Will Detroit Pistons Regret Not Drafting Kemba Walker?

I have gotten so sick of opening articles about the NBA with the disclaimer that the NBA season is likely not going to begin any time soon. In fact, I think the good money would be on a completely canceled season as the players still don't quite get how serious the owners are, and how precarious their bargaining position is.

So from here on out, I will just delve right into the article, and ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room. But, again, I don't think we will have an NBA season. There is a reckoning brewing by the owners, and the players will be lucky to get half of what they want, let alone all.

Regardless, I can't help thinking about the upcoming NBA season, and some of the great storylines, especially in Detroit.

This is a team that is finally able to start making tangible moves for the future given, of course, that their ownership group is as serious as advertised.

I believe they are, and the recent firing of the useless Eli Zaret is yet another indicator that there is a new sheriff in town.

But what I keep coming back to is the move to draft Brandon Knight, the explosive combo guard from Kentucky over Kemba Walker, the explosive combo guard out of Connecticut.

Keep in mind, I had been advocating for Walker for about a year prior to the draft. His quickness, leadership and scoring prowess, despite his slight frame, reminded me of Isiah Thomas, my all-time favorite player.

Walker showed during the Big East tournament, and later in the NCAA March Madness, that he was the real deal, and capable of putting a team on his back and willing them to victory.

He seemed to be the perfect fit for Detroit, and this new era of Pistons.

But a funny thing happened on the way to drafting Walker. A consensus top-three pick, Knight, slipped in the draft all the way down to Detroit.

While I was live blogging for this website, I found myself completely torn when it came time for Detroit to draft.

On the one hand, you need to draft the best player available, which was definitely Knight. He was groomed as the next in a long line of great point guards under John Calipari, and some thought he would be as good as his predecessor, John Wall.

You have to take the best guy on the board, right?

On the other hand, Walker is more proven. We have a body of work to consult that is much more impressive than Knight's. Knight has the measurables—the quickness, the range on his jump shot. But Walker has the intangibles, the leadership qualities and, despite a slight frame, the toughness.

Both are lightning-quick, both are shoot-first point guards and both have the potential to be very good point guards at this level.

So, why exactly was it that I wasn't disappointed that Detroit drafted Knight over Walker?

For the better part of the last few months, I have asked myself that question. I should be steaming over the fact that a player whom I have grown terribly fond of, who reminds me of Pistons royalty, was passed over for a guy that might not put it all together.

But recently, I had my answer.

I was writing an article about the most disappointing Pistons of all time, and I came across Mateen Cleaves.

Cleaves and Walker had a very similar run. They were known for their leadership ability, their intangibles and the way they willed their teams to NCAA championships.

But Cleaves turned out to be a train-wreck of a player and was out of the league within five years of being drafted.

Of course, there are major differences between these two players. Walker is a better shooter, is quicker and is a much better scorer.

But he is also much shorter, not nearly as strong physically and not as true of a point guard. He also is coming down from a true natural high of guiding his team to the promised land after a storybook season.

Personally, this has shades of the prom king in high school who is now unemployed and sitting at the local pub bragging about his prowess.

Regardless, there are real similarities between the two, and a reason to fear that Walker could in fact fizzle at this level.

Now look at Knight. Most people compare him to Chauncey Billups, although more athletic. He is a strong-willed kid who comes across in interviews as a very grounded and humble guy.

More than that, he has a chip on his shoulder. He expected to go top three, and when he slipped to Detroit, his disappointment was unmistakeable. He wasn't bummed that Detroit drafted him, he was bummed that Detroit had the opportunity to draft him.

The NBA is a grind. It is a year-long endeavor that separates those that have the desire from those that don't.

And when it comes down to a pointless game in January against the last-place Minnesota Timberwolves, who do you want running your team? A guy that is coming off of a spectacular season in which everyone told him how great he was, or a guy that is trying to prove to the world that he was better than those drafted above him?

True, I was a huge Walker fan, and I wish the best for him. But I think Detroit is really going to see themselves in Knight, and he will have by far the better career.