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Regardless
of where Marvin Williams goes in Tuesday night's NBA Draft,
he will always be known in Chapel Hill as "special."
Carolina fans know how to relate to the label "special."…The
term is only thrown upon the chosen ones…The ones in Chapel
Hill, who are referred to only by first-name…Players such
as "Rasheed", "Vince", "Mike",
or "Stack."
Marvin
Williams has the potential to be more than just "special."
He has the game, the brains, the respect, and the smile to sculpt
him the next Bubbalicious, Sprite, and Nike superstar. Harkening
back to a Saturday night this past June, where the "Mahvin's!"
H2 rolled out of the University Square parking lot that houses
the legendary TimeOut eatery, Tar Heel fans in Chapel Hill can
only hope that the "special one" is able to find his
way through the dark nights of the NBA.
When
looking at Marvin's future in the league, UNC fans can only
hope that "Mah-vin's H2!" will get him started on
the ride of his life on Tuesday night, when he'll discover which
franchise and city will play a key role in his NBA development
over the next few seasons.
Where
is the Best Place for Marvin? – It appears that most reports
now have Utah's Andrew Bogut going to the Milwaukee Bucks as
the first pick on Tuesday night. With reports of disappointing
workouts looming around Williams over the past week, a slip
could hurt Marvin's development in the long-run.
Although
the rumors of poor workouts can be taken for what they are...just
rumors, it is not a hidden secret around the country that Williams
will need a season or two to develop the vast amount of potential
that his game holds. With that said, rumors have swirled that
the Hawks and the Blazers are entertaining offers to trade their
top 5 picks, and Tar Heel fans should keep their fingers crossed
for a team that plans to nurture Williams's development as a
long-term investment.
Although
it's known that Williams was usually the third, fourth, or even
final offensive option the floor for the Tar Heels last season,
as a top-five pick, he will be expected to be the focal point
for a franchise such as the Bucks, Hawks, or Blazers, who will
be expecting big returns from their high level investment.
Now,
it's not a hidden secret that Williams was rarely the "go-to"
guy for Carolina's national championship team. It's also fairly
obvious that Williams does not currently possess the quality
of having been "The Man" in his NBA repertoire, which
is a presence that evolves from the expertise of understanding
what to do when 22,000 fans in an arena know that the ball is
going to you with fourteen seconds left in the fourth quarter.
A
cry into the past would say that Williams would have easily
discovered that asset with a year as "Everybody's All-American",
had he stayed at UNC for the 2005-06 season. But that chance
is long gone, and many think that it won't take long for him
to develop that asset because it's born within. Here's to hoping
that argument is true.
With
Williams' NBA development in mind and trade and workout rumors
swirling around sites and papers across the country, let's take
a look and see where might be the best place among the top four
picks for him to become "The Man" ...
Milwaukee?
- Even though many believe there is a solid shot for
Williams to be selected first by Milwaukee -- and Flip Saunders,
who played a major role in Kevin Garnett's development in Minnesota,
is the major candidate for the vacant Bucks' head coaching slot
-- the Bucks have only veterans Joe Smith and Dan Gadzuric to
help carry the frontcourt load with Williams.
In
terms of learning from NBA veteran leadership, considering the
less than stellar careers of the aforementioned "Gadzooks"
and Smith, and with the thought of Toni Kukoc taking on any
type of leadership role in Williams's development, would Milwaukee
be a great place for Williams to settle…No.
Atlanta?
– Yes…why? With young guns, Josh Smith
and Josh Childress as the primary forces to guide the lowly
Hawks into the end of the decade, the Hawks currently have little
choice but to dedicate patience in sustaining the development
of a fledgling team.
Although
Al Harrington is playing the role of the power forward for the
Hawks, rumors are flying throughout the league that Harrington
will be dealt this summer. A deal may be highly likely if the
Hawks do select Williams, because Harrington will be a free
agent at the end of the 2005-06 season. Yet, there has also
been speculation that next year's Atlanta team could feature
a three-forward line-up that would consist of Harrington, Williams,
and Smith.
Oddly
enough, the possibility that Williams may find himself either
replacing or be playing next to Harrington, who bypassed college
ball as a early-entry candidate in 1998 and is entering his
eighth professional season, is pretty amazing and foretells
how fickle the judgment of NBA GMs can be regarding when it
comes time to move or move on for a player. Williams's skills
and talent level are comparable to those of Harrington, and
the two players' careers could wind up becoming eerily similar
if Williams does not develop at an accelerated pace.
Yet,
what makes the Hawks an enticing place for Williams to land
is that the coaching staff in Atlanta descends directly from
Larry Brown's famed Detroit Pistons', and his UNC-influenced
system and playing style. Headed by Mike Woodson, the staff
is rounded out by former Larry Brown assistants Herb Brown,
(Yes, Coach Brown's brother); former University of Washington
coach, Bob Bender, who does know Williams's game from his UW
days and coached with Brown during his Sixers' stint; and Greg
Ballard, whose Smith Center sightings over the past decade are
as numerous as any NBA talent sleuth.
The
Hawks' staff is a veteran one that knows how to develop players,
and one that was chosen by GM Billy Knight for the purpose of
developing talent. Plus, the team has the ulitimate NBA veteran
leadership manning frontcourt positions with Tom Gugliotta and
Kevin Willis. Although there are rumors of Atlanta needing a
point guard and supposedly enamored with Illinois' Deron Washington,
the Hawks probably offer the best spot among the top five for
a young player to grow.
Portland?
– If Williams does slip to Portland at #3, it
would be a luke-warm pool for him to swim in…That could
mean two things…A warm comfortable swim, or it could be
long stay in stagnant water for the next few years.
Yeah,
the knee-jerk response is that Williams would be in familiar
surroundings because he's from Bremerton, WA, but don't throw
that factor in because one major upside to the "Marvin"
package is that he's mature enough to handle the big-time life
and the wackos that surround NBA settings. More importantly,
Portland could be a good spot for him because a big move was
made this past year when Assistant GM, Mark Warkentien, was
replaced by Blazers president, Steve Patterson. Believe me,
the "Jail Blazers" label is dropping from this franchise.
Warkentien,
who ironically manned the fall-out of the Caveliers downfall
this past season after GM Jim Paxson's firing, founded his team-building
philosophy during his days as an assistant to Jerry Tarkanian
at UNLV. The Warkentien philosophy is to draft and sign players
who are extremely talented but have troubled pasts, with the
hope of grabbing and incubating a superstar at a bargain price.
Unfortunately, that only works for Al Davis and the Oakland
Raiders, and the backfired result for the Blazers has been a
tumultuous hell for the NBA and the City of Portland. So, with
Warkentien's philosophy wafting down the Willamette River, the
Blazers are rebuilding, and Williams would be a model citizen
to represent their revitalization efforts.
One
complication with this scenario is that the power forward position
in Portland is locked down by Zach Randolph, who is recovering
from knee surgery, while the swing forward position is manned
by now long-time NBA veteran, Shareef Abdur-Rahim. With the
Blazers heavily invested in Randolph, who was out for most of
last season but is compared to a young Moses Malone, Portland
may not be a great fit for Williams unless the team is able
to move the mammoth contract of Abdur-Rahim…But even then,
where would Williams fit?
It's
a shame that Williams may not be a fit in Portland due to the
Blazers investment in Randolph. I say this not only because
the team is headed on the floor by former Kansas guard and Roy
Williams favorite, Kevin Pritchard, but also because Williams
would miss out on the opportunity to be be tutored by two of
the best assistant coaches in the game. With Tim Grugrich, who
may be one of the best assistant coaches of all-time, and Jimmy
Lynam, the former head coach of the LA Clippers, Philadelphia
76ers, and Washington Bullets, Marvin Williams would be able
to draw on an unbelievable wealth of basketball wisdom to support
his development as a premier power forward over the next decade.
With that said, it's highly likely, either via trade or via
the selection process, that Williams wouldn't even end up there
at #3.
New
Orleans? – If the rumors are true, and if Williams's
stock dumps, he could find himself at #4. With Byron Scott at
the helm in New Orleans, it's best to assume that this will
never happen. Here's hoping that Marvin packs his potential
in his new H2 and cruises to Atlanta.
And
wherever he goes, you better take care of this one…He's
"special."
Top
of the Key,
BD
Bret Dougherty is an alum
and completed his Master's degree at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is
a host of WXYC FM 89.3 Chapel Hill 'SportsRap' and a WXYC music
show called 'Fifteen Feet and In' that can be streamed at www.wxyc.org.
Visit his website at www.bretdougherty.com
and his blog, "The IronDog Chronicles, which can be reached
at www.irondogchronicles.com.
He may be reached at bret.dougherty@gmail.com.
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