NBA 2009 Draft Profile: DeJuan Blair Something to Weigh

Pitt's bulky DeJuan Blair's risk-reward ratio is great
Something to Weigh
by Keith Langlois


EDITOR’S NOTE: Pistons.com continues its draft series with the 12th in a series of profiles of players who figure to be under consideration by the Pistons for their pick at No. 15 in the first round of the June 25 draft. Today’s installment looks at Pitt power forward DeJuan Blair.



Charles Barkley … or Mike Sweetney? Or Oliver Miller? Or Kevin Duckworth?

The list of gifted big men with weight issues who ate themselves out of the league would be considerably longer than the countering list of players who left college soft and pudgy and went on to terrific NBA careers.

Barkley left Auburn as the “Round Mound of Rebound” and retired from the NBA 16 seasons later as one of the league’s 50 greatest players ever, a member of the 2006 Hall of Fame class along with Joe Dumars, and one of the most unique players the game had ever witnessed.

Part of what made Barkley so unique, of course, was his nimble footwork, straight-line speed and ballhandling ability for a man of such girth. But the reality is that another large part of what made him so unique is body types like his, built on a ballerina’s feet, are rarely seen in the NBA.

Miller certainly had those feet, along with enormous hands and a velvety touch that made basketball scouts swoon. But he couldn’t stay away from the drive-thru window. Miller – who averaged 8.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in one season with the Pistons – was listed at 315 pounds, which probably understated things by a good 30 or 40 on most days.

Yet his gifts were so tantalizing that over 14 seasons teams throughout the NBA – and, in fact, the world – kept giving him chances, hoping he’d unlock the door to nutritional nirvana and blossom into the superstar trapped in a fat man’s body. Miller played for six NBA teams, six U.S. minor league franchises and four foreign professional leagues – plus the Harlem Globetrotters.

Pitt’s DeJuan Blair appears to have gotten nutrition religion, just as Barkley did for much of his NBA career before ballooning back up in retirement. Yet NBA scouts are already wary of the damage done to his knees – repairs to the ACL tendon in both knees while in high school – despite the fact he’s shed nearly 40 pounds since Pitt’s season ended in March, tipping the scales at 277 at the Chicago predraft camp a few weeks ago.

Still, that’s a lot of weight to be lugging up and down 94 feet of hardwood 82 nights a season while gazelles are whipping past in either direction.

NBA general managers will have to, uh, weigh concerns about Blair’s girth, his likelihood to keep the weight off once shed, and his expected longevity against the undeniable production he’s registered in two stellar seasons at Pitt, where he was Big East Player of the Year as a sophomore. Blair averaged 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds in 27 minutes a game while making nearly 60 percent of his attempts.

In many ways, Blair is very much like Jason Maxiell. He’s significantly undersized for a power forward, standing just a little over 6-foot-6 in shoes, but like Maxiell, he compensates in large part due to a tremendous wing span. While Blair lacks Maxiell’s explosiveness, his larger frame and greater strength allow him to create the space needed to get shots off inside.

Blair’s signature game from the past season was a 22-point, 23-rebound effort against UConn where he dominated projected high lottery pick Hasheem Thabeet, 7-foot-3. He had 23 points and 22 boards in a win over Notre Dame and in four NCAA tournament games averaged 16.8 points and 13.8 boards.

While Blair has scoffed at news that NBA evaluators were taken aback by the medical reports gleaned from the Chicago combine – he played without incident at Pitt – the buzz persists in league circles that red flags are up for most teams. That could knock Blair out of the lottery, where teams like Milwaukee at 10 and New Jersey at 11 could use his toughness and inside scoring punch, and put him in play for the Pistons at 15.

Would they be tempted? In a draft with few sure things, a roll of the dice on a player who could play his way into All-Star games – or could eat his way down Oliver Miller’s path – isn’t out of the question.


Sellling Points – Hands down, the best rebounder in college basketball and a player who has a chance to be a physically imposing NBA player. … Though not refined offensively, skilled at bulling his way to the basket even against much taller players, a la Thabeet. … Plays with a passion for the game and would increase any team’s competitive energy. … Exudes the blue-collar toughness that the Pistons at their best exemplify.

Buyer Beware – The torque men of Blair’s girth put on their knees is certain to take years off of his career – but how many? … Lack of explosiveness might make him vulnerable to shot-blockers at the NBA level. … Is going to struggle to guard mobile power forwards who can step outside to shoot or execute the pick and roll proficiently.