Detroit

Now that the Pistons have not been able to procure good luck in the lottery yet again, there don't seem to be a lot of great options at the number 8 pick. I, like probably many of you have, have heard this Kentavious Caldwell-Pope name being talked about rising up the draft boards. I was a skeptic, until I saw this video Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2013 NBA Draft Scouting Report Video (via DraftExpress) and I gotta say, I think I'm on board this bandwagon. He can stroke it, comes off screens really well, is a willing defender, and he plays the passing lanes like Dwyane Wade, which is really impressive. Many say that he played in a weak conference, but that has little to do with how well he can shoot the ball or his defensive motor. The conference thing was a concern against Paul George and a lot of other players who have done okay. His main weakness is poor shot selection, but in an interview with DraftExpress he said he realizes that is his weakness that he needs to improve upon, and he said his favorite part of playing is being on defense. I don't know if you can ask for much more than that. And really, who else will be available that we really want? Alex Len? He'll be a decent backup at best. C.J. McCollum? I could be ok with this but I'm so, so tired of combo guards. Shabazz Muhammed? (No) Michael Carter-Williams? (NO) Cody Zeller? (GOD NO) I think Caldwell-Pope has a 2 way skill set, who with decent coaching could turn out to be a heck of a basketball player. A wing player who can defend and shoot 3's at a high percentage is a coveted thing in the NBA. At worst, he's great trade bait. At best, he's a steal of the draft. If we're not going to trade up or trade out of this draft, I say why not pull the trigger? Now that the Pistons have not been able to procure good luck in the lottery yet again, there don't seem to be a lot of great options at the number 8 pick. I, like probably many of you have, have heard this Kentavious Caldwell-Pope name being talked about rising up the draft boards. I was a skeptic, until I saw this video Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2013 NBA Draft Scouting Report Video (via DraftExpress) and I gotta say, I think I'm on board this bandwagon. He can stroke it, comes off screens really well, is a willing defender, and he plays the passing lanes like Dwyane Wade, which is really impressive. Many say that he played in a weak conference, but that has little to do with how well he can shoot the ball or his defensive motor. The conference thing was a concern against Paul George and a lot of other players who have done okay. His main weakness is poor shot selection, but in an interview with DraftExpress he said he realizes that is his weakness that he needs to improve upon, and he said his favorite part of playing is being on defense. I don't know if you can ask for much more than that. And really, who else will be available that we really want? Alex Len? He'll be a decent backup at best. C.J. McCollum? I could be ok with this but I'm so, so tired of combo guards. Shabazz Muhammed? (No) Michael Carter-Williams? (NO) Cody Zeller? (GOD NO) I think Caldwell-Pope has a 2 way skill set, who with decent coaching could turn out to be a heck of a basketball player. A wing player who can defend and shoot 3's at a high percentage is a coveted thing in the NBA. At worst, he's great trade bait. At best, he's a steal of the draft. If we're not going to trade up or trade out of this draft, I say why not pull the trigger?

Well, at last, Detroit has got the #8 pick. That means they have virtually no chance of picking either McLemore, Burke, Oladipo or Porter, the only players in this draft that would start right away as Pistons. And, because of this, I have seen many comments from fans wishing Detroit would "gamble" on Shabazz Muhammad. I think this would be a mistake. Let's assume Cleveland picks Noel, Orlando picks Burke, Washington picks Porter, Charlotte picks McLemore, and Phoenix picks Oladipo. New Orleans and Sacramento come before the Pistons, and I would assume the best players on the board are: Len, Zeller, Bennett, Carter-Williams and McCollum. I am not mentioning Muhammad, Caldwell-Pope and Plumlee because I consider them one step down from this 2nd tier and 2 steps down from the 1st five mentioned. McCollum is a complicated case. He seems to have potential, but he's too much like Knight and Stuckey and Detroit does not need another combo guard (except if they don't plan on having Stuckey around, which I think they shouldn't). Carter-Williams could be paired with a veteran PG (Bynum or Calderon or any other good FA) and become our next starting PG in the future, if they see potential. I see the same case for Bennett. If they pick him, leave him as Singler's backup alongside Middleton, and the SF position would be set. He can also play PF against a small lineup. Zeller or Len would be the logical "first big man off the bench" behind Monroe and Drummond. So, either one would be useful. The problem in see in picking anybody from the next tier with a #8 pick is that Muhammad would not be an upgrade over Singler or Middleton. I just like having Daye again. Of course they're completely different players, but you cannot say for sure that any of the 4 should be starting SF anywhere in the league. Caldwell-Pope would not be an upgrade over Stuckey and English, and Plumlee wouldn't be much better than Slava. Also, if Detroit does not pick any of those 3 at #8, I imagine all 3 of them going somewhere between 13-17th. In my opinion, the problem is not picking them. It's picking them at #8. So, my point is that, considering the first 5 will be gone, and N.O. and Sacramento would pick 2 of those 5, the Pistons should pick one of whoever is left from Zen, Zeller, Bennet and Carter-Williams. If they are planning on shopping Stuckey, include McCollum on that shortlist. I also have 2 other suggestions: trade up to the top 5 (using Stuckey and/or CV), or trade down to 12-15, where they would pick Shabazz Muhammad, or gamble (yes, this time would be a gamble) on Giannis Adetokunbo or Dennis Schroeder. About the other fanpost suggestion Detroit should give the pick to Charlotte, as I read from Pistons.com, both would have to agree on that. Charlotte may believe Detroit won't be in the lottery next year, but they also know that the next class in much better than this one. I see this move as an option too, if Charlotte wants it. Well, at last, Detroit has got the #8 pick. That means they have virtually no chance of picking either McLemore, Burke, Oladipo or Porter, the only players in this draft that would start right away as Pistons. And, because of this, I have seen many comments from fans wishing Detroit would "gamble" on Shabazz Muhammad. I think this would be a mistake. Let's assume Cleveland picks Noel, Orlando picks Burke, Washington picks Porter, Charlotte picks McLemore, and Phoenix picks Oladipo. New Orleans and Sacramento come before the Pistons, and I would assume the best players on the board are: Len, Zeller, Bennett, Carter-Williams and McCollum. I am not mentioning Muhammad, Caldwell-Pope and Plumlee because I consider them one step down from this 2nd tier and 2 steps down from the 1st five mentioned. McCollum is a complicated case. He seems to have potential, but he's too much like Knight and Stuckey and Detroit does not need another combo guard (except if they don't plan on having Stuckey around

Tim and Mike discuss the major difference between OTAs and team workouts and the NFL's plan to change the timing of the combine and draft

Shawn Jefferson is the only position coach Johnson has known since being drafted by the Lions in 2007.

Howard became first Red Wings goalie since 1987 to face 40 or more shots and allow only one goal in a playoff victory.

Tigers links: Is Miguel Cabrera headed for the best Triple Crown encore season ever? SI.com, Cliff Corcoran Thus, a year after winning the first Triple Crown in 45 years, Cabrera is essentially back at it. Tigers may have no choice but to send down Alex Avila The Detroit News, Lynn Henning If he doesn't pull out of this spiral, and in a hurry, the Tigers will be left with no practical choice but to return Avila, 26, to Triple A Toledo for a head-clearing stint that might put him back on track. Tigers' Miguel Cabrera has work to do to become one of Detroit's all-time greats Detroit Free Press, Jamie Samuelsen There's little doubt that we're watching a once in a generation player in Cabrera. But there are a few factors that may stand in his way to becoming the 'greatest athlete in Detroit history.' A New Low for Miguel Cabrera FanGraphs Baseball, Jeff Sullivan Sunday night, the Rangers hosted the Tigers in a matchup between two of the American League’s better teams. What We Learned From the Tigers Losing Three of Four in Texas The Daily Fungo, Ian Casselberry While the Detroit Tigers’ four-game visit to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington wasn’t disastrous, it seems fair to say that it could have gone better. Around the AL Central: MLB Final Score: Detroit Tigers 5, Cleveland Indians 1 Let's Go Tribe It's a good thing the Indians got some hits in the first inning. Elsewhere in baseball: Overthinking It: The Pitches No Zone Can Contain Baseball Prospectus, Ben Lindbergh The pitches pitchers don't throw for strikes, to try to get strikes. Organizational droughts: second base Baseball Nation, Grant Brisbee Here's the third installment of organizational droughts, in which we look for the last homegrown star developed by each team at every position. Ned Yost: ‘There is no third baseman tree’ Big League Stew, David Brown In sticking up for one of his struggling players over the weekend, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost introduced a neoclassical term to the world.

Red Wings News Pavel Datsyuk may not be naturally gifted, but he works hard, says Glenn Healy (Video) | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! SportsYeah, I totally agree. Datsyuk is soooo overrated. It's mostly luck if you ask me. Anyone can do the things he does, it's just that he happens to be in the right place at the right time. Gustav Nyquist Got Hit in the Nuts Then Scored An Awesome Goal | Pucking WingsHe's a man of steel!!! Ericsson helps fill big holes on Wings' defense | TSNHe's filling them pretty nicely. Detroit Red Wings' Jakub Kindl's patience pays off with playing time | Detroit Free Press Best defenseman outside of the top-two. Can the Red Wings Upset the Blackhawks? | The Hockey Writers This next game will be key. If we win, the series is ours. If we lose, then anything can happen. Either way, this season has been a success. Duff: Wings a work in progress | Windsor Star A work in progress that is clicking at the right time. Jimmy Howard in a groove for Red Wings | CBC Jimmy has been absolutely fantastic. *But he's overpaid* NO HE IS NOT. He's worth every penny we can pay him. HOCKEE NIGHT - The Malört of Hockey Blogs: Killed The Lord, Left For The New World If you want to win the cup you have to go through Detroit. It's as simple as that. NHL News Now Stephane Roy says he doesn’t know if the Avs will hire his brother | ProHockeyTalkStupid Roy's. Columbus Blue Jackets noticing upswing at box office after second-half hot streak on ice - The Hockey NewsThat is understandable. When you are winning, people (especially the casual fans) become more interested and chose to go to games. Caps owner Leonsis apologizes for team’s playoff failure | ProHockeyTalkTrade Ovechkin and build a team around Mike Ribiero. Canadiens sign Swedish prospects: defenceman Nygren, forward Collberg - The Hockey News Collberg's good. I don't know anything about the defenseman though. Report: Leafs’ Komarov in negotiations with KHL club | ProHockeyTalkIt's his old team, Dynamo Moscow. Unsung Hero: Rob Scuderi remains critical ‘piece’ for defending champ Kings | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! SportsHe's experienced and he is good defensively. That is stuff that is key during a cup run. Juuso Ikonen - The Next Ones - The Hockey Writers This guy is really good offensively. Size is an issue though. He's only 5'9''. Canadiens' Emelin out six months after ACL, MCL surgery | TSN Might miss the very beginning of the next season. Stanley Cup playoffs 2013: Joel Quenneville disagrees with disallowed goal call - SBNation.comIt was a no-goal. Stop crying Chicago and drink your medicine. You better be prepared for what's coming. Avalanche remain quiet as Roy speculation continues | TSN The thing that intrigues me is that the Av's haven't denied it yet. Because of that I think that it is a possibility that Roy may be hired as their next coach. Dallas to unveil new uniforms, make ‘significant announcement’ on June 4 | ProHockeyTalkNew logo maybe? I don't know. Still, it is kind of interesting. Oklahoma tornado hits close to home for AHL’s Barons | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! SportsHow devastating this is for the people of the affected communities... Preds hire Phil Housley as assistant coach | ProHockeyTalkMaybe he will help improve the Predators terrible defenseman. Especially that Weber guy, he sucks. Let's Go Red Wings!

I saw this article over on the ESPN NFC North Blog and it really drew my attention. It represents one of the main reasons that I am not a Jim Schwartz fan and, barring an extremely successful season this year, I hope that he is fired as coach of the Lions after the season. Anyway, go Lions!!!!http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/56580/hoping-for-a-fourth-down-shift Oh and Fuck Mark Sanchez........... I saw this article over on the ESPN NFC North Blog and it really drew my attention. It represents one of the main reasons that I am not a Jim Schwartz fan and, barring an extremely successful season this year, I hope that he is fired as coach of the Lions after the season. Anyway, go Lions!!!!http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/56580/hoping-for-a-fourth-down-shift Oh and Fuck Mark Sanchez...........

In March, I put together an offseason plan for the Lions based on how I would approach free agency and the draft. Now that the majority of the offseason is over and the players are taking the field, I wanted to compare what I would have done vs what the Lions did do.

The 50th Super Bowl will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area and the NFL championship will go to Houston the following year.