I actually joined in the ESPN crew’s shock at Toronto selecting Charlie Villanueva with the #7 pick. They were bothered by the reach and the fact that Chris Bosh, selected last year, already is doing a solid job at the position.
I was stunned because it was the Toronto Raptor’s GM, Rob Babcock, who was the first name to really come out and question Chris Taft’s heart and desire. Then to go and take Villanueva — who has been questioned about the same sort of things — and at least Taft showed something in at least his first year.
Was it just me, or from pick about #13 through the rest of the 1st round, was there at least one guy on the ESPN crew expressing surprise that a non-international player would have gone higher? I mean, last I checked there were only 15 slots in the first 15 picks.
Jason Maxiell of Cinci, an undersized power forward was selected by Detroit with the 26th pick. As discussed by the analysts, he is tough, plays with his back to the hoop and a rebounder. Sounds a lot like Chevon Troutman. You know the difference? Maxiell went to the Portsmouth Invitational for Seniors in April. He competed and dominated, and earned an invite to the Chicago camp and kept performing well. Troutman withdrew at the last minute saying he wanted to focus on getting the Chicago invite and look into some possibilities in the NFL. That didn’t work out too well. He never got the Chicago invite.
Well, with Taft gone, the Center position falls to Aaron Gray, who gets a nice piece from a paper from his hometown region.
But Taft was not a natural center, while Gray is. And this winter, Gray, the only true center Pitt has on the roster, will finally get his chance to prove that he can hold his own as a starter in the rugged Big East.
”He is going to go from playing 11 minutes to 25-27 minutes,” said Greg Hotchkiss, Pittsburgh’s associate director of athletics, who’s in charge of men’s basketball. ”It’s going to be a little bit of a transition. I think he is ready.
”He just didn’t have the chance with Taft here. I think he is going to have a good year. I think he is going to surprise people.”
Gray says he’s ready. He has bulked up and is more confident.
”My attitude has definitely changed,” Gray said from Ocean City, Md., Monday where he was vacationing with friends. ”Even when we are playing pick-up now, I make myself more involved. I always passed a lot. I’m starting to be more selfish because our team is going to need a lot more point production from me next season being that we lost a lot of our main guys.”
No question Pitt will need a lot from Gray. Especially staying out of foul trouble.
