PEMBERTON: Grading Joe Dumars' first-round draft history

Memphis Grizzlies forward Tayshaun Prince plays during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns in Memphis, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. The Suns defeated the Grizzlies 96-90. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

It's no secret Pistons general manager Joe Dumars has his share of critics.

One of the biggest knocks on Dumars is that he can't draft.

Well every general manager is going to have his hits and misses, the good ones and the bad ones, but I decided to go take a look at all of Dumars' first round picks and see how he's done.


Mateen Cleaves, drafted No. 14 overall -- Cleaves lasted just one season in Detroit before being traded to Sacramento. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.7 assists for the Pistons and was out of the league by 2006. In fairness the 2000 draft was extremely weak. Beyond Hedo Turkoglu and Morris Peterson, everyone else drafted after Cleaves was mediocre at best. Grade: C-


Rodney White, drafted No. 9 overall -- White, who played one season at North Carolina-Charlotte, was drafted purely on potential in a time when high school kids were going at an alarming rate in the lottery. White lasted just one season in Detroit, playing in just 16 games and averaging 3.5 points. He averaged 9.0 points a game in Denver the following year and spent nearly three seasons there before being traded to Golden State and then flaming out of the league. White had all the tools, but for whatever reason couldn't get it together. It doesn't help Dumars' case that Joe Johnson was taken with the next pick, but again, it was a time when players were drafted by potential. Grade: D


Tayshaun Prince, drafted No. 23 overall -- Piston fans are likely very familiar with Prince's resume. Prince played 10 full seasons with Detroit before being traded to Memphis last month. He was a key member of Detroit's 2004 championship team and run to six straight Eastern Conference championships. After Amar'e Stoudemire, you could argue Prince was the next best player drafted in the first round, and Dumars got him at No. 23. Grade: A


Darko Milicic, drafted No. 2 overall and Carlos Delfino, drafted No. 25 overall -- The Milicic pick will likely always haunt Dumars' career. Not only did Dumars take a bust in Milicic No. 2 overall, but did it in a loaded draft that saw Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade get drafted directly after him. The Delfino pick was decent, but is easily overshadowed by the Milicic pick. Grade: F


Detroit had no first round pick in the 2004 draft.


Jason Maxiell, drafted No. 26 overall -- Maxiell is currently in his eighth season in Detroit and finding a player in the late first round that is productive for eight seasons is not easy. Maxiell is not a star by any stretch, but he's been a contributor, so getting him at No. 26 is nice pick. Grade: B


Detroit had no first round pick in the 2006 draft.


Rodney Stuckey, drafted No. 15 overall and Arron Afflalo, drafted No. 27 overall -- Dumars did a nice job in this draft. If the draft was redone today, both Stuckey and Afflalo would likely be top ten picks and the Pistons got them at 15 and 27. Stuckey is having one of his worst seasons as pro this year, but still has a ton of potential and has shown flashes of it throughout his career. Afflalo didn't really shine until after Dumars traded him to Denver. He's currently Orlando's leading scorer at 16.8 per game. Grade: A-


The Pistons traded first round pick D.J. White to the Thunder so they had no first round pick in 2008.


Ausitn Daye, drafted No. 15 overall -- The jury is still out on Daye, who was traded to Memphis with Prince. At 6-foot-11, Daye has a unique skill set, but is a streaky shooter who needs to play more consistent. The fact that Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson and Jeff Teague went 17th, 18th and 19th doesn't bode well for Dumars' grade here. Grade: D+


Greg Monroe, drafted No. 7 overall -- The Monroe pick has worked out great thus far for Detroit. Monroe was the Pistons leading scorer and rebounder last season and is once again this season, nearly averaging a double-double. Monroe still has plenty of potential and is a key building block for Detroit. Grade: A


Brandon Knight, drafted No. 8 overall -- Knight had a solid rookie campaign in a lockout shortened season and has improved slightly statistically in almost every category. The 21-year-old Knight still has plenty of potential so he was a nice pick by Dumars. Grade: A


Andre Drummond, drafted No. 9 overall -- Drummond could be Dumars' best draft pick when it's all said and done, the kid has that much potential. He recently suffered a setback with a back injury, but he's expected to make a full recovery. Grade: A

Let's review, Dumars got off to a rocky start with a C- in 2000 and D in 2001. He rebounded with an A in 2002, but really dropped the ball in one of his worst moves as GM in 2003, earning him an F. But after that he got a B, A-, D+ and three As.

The D+ for the Daye pick may be a little harsh, but it has to be that low considering the three point guards drafted almost directly after Daye.

Obviously I'm not going to go back and grade every single general managers drafts, but if I was a betting man I would guess Dumars grades stack up pretty good. Not bad for a guy who people claim can't draft.

Dave Pemberon covers the Pistons for The Oakland Press. Email him at and follow him on Twitter @drpemberton.