Antonio!! You have come full circle! Congratulations.
Antionio McDyess was selected with the 2nd pick in the 1995 draft behind Joe Smith and 3 spots ahead of Kevin Garnett.
He had all of the makings of a superstar coming off a stellar career at Alabama. The Nuggets traded for him on draft day and he played for the Nuggets for just 3 seasons before they traded him to Pheonix. The Nuggets would resign him a year and a half later. In
1999 McDyess did what only two other Nuggets have ever done(Dan Issell and George Mginnis): he averaged 20 and 1o on his way to an All Star season. That year, he was selected to the 2000 Olympic Team and helped USA capture the gold medal. It looked as though he was quietly becoming a beast and the Nuggets looked as though they were right about the 2nd pick in the draft.
That's when Antonio absolutely destroyed his knee. Being as tough as he is, McDyess tried to play through the injury and re-aggravated it several times. His explosiveness was, simply, gone. McDyess was traded to the Knicks for Marcus Camby and a high lottery pick. He never regained his powerful presence.
But what followed is a true testament to Antonio and his career. He was traded to the Pistons and began to not only rebuild his body, but also to rebuild his game. Antonio was able to do what few NBA players are able to do: accept a role on a team and work his freaking tail off to tailor his game. To turn his weaknesses into strengths. With the departure of Chris Webber in the 2007-2008 season, Antonio became a starter for arguably the world's most complete team. And what he did last night against the Celtics in game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals was, honestly, touching.
Last night we saw the player that was drafted #2. 13 years later, after injuries to body and to the ego, Antonio McDyess played a magnificent game on the biggest stage. Against Kevin Garnett (13 years after being drafted 3 spots ahead of him) McDyess had 21 points and 16 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. He was a beast. He showed some serious sack. He was the star on a team of superstars.
Antonio, congratulations. We here in Denver saw that last nights performance was not a fluke, was not a coincidence. It was the culmination of 13 years of extremely hard work and dedication to the game and to yourself. And kudos to the Pistons- an unbelievable organization- for seeing that in you. I almost want to go out and buy a Pistons hat.
You deserve to be there- surrounded by basketball players who are dedicated to the team concept and the game of basketball. Can you imagine what it would be like if you were still in Denver? I guess that knee injury was a blessing in disguise. Cheers!! and keep on beating up Garnett. And then Duncan or Gasol. People don't even know. You are the freaking man.
