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Authored by Brent Blaze - 19th May, 2008 - 6:21 pm
Jamaal Tinsley, Marcus Fizer, and Paul Shirley gave Cyclone fans Final Four aspirations after winning the Big 12 Title in 2000.
After the season Fizer left for the Bulls, Tinsley stayed on at Iowa State for one more Big 12 Championship, and Shirley was left sobbing into his towel after an Elite Eight heartbreaker.
Shirley had several short NBA stints; he blogs for ESPN and is the author of Can I Keep My Jersey?. While Shirley is facing retirement, could another Cyclone star be born?
After that Elite Eight loss to Michigan State in 2000, Stevie Johnson wasn’t preparing for the NBA or even basketball overseas. Johnson stayed on at Iowa State to play linebacker for the Cyclones football team. At 6’6” and 235 pounds, Johnson was not a highly scouted power forward out of Iowa State.
In 2001 Johnson took his game to Iceland where he averaged 30.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game for Thor. The next season Johnson was the MVP of the league, averaging 34.6 points per game and 13.3 rebounds for Haukur. After his second professional season, Johnson left Iceland to pursue his dream in Spain’s LEB First League with Drac Inca.
For the 2007-08 season Johnson re-signed with Caja Rioja in Spain, and was recently awarded the MVP of the league.
Johnson led the Big 12 in field goal percentage his senior year at Iowa State, but to average over twenty-one points per game on close to 60% shooting from the field is spectacular for any league. That kind of accuracy just doesn’t come from a 6’6” guard/forward.
Johnson is also an outstanding offensive rebounder. He has developed a lot of confidence in his jump shot, shooting close to 40% from behind the arc. When it comes to free throws Johnson has Bruce Bowen syndrome. However, he works tirelessly on all facets of his game and a shooting coach like Nick Nurse could help with his consistency in this area.
At the NBA/NBDL level, Johnson would be ideal at the small forward position. He has the athleticism to guard wings and the strength to defend post players. At 6’6”, 235 Johnson can beat a post player down the floor, but also has the strength to keep him from backing down on the block. This versatility gives him the ability to play the two through four positions.
He also has a high basketball IQ and seems to always make the smart play. A nagging abdomen injury slowed Johnson for the first half of last season, and over the past six weeks that injury has reoccurred. He sat out the last regular season game, but is currently rehabbing and plans to be back for the playoffs in Spain. This summer Johnson will likely need to rest the injury and consult a physician in order to make sure that he will be 100% heading into next season.
Because of his abdomen injury, Johnson may miss the open NBDL tryout this June.
Clearly Johnson’s outstanding season has earned him the right to play for the Iowa Energy next season, and signing him is something they should attempt as soon as his season is complete. Several NBA teams also would be wise to grant Johnson a tryout, once he’s back to full strength.
The Denver Nuggets lacked a defender capable of even attempting to guard Kobe Bryant. Johnson would have been a better option than Linas Kleiza, Kenyon Martin or Anthony Carter in that role during the first round of this year’s postseason. The Miami Heat are an organization planning to rebuild on the fly, and granting a tryout to a veteran in his prime would make sense for Pat Riley. Donnie Walsh is also considering a hold out for LeBron James in 2010 by going the frugal spending route, opening the door for a cheap tryout in Johnson as well.
Stevie’s skill set would fill a major need for several NBA teams, and after his banner MVP year his value is at its highest level. Only a class act like Stevie Johnson would consider taking a pay cut to play in front of his loyal fans in the D-League next year.
Hopefully, he will be rewarded with an NBA contract. |
