duncan228
02-04-2010, 03:09 PM
Westphal: Docs missed on Blair (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2010/02/westphal-docs-m.html)
By Jeff McDonald
Some good stuff from Kings coach Paul Westphal on Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair can be found here, courtesy of the Sacramento Bee (http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/2010/02/morning-after.html):
The money quote:
"Every team in the league wants to disbar or whatever you do to doctors who said that guy and his knees weren't OK to draft," Westphal said. "He's making them look like they should have flunked out of medical school and gone to drive a cab."
To be fair, the concerns about Blair's knees were more long-term than short-term. Nobody is sure how many seasons Blair can last playing with no ACLs. Perhaps the doctors Westphal mentions will be vindicated long before they have to drive a cab.
Still, Westphal's enthusiasm was not unwarranted.
Blair had the second-highest scoring night of his season Wednesday against the Kings (20 points on 9-of-11 shooting). He only managed six rebounds, but as he told me afterward, "It's hard to get rebounds when nobody misses."
Both teams shot better than 52 percent in the Spurs' 115-113 victory.
*********************
The Sacramento Bee piece.
BLAIR WITCH (DOCTOR) PROJECT
DeJuan Blair's story is simply incredible, especially considering he has no ACLs in either leg (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/sports/basketball/13dejuan.html?_r=1). He has had a productive rookie season (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4642/career;_ylt=An7oDBcL3uumuIz.viQ.y5SkvLYF) and destroyed the Kings front court for 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting, including a second-quarter stretch in which he scored 13 straight points for the Spurs.
The Kings - like so many other teams - passed up on Blair in the June draft because of the huge red flags being waved by the medical community. They were obviously on the hunt for a backup big (eventually taking Jon Brockman at No. 38 via the Sergio Rodriguez trade with Portland), but Blair - who was once seen as a lottery pick - fell to No. 37 because of the red flags being waived so vehemently by the medical community.
"Every team in the league wants to disbar or whatever you do to doctors who said that guy and his knees weren't OK to draft," Westphal said. "He's making them look like they should have flunked out of medical school and gone to drive a cab. That guy is unbelievable. He was a legendary rebounder in college (at Pittsburgh) and there's no reason to think he won't lead this league in rebounding if he ever gets enough minutes."
By Jeff McDonald
Some good stuff from Kings coach Paul Westphal on Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair can be found here, courtesy of the Sacramento Bee (http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/2010/02/morning-after.html):
The money quote:
"Every team in the league wants to disbar or whatever you do to doctors who said that guy and his knees weren't OK to draft," Westphal said. "He's making them look like they should have flunked out of medical school and gone to drive a cab."
To be fair, the concerns about Blair's knees were more long-term than short-term. Nobody is sure how many seasons Blair can last playing with no ACLs. Perhaps the doctors Westphal mentions will be vindicated long before they have to drive a cab.
Still, Westphal's enthusiasm was not unwarranted.
Blair had the second-highest scoring night of his season Wednesday against the Kings (20 points on 9-of-11 shooting). He only managed six rebounds, but as he told me afterward, "It's hard to get rebounds when nobody misses."
Both teams shot better than 52 percent in the Spurs' 115-113 victory.
*********************
The Sacramento Bee piece.
BLAIR WITCH (DOCTOR) PROJECT
DeJuan Blair's story is simply incredible, especially considering he has no ACLs in either leg (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/sports/basketball/13dejuan.html?_r=1). He has had a productive rookie season (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4642/career;_ylt=An7oDBcL3uumuIz.viQ.y5SkvLYF) and destroyed the Kings front court for 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting, including a second-quarter stretch in which he scored 13 straight points for the Spurs.
The Kings - like so many other teams - passed up on Blair in the June draft because of the huge red flags being waved by the medical community. They were obviously on the hunt for a backup big (eventually taking Jon Brockman at No. 38 via the Sergio Rodriguez trade with Portland), but Blair - who was once seen as a lottery pick - fell to No. 37 because of the red flags being waived so vehemently by the medical community.
"Every team in the league wants to disbar or whatever you do to doctors who said that guy and his knees weren't OK to draft," Westphal said. "He's making them look like they should have flunked out of medical school and gone to drive a cab. That guy is unbelievable. He was a legendary rebounder in college (at Pittsburgh) and there's no reason to think he won't lead this league in rebounding if he ever gets enough minutes."