Story on Baby Shaq

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's a story on Baby Shaq from the NY Times (so you know it must be true
:-) ). He just doesn't sound like the answer to me. There are a lot of
strong guys out there. What else does this guy bring? 

There are a few wild cards in the draft leading up to the Celtics' pick.
Washington and Golden State, at 10 and 11, are a mystery. If, as expected,
Lebron, Darko, Melo, Bosh, Lampe, Ford, Pietrus, Hinrich and Kaman are the
first nine picks, then Wade would appear to be the highest ranked player
left on the board. Golden State likely would snatch him up to replace
Arenas, but what if Washington takes him? What does Golden State do? The
highest ranked players on the board at that point are Collison and Sweetney,
but they have power forwards. Do they go for Gaines, Banks or Ridnour?
Maybe. If that happens, then Seattle probably jumps at Collison. Then the
Grizzlies are up. They don't need Sweetney or any of the PGs, so give them
Pavlovic or Hayes. Then Seattle takes Banks, then Orlando takes Gaines
(unless Golden St. took him already). Suddenly Sweetney is there for the
Celts. And we haven't even mentioned Cook. Sweetney is a power forward I can
get behind. He has the kind of size and strength you see in Sofo, but with
soft hands and a developed offensive game. I could work up some excitement
for that pick.

As I'm watching the draft Thursday, I'm going to be rooting for these names
to come off the board in the first 15 picks: Ridnour, Gaines, Collison,
Cook. If those three are gone, that boosts the Celts' chances of getting a
good player at 16-either Pavlovic, Hayes, Banks or Sweetney.

Mark


REENBURGH, N.Y., June 23 - Sofoklis Schortsanitis leaves major impressions
wherever he goes.
In Memphis, a Grizzlies assistant coach used a blocking pad to simulate post
resistance and was knocked around like a piqata. In Boston, Danny Ainge, the
Celtics' executive director of basketball operations, wondered aloud if the
6-foot-9, 310-pound Schortsanitis would leave teammates hurt and bloodied
after a few practices. In Greece, they call him Baby Shaq.
Schortsanitis, an 18-year-old forward/center who has played in the Greek
league for three years, is one of the more intriguing prospects heading into
Thursday's N.B.A. draft. 
Some scouts have compared him to Elton Brand, others to Karl Malone.
Schortsanitis believes he plays like Eddy Curry, the young center for the
Chicago Bulls.
But no one thinks Schortsanitis is another Shaquille O'Neal, least of all
himself.
"He doesn't like to be called Baby Shaq," said Marc Fleisher,
Schortsanitis's agent. "He wants to be his own person. He thinks Shaq is one
of the greatest players ever and until he earns his keep, he doesn't want to
be referred to in that way. His nickname is Sofo, or Sof."
Although it does not have the same ring to it as Baby Shaq, Sofo is probably
more appropriate. Whatever team selects him will have a project - a
potentially rewarding one - on its hands.
Schortsanitis has worked out for more than a dozen teams and is projected to
be drafted from No. 12 to No. 20.
"This is a big guy and very strong," the Knicks' president and general
manager, Scott Layden, said today after the Knicks worked out Schortsanitis
for the second time.
"Picture going into a high school game this past year and looking out on the
court and saying: 'There's Sofoklis. What a great prospect.' He's a young
guy with tremendous potential and his size is going to benefit him. In the
N.B.A., he's very, very strong. He runs well and has good footwork for a guy
at that size and at that experience level."
Schortsanitis's size was a mystery for much of last season. Rumors about him
spread throughout the league as general managers dreamed of landing the next
O'Neal. 
But as the draft approached, the excitement waned as league executives
feared that Schortsanitis was only about 6-8. 
Today, the Knicks measured him at 6-foot-8< without shoes. Official N.B.A.
measurements are recorded with players wearing their sneakers, so for league
purposes, Schortsanitis stands about 6-foot-9=. Not short, but not Yao Ming,
either. Though he has the height of a forward, Schortsanitis plays a
center's game.
In the Greek League, where the players are not as big, Schortsanitis's
coaches did not allow him to shoot from the outside. They wanted him on the
low block, where he could use his bruising strength and impressive baby hook
shot. But at 6-9, he will probably have to develop a better outside shot if
he wants to succeed in the N.B.A. Schortsanitis, who said he was comfortable
shooting out to 12 feet, had a horrible shooting day in his Knicks workout. 
"My low-post game is my strength," said Schortsanitis, who speaks English.
"My weakness is my outside shot. I'm not used to taking those kinds of
shots. But I want to play inside and outside. On my former club team, I
wasn't able to develop my outside skills because in Greece there's a lack of
big guys, and I was able to be kind of dominant there. 
"It's different here. You have physical players who are fast, and I
understood the first week that I would have to adjust my game to be a little
bit faster and stronger. Here, the players are more complete. In Greece,
they're either physical or athletic. They're not both things."
Schortsanitis was born in Tiko, Cameroon. His mother is a native of
Cameroon, and his father is a civil engineer from Greece. His parents met
while his father was in Africa helping build a road. 
The family moved to Greece when Schortsanitis was a baby. 
He began playing professional basketball in the Greek League when he was 15.
Last season, his third in the league but the first in which he had
significant playing time, he averaged 11 points and 6.2 rebounds in 22
minutes a game.
Efficient around the basket, Schortsanitis is also known as a relentless
rebounder. 
Many scouts have told him he should lose 15 to 20 pounds to become a better
leaper and an established N.B.A. player. Schortsanitis sounds as if he is
willing to put in the work. 
He knows he's not going to step right in and be a star, no matter what his
nickname implies.
"I don't think I'm going to be able to contribute scoring right away, but I
like playing defense," Schortsanitis said. "I think the only thing I'll
contribute my first year is playing defense. Not everyone's LeBron James,
you know."