Summer vacation is underway for the kids. Either them or me will have to be put under heavy sedation by July if the first day was any indication.
I noted that the big difference in how quickly DeJuan Blair shed the pounds after declaring for the draft was primarily diet. Sure enough, Blair confirmed that this was a big factor.
“I stopped eating a lot of bad food,” Blair said. “I don’t know if it’s bad for you, but it was for me. Used the DeJuan Blair diet: high protein, steaks, salmon, lots of water. Disciplined myself what to eat. I feel lighter on my feet, and the strength is still there. That ain’t going anywhere.”
Especially cutting out the fast food.
When Blair was in town for a few days this week, he had dinner with a friend. The friend was shocked to hear him order a grilled chicken salad. He no longer eats bread products and has sworn off the fast food that he enjoyed so frequently during his college days.
“My nutritionist took me to the nutrition store and bought me a bunch of stuff, told me what I could eat and not eat,” Blair said. “I’m not around McDonald’s and Wendy’s down here. Discipline is the biggest thing. You can’t eat certain foods. You have to eat what’s good for you.
“It’s going well. I’m losing weight and I’m changing my body. I feel really good. I took off a lot of fat and put on muscle. Now I’m quicker and lighter.”
It’s hard to resist that stuff. Especially in college — big-time player on a national power or not — Blair was in a completely controlled envrionment at the IMG Academy that forced him to eat one way. The mix of seeing the rapid results, climbing the mock draft boards (which Blair follows closely) and knowing what it means for his future appears to have provided (at least in the short term) a significant incentive to stay in control of his eating habits.
Blair will be hoping to be one of 15 players invited to the NBA Draft. These are the players most likely to go in the first 14 picks of the lottery. Even if he doesn’t get the invite, I’m hoping he crashes the event. I’d love to see the big guy take the stage. I really, really want to see the suit he picks.
Milwaukee has the 10th pick, and they are bringing him in on Wednesday. Their scouting director spoke glowingly of Blair, as BrewHoop has the transcript.
What I like about him…I’d be here all day. He’s tough, he rebounds, he understands the game. He’s a true power forward, and you look around the NBA and you see so many teams playing with smaller lineups. And here’s a guy that’s not the biggest guy in the world but he plays his position great. He rebounds, he defends, he’ll block shots, he’ll operate out of the low post, he’s a good passer, and he plays the game with a passion.
Perhaps a bit of smoke blowing, and with the knee issue getting played up a bit, it might scare some teams off of Blair. Of course, compared to maybe needing a new liver or an aneurysm still in the brain, knee problems don’t seem that bad.
I would estimate the number is zero. We didn’t really lose many to begin with, so there aren’t that many “more” to win. Blair also played at about the highest level of any player in the league (and among the top 5 in the country), at least in his Sophomore year. When he failed, it was often because of stupid fouls. A lot of players commit fouls when they’re tired. But Blair’s fouls often came at the beginning of games — no tiredness there — or at the end of the game when we were already losing by too much (like Providence and WV this year). I don’t think him being a little lighter on his feet was going to suddenly mean he could grab 30 rebounds against UConn. I think his size helped him carve out space, and he was able to be on the floor basically 95% of the time we needed him.
Google Doug Gottlieb and Jim Boeheim. Or Doug Gottlieb and credit cards. He’s DEFINITELY not very bright.
I saw the Blair omission, too, though, and I don’t think it was a mistake. He is not projecting the draft, he is listing the 30 most valuable NBA players in his mind. Note that Tyler Hansbrough is not on the list either. Even though he is a likely first round pick as well. Jrue Holiday is 3rd, even though no team with any sense would take him there. Et cetera. Its just Doug’s opinions about how a guy’s skill set will fit in the league.
Gottlieb may be on to something here, but I think Blair is, at least, in the top-30.
