Re: Ben Pepper !!!! Must Read

["KK" <Kestutis.Kveraga@Dartmouth.EDU>]

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>From: Bos3332@aol.com


> You are mistaken to disparage the Cs 1997 no. 2 pick, Ben Pepper. I just
> got the April 1, 1999 issue of ASIA-PACIFIC BASKETBALL QUARTERLY and
> there is a cover story on Pepper, who was named the 1998-99 Asia-Pacific
> basketball Player of the Year. Upset after not making the Australian team
> for the world basketball championships last year, Pepper hired the top
> physical trainer in Australia and has worked out extensively on his hoops
> game. He has been working with former NBA player Spencer Haywood.(Prior
> to 1998 Pepper was more interested in pursuing a carrer as a professional
> tennis player. He was ranked third in the under 21 category in
> Australia.) Pepper now stands 7'2 in his barefeet, weights 290 lbs., and
> has a 38" vertical leap.

Did they really mean inches? Not centimeters?

>He is currently playing for the Melbourne Flying
> Eagles in the Australian National League and is averaging a
> league-leading 34.7 points per game, a league-leading 21.3 rebounds per
> game, and a league-leading 8.1 blocks per game. Melbourne's record in
> 52-4. In addition, Pepper is an incredible second in the league in
> assists and steals.

Warwick, are these numbers true?

> According to Andrew Gaze, the Aussie who played a bit
> in the NBA and starred on Seton Hall's 1989 Final 4 team, Pepper is
> "going to be every bit as good as Hakeem Olajuwon. He already is better
> than Shaq or David Robinson"

Hmmm....A guy who's "already better than Shaq or David Robinson" not making
the Australian team? Either Gaze is out of his mind, or Pepper's personal
trainer and Haywood are miracle workers. And what's this implied claim about
Olajuwon being better than Shaq or Robinson? Not anymore...

> Apparently Pepper refuses to play for the
> Celtics (or any other NBA team) unless he is the highest paid player on
> the team.

Not to dis the Aussie league, but is he even making the NBA minimum Down
Under? Or is it "respect" he's after? Not to mention that, under the new
CBA, teams could not make a rookie their highest-paid player unless they
waived all of their higher-paid veterans.
This story seems almost completely bogus...
KK