Checking In On Huskies In The NBA
By Nik Nair
As Husky fans get ready to see their team in the NIT tournament and with the fact that quite possibly current stars Tony Wroten Jr and Terrence Ross might be entering this year’s NBA draft I thought it would be appropriate to give the readers a chance to reminisce and give an update of the former stars who also once wore the purple and gold with pride:
Brandon Roy– Man was he good; he was consistent and stayed for the full four years. During his senior year Roy led the team to the sweet sixteen and was named player of the year averaging in that season 20 points a game. Many remember draft day when Roy was drafted by the Timberwolves but them immediately traded to the Portland Trailblazers, which for the next few years worked well for the Blazers. In his career with the Blazers (06-11) Roy averaged close to 20 points a game and became the true leader for a Blazer team that was trying to reconstruct their image away from the “Jailblazers”.
Roy went down last season and had to have arthroscopic surgery on both knees and this happened because Roy had been playing many years bone to bone which isn’t the greatest thing if you want a long career. Roy was forced to take a reserve role for the rest of last season. Who could forget that memorable game last year in the playoffs versus the Mavericks in game 4 of the first round when magic struck and Roy went off for 18 points in the 4th quarter that won the game for the Blazers and left the Rose Garden buzzing. Roy today is retired and enjoying time with his family though he has thought about making a comeback.
Nate Robinson-Robinson has been a factor on each NBA team he has been on. He has played for the Knicks (the team he was drafted by) the Celtics, Thunder and currently the Golden State Warriors. This year with the Warriors Robinson has been averaging 9 points a game providing a spark off the bench for the Warriors.
He is on a very appropriate team, the Warriors are very run and gun and like to shoot the ball, something that Robinson is very good at. Robinson at this point in his career doesn’t look like he could be a starting point guard and I believe that he knows this and has accepted his role as a bench player.
Isaiah Thomas- IT! Has been a great story this season and has continued his great production from the college ranks to the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. As of recent Thomas has become the starting point guard for the Kings and has been averaging 9 points a game but his last 10 games he has been putting up 14 a game. With the game against the Cavs when he put up 23 and then the next night against the Heat when he had 24. He showed that he is more than capable of holding down his own in this tough league.
Jon Brockman- He hasn’t had that great of an NBA career like his other friends. He was drafted by the Blazers then traded to the Kings where he didn’t have much success in terms of seeing the floor only averaging 2 points a game and 4 rebounds a game. By 2010, Brockman became expendable and was traded to the Bucks where he is buried in the bench and hasn’t seen much playing time there either. On the plus side though Brockman has been showing off his trick shot skills by producing 2 videos that showcase his talent.
Spencer Hawes- The big man has turned it around this year after sitting on the bench with the Kings in his first few seasons. He got a chance to pick up extra minutes and eventually shine when he was traded to the 76ers. His numbers have blossomed, averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds a game and those are pretty solid numbers if you look at the lacking amount of offensive and defensive balanced centers. Hawes compliments his improvement to working with Seattle Supersonic legend Shawn Kemp over the summer. Kemp has been quoted saying “He’s got a lot of upside to his game” and Kemp has successfully brought out that upside to Hawes’s game and this only cements the fact that Hawes is here to stay in the league and has been become a dominate post down low.
Quincy Pondexter- has seen some solid minutes in Memphis and while his stats aren’t overly impressive he is helping the Grizzlies where he can. His best days are still ahead of him but he has shown that he belongs in the NBA and that his potential is impressive.
As we look at past stars it feels great to reminisce on the good times of Husky basketball especially 2004-2005 when Brandon Roy, Will Conroy and Ryan Appleby and crew took this team to the Sweet Sixteen and now Huskies fans look to the future with high hopes of getting to the NCAA championship game and winning it all. The possibility is there that either Tony Wroten or Terrence Ross or both could leave for the NBA after this season. But Husky fans are salivating at the idea of them returning. They look toward current stars like C.J Wilcox, Terrance Ross and Tony Wroten who hopefully will lead this team to glory for the next couple of years.