Are Pistons eyeing Vander at No. 56?

[MU82]

Here's a story that appeared on Pistons.com, looking at Vander Blue as a possibility for their one of their second-round picks:

http://www.nba.com/pistons/features/truebluepistons_130624.html

In general, very complimentary toward Vander and Marquette -- and even quotes Vander as saying how willing he is to take a charge! Here's some of the text for those who might have trouble accessing the link:

Just as UCLA once churned out dominant 7-foot centers for NBA teams and Penn State became a linebacker mill for the NFL, Marquette is gaining a reputation among NBA front offices for producing a certain brand of player: tough, gritty, blue-collar, team-first perimeter defensive aces.

Wesley Matthews, Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder have already carved out NBA niches for themselves, each one propping the door open a little wider for the next. Who might that be? This year's candidate is Vander Blue, who left Buzz Williams' program after helping another typically take-no-quarters Marquette team to the elite eight of the NCAA tournament with a season of eligibility remaining.

Blue is a classic fringe draft prospect, invited only to the NBA draft combine – typically for the top 60 draft-eligible players – when a number of international prospects were forced to decline their invitations. But if there's a tiebreaker for teams picking in the 50s to consider – at a point in the draft where success is more miss than hit – the Marquette blueprint surely will work to Blue's advantage.

And he knows it.

"I think I can bring a lot to an NBA team," said Blue, whose appeal will be highest for teams that believe he can guard all three perimeter positions at an elite level. "At Marquette, I couldn't really have the chance to play the point, but I'm more than comfortable playing the point. I think my size and athleticism can really bother smaller guards. I can run the team, I can rebound with 'em, I can get the ball out and I can do the dirty work.

"I can pick up full court. I'll take the charge. I'll do whatever it takes. Marquette has a tradition and I'm going to try to follow in the footsteps of Jimmy, guys like that. I'm going to guard the best player, do whatever it takes. Teams are looking for guys that come from Marquette."

Blue has most scouts convinced he's got the same pit bull mentality. Now they're trying to figure out if he has more game than a few other Marquette players, Lazar Hayward and Darius Johnson-Odom, who weren't quite able to make the transition despite a similar tenacity to them.

At a solidly built 6-foot-5¼ in shoes as measured at the combine, Blue blew away the competition, for the most part, in speed and quickness testing. Only two players recorded a faster three-quarter court sprint time, neither by more than two-hundredths of a second. Likewise, only two beat his lane agility time and nobody hung with him in the modified lane agility testing. His vertical leap was 37½ inches. Taken together, the numbers back up what the eyeball test suggests: Blue should be a defensive perimeter force.

At the 56th pick, that's a pretty good skill set to sell to NBA teams.

If there's a team picking ahead of that spot that sees Blue with the same offensive potential of Matthews or Butler, he could wind up falling somewhere between the Pistons' two second-round picks at 37 and 56.

On that score, Blue showed progress as a junior after Marquette lost Crowder and Johnson-Odom to the NBA. His scoring went from 8.4 to 14.8 and his shooting from 41 to 45 percent. Blue began to show progress from the 3-point line, as well, going from one to four attempts per game and boosting his percentage from 26 to 30. Those aren't dazzling numbers, but the trend is positive and should be enough to convince teams, combined with what they believe about his fire, that he'll continue in that direction.

If the Pistons want scoring at 56, they might be more interested in players like Brandon Paul, James Ennis, Carrick Felix or Seth Curry.

I'm still saying he ends up going the Wes route, but all it takes is one team to fall in love.

[bilsu]

Anybody remember Buzz dancing when Blue took his first charge this year?

[Sunbelt15]

There's hope after all..!?

[BCHoopster]

I am hoping he does not get drafted, and the Bucks give him an opportunity, they are 8 players short right now, so there is room, even to sit on the bench and not dress the whole
year.  Send him down to the D-league to improve game, stashing a player like most NFL teams.

[Stronghold]

Lakers are taking him at 48.

[slack00]

I hope people remember that tonight is not the final chapter in Vander's story whether he is drafted or not.

If he's not picked, it's possible to go the Wesley Matthews route and work hard as an undrafted free agent to earn a roster spot.  If he is picked, it does not automatically equate to success as Hayward and DJO have found out.

What I love the most about these guys is that they'll keep working, and Vander will have to do that whether he's picked or not.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Lakers are taking him at 48.

Inside knowledge here or just a hunch?  Would be cool if true

[dgies9156]

I'll say what I have said for the past three years. The evolution of Vander Blue is critical to Buzz's long-term success.

Vander coming in was a much lauded recruit (as I recall, Top 50). He did not come in and make an immediate impact. Instead, he fit into our system and evolved. He as many before him proved Al McGuire's great maxim, "The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores."

Last year was his coming out party. And, while I thought he was better served by staying at MU for another year, I don't begrudge the guy for reaching for the stars. How many of us would have left Marquette if we had a chance to make millions in a job outside the university. Even a small chance!

That said, if Vander is drafted tonight -- and I hope he is -- it does nothing but reaffirm the strength of what Buzz is doing. New or Old Big East, we have something special again. Vander's drafting, whatever position, reaffirms what Buzz has done with our program and is living proof to the Diamond Stones of the world and others that we're an elite program.

Go get 'em Vander. We're pulling for you. Like all of us who went through Marquette, just remember, "Be the Difference!"

[Stronghold]

Inside knowledge here or just a hunch?  Would be cool if true

I stated that pretty definitively, but I definitely don't know.  My friend who works in the NBA heard that the Lakers gave Vander and his agent a "promise" on that pick if he was available.  He's not an MU supporter/follower so I figured it was pretty unbiased.  Surprised me a bit considering they took DJO last year and he didn't pan out the way they maybe wanted.

[HoopsMalone]

Lakers could certainly use an athletic defender like Vander.  And DJO for that matter.

[Silkk the Shaka]

I stated that pretty definitively, but I definitely don't know.  My friend who works in the NBA heard that the Lakers gave Vander and his agent a "promise" on that pick if he was available.  He's not an MU supporter/follower so I figured it was pretty unbiased.  Surprised me a bit considering they took DJO last year and he didn't pan out the way they maybe wanted.

That counts as an insider tip to me.  Good stuff.  I hope it's true!

[slingkong]

Last year was his coming out party. And, while I thought he was better served by staying at MU for another year, I don't begrudge the guy for reaching for the stars. How many of us would have left Marquette if we had a chance to make millions in a job outside the university. Even a small chance!

I agree that he would have been better served by sticking around, but nobody that matters to his decision asked me what I think. But I do think that your analogy is flawed in that, if you or I were given a slight chance to make millions by leaving school, and if it didn't work out, we could just return to school to finish up. Vander can't do that as far as bball is concerned, although I hope he does at some point get his degree.

[Dawson Rental]

I stated that pretty definitively, but I definitely don't know.  My friend who works in the NBA heard that the Lakers gave Vander and his agent a "promise" on that pick if he was available.  He's not an MU supporter/follower so I figured it was pretty unbiased.  Surprised me a bit considering they took DJO last year and he didn't pan out the way they maybe wanted.

Good thing they hedged their bets.

[Groin_pull]

I agree that he would have been better served by sticking around, but nobody that matters to his decision asked me what I think. But I do think that your analogy is flawed in that, if you or I were given a slight chance to make millions by leaving school, and if it didn't work out, we could just return to school to finish up. Vander can't do that as far as bball is concerned, although I hope he does at some point get his degree.

He can return, but isn't his free ride at MU over?

[dgies9156]

I agree that he would have been better served by sticking around, but nobody that matters to his decision asked me what I think. But I do think that your analogy is flawed in that, if you or I were given a slight chance to make millions by leaving school, and if it didn't work out, we could just return to school to finish up. Vander can't do that as far as bball is concerned, although I hope he does at some point get his degree.

No, he cannot play Marquette Basketball anymore. And, no, he will not be part of our 2014 National Championship celebration. That aside, he has other options for basketball, including Europe.

That said, I agree that I hope he comes back and finishes his work toward a Marquette degree. It's a great thing to have in the tank after your basketball career is over.