NBA Draft 2014: Detroit Pistons looking for a second round gem

Although each of the teams with the eight worst records probably felt anger and disappointed when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the top overall pick in Tuesday night’s 2014 NBA Draft Lottery, causing each team to drop down a spot, no one has more to be upset about than the Detroit Pistons. [category-related]

The Pistons owed the Charlotte Hornets a pick from the Ben Gordon-Corey Maggette deal, but the pick was top-eight protected. The Pistons finished with the eighth-worst record, but because the Cavaliers jumped them, the Hornets received their pick. That leaves the Pistons with just one selection, the 38th-overall pick in the second round.

However, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press, new head coach and president Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons are confident they can find a solid player in the second round.

"The Pistons are looking to add shooters, and Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early, Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic and Missouri’s Jabari Brown could be available.The Pistons had brief talks with Charlotte to get back the No. 9 overall pick, but that didn’t go anywhere. Could the Pistons put together a package to obtain a first-round pick?“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals, but I would just say that part of the process of evaluating the draft is to evaluate the risk and reward of each player that’s involved in the draft and then matching that … it takes two to make a decision like that,” David said."

Jonathan Givony of Draft Express currently projects the Pistons to select former Colorado Buffaloes’ guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie averaged 14.7 points, 3.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game last season. Dinwiddie was originally pegged as a potential first round pick, but tore his ACL during the season.