Did We Find Ourselves a "Diamond in the Rough" with Alabi?

[Dr. James Naismith]

Be forewarned this is a Frank Zicarelli article.

Regardless, after listening to phdsteve's podcast and reading various scouting reports on this kid, I'd have to say I'm more excited to see his potential right now than Davis'. Don't get me wrong, I think Ed is going to be something special, but I always prefer stories of kids that in some way or another had been somewhat written off only to prove critics wrong. *knocks on wood*

“I’m just excited to be here in Toronto, to be with the Raptors. The way I look it, there were teams who missed out on me.”

Teams missed out because they were scared of Alabi’s health.

Alabi suffers from Hepatitis B, an inflammation of the liver, a condition he said he has had since birth, very treatable and not likely to prevent him from reaching his pro goals.

“He has been checked out thoroughly by our doctors,’’ Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo said.

The Raptors forfeited cash and a future second-round pick to acquire Alabi from Dallas, which selected the Florida State product with the 50th overall pick when many draft experts figured Alabi would go much higher.

While rare in a country such as the United States, Hep B is quite common in the continent of Africa.

Even with Alabi’s representatives issuing a statement from a sports medicine specialist prior to the June 24 draft, it still discouraged teams from taking Alabi.

The 7-foot-1 Alabi came to America five years ago and attended an Orlando-area high school before he enrolled at FSU.

Defence is Alabi’s biggest asset, a strength he helped in leading the Seminoles to appearances in the past two NCAA tournaments.

Source - Click here

[Mess]

Only one way to find out...how far away is the season again?

[Deckie007]

Nice article. Good to see that Hep B won't hinder this young man's NBA dreams.

Even if he turns out to be nothing more than a poor man's Sammy Dalembert, I'd be thrilled. Gimme some D!

[Hotshot]

I will reserve my judgment when I see the kid play, I am tired of getting caught up in the hype and thinking this guy could turn into Mutambo when in all likelyhood he will be another Pop Sow.

[BoxMan]

Nigerian Nightmare!

[blaze89]

no waty u can say thats hes diamond in the rough when he hasnt even played a nba game yet.......however i watched the interviews today and i am impressed with the way both of them handled themselves both seem like they got a good head on thier shoulders and even more importantly great work ethics.......regardless of how alabi turns out i think his character alone will impact the team in a positive way which will make everybody work harder which is good enough for me regardless of the impact he will have on the court

[Quixotic]

I will reserve my judgment when I see the kid play, I am tired of getting caught up in the hype and thinking this guy could turn into Mutambo when in all likelyhood he will be another Pop Sow.

Is that a combination of Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Pape Sow?

But yes, he'll be whatever he puts his mind to. He was very good value where he was drafted, but we'll see in a few years whether he's good, period.

[OzRapFan]

Can't be any worse than POB

[Brain Colangelo]

I'd take a 7-1 Pape Sow any day. A 6-8 Pape Sow (or Pops Mensah-Bonsu) is not enough, though.

[Maleko]

What is most impressive is that he has been in the gym 6hrs+ a day working on his game, even when management was not around. This kind of work ethic will be great for the team, and for his game.

[hateslosing]

I hope so. He seems like a very nice person and according to that podcast phdsteve did with the coach, he should bring some much needed heart to this team. Even if he just ends up as a cheerleader, if he brings some emotion to the locker room he will be a fantastic bargain at 50.

[Priest]

I dont mind getting caught in the hype considering how little we gave up for him lol. I agree with hateslosing, I can see him bringing some always needed emotion into the locker room and games, should be fun to watch this guy develop hopefully into our true center.

[INFO]

When he got drafted for some reason i thought of a bigger Amir Johnson. A guy that is going to hustle, block shots, run the floor, play defence. For a second round pick i can live with that. I think he's going to play as much if not more than Davis only because as the roster is shaped now we only have 1 "center" and thats Bargs.

I think we got a really good player with a great attitude and this is the reason why you want to draft as many palyers as you can. Ill never be a fan of trading away draft picks, because if you think "its only a 2nd rounder" that player can turn into an Arenas, a Moe Williams, a Monte Ellis, a Redd, a Ginobili, a Blair, or a Boozer. Hopefully Alabi can add his name to that list one day

[Raptorsss]

If he can play for a solid ten minutes a night, then he'll be a steal.

[brothersteve]

What may have had more impact on how teams viewed Alabi was that he played on a very sore knee last season. "During the season, I had a little chip around my knee cap...I was all around swollen...Right after the season, I had a scope...It's 100 percent." says Alabi.

HOOPSWORLD