Well, at least the local media does. The Indiana Pacers hold the 13th pick and Blair was part of a group that was in for workouts.
A columnist calls for his drafting.
The Pacers need “mean.”
Not taking-candy-from-children mean or shooting-up-a-strip-joint-parking-lot mean, but mean, a guy with a bit of an angry edge and a Machiavellian will to dominate.
Say hello to DeJuan Blair, the University of Pittsburgh forward who joined North Carolina’s Ty Lawson, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague, Michigan State’s Goran Suton and Florida State’s Toney Douglas at the Pacers’ predraft workout Monday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
If he’s still there when the Pacers select at No. 13 nine days from now — assuming, of course, they remain at No. 13 — Blair is my pick.
The beat writer for the Pacers brings up Blair as the good citizen for another reason.
Besides possibly giving the Pacers some much needed toughness in the post, Blair is also good in the community, which would be an added bonus for the blue and gold.
I hear Blair surprised some kids at a community center in his hometown of Pittsburgh when he showed up unannounced and started reading to them recently. It wouldn’t hurt the Pacers if they got another player that enjoys being a positive influence in the community.
Interesting in a Q&A, though, that he isn’t letting go of the ‘Burgh.
Q: How important is it to be a role model?
Blair: “That’s the biggest thing besides playing basketball because there are a lot of kids that look up to NBA players. I want to be one of the successful role models in the city I go to and in Pittsburgh. I want to be an entrepreneur in Pittsburgh because I won’t always be here. I always want to be able to go back and be that person that everybody looks up to.”
The one thing that leads me to wonder if the Pacers would go with Blair is that they drafted Roy Hibbert last year. Do the Pacers really want or need another young guy in the front court with still developing/limited offensive moves?
According to DraftExpress, Blair is starting to solidify as a pick in the 12-16 range.
We’re hearing that DeJuan Blair is in pretty good shape at the moment, and he continues to have very strong workouts that are easing the concerns teams have about his knee. Blair’s draft range looks pretty steady between 12 and 16, although he will work out for teams above and below those picks. Don’t be surprised to see a team like Oklahoma City or Portland try to make a move for him on draft night, as both organizations are reportedly very high on him.
Hmm. The tough thing about the 12-16 range is it makes it less likely that he will get an invite to the Draft. I can still hope.
