Chad Ford’s latest mock draft: Jonas Valanciunas to the Detroit Pistons
By Dan Feldman
In his most recent mock draft, Chad Ford of ESPN has the Pistons taking Jonas Valanciunas:
"For the third straight week, the Pistons’ player changes. This time, it’s because of opportunity. In the past two mocks I’ve had Valanciunas going before the eighth pick. If he slides this far, I think the Pistons will grab him.Yes, Detroit will also look at both Bismack Biyombo and Tristan Thompson here. But Valanciunas has two things the Pistons covet: size and major upside. They may have to wait on him a year, but many NBA scouts believe he’s the most talented international player in the draft."
I’d be pretty happy with that scenario. I wonder whether the possibility of losing games, or even the entire season, to a lockout would make the Pistons more likely to take a player who might not be in the NBA next year.