[球員] 山貓的Okafor仍然在往顛峰邁進
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/03/09/okafor.20090309/
Of all the players selected in the 2004 NBA Draft, the only one who has
become a household name is the No. 1 pick, Dwight Howard. By tying on a
Superman cape at the Slam Dunk contest the last two years, Howard has
transcended the sport and become a media darling with endless endorsement
opportunities.
But the man who went No. 2 behind Howard is no pedestrian Clark Kent.
Charlotte's Emeka Okafor simply chooses to accessorize his wardrobe in a more
modest fashion.
"It's just work man, it's just work," Okafor explained after a recent game in
Los Angeles, pointing to his 56.6 shooting percentage, good enough for fifth
in the league. "I put on my hard hat and work boots and just go."
The 6-foot-10, 255-pound Okafor finished ahead of Chicago's Ben Gordon (who
came in second) and Howard (third) for the Rookie of the Year trophy back in
'05. But, like Gordon, the reason Okafor has been overshadowed by the
6-foot-11, 265-pound Howard has nothing to do with size and everything to do
with team success.
Okafor and Gordon aren't the only ones. Minnesota's Al Jefferson and
Sacramento's Kevin Martin -- fellow '04 draftees with gaudy personal
statistics -- haven't truly splashed onto the scene either because of wimpy
win totals by their teams.
Okafor, the chiseled former Connecticut star, has had other hurdles. His
career stalled in his second season because of an ankle injury that cost him
56 games. Now, though, he's made it all the way back.
Okafor ranks in the top 15 in blocks per game (1.7, 13th), rebounds per game
(10.6, sixth), double-doubles (33, sixth) and the aforementioned field-goal
percentage. But Okafor, the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament in
2004, realizes that numbers don't mean anything unless they're attached to
wins.
"I don't worry about all that, I just go out there and play," Okafor says. "I
understand that a lot of things are predicated on winning. When we start
winning more, all those other steps come."
After winning just 18 games in both Okafor's and the franchise's first year
-- and not registering more than 33 victories in any season in its four-year
history -- the Bobcats have finally started winning. It's just not been as
much as Howard's Magic, a team that holds the third-best record in the
Eastern Conference. Charlotte, winners of six straight games, is just a game
behind Chicago for the No. 8 seed in the East after starting the season 7-18.
Bobcats coach Larry Brown credits both the turnaround of the team and the
production of his young center to the December trade that brought Raja Bell,
Boris Diaw and Sean Singletary from Phoenix in exchange for Jason Richardson,
Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft choice.
"I think [Okafor's] made progress," Brown said. "I think he's had a pretty
consistent year and since we got Boris and Raja and you add Gerald [Wallace],
the way he plays, guys are starting to look for him. I don't know if that was
the case in years past."
Charlotte is 21-19 since the trade and Okafor -- never known as a scorer --
has topped the 20-point plateau eight times in that stretch while extending
his franchise record of consecutive games played to 145.
"The people we've brought in are team-oriented players," Okafor says. "They
have very high basketball IQs and see the court extremely well, so I've
benefitted a lot from that by getting a lot of touches and just playing team
ball more."
Brown is Okafor's third head coach after the ill-fated Bernie Bickerstaff and
Sam Vincent came and went. But the player has had one constant mentor since
he came into the league: Hakeem Olajuwon.
Okafor was born in Houston and worshipped the Rockets growing up. He began
working with Olajuwon once he made it to the pros and says the best lesson
he's learned from the Dream is, "knowing your opponent and your personnel and
knowing what to use and when."
Now, the Bobcats are giving Okafor every chance to use what he has. "We're
trying to raise the bar for him," Brown said.
And Okafor won't be needing any cape to help him fly over it.
"I'm getting there," he said. "I'm not quite there yet. But with some more
work and patience, I'm going to get there."
--
理直，氣和。
--
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