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RAMblings - Special Motivations for NBA-Bound Heels - Rams Club
RAMblings 7.6.09 - Special Motivations for NBA-Bound Heels
by Lee Pace
Carolina’s triumvirate of first-round NBA draft picks from a week ago take their collective leave having made excellent decisions last summer to remain in college, having garnered all manner of all-star awards and having won their last games as collegians. Now each embarks on his professional career with another common thread:
Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington each carry at least a smidge of resentment or “chip on the shoulder” mentality onto the rosters of the Indianapolis Pacers, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively. Hansbrough because so many think he’s a stiff whose game, however splendid it might have been in college, will not translate to the uber-athletic world of the NBA. Lawson because he thinks he was good enough to be a lottery pick but instead was tabbed in the 18th slot of the first round and was the sixth point guard taken. And Ellington because he believes someone in the middle of the first round should have claimed him, but he and his family had an excruciating stretch waiting until the 28th name was called last Thursday night. “That’s okay,” Ellington said. “Going late is motivation. It’s nothing new. It’s going to make me work harder to get where I want to be and to prove wrong the teams that didn’t take me.” Each Tar Heel will take his own special motivation into the NBA. And don’t forget forward Danny Green, who went in the second round (49th overall) to “I really think they made the right decision,” Roy Williams said of the fact that all four gave some thought in 2008 to leaving for the pros. Hansbrough and Lawson each appear to be going to teams and situations perfect for their respective games. It’s harder to tell about Ellington, who was picked by a team without a head coach and one in transition under the new leadership of general manager David Kahn. “It reminds me of when I came out,” Bird said the day after the draft. “There was always this skepticism that I wouldn’t be able to lay in this league against these players. “Being from Pacers coach Jim O’Brien picked up on Bird’s theme and nodded toward a banner hanging in the lobby of Conseco Fieldhouse with the word PASSION stitched across the fabric. “That’s not just a marketing theme for what Larry is trying to build here,” O’Brien said. “It’s a foundation that we want to build on, and After Hansbrough was picked in the 13th slot, Lawson had to wait five more picks until he was targeted by the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the union lasted less than a minute until the announcement followed that he had been traded to “He’s a great talent,” Karl said. “Over the last four or five years, I’ve become more and more impressed by the little guards because you just can’t cover them.” The Nuggets have two point guards on the roster already, but both have been in the NBA more than a decade. Starter Chauncey Billups turns 33 this year and his backup, Anthony Carter, is 34 and is an unrestricted free agent this off-season. “The algebra’s pretty simple,” says Mark Warkentien, the Nuggets’ director of player personnel. “You have a playoff team with three point guards in their 30s. You’re hopeful that, down the line, Lawson will be a substantial piece. Now, it’s up to him to seize.” The Denver coaching and scouting staffs began targeting Lawson a year ago when they brought Lawson in for workouts when he was considering a move to the pros. They followed him during the college season, and Karl had extensive talks with Williams, who said that Lawson has a chance to be as good as his former point guards Kirk Hinrich ( “I think I’ll make a real big impact because Chauncy’s going to need some rest,” Lawson says. “I’ll come in, take up some minutes, keep the tempo going. I like to play fast and don’t turn the ball over and I like to score. I can get everyone involved, so I feel this is the right spot for me. “And, I have something to prove. I thought I was a lottery pick. I think I can play as well as the other point guards taken before me. I’ll have to show the other GMs what they missed by not picking me.” Many pegged Ellington with his silky jump shot as a likely mid-round selection, and it would have suited him and his family just fine if his hometown Ellington was relieved when he was finally chosen by the Timberwolves. “They’ll be sorry,” Ellington says of his desire to prove NBA brass wrong for letting him drift into the latter stage of the first round. “I feel happy, excited and relived. I’m in THE LEAGUE. That’s what counts. I am ready to work and make the best of it.”