It’s always good to hear stories about guys who are taken in the second round, or that go undrafted, and work hard to impress a team enough to where they are rewarded with a contract. Especially when they have talents that prove they should be in the league. The Orlando Magic just signed former Connecticut Husky forward, Stanley Robinson, to a contract (terms not immediately disclosed). I’ll admit that I was personally interested in seeing if Stanley would make it and was wondering if I would hear this news.
At UConn, whenever Stanley Robinson entered an arena, he automatically became the best athlete in the gym. He is a freakish athlete and is very long. As a senior, I thought he helped his stock tremendously by averaging 14.5 points while grabbing 7.6 boards. In his final year at Storrs, he made a concerted effort to prove that he was more than just an athletic fast-break finisher. He showed some semblance of an offensive repertoire. I’m not saying he was the most offensively gifted guy in the country. I won’t get carried away, but he did shoot the ball from the outside a bit more than in previous years.
He was taken 59th overall by Orlando. The second to last pick. That alone shocked me because scouts love guys who are athletic. It’s almost as if basketball prowess is second and athleticism is more important. If you’ve read any of my work, you know that annoys me to no end because “he jumps high” or “he is tall” are not basketball skill-sets. They just happen, but I digress. As the draft was nearing the end, I thought that we wouldn’t hear Stanley’s name called.
In my mock draft, I stated that I thought Stanley Robinson would be the last pick in the lottery. I had absolutely no reason to make that prediction, but I did for two reasons. One: I’m a UConn homer. And two: Tyrus Thomas. In the 2006 draft, the Chicago Bulls took Tyrus out of Louisiana State University second overall. Not their second pick in the draft, or in the second round. Second overall. All because he is a freakish athlete who can jump out of the gym. That’s it. Thomas doesn’t necessarily posses any draw-dropping basketball skill-set that would warrant such a high pick, but he went #2 regardless. Now he is exactly what was expected from me: a role player. This isn’t a knock on Tyrus. The energy and intangibles that he brings are important. But you’d typically expect more from a #2 overall pick.
When I look at Tyrus, I see Stanley. When I look at Stanley, I see Tyrus. To me, they are clones of each other and their games are strikingly similar. So why is it that Tyrus was #2 overall and Stanley was #2 from the bottom? That’s rhetorical. Either way, it’s good to see that Stanley has latched on with the Magic after averaging 5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds while shooting 50% from the floor for Orlando’s summer league team. He won’t change a franchise, but could be a valuable cog if put in the right situation. Going to a winner like Orlando is a good look for him.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe too for free on iTunes.
