Just kidding, summer league games don’t mean anything. But the one thing they let you do is take a look at the latest draft pick or maybe a sleeper in the undrafted free agent class. Plus, there is added excitement for Pistons fans because Detroit has their first top-10 draft pick playing in the summer league since the player that should not be mentioned.

Truth is, though, Greg Monroe got pretty badly outplayed by a character Caracter (as in the L.A. Lakers’ Derrick Caracter) who was drafted 51 picks after him.

Monroe played like a young, inexperience player. Trying to be too quick with everyting, especially in the post, and rushing every move instead of letting the game come to him. He also struggled converting near the rim and couldn’t get a couple put backs to go in.

And although his statline, 8 points on 4-13 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 tournovers, was pedestrian, he did do a lot of things that impressed. That included fighting in traffic to grab some of his boards, and showing well on screens, although he sometimes struggled with his lack of lateral quickness to keep the L.A. point guards in front of him.

The most disappointing aspect about his inaugural game was his lack of physical presence. He didn’t use his size or strength to any sort of advantage, and he let himself get pushed around by some smaller players on occassion. All in all he had a mediocre first three quarters and then an absolute terrible fourth quarter when you could tell he was running on fumes. I’m surprised he didn’t pass out on his way to a fastbreak dunk he had at the end of the game.

The other Pistons draft pick, Terrico White, played quite well. But one wonders whether he is going to be the next Dajuan Summers or the next Jonas Jerebko. Remember, in last year’s summer league both Summers and Jerebko were two players fans were not excited about coming out of the draft, and both players played extremely well in the summer league. One player was able to keep that momentum throughout the entire season and eventually played himself into the regular rotation. The other player got to be in a Color Tyme commercial.

White played under control for the most part and had a much stronger offensive game than I had anticipated. He didn’t rely soely on his athleticism to slash to the bucket, but instead used his strength and speed to create enough space to pull up for nice mid-range jumpers or force a defender to come help on defense and then White would dish it off to a teammate for a good open look. He only had three assists, but he didn’t look lost running the offense.

The other top Pistons player, and I would argue the best player on the floor, was Austin Daye. I’ve always loved Daye’s offensive game because he seems to be able to use his myriad skills in smart ways to score efficiently.

Against the Lakers, Daye had 21 points, a team-high six rebounds and two steals. He also intiated the offense quite a bit and played good defense, compensating for his lack of bulk by using his length smartly. The comparisons to Tayshaun Prince seem more apt every day.

Next up for the Pistons are the Golden State Warriors. Tip off is at 8 p.m. and you can watch the game online for just $15 bucks at NBA.com. I look forward to Monroe badly outplaying the player the Warriors selected instead of Monroe, Ekpe Udoh.

Jordan Eglseder bested Cole Aldrich in the NCAA tournament, and hopefully he can best him in the pros, as the former Northern Iowa Panther plays for the Pistons Summer League Team. Photo courtesy of Yardbarker

Ridiculous Upside has a great list of this year’s summer league rosters, including much of the Pistons’ squad. Names not already mentioned include: point guards Edgar Sosa and Marquez Haynes; and centers Jared Reiner and Jordan Eglseder.

Many fans are hoping most for a big man to latch on to the team as a designated rebounder and defensive stopper. At 28, Reiner is a man, not a boy, and has been floating around various professional leagues since 2004. Last season in the D-league he ranked eighth with 15.3 boards per 48 of players that played at least 10 games on the JV circuit.

Michigan State fans should remember Eglseder as a member of the ninth-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers, whose run as a Cinderella in the NCAA tournament was stopped by the Spartans in the Sweet 16. What the bald-headed Eglseder lacks in a hairline, he makes up for in size as a legit 7-footer and a beefy 280 pounds. He seems to have been quite the rebounder at Northern Iowa and takes up a lot of space in the post. In his senior season in 2009-10, he ranked third in the nation in rebounds adjusted for pace and second in defensive boards, according to Draft Express.

He also enjoyed a quality NCAA tournament playing against the big boys. In just18 minutes in the first round he almost got a double double, snaring 10 rebounds to go with nine points on 4-9 shooting. In an upset win over Kansas in round two, Eglseder had five rebounds and 14 points, including 2-3 from the 3-point line and in the loss to MSU, he grabbed five more boards and scored nine in 22 minutes of action.

I definitely think the Pistons will have room on the end of the bench for a wide-bodied rebounding specialist.

Former Pistons playing in the summer league are Trent Plaisted with the Chicago Bulls, Will Blalock with my new favorite Western Conference team, the Golden State “we’ll pass on Monroe for Udoh” Warriors, Deron Washington with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Ronald Dupree with the Toronto Raptors.

Other invitees of note include former Michigan Wolverine Manny Harris going to Cleveland and former Michigan State Spartans Maurice Ager getting a look-see from the New Olreans Hornets and Raymar Morgan with the Washington Wizards. Speaking of the Wizards,  Javaris Cittenton is hoping to not fall completely out of the league following Arenas-gate by going back to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that drafted him 19th overall just three years ago.

Add mark your calendars for July 12, when the Pistons most interesting summer league game will go down. It will be a battle of rookie big men as Detroit and first-round pick Greg Monroe  face off against Sacremento and slightly higher pick  DeMarcus Cousins.