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Flash: Ben Pepper is nine feet tall!!
Hey, anybody see Banana Boy's line against the Pacers: 9 boards and 4 blocks
in like 24 minutes. Leading me to conclude either a) he was holding out on the
Celtics or b) my grandmother could probably get six boards and two swats if
she were playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal.
On another note, check out yesterday's column from Jesse Barkin of the San
Jose Mercury News:
"Pierce's draft-day slide allowed Celtics to score
AFTER HIS pre-draft workout with the Warriors in
June, Kansas forward Paul
Pierce sounded excited about the prospect of the
Warriors taking him with the fifth
pick. He had spent a couple of years growing up
in Oakland, and he expressed nothing
but positives after meeting the coaching staff.
But Pierce didn't believe he would become a
Warrior because he thought he would be
long gone before the fifth pick rolled around.
Most pre-draft lists had him going third to
Denver or fourth to Toronto. Frankly, Pierce
thought that was too low.
``I want to be the first pick,'' he said.
When the draft arrived, the 6-foot-7 college
junior sat anxiously at General Motors Place
in Vancouver, and waited. And waited. Nine teams
passed over him before the Boston
Celtics took him with the 10th pick.
The season is just over a week old, so it's way
too early to make judgments. Especially
this season, when first-year players didn't have
the benefits of summer league, the
normal training camp and a full slate of
exhibition games.
But it's not too early to wonder how nine teams
could have passed on a player who has
stepped into the NBA so seamlessly. Pierce is
averaging 17.3 points on 47.2 percent
shooting. He had 19 points, nine rebounds, five
assists, four blocks and two steals in
his debut at Toronto, then scored 11 of the
Celtics' final 12 points the next night in the
home opener against Cleveland. He also had key
baskets down the stretch in a victory
over Miami a few days later.
``Crunch time is a time that separates men from
the boys,'' Pierce said. ``Even though
I'm a rookie, I want to be in there. I put high
expectations on myself. I'm a confident
player. Once I get going, I can play against anyone.''
Here's a brief update on the nine rookies chosen
ahead of him.
1. Michael Olowokandi, Clippers (14.3 points,
7.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks): The
7-footer from the University of the Pacific is
displaying quick feet and is developing the
kind of footwork that makes him look extremely
promising. He is raw but learning fast.
2. Mike Bibby, Grizzlies (11 points, 8.3
assists, 3.0 turnovers, 1.8 steals): The point
guard from Arizona is having trouble making his
shots, hitting 34 percent overall and 20
percent on three-pointers. Like all Vancouver
point guards, he has to live with the fact
his teammates, on the whole, aren't very good.
3. Raef LaFrentz, Nuggets (16 points, 9.8
rebounds, 1.0 block): He's not big enough
to be a starting center, but the slender 6-11
player is doing a good job of pretending.
He's a defensive liability, but his offensive
production has been tremendous. He had
18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in 38
minutes of Friday's 100-94 victory over
Dallas.
4. Antawn Jamison, Warriors (4.8 points, 4.6
rebounds): In a word, the consensus
college player of the year from North Carolina
looks ``uncomfortable.'' He simply
doesn't have small forward skills thus far, yet
that's the position he's going to have to
play to be successful. (Technically, the Raptors
drafted Jamison at No. 4, then swapped
picks with the Warriors, who sent the No. 5 pick
and cash).
5. Vince Carter, Raptors (12.3 points, 3.8
rebounds, 1.8 assists): Jamison's North
Carolina teammate is coming off the bench and
doing well, shooting 50 percent and
displaying an impressive combination of
strength, athleticism and physical maturity.
6. Robert Traylor, Bucks (3.3 points, 4.7
rebounds, 1.3 blocks): Like Jamison,
Traylor will have to find a position. He was a
burly 6-8 center at Michigan. The question
is whether he'll be able to score inside despite
a huge height disadvantage. Is he Larry
Johnson or Byron Houston? We don't know yet.
(Traylor was drafted by Dallas,
then traded with No. 19 pick Pat Garrity to
Milwaukee for No. 9 pick Dirk
Nowitzki.)
7. Jason Williams, Kings (18 points, 4.0
assists, 3.8 rebounds): The flashy point
guard from Florida must prove his troubles
(marijuana) are behind him, and that he can
make the simple pass. He has been exciting so
far, and a big scorer.
8. Larry Hughes, 76ers (10.8 points, 4.5
rebounds): He already has lost his starting
job at point guard to Eric Snow. Is the 6-5
guard from St. Louis a shooting guard or
point guard? He has been terrible from the
perimeter, hitting 12.5 percent on three-point
attempts.
9. Nowitzki, Mavericks (9.8 points, 6.2
rebounds): The 20-year-old from Germany
considered going to Cal, where he might be
leading the Bears to an NCAA title if he had.
The 7-foot wunderkind has looked sensational at
times, particularly with his 44.4
percent accuracy on three-pointers."
Question for the day: if, theoretically, the Clippers were to offer Olowakandi
straight up for Pierce, would you do it?
Not that I expect this would ever happen, but let me throw this one out there:
Say the Clippers offered to trade Olowakandi for Pierce straight up. Would you
do it?