NBA Mock Draft: Detroit Pistons at #8 Spot Tonight

The Detroit Pistons are one of the wild cards of the 2011 NBA Draft tonight, and the mock drafts for the Pistons have them taking anyone from a power forward to a center to a shooting guard.

The Pistons last year were able to do quite well in the draft when they took Georgetown PF Greg Monroe. Monroe is not an amazing athlete but he has a great basketball IQ and he knows how to play the game the right way.

He is now an anchor for the Pistons' front court meaning they need someone more athletic to pair with him. Many draft projections have the Pistons taking Bismack Biyombo, a power forward from Congo who is raw but extremely athletic with a huge wingspan.

He could be one of the better shot blockers in the NBA along the lines of Ben Wallace, and if Wallace does want to stay another year, the Pistons could use him as a tutor for Biyombo. Despite some questions about Biyombo's back, he looks like the most likely pick at the 8th spot for the Detroit Pistons.

If not Biyombo, the Pistons have their eyes on Texas F Tristan Thompson. Thompson is another potentially good shot blocker and a great athlete who is scrappy and a good worker. At the same time, he is a bit light in the lower body making many wonder whether or not he could put on enough weight to hold his own in the paint and not get pushed around.

He's still young, however, so he would have time to work on his issues and realize his potential. Biyombo's age has come under questioning however.

Most 2011 NBA mock draft articles have Biyombo to the Pistons while Thompson could go as high as #4 to the Cavaliers, but some think the Cavs may be putting up a proverbial smokescreen this time around as they try to rebuild after the LeBron James decision left them in a crippled state.

The Pistons have also been rumored to take Washington State shooting guard Klay Thompson, but that doesn't seem likely unless Detroit believes he is a home run pick at the 8th spot. Thompson is a very good shooter but the Pistons have a ton of perimeter players and couldn't find enough minutes for everyone last year.

Other foreign big men have been scouted extensively by the Pistons but seem behind Biyombo in the pecking order.

Detroit also has an option to trade, potentially even getting #14 and #23 from the Houston Rockets in a move that has been rumored across the Internet. That would allow Detroit to possibly get a big man early and then a point guard at the 23rd spot. Detroit also has a high second round pick, however, and they need quality not quantity.

They can get a solid point guard prospect in the second round as well, meaning Detroit is likely to stand pat and make the best possible picks according to GM Joe Dumars' plans tonight.

In the end, the pick here is that Detroit will stay at #8 and take Biyombo because they were one of the worst shot-blocking teams in the league last year. In the second round, they will take a look at a point guard such as Nolan Smith of Duke or perhaps Darius Morris of the hometown Michigan Wolverines.