[外電] No-nonsense Blazers draft pick Dante Cunningham thrives

看板BLAZERS (波特蘭拓荒者)作者Aldridge (目標：明星賽我來啦)時間16年前 (2009/07/16 21:11)推噓4(4推 0噓 1→)

留言5則, 4人參與討論串1/1

No-nonsense Blazers draft pick Dante Cunningham thrives in summer league LAS VEGAS -- When the time came for Dante Cunningham to decide his college future, he whittled a long list of suitors down to three prominent college basketball programs: Maryland, Georgetown and Villanova. Cunningham broke the tie after a heart-to-heart with Villanova coach Jay Wright. "Coach Wright sat me down and said, 'Listen. I'm not going to guarantee you anything,'" Cunningham said. "He said, 'I'm not going to say that you're going to start and I'm not going to tell you that you're going to be in the NBA. You're going to come in here and learn behind (the veterans), you're going to work, and we're going to push you and drive you, and we're going to make you a player. But we're not going to guarantee anything.' I just love that no (nonsense) approach." The Trail Blazers drafted Cunningham with their second pick of the second round in last month's NBA draft, No. 33 overall, because they liked his versatility, grit and potential on the court. Turns out they drafted a person with ambition and integrity to match. The son of two career U.S. Air Force officers, Cunningham inherited from his parents a no-excuses work ethic, disciplined demeanor and strict set of guidelines by which to live his life. He didn't grow up in a household in which he was forced to say "Yes sir" and "Yes ma'am," or "Stand at attention when summoned," as the cliche might go. But he was asked to abide by a simple principle. "They didn't take any (nonsense) from me," he said of his parents, who retired as chief master sergeants, the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. "So I understood what I could do and couldn't do; what was OK and what wasn't OK. And I learned that whatever I was doing, I should give all my focus to it. That has carried over to my basketball. I don't put up with any (nonsense)." Since being drafted, Cunningham has watched the Blazers vigorously pursue free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu and sign Paul Millsap to a free agent offer sheet, intimating the team does not expect much from him. Cunningham hasn't been guaranteed a regular season contract, although early indications from team management are that it will happen before a mid-September deadline. Don't expect Cunningham to bemoan his situation. Quite the contrary, the uncertainty has only made him hungrier. He wasted little time offering the Blazers a taste of his potential in his first game in a Blazers uniform, when he finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in the team's summer league opener. An aggressive Cunningham showed no hesitation, attempting four of the Blazers' first six shots and draining three of them. He finished 8 of 16 from the field, revealing a pretty midrange jump shot that could be his best offensive weapon. He followed the standout performance with 22 points and five rebounds Wednesday night during the Blazers' loss to the Houston Rockets. It's premature to inflate expectations after two summer league games, but the 6-foot-8 forward appears to be a deft rebounder, capable defender and superior pick-and-pop player off pick-and-roll sets. He's the Blazers' leading scorer thus far, averaging 21.5 points. "I think he's a very confident kid," Blazers summer league coach Joe Prunty said. "It's because he's smart, picks things up easily and works hard. ... We've very pleased with what we've seen over the first week." Cunningham models his game after the person who essentially taught him the sport -- his older sister, Davalyn, who was a standout college player at Rutgers before playing professionally in Portugal and in the WNBA. Cunningham says he couldn't beat his sister until he was 15. The textbook post moves, all-effort style and smooth turnaround jump shot he features are all things he picked up watching and studying her. "One of my first memories is her playing basketball," Cunningham said. "I definitely have most of my skills from her. Watching her, how she posted up, how she used her size. She was a tweener, too. Six-foot-1 and playing the (power forward) position. She was definitely a good influence on me in that sense." The Blazers have a young, stacked roster, and they continue to pursue free agents and explore trade possibilities. It seems unlikely Cunningham will make a significant contribution as a rookie. But at least one teammate predicted a bright future. "I've said it from the start -- I think Dante has a chance to be special," Blazers point guard Jerryd Bayless said. But in typical no-nonsense fashion, Cunningham chooses instead to focus on the present. "Honestly, if I was drafted in the first round or if I was the last pick in the draft, I was going to come in and do the exact same thing," Cunningham said. "It was all about getting an opportunity, getting your foot in the door. I'm very opportunistic. If I get a shot, I'm going to take advantage of it. I'm getting my shot right now, so I'm trying to take full advantage of it." Wednesday night's summer league game notes: The Blazers fell to 0-2 with an 87-82 loss to Houston at Cox Pavilion. ... They trailed by as many as 12 points, but rallied to take the lead at 80-77 after Pooh Jeter completed a three-point play with 2:08 remaining. But Chase Budinger answered with a three-pointer, then added two free throws to give the Rockets an 82-80 lead they would not relinquish. ... Bayless had 13 points and three assists and Jeff Pendergraph finished with 11 points and five rebounds for the Blazers. Jeter added 15 points and six assists. http://0rz.tw/ZOLiS -- 感覺又是一個 Outlaw -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 221.169.172.177