Why the Pistons shouldn’t draft another American

The two most reliable sites for draft coverage each just projected the Pistons would take a Europeans with their first-round pick – Mario Hezonja according to ESPN, Kristaps Porzingis according to DraftExpress.

I, for one, would be thrilled with either selection.

The Pistons should stop drafting Americans and focus on international players. It’s the only way they’ll start winning again.

In the last five years, the Pistons haven’t drafted a single foreign player. They haven’t made the playoffs in the last five years, either.

Coincidence?

I think not.

I don’t watch college basketball, so I assume NBA teams don’t either. Yet, they still draft unknown college players despite scouting international prospects for years. They get hooked by Americans’ potential and just can’t help themselves.

It’s a losing formula.

Instead of drafting unpredictable Americans, teams should pick dependable Europeans who’ve been playing professionally and against grown men for years.

Just look at the 2013 draft. Top American picked? Anthony Bennett at No. 1 overall. Top European picked? Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 15 overall.

You tell me how that worked out.

It seems every American becomes LeBron James or Robert Traylor. There’s never any in between.

And even the ones who put up numbers, you can’t win with them. They are soft, don’t rebound and don’t defend.

Of course, you must be lucky to get an American capable of posting even hollow numbers. Nearly half the Americans the Pistons drafted in the last five years – Tony Mitchell, Peyton Siva, Kim English, Vernon Macklin and Terrico White – are already out of the league.

Meanwhile, the last European they drafted – Jonas Jerebko – just led the Celtics to the playoffs.

It’s simple: You can’t win with Ameris in the NBA. You need Euros. Just ask the DEFENDING-CHAMPION SPURS, who won the title with Tim Duncan (Virgin Islands), Tony Parker (France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Boris Diaw (France), Tiago Splitter (Brazil), Patty Mills (Australia), Marco Belinelli (Italy), Cory Joseph (Canada) and Aron Baynes (New Zealand).

If it’s good enough for the Spurs, it’s good enough for me.

Stan Van Gundy can’t fall into the same trap Joe Dumars did. The Pistons became a wasteland because Dumars kept drafting Americans.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope over Rudy Gobert, Walter Sharpe over Goran Dragic, Rodney Stuckey AND Arron Afflalo over Marc Gasol, Jason Maxiell over Marcin Gortat, Rodney White over Tony Parker, Mateen Cleaves over Hedo Turkoglu… I could go on and on.

This might make some people uncomfortable, but those people need to grow up. “How can you judge an entire geographic region with such a broad brush?” they’ll whine.

To that, I say the proof is in the pudding.

I stand by this until someone shows me one European who didn’t pan out.