics at that point.

ElectricMayhem · Post #13 » by **ElectricMayhem** » Mon Jun 1, 2015 11:39 pm

sc8581 wrote:I told everybody he could hit open shots a couple weeks ago and got killed for it.

Dead man talking.

zeebneeb · Post #14 » by **zeebneeb** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 12:05 am

You know, I miss the Wallace brothers. If we drafted WCS, we would have a defensive nightmare for every team we played, and rebounding? It's already tough for teams with monroe. With Stein and drum, it would be hilarious how many offensive boards we get each night.

The key, if we draft him, is hitting open jumpers, on pick and rolls, and three balls. If he does that, he would be the perfect fit next to drummond. To compliment those two, we would need a scoring SF, so draft him, and throw the max at Harris. Carol wouldn't cut it.

So yes, I'm in on stein, changing my mind. BUT, we then HAVE to sign a scoring SF, period. Like 20+ PPG.

Screw it. Beast on defense, slow offense. 2004 all over again.

coordinator0 · Post #15 » by **coordinator0** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 12:16 am

Notanoob wrote:Still, I'm not going to count on him developing a jump shot, and the offense would be ugly if him and Dre were starting together unless he does turn into a 3 point shooter. If he can't start with Andre, then there's no point in drafting a backup big man at 8th, I'd rather trade our pick with the Celtics at that point.

That's basically the gist of the gamble. It all depends on how far away you think Cauley-Stein is from having a game-ready jumper. If his mechanics are consistent then it might not be too far off, but it's hard to say how that will end up playing out. For what it's worth I don't think Cauley-Stein or anybody Detroit brings in at power forward needs to be a 3 point shooter, but just have enough range to make him respectable in space.

Post #16 » by **theBigLip** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 1:28 am

coordinator0 wrote:
zeebneeb wrote:WCS is interesting, but is he worth the 8th pick, and I don't mean that strictly by the position, but by the position he plays.

Who we stick next to Drummond is going to impact a ton of things down the road. Getting the perfect fit next to him will ensure the teams whole future.

Is anyone here that confident in WCS to make that call?

I would rather select a sf, and be done with it.

Btw, I feel the same way about zinger.

That's generally how I feel too. The scenario I'm envisioning is Winslow, Hezonja, and Johnson all going in the 4-7 range

Really? Johnson barely makes the top 10 in my book....

Blkbrd671 · Post #17 » by **Blkbrd671** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 1:29 am

Be interesting, definitely fits a need, however WCS at this point in his career is not a compliment to Dre. So we draft him from for a backup role. Per SVG he drafts on tiers, and then within the tier need. PF,SF are utmost need, question is what tier does WCS fall on. i wouldn't put it above guys like Turner, Johnson , Hez, or Winslow

coordinator0 · Post #18 » by **coordinator0** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 1:40 am

theBigLip wrote:
coordinator0 wrote:
zeebneeb wrote:WCS is interesting, but is he worth the 8th pick, and I don't mean that strictly by the position, but by the position he plays.

Who we stick next to Drummond is going to impact a ton of things down the road. Getting the perfect fit next to him will ensure the teams whole future.

Is anyone here that confident in WCS to make that call?

I would rather select a sf, and be done with it.

Btw, I feel the same way about zinger.

That's generally how I feel too. The scenario I'm envisioning is Winslow, Hezonja, and Johnson all going in the 4-7 range

Really? Johnson barely makes the top 10 in my book....

I think the back half of the top 10 is pretty fluid. The way I see it is that there are four guys that will definitely go before Detroit picks (Towns, Okafor, Russell, and Mudiay) but then it's all up in the air. There's a bunch of prospects that teams could all rank differently but are right around the same value. If the Knicks take Winslow at 4 and some teams are scared off of Hezonja but still want a wing then it's pretty much Johnson or nobody. This is an interesting draft for sure.

whitehops · Post #19 » by **whitehops** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 1:49 am

people have seen how SVG likes to run his offense for a year now, what role do you guys see him filling if he's playing alongside Drummond?

zeebneeb · Post #20 » by **zeebneeb** » Tue Jun 2, 2015 2:40 am

whitehops wrote:people have seen how SVG likes to run his offense for a year now, what role do you guys see him filling if he's playing alongside Drummond?

That's actually easy, IF he can hit his jumper consistently. If he can, that opens up huge options on the offensive end of the floor. He doesn't have to hit the three, just a 15 footer. High pick and rolls, and a myriad of other things.

Imagine drummond down on the block, working for his hook shot. Opposing teams can, and do double, and drummond can kick out to stein, or oop to stein.

The teams offense was fantastic when monroe was benched in favor of Tolliver. Imagine that, but on the defensive end an unreal amount of energy and activity.

I'm trying to convince myself here, and it's kinda working.