ESPN's Chad Ford released his first post-lottery 2011 NBA mock draft on Tuesday night. With the eighth overall pick, he has the Detroit Pistons selecting Texas power forward Tristan Thompson, who is 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds.
Ford's reasoning for the pick is related to Bismack Biyombo being too big of a risk this early on in the draft. He thinks Thompson "is more of a proven commodity" than Biyombo. Also, Ford likes that Thompson is such a good offensive rebounder and scorer. He would be a good complement to Greg Monroe in Ford's eyes.
Whether or not the pick ends up being Biyombo or Thompson remains to be seen, but I'd bet on the Pistons taking a big man. They could use another big body to pair with Monroe in the post, and somebody like Thompson would be a good choice. I'd prefer that over adding another guard into the mix, but I guess plans could change depending on what happens with players already on the team.