The Spencer Hawes Saga - Ride the NBA Bench, or Help the Huskies by Becoming a Better Player?
Ah, to be fawned over as a potential 7-foot NBA center.
It must be pretty heady for Spencer Hawes. Well, we know it is pretty heady just listening to Hawes.
Frank Hughes wrote about young Spencer recently (6-1-07) in The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington's dominate daily.
Hughes said that "after a disappointing freshman season that saw the (University of Washington) Huskies miss not only the NCAA tournament but the National Invitational Tournament as well, Hawes said that he was going to leave school early and fulfill his dream of playing professionally."
Recently Hawes was one of 10 players exclusively invited to meet with the media in Orlando (FL), signaling that the NBA considers him a likely top-10 pick in the NBA draft on June 28. Hawes has until June 18 to remove his name from the list of draft-eligible players, and if he can overcome his self-inflated opinion, he will.
Listen to what sportswriter Hughes quotes Hawes as saying in the process of making up his mind:
"That is the big question: Where does that improvement come from? That is what I am trying to figure out. It is tough to say now. I would love to make a decision tomorrow, but I just don't think I am ready yet.
"If I go back (and play for U-Dub) and try to go No. 1 next year, that is something that is enticing. But if you make that the reason you go back, that shifts your focus and then every day you are worried. Did I increase my stock? Did I hurt myself? I think that would be the wrong reason to go back. I would be so anxious the whole year that it wouldn't be worth it."
Hawes said he and his teammates fell victim to the success that the UW had enjoyed in previous seasons under Lorenzo Romar, thinking that the addition of Hawes instantly gave them a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Said Hawes: "Going in, I think we took a lot of things for granted, and I think we thought our talent alone would produce results."
All of this chatter prompts me to think of Hawes as a spoiled, millionaire athlete with little grip on reality. I hesitate to call Hawes a diva because biologically it does not work, but I will settle on divo to get it in the male gender.
I would hesitate to ask Hawes what he thinks about his situation. I would be more interested in what he knows, and based on his public statements, I do not get the impression he knows much.
Hey Spencer, here is a reality check:
1) If you think you are going to make some kind of impact in the NBA based on your current performance at the college level, revisit that notion and put it into perspective. You could not carry U-Dub last year on your best day.
You were far from the MVP on last year's Husky team. If there is any doubt, appreciate the fact you had Jon Brockman on your team. Brockman is a work horse that does not know the word quit. At 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, Brockman produced all year and outperformed you.
Brockman was literally the MVP last year, an all Pac-10 conference first-team pick at forward, led the Pac-10 in rebounding (9.6), led the Pac-10 with 15 double-doubles, was third in the conference in shooting percentage (55%) and 12th in scoring (14+ ppg).
Did I mention that Brockman was a sophomore last year?
2) You may have taken a lot of things for granted going into last season Spencer, but I doubt all of your teammates did, especially Jon Brockman.
3) Even if you come back and play at U-Dub next year, you still may not learn enough and grow enough to outperform Brockman.
4) Should you decide you can learn more and get better quicker in the NBA, you are going to have a hard time doing it on the bench. You are going to be reminded when you arrive that there are no high school stiffs to jump over. You are going to get out muscled and pushed around.
You need to get a lot bigger and a whole bunch stronger than 230 over a 7-foot frame. Given the fact that the NBA looks like it is morphing into the league of mugging and thugging, you do not have a prayer at the moment.
Trust me when I say that if LeBron James decides he is going to drive the lane by you, he will not need to mug or thug to do it, and you may be picking up your teeth off the floor.
I know this: If I am going into an NBA game or a rowdy bar and have to choose who to take with me, you or Jon Brockman, you are going to be standing outside alone.
5) What is your legacy going to be if you take the money and run into a brick wall? You will be forgotten before you will be remembered, and rightly so. Up to this point you have not done enough to help your college teammates more than yourself, not to mention the fact that you are not nearly as good as you are being told.
If you think you are, you need to prove it on the court and stop reading the print media and listening to the broadcast media.
Choosing the NBA gives you some immediate cash and allows you to help yourself to perhaps an early retirement. Returning to the University of Washington allows you not only to get better quicker but also helps your teammates. Dude, you are not ready for the NBA, and I am not sure the NBA is ready for you despite the stupidity of giving you a ton of money to grow, and grow up.
Copyright 2007 Ed Bagley
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