http://0rz.tw/392NR NBA Draft Pistons grab Stuckey Eastern Washington guard taken 15th overall; UCLA guard Afflalo is choice with 27th selection. Chris McCosky / The Detroit News AUBURN HILLS -- As it worked out, two of the players the Pistons had ranked highest on their board were available when their 15th pick rolled around Thursday. Both Nick Young and Rodney Stuckey were available. Joe Dumars and his staff had gone round and round all week about which player they would take if both were there. In the end, the Pistons chose the tougher, harder-edged more versatile player over perhaps the more polished player. They chose Stuckey, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound scoring guard from Eastern Washington. "We had Rodney rated pretty high the whole time," Dumars said. "It really wasn't a hard decision. With his versatility, his talent, his athleticism and the fact that he can play both (guard) positions, it made it an easy choice to take him." With the 27th pick, Dumars continued to stockpile perimeter players, selecting Arron Afflalo, a 6-5 shooting guard from UCLA. "He's a tough guy, a fighter, a guy who competes and is a winner. That's what appealed to me," Dumars said of Afflalo. "This is a guy who can defend all three perimeter positions and he's a flat-out tough guy. And he can score. He's been on that big ." The Pistons now have Billups, Richard Hamilton, Flip Murray, Will Blalock, potentially Alex Acker and these two draft picks at the two guard positions. Dumars indicated a couple of those players probably would be dealt before training camp, but it was his aim to bolster the backcourt. "Our struggles in the playoffs have been on the perimeter," he said. "Either we didn't make shots or we didn't defend well from the perimeter like we needed to. I have never felt we were outplayed in the paint in the playoffs." Stuckey most often is compared to Dwyane Wade, whom he modeled his game after. But he plays with a ferocity on offense that perhaps is more reminiscent of Jerry Stackhouse. With one noticeable difference -- Stuckey is a more proficient shooter. "Wade is my favorite player and it's a blessing to have some similarities with him," Stuckey said. "I love watching him play. He's relentless and flashy, and the way he carries himself on the court, that how I am going to try to be." Stuckey averaged 24.6 points and shot 47 percent in his two seasons at Eastern Washington. He didn't shoot a high percentage from 3-point range (31 percent), but he shot it well during most of his workouts. There will be questions about the level of competition Stuckey played against in the Big Sky Conference. But as Stuckey himself said, those same questions were asked about Dumars when he was drafted out of McNeese State. "Me and Joe Dumars were kind of in a similar situation," Stuckey said. "People doubt that I can play at this level. But I am going to prove that I can. I am going to work hard every day. " You know, Joe Dumars wasn't drafting a guy to sit on the bench for a couple of years. He was drafting a guy that can come in and play right away." Dumars seconded that. "When you go to a small school, you have to do everything for your team," Dumars said. "You have to carry a tremendous load. I understand that what he did was special. It's not easy and he did it and he did it with an edge. He's a go-at-it guy with a high motor." --

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