The Kufere Laing Lounge
A long NBA draft night for Pitt fans. Not only did the homegrown Pittsburgh product and co-Big East Player of the Year DeJuan Blair fall out of the first round despite most mock drafts having Blair as a mid to late first round pick, Sam Young too fell out of the first round. Before the draft, questions arose about Blair's knees and size, but as Blair stated, "I won Big East Player of the Year on these knees."
Making his drop from the first round even more disappointing was the fact that less heralded players were drafted before Blair and Young. Taj Gibson, Victor Claver, BJ Mullens, DaMarre Carroll, and Christian Eyenga all heard their names called before Blair and Young and each played the same position as either Blair or Young. The trend continued in the second round as Dante Cunningham (an undersized big himself) and DaJuan Summers were picked before Blair and Young.
While I understand success in college doesn't always translate into pro success, how often do average college players end up with better NBA careers than great college players? Furthermore, Sam Young got significantly better in each year he was at Pitt; going from a talented athletic freshman, to arugably the best scorer in the Big East as a senior. While Blair was a beast down in the low post and the co-Big East Player of the Year, Young was Pitt's best player throughout the season. Young did not have a single bad game, and scored with ease against the best Big East teams. Ask Jim Calhoun about what a match-up nightmare Sam Young was this year.
While I do not see either Young or Blair as being future NBA All-Stars, both will be solid NBA players. Blair's work ethic and strength makes him unique, while Young's ability to score and the fact that he has improved his game each summer over the last four years makes him a legit NBA player. Still, Blair and Young have all of this NBA season to prove their worth, as I forever compare them to the likes of Dante Cunningham and Victor Claver. Good luck men.
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