Piston Fans Crossing Their Fingers for the NBA Lottery

The 2009-2010 NBA season was forgettable for Piston fans. The Pistons had their worst season in years. 

It became blatantly clear the Pistons need a post player with some semblance of offensive aptitude. The Pistons post players were pathetic offensively, and with the exception of Big Ben, not much better on defense. 

The Pistons are in the lottery courtesy of their poor play and—with a little luck—they might be able to add the post presence they sorely need. Here are a couple of options the Pistons might have in the draft. 

If the Pistons lose out in the lottery they will most likely pick seventh or eighth. The two players most likely to be available there are UNC PF Ed Davis (6'10", 215 lbs), and Kansas's Cole Aldrich (6'11", 245 lbs). 

Davis put up averages of 12.9 ppg, 9.2 rebs, and 2.7 blks. The positives from ESPN's scouting report: 

The big knocks on Davis are his lack of experience and his need to add strength. 

Aldrich has been compared to Joel Przybilla but with more offensive ability. This year Aldrich saw his numbers drop off, but he still put up solid averages of 11.3 ppg, 9.8 rebs, and 3.5 blks. The positives from ESPN's scouting report:

The big questions are his motor and his lack of quickness and explosiveness. Also, there are some concerns about his ability to contribute in transition. 

The Pistons and their fans, however, are hoping the Pistons manage to land in the Top Three. If the Pistons land the top pick the feeling is they would draft Kentucky PG John Wall. In this scenario the Pistons would use Rodney Stuckey or Ben Gordan to try and land post help. The two bigs the Pistons are likely to target are Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins (6'10", 250 lbs) and Georgia PF Derrick Favors (6'9", 215 lbs).

Cousins had a very solid year at Kentucky and most think he could have put up bigger numbers on a less "loaded" team. He averaged 15.1 ppg, 9.8 rebs, and 1.8 blks per game as a freshman. The positives from ESPN's scouting report:

The question marks on Cousins center on his conditioning and motor. He lacks some explosiveness around the basket and can be indifferent as a defender. 

Favors stats suffered from being on a team which lacked a "true" point guard and his teammates often neglected to get him the ball. Favors has received positive comparisons to Amare Stoudemire. He averaged 12.4 ppg, 8.4 rebs, and 2.1 blks per game as freshman. The positives:

The questions Favors needs to address center on his offense. He needs more polish and a solid go-to scoring move, he also could improve his ball handling ability. 

As a fan I am hoping the Pistons are able to draft Cousins or Favors. The potential in Favors is really exciting. Dumars made the decision that it was time to rebuild, the 2010 draft is a great place to speed up the rebuilding effort in Detroit.