INJURY: DPowell w/ achilles | DP likely to be w/ 1st unit

[SleepingHero]

I think I might be the only one that doesn't mind Andre Drummond. Sure he's overpaid, but he is an historic rebounder. Dennis Rodman level of rebounding. His defensive numbers aren't bad either. He's athletic as all hell and is quick enough to run around a perimeter. 

I am a Drummond apologist and I am proud.

Do you watch him play though? 

Because, and this isn't hyperbole, if you watch him play on defense and watch HIM, not the BALL, you'll find 2-3 lazy, late rotations within the first five minutes. He doesn't play hard or smart, and that's a death sentence combination for a player who has a foot speed disadvantage anytime he's on the court. 

Rebounding numbers are sexy, but I would think anyone who saw DeAndre Jordan's half season here would understand how limited their value is. There are STILL fans who think the defense here got worse when Jordan left, when that couldn't be farther from the truth. He was a STATUE out there, and maybe that might have had something to do with GETTING REBOUNDS. 

The rebounder, imo, is not nearly as important as those who are working hard to make it possible for the rebound to be grabbed.

I'll be honest, I only watched maybe 8 Piston games last year when Blake Griffin was going off. I never focused on Drummond alone but I didn't see anything too egregious in the games I watched. He averaged some absurd 17/16/2 in those games so it was hard to think he was doing poorly. Pistons won all but 2 games that I watched. 

I don't think Drummond is a stout defensive stalwart. Put it this way, if the Mavs were to get him, I would never expect Drummond to be the anchor to a defense. But he does get a lot of steals, and blocks. While they aren't good measures for true defensive activity, it does show SOME activity. And he has all the tools to be a great defensive player, but I don't think he'll ever become that now. 

And you have a point about rebounding being a limited ceiling raiser. Good rebounding is something all good teams have, but it doesn't take a good team to a great team.

I don't want Drummond here at anything over 20 mil. But 13-15???? Thats a highway robbery and the Mavs should be so lucky to get a player like that at that price. (I get 13-15 because that's the market for Ibaka, Harrell, and other bigmen so far).