Matt Watson at DetroitBadBoys.com has been hard at work compiling information on the Detroit Pistons 60th and (defacto) 51st picks in the 2006 NBA draft.

Matt had this to say about Cheick Samb;

“Samb is 21 years old but extremely raw — the only reason he was drafted is because he’s 7-1 with a huge knack for blocking shots. He’ll likely stay in Europe for another season or two before he ever has a chance of playing in the NBA. Samb actually put his name into the 2005 draft but wisely withdrew — if he went 51st this year, I’m guessing he probably wouldn’t have even been drafted last year.”

and sounds somewhat optimistic about possible minutes for Will Blalock;

“So, he sounds like he’s a great defender, a solid passer who commits few turnovers, and someone who can really get to the basket. I’m sold.

As for the “must develop the ability to take over offensively in crunch time” bit — don’t worry about it, the Pistons are looking for a backup to play third-quarter minutes, not late in the fourth. I’m not sure how much time Blalock will actually see this year, but he definitely sounds like a guy who’s worth holding onto for a season or two to see what happens. At the very least, let’s hope he sees some quality minutes down in the D-League.”

While the 2006 NBA draft lacked the definite pecking order of past years, and was dubbed a “weak draft” by many a prognosticator, one thing was clear last night. Teams jockeyed to either get out, or take advantage of a helter-skelter draft that must have had GMs and Directors of Scouting scrambling to adjust their rankings.

Make no mistake, the Pistons wanted to move Maurice “Mo” Evans and a deal with the LA Lakers was struck much earlier than the end of the draft to free up salary room for Ben Wallace. The real questions for the Pistons are the viability of Will Blalock as a bonafide NBA point guard, and whether Cheick Samb was a convenient international player who would not take up a roster spot while continuing his career in Europe or is the Sengalese thinman a legit prospect who must bide his time until the Pistons are prepared to assess his potential in the NBA.

As they say, “that’s why they play the games”.