NBA dreams merely delayed for Alabama’s Steele
This was supposed to be the biggest day of Alabama point guard Ronald Steele’s life. Instead, it’s a reminder of how fragile the careers and futures of athletes are.
Nine months ago, it seemed like a done deal that Ronald Steele would hear his named called tonight during the NBA Draft. Before the start of last season, there was little doubt that not only would he skip his senior season and enter the draft, but that he would likely be a lottery pick.
Given his intelligent play, his knack for hitting the big shot and his many physical tools, Ronald Steele appeared to be a can’t-miss prospect heading into his junior season.
A preseason All-American, Ronald Steele began the season with hopes of helping the highly-ranked Crimson Tide make a run at the Final Four, while increasing his draft value in the process.
Neither happened. Instead, knee and ankle injuries ruined Ronald Steele’s season, and took with it any chances Alabama had of a memorable march in March.
Ronald Steele eventually had surgery on both knees and his rehab appears to be going fine. That’s good news for Alabama fans, who are lucky to have him around for one more year.
Despite the injuries, Ronald Steele could have entered this year’s draft and probably would have been among the first two or three point guards selected (behind Ohio State’s Marcus Conley Jr. and maybe Texas A&M’s Acie Law or Florida’s Taurean Green).
Ohio State’s Greg Oden and Texas’ Kevin Durant will almost certainly be selected first and second. That’s been a given since both announced that they were leaving college after their freshman seasons.
What happens after that seems to be anyone’s guess.
If he’d had a big junior season, Ronald Steele might have been a candidate for the No. 3 overall pick, since the Atlanta Hawks have it and they desperately need a point guard. Instead, Atlanta (possibly the worst drafting team in sports history) will likely pick either Florida 6-foot-10 stud forward Al Horford or gamble on Chinese 7-footer Yi Jianlian.
Horford should (Atlanta, are you listening?) be the first Florida player selected, but far from the last. Teammates Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer (who might wind up being the best all-around player in the draft) will also go in the first 10 picks.
As for Alabama center Jermareo Davidson, most mock drafts project him to go late in the second round. Davidson is an athletic big man (he's listed at 6-10), but he's a little small to be a center in the NBA and a little lean to be a power forward.
Ronald Steele's injuries, and his subsequent decision to return for his senior year, kept him from becoming an instant millionaire -- this year, anyway.
If he's healthy next season, and can get back to where he was as a sophomore, or beyond that, a long, lucrative career will be waiting for him.
Unlike so many other athletes -- see Tyrone Prothro -- injury didn't destroy his dreams, just delayed them for a little while. He should consider himself lucky.
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