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Chicago Suns Times
Paxson should stay away from schoolboy row
March 24, 2004
BY JAY MARIOTTI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Never has raw, crapshoot potential come at a higher price. For $25, one can sit in the lower bowl of the United Center tonight and see whether an 18-year-old named Dwight Howard MIGHT BE the next Kevin Garnett. Of whether a skinny lad named Shaun Livingston MIGHT BE the point guard of the future. Or whether a 6-8 guard named Dorell Wright MIGHT BE good enough to spurn DePaul and jump to the NBA as a budding Tracy McGrady.
All I know is, John Paxson better not be anywhere near the building during the EA Sports Roundball Classic. Because as much as I trust his scouting instincts, the last thing the Bulls need is another precocious project whose incubation period lasts beyond a Chicagoan's average life expectancy. We simply don't have time for kiddies anymore, having waited three years for those Twin Toddlers, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, to learn how to wear their uniforms properly and tie their drawstrings tight enough so butt cleavage doesn't peek out.
As quickly as possible, even by time machine, the Bulls must return to the NBA and clue in to the basic tenet of sports: A team can't win a championship until it remotely gets near the playoffs. With another expected high pick in the June draft -- perhaps as high as No. 1, considering they have the second-worst record in the league -- Paxson can't afford to gamble on a gifted high-schooler or any of the various Europrojects available. And that especially goes for one Pavel Podkolzine, a 7-5, 300-pound center from that noted hoops hotbed of Siberia.
I'm relieved to report, at least at the moment, that the general manager shares our impatience and claims to have little interest in the hoops version of "American Idol.'' Said Mad Pax, who is mourning his first anniversary in the near-impossible role as Jerry Krause's successor: "There is talent and potential in all of those [prep] kids. But for franchises trying to get better in a hurry, those are risky propositions. It's scary. The guys we're counting on are so young. I can't say never, but it would be tough to throw somebody [right out of high school] in the mix.''
Wisely, his eye is squarely on Connecticut's Emeka Okafor, a dominant defensive force (unlike the soft Curry) and developing offensive player (unlike the unrefined Chandler) who has a rock of a body (unlike Curry and Chandler), the maturity not to show off his first $1 million crib to photographers (unlike Jamal Crawford) and the intelligence and commitment to earn his finance degree in three years with a 3.8 grade-point average. An imposing figure at 6-10 and 252 pounds, Okafor is exactly what Curry and Chandler are not -- a dedicated athlete with a worldly perspective who aches to be the greatest player he can be. The only issue is back soreness that has yet to affect Okafor in the NCAA tournament and isn't expected to linger beyond this season. "Emeka is going to be a terrific pro,'' said UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who has sent Ray Allen, Cliff Robinson and other players to the NBA. "There's no doubt in my mind that great things are going to happen for him.''
Why is he so sure? "I tell this to the pro scouts: As good as you guys think he is now, he's going to be so much better. Only because there's no reason to think that, all of a sudden, his desire to be the best is somehow going to leave him,'' Calhoun told ESPN.
But what if the Bulls don't draft first and Okafor is snapped up by another team? Are we going to see Paxson succumb to the teen parade and consider Howard, the 6-11 forward from Atlanta who is considered the best prep prospect this season? It's just Paxson's luck that he picked seventh last June, the year LeBron James was available, but might pick as high as No. 1 in a year when no LeBrons are out there. It's also just Paxson's luck that his brother, Jim, is the general manager in Cleveland when the Ping-Pong ball has LeBron's face on it. Sure, Howard might grow into an outstanding pro. Or he might be the next Kwame Brown. Point is, Chicago shouldn't be the site of his test-tube lab. Same goes for Josh Smith, a small forward with guard skills who is only 18 but is projected to be drafted in the top five, which would turn his letter of intent with Indiana into phony paper.
Nor do we have the time for Luol Deng, fascinating as the thought sounds. Illini Nation will get a look Friday night at a gifted athletic specimen with a 7-foot wing span, exceptional maturity and basketball savvy and a game that reminds some of Grant Hill. But the Duke freshman, too, will need years to develop. And after the Jay Williams motorcycle saga, we're not in the mood to challenge the vaunted and very real Duke curse, which traditionally turns All-Americans into NBA disappointments or injury casualties. Of late, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Carlos Boozer are starting to fight back. But let another team in another town play the risk/reward game.
If Paxson can't draft Okafor, he is advised to become creative and trade the pick. It's much easier said than done, but he must try anyway. What the Bulls need, with considerable urgency, is an established NBA star who legitimately can be marketed as a winner worth the admission price. Paxson says there's almost no NBA interest in Crawford and Chandler and limited interest in Curry, but packaged with a high lottery pick, who knows what could happen? Maybe I'm dreaming, but McGrady says he'll leave Orlando as a free agent in the summer of 2005. Why not attempt a trade with the Magic, who are ready to start over as a franchise and might prefer receiving talent for their superstar guard rather than lose him for nothing?
Do something, do anything. Just don't draft a kid who looks good tonight. If the Bulls go that route again, Scott Skiles will be carried away in a straitjacket, the fans will start leaving before the Dunkin' Donuts race and the Jordan statue just might come alive and flip the bird at the arena. Every week brings another controversial episode or two, so many benchings and tongue-lashings that the remaining dozens who still care about this franchise rarely bat an eye anymore. Whatever Krause was attempting to do has failed miserably. Worse, the Bulls might have had a shot at hiring Jerry West had chairman Jerry Reinsdorf pulled the plug on Krause a year earlier. Instead, West took the job in Memphis, hired Hubie Brown and turned around the Grizzlies in two years. All over the league -- Cleveland, Miami, Denver -- franchises are pulling off quick fixes.
Why not the Bulls? Next season will be the seventh since the dynasty was wrecked prematurely. With only bumper-car point guard Kirk Hinrich established as a proven cornerstone, Paxson can't afford to make a single mistake. It's a thankless task, but he can start tonight by staying home with his family in Lake Bluff, 40 miles and another planet from the teens who could sabotage his dreams.
Paxson should stay away from schoolboy row
March 24, 2004
BY JAY MARIOTTI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Never has raw, crapshoot potential come at a higher price. For $25, one can sit in the lower bowl of the United Center tonight and see whether an 18-year-old named Dwight Howard MIGHT BE the next Kevin Garnett. Of whether a skinny lad named Shaun Livingston MIGHT BE the point guard of the future. Or whether a 6-8 guard named Dorell Wright MIGHT BE good enough to spurn DePaul and jump to the NBA as a budding Tracy McGrady.
All I know is, John Paxson better not be anywhere near the building during the EA Sports Roundball Classic. Because as much as I trust his scouting instincts, the last thing the Bulls need is another precocious project whose incubation period lasts beyond a Chicagoan's average life expectancy. We simply don't have time for kiddies anymore, having waited three years for those Twin Toddlers, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, to learn how to wear their uniforms properly and tie their drawstrings tight enough so butt cleavage doesn't peek out.
As quickly as possible, even by time machine, the Bulls must return to the NBA and clue in to the basic tenet of sports: A team can't win a championship until it remotely gets near the playoffs. With another expected high pick in the June draft -- perhaps as high as No. 1, considering they have the second-worst record in the league -- Paxson can't afford to gamble on a gifted high-schooler or any of the various Europrojects available. And that especially goes for one Pavel Podkolzine, a 7-5, 300-pound center from that noted hoops hotbed of Siberia.
I'm relieved to report, at least at the moment, that the general manager shares our impatience and claims to have little interest in the hoops version of "American Idol.'' Said Mad Pax, who is mourning his first anniversary in the near-impossible role as Jerry Krause's successor: "There is talent and potential in all of those [prep] kids. But for franchises trying to get better in a hurry, those are risky propositions. It's scary. The guys we're counting on are so young. I can't say never, but it would be tough to throw somebody [right out of high school] in the mix.''
Wisely, his eye is squarely on Connecticut's Emeka Okafor, a dominant defensive force (unlike the soft Curry) and developing offensive player (unlike the unrefined Chandler) who has a rock of a body (unlike Curry and Chandler), the maturity not to show off his first $1 million crib to photographers (unlike Jamal Crawford) and the intelligence and commitment to earn his finance degree in three years with a 3.8 grade-point average. An imposing figure at 6-10 and 252 pounds, Okafor is exactly what Curry and Chandler are not -- a dedicated athlete with a worldly perspective who aches to be the greatest player he can be. The only issue is back soreness that has yet to affect Okafor in the NCAA tournament and isn't expected to linger beyond this season. "Emeka is going to be a terrific pro,'' said UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who has sent Ray Allen, Cliff Robinson and other players to the NBA. "There's no doubt in my mind that great things are going to happen for him.''
Why is he so sure? "I tell this to the pro scouts: As good as you guys think he is now, he's going to be so much better. Only because there's no reason to think that, all of a sudden, his desire to be the best is somehow going to leave him,'' Calhoun told ESPN.
But what if the Bulls don't draft first and Okafor is snapped up by another team? Are we going to see Paxson succumb to the teen parade and consider Howard, the 6-11 forward from Atlanta who is considered the best prep prospect this season? It's just Paxson's luck that he picked seventh last June, the year LeBron James was available, but might pick as high as No. 1 in a year when no LeBrons are out there. It's also just Paxson's luck that his brother, Jim, is the general manager in Cleveland when the Ping-Pong ball has LeBron's face on it. Sure, Howard might grow into an outstanding pro. Or he might be the next Kwame Brown. Point is, Chicago shouldn't be the site of his test-tube lab. Same goes for Josh Smith, a small forward with guard skills who is only 18 but is projected to be drafted in the top five, which would turn his letter of intent with Indiana into phony paper.
Nor do we have the time for Luol Deng, fascinating as the thought sounds. Illini Nation will get a look Friday night at a gifted athletic specimen with a 7-foot wing span, exceptional maturity and basketball savvy and a game that reminds some of Grant Hill. But the Duke freshman, too, will need years to develop. And after the Jay Williams motorcycle saga, we're not in the mood to challenge the vaunted and very real Duke curse, which traditionally turns All-Americans into NBA disappointments or injury casualties. Of late, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Carlos Boozer are starting to fight back. But let another team in another town play the risk/reward game.
If Paxson can't draft Okafor, he is advised to become creative and trade the pick. It's much easier said than done, but he must try anyway. What the Bulls need, with considerable urgency, is an established NBA star who legitimately can be marketed as a winner worth the admission price. Paxson says there's almost no NBA interest in Crawford and Chandler and limited interest in Curry, but packaged with a high lottery pick, who knows what could happen? Maybe I'm dreaming, but McGrady says he'll leave Orlando as a free agent in the summer of 2005. Why not attempt a trade with the Magic, who are ready to start over as a franchise and might prefer receiving talent for their superstar guard rather than lose him for nothing?
Do something, do anything. Just don't draft a kid who looks good tonight. If the Bulls go that route again, Scott Skiles will be carried away in a straitjacket, the fans will start leaving before the Dunkin' Donuts race and the Jordan statue just might come alive and flip the bird at the arena. Every week brings another controversial episode or two, so many benchings and tongue-lashings that the remaining dozens who still care about this franchise rarely bat an eye anymore. Whatever Krause was attempting to do has failed miserably. Worse, the Bulls might have had a shot at hiring Jerry West had chairman Jerry Reinsdorf pulled the plug on Krause a year earlier. Instead, West took the job in Memphis, hired Hubie Brown and turned around the Grizzlies in two years. All over the league -- Cleveland, Miami, Denver -- franchises are pulling off quick fixes.
Why not the Bulls? Next season will be the seventh since the dynasty was wrecked prematurely. With only bumper-car point guard Kirk Hinrich established as a proven cornerstone, Paxson can't afford to make a single mistake. It's a thankless task, but he can start tonight by staying home with his family in Lake Bluff, 40 miles and another planet from the teens who could sabotage his dreams.
