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The Utah Jazz played host to the Atlanta Hawks last night in a game that very few people outside of Salt Lake City knew was even taking place.
But I noticed. The Jazz box scores are a nightly obsession of mine.
It’s the best way of monitoring the progress of onetime Michigan Wolverine and coulda-woulda-shoulda been-a-Piston Trey Burke.
Last night, he exploded for 21 points in the second half alone.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has 22 points...in his last 12 games.
In a disastrous season marked by countless losing streaks, depressing home crowds, and yet another coaching change, the missed opportunity at the 2013 NBA Draft continues to cast a dark shadow over the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The maddening and never-quite-explained selection by Joe Dumars was quieted a bit early in the season. Burke was sitting out with an injury and Caldwell-Pope had been awarded a starting spot by then coach Maurice Cheeks. Joe D didn’t look like a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but things hadn’t blown up on him quite yet.
But as the season has progressed, the value of both players changed drastically.
Burke, understandably, has struggled at times. He is logging heavy minutes every night for one of the league’s worst teams and doing so at a very demanding position. His numbers have suffered of late, and you can sense the proverbial “rookie wall” becoming a factor. But like you’d expect from any top-ten pick, there are also moments of brilliance and growth. It would come as a surprise to no one in the NBA if Burke emerged next winter as one of the Western Conference’s up-and-coming lead guards.
Caldwell-Pope is speeding fast in the opposite direction. While Burke continues to pile up quality live-game reps, KCP has seen his court time slashed in a major way. He no longer hears his name bellowed for the starting five. That spot belongs to the serviceable but unspectacular Kyle Singler. Caldwell-Pope settles for his nightly handful of minutes, only reaching double digits if things really get out of hand.
Another Piston Draft Bust?
It’s one thing for a lottery pick to encounter difficulty getting on the floor for a playoff team. Those club’s rotations can be rock-solid with little time for grooming a greenhorn in the process. But this year’s Pistons present no such scenario. In fact, they stink.
There is often little to no energy for long stretches. Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings engage in nightly pouting contests. Victories arrive like paychecks, once every two weeks.
And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can’t crack the lineup.
Is this just the inexperienced John Loyer being stubborn and refusing to give the kid a chance? I don’t think so.
Loyer knows this might be his only shot at the head table. He’ll play anyone that can help him win games. I think we all have to come to a realization not uncommon during the Joe Dumars era.
The guy he drafted. Well, he just might not be any good.
It happened with Rodney White. And Darko. And Austin Daye. With Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva via free agency. Ditto for the infamous Smith/Jennings duo.
Dumars was a franchise legend as a player. A perfect gentleman and the ultimate competitor. But evaluating talent has never been his strong suit. Unfortunately, that kind of thing is usually required in order to be a general manager at the professional level.
Writing Was On The Wall
And it’s not as if Caldwell-Pope’s stagnant rookie campaign comes as some great surprise. Many top scouts and college experts wondered how his skill set would translate to the pro game. He led his college team (Georgia) in scoring, but did so with questionable shot selection and a limited ability to drive to the basket. His athleticism was never going to be confused with that of Jason Richardson or Vince Carter.
During KCP’s two years in Athens, the Bulldogs played exactly zero postseason games. This year, the team has enjoyed a more balanced approach, with five different players averaging between 8 and 13 points a night. They proceeded to win 18 games, including a very respectable 12-6 mark in SEC play. Burke, by comparison...well, we all know what he did last year.
This is not meant to come off as some giant slam-job on Caldwell-Pope. He is what he is. Fans had very little expectations of him entering the season. After all, nobody knew who he was.
It’s not like Prince Fielder arriving to Detroit with a giant contract and a slew of 30, 40, and 50 home run seasons -- only to put on gaggles of weight and treat devastating playoff losses like one would shrug off a slightly burnt piece of toast. There were the highest of hopes for him when he became a Tiger, and thus, fans became angry and resentful when things turned so sour last October.
With Caldwell-Pope, it’s not so much, “Why aren’t you great?” It’s more, “Why were you brought here?”
Some might say Dumars “swung for the fences” with the KCP pick. That Burke was the safe choice. But such a proclamation would be woefully inaccurate.
Players like Caldwell-Pope (6’5”, average outside shooter, decent defender) are a dime-a-dozen in the NBA. Jitterbug point guards that can hit big shots and ignite a fan base -- those are far less common.
Dumars Shunned The Hometown Talent
The Pistons entertain the Sacramento Kings tonight. Ray McCallum, Jr., the former Detroit Titan standout, will enter the game late in the first quarter to warm applause. He’s finally getting an opportunity to play on a nightly basis, and has had a positive impact in a number of games.
Little Ray, the 36th pick in the draft, will probably play about that many minutes. Caldwell-Pope, the 8th pick, will probably get two or three. Five if he’s lucky.
Two wildly talented point guards from the state of Michigan entered the league this year. The Pistons could have added either.
Instead, they turned to a no-name gentleman from Georgia called KCP, or CPK, a player whose initials bring to mind overpriced thin-crust pizza instead of high-flying acrobatics around the rim.
The Pistons were never going to be contenders this year. But they could have made some strides. They could have built towards next year, and the year after that. Fans could have looked forward to a decade’s worth of Burke-to-Drummond alley-oops.
Instead, it’s 20+ grenades a night from Josh Smith and a forgotten rookie buried on the bench next to a napping Charlie Villanueva.
This was never going to be a dream season.
But it didn’t have to be a nightmare, either.
