At the beginning of this season, I couldn't have been more wrong about the Pistons. I actually thought they would be contending for a playoff spot in the weakened Eastern Conference. And would benefit from it. Kind of the winning breeds winning and losing breeds losing sort of idea.
Oooops.
They do have veteran players who are relatively high-priced in Tayshaun Prince, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey. They do have a core of younger players who are talented in Brandon Knight, Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko. Lawrence Frank is a better coach than his predecessors. Yet, rather than progress, the Pistons have been dreadful. The veteran nucleus has been a disaster. Money thrown down the drain. The younger players have made progress, but it's not nearly enough for respectability. The Pistons will have a shot at getting a very early pick in the draft.
I was lukewarm to that idea a month or two ago. I just didn't see that potential differencemaker. Not anymore. I do believe the Pistons can get an impact player, who could star in the league for a long time: Anthony Davis from Kentucky.
He's 6-10 with a long wing span and is a shot blocking machine (nearly 5 per game) His offensive skills are relatively raw, but he is a freshman. He does shoot for a high percentage (65 percent from the floor) and he isn't one of these big guys who can't make a free throw (70 percent). Davis is better every time I see him.
The Pistons need athleticism badly. They also need somebody, above all else, who can guard the rim.
I think this kid will be a better NBA player than Andre Drummond from UConn and especially Perry Jones from Baylor, who has not taken the expected step forward this season.

My column: http://bit.ly/wkAJsZ

For all the hype surrounding defecting Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, the one question that hasn't gotten answered is what type of impact he will have immediately.
Will he step into the major leagues and star right away? Or will it take him awhile to adjust to major league pitching? Or will he become one of those "great athletes, but can't hit big league pitching" stories?
There is uncertainty about it from both Cespedes' supporters and detractors. Anybody who thinks they "know" is fooling themselves. It's the ultimate "best guess" scenario.
And that, right there, defines a gamble.
I have a sense signing Cespedes would only further cloud an already murky situation in regard to how the Tigers fit together. Cespedes isn't going to hit leadoff. It's doubtful he is a better fielder than Austin Jackson. And he's older than Jackson, who is still developing. The Tigers have committed to Delmon Young for this season. Brennan Boesch is the right fielder. There are plenty of DH candidates. Honestly, the puzzle fits best with either Prince Fielder or Miguel Cabrera at DH.
The unknown is the intriguing part. There are plenty of baseball people who feel Cespedes will immediately star. That his tools are superior. That he will hit for tremendous power even against major league pitching. That he is, well, Bo Jackson.
If the Tigers are going for it, he could very well be the final piece to a puzzle that would, indeed, put them far above every other club.
We've already seen the gambling nature of owner Mike Ilitch when it comes to "names." Would he roll the dice on Cespedes?
Hmmm.
Is Scott Boras his agent?

...He was tied for 333rd in the NFL tackles during the 2011 season with 36. He was tied for 90th in the NFL in sacks with four. Suh did not force a fumble nor recover a fumble, although he did block an important field goal attempt at Oakland.
He did not have a productive season in correlation to his reputation as a dominating defensive lineman.
It was less than half the production of his rookie year. And that is not factoring in he got suspended for two games for stomping on an opposing player's arm, and that the penalty itself, hurt the Lions mightily during their Thanksgiving Day game vs. Green Bay.
Yet, Suh is on a network halftime show during the playoffs. He appeared with Jimmy Fallon. He is on the cover of the NFL's new magazine. He is the subject of much-hyped ESPN interview with Hannah Storm tonight.
In the trailer for the ESPN interview, Suh explains how he wanted to prove that he could do the same things in the NFL he did in college. And he did - his rookie year. He didn't last season, and it's odd how there seems to be this national perception he did.
Suh raised a lot of eyebrows when he didn't show up for any of the lockout workouts with his teammates until the very last one when the NFL Network was there to do a feature on him. The local media got its collective nose out of joint that day because he didn't talk to them. I defended Suh on the issue. He doesn't have to talk to anybody.
Yet, if it benefits him, it's all he does is talk - in hand-selected situations which are self-enhancing. And honestly, it isn't that enlightening. When he spoke after the Thanksgiving Day incident, he was downright disingenuous.
I guess this is an attempt to reshape his image after what transpired this past season, but the biggest factor isn't a publicity tour like he is promoting a new book.
It's about production on the field. Wouldn't that do more than anything else to restore Suh's image?
Suh is certainly capable of repeating or even surpassing his rookie season. And if he does, not only will a media tour be in order, so might a Super Bowl parade in Detroit.
But right now, honestly, it does seem inappropriate.

My column: http://bit.ly/xcSBSB

It's not like the Lions haven't tried to fill their need at running back. Four times within the last eight years, and in each of the last two drafts, they have traded up in the early rounds to select a running back. It was into the first round for Kevin Jones in 2004, up two selections to take Kevin Smith with the first pick of the third round in 2008, into the first round for Jahvid Best in 2010 and into the second round in 2011 for Mikel Lashoure.
Yet, because of injuries, and even with three of those four players still with the organization, running back is a huge question mark entering this draft.
Best, a spectacular talent, has a history of concussions. He didn't play after mid-October last season. There were multiple reports this weekend there are concerns by the Lions he won't play again. Yet, he was still the Lions' leading rusher in 2011. Lashoure tore an Achilles tendon early in training camp last year. Studies have shown it's not an injury NFL players generally comeback strong from (see link)
http://bit.ly/rqmzTx
Smith was released by the Lions after getting knocked around badly, returned in the middle of last season refreshed and played reasonably well, although he eventually was playing hurt again. He is a good, tough player, but it's difficult to envision him as even the short-term solution for a team without virtually no running attack, except surprise plays, late last season.
The Lions are drafting in the bottom third of each round now. They aren't going to get a premier back like Alabama's Trent Richardson. Their best option if they were going to go running back in the first round would Lamar Miller from Miami. He has the best speed of the backs that might be there. Virginia Tech's David Wilson is solid. Vick Ballard from Mississippi State might have value a little later in the draft. I've talked to fans already clamoring for LaMichael James from Oregon, but he may overvalued because he is a big name. He is a Jahvid Best clone, but without that type of extraordinary speed. He is expected to be a third-round pick. Doug Martin from Boise State is solid.
The Lions have had it backwards on running backs by trading up in the draft to acquire them. In the pass-happy NFL, the position is undervalued. The better backs tend to fall.
And can the Lions win in the postseason with a poor running attack? It would be difficult, but it would probably more difficult to advance in the postseason without a better secondary. Also, their depth on the offensive line is a concern. The Lions were fortunate last season they didn't sustain any injuries on their offensive front. That needs to be a priority in this draft.

Replay of my livechat Monday at theoaklandpress.com. Got heavily into Tigers talk in aftermath of Prince Fielder signing.

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Last summer, unexpectedly, and long before the Tigers took control of the American League Central race, they extended the contract of team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski for five years, but manager Jim Leyland for only one.
At the time, I didn't think it was a good move, at least with Leyland, that he was at a point where he had to deliver the goods by winning the division title, which was just sitting there for the Tigers, who had faded consistently during the second half starting in 2007.
It turned out to be a moot point when the Tigers rolled to the division title, won their ALDS series against the Yankees and pushed the Rangers hard in the ALCS.
Ultimately, Leyland earned that extra year. I think he should get another extension beyond this season, but the reason is more than the success the Tigers had in 2011.
Leyland enters this season as essentially a lame duck manager, who has been put in a position where he is going to have handle some big stars with big contracts and big egos.
Maybe there will be no turmoil with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder playing the same position, first base, but only one spot. Perhaps it will be as simple as Cabrera moving to third, playing like Michael Jack Schmidt, and the Tigers living happily ever after. I doubt Cabrera will be good at third based on 2008 when he was awful there, but it could happen.
But what if it doesn't? What if Leyland has to call the shots on a daily basis about who is the DH or at first base. What if noses get out of joint because of his decisions? What if, after what figures to be extraordinary hype, the Tigers get off to a slow start? What if this leads to some difficulties in the clubhouse?
Leyland, who is not afraid to do so, will put his foot down. But what is his leverage with the players? None if he is just on a one-year contract.
His authority in the clubhouse would be far greater if the players know he is going to be the Tigers manager for awhile.

My column: http://bit.ly/Aya2B5