| Afflalo Impresses While J.R. Sits Authored by Brian Reynolds - November 9, 2009 - 4:55 pm
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The 6’5” guard is in his third year out of UCLA, where he played three years for the Bruins and reached two Final Fours. Before Saturday’s contest with the Hawks, I spoke to Arron about playing under Coach Ben Howland, and his experience thus far as an NBA player.
“My time at UCLA was a lot of fun,” Afflalo said. “I really enjoyed it. Just being home and playing for a school with such a rich tradition. I really enjoyed my time there.”
Arron is considered to be Howland’s first recruit at UCLA and said the two “still speak all the time.”
I asked Arron to give his marketing pitch for UCLA in their attempt to sign the number one high-school recruit Harrison Barnes. Barnes is scheduled to announce his decision on ESPNU this Friday, with Duke, UNC, Kansas, and Oklahoma as the other possible destinations. Afflalo’s advice was simple.
“Well, if he wants to get good coaching and play in a great city and develop some good relationships, there’s really no better place to be,” he said.
Afflalo was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in his final season with UCLA. After such a successful junior campaign, he decided to forgo his final year and enter the 2007 NBA Draft and was selected with the 27th overall pick by the Detroit Pistons.
“It was definitely an eye-opener,” Afflalo said about hearing his name called by Commisioner David Stern. “Just achieving my dream and being able to play with such great guys – like Chauncey and Rasheed, Tayshaun and Rip.”
Arron spent two seasons in Detroit, where he had a tough time finding minutes on the floor. Last season, he averaged 4.9 PPG in 16.7 minutes under Coach Michael Curry.
This summer, however, Afflalo and Walter Sharpe were traded to Denver in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2011 Draft. Teammate Chauncey Billups, who also played with Arron in Detroit, has been encouraged by Afflalo’s production so far in the new uniform.
“Arron is really developing man,” Billups said after Denver’s 125-100 loss to the Hawks at Philips Arena. “He’s getting an opportunity he really didn’t have in Detroit. He’s finally getting some extended minutes. And he, more than most people, is going to be better prepared because he’s put in so much work, he studies so much film. He’s a kid that is always going to succeed because he puts the work in.”
In Denver, especially with the suspension of J.R. Smith, Arron is seeing consistent minutes and he’s not disappointing.
“I wasn’t shocked [about the trade],” Afflalo said. “Denver had a position opened, with the departure of Dahntay [Jones, to Indiana] and a few other guys. It was a good opportunity for myself. Detroit had an overload of guards with Ben Gordon, Stuckey, and Rip, so it’s definitely a good fit and good opportunity for me here.”
J.R. Smith is set to return next game after his seven-game suspension for reckless driving that ended in the death of his friend, Andre Bell. Head Coach George Karl did not specifically say what Afflalo’s new role will be, but did add that Arron has been “very impressive, especially on the defensive end,” and Arron and J.R. “should provide for a nice combination.”
One thing is certain: Afflalo took complete advantage of the extra minutes, and if Smith struggles or continues to be a headache for the team, Karl won’t hesitate to give Arron his minutes.
“I take pride in doing a little bit of everything – scoring, defending, posting up, just playing hard,” Afflalo said. “Whatever coach asks of me, I want to be able to get on the court and do it.”
--Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer for RealGM and a recent graduate of Emory University. He can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at BReynolds404. |
