During the spring, Louis Amundson got a late-season audition from the 76ers with nobody paying much attention to him even though he was the D-League Rookie of the year.
Then again it is hard to notice somebody who averaged just 8,7 minutes in the 10 games he played with the Sixers, with 10 other DNP – coaches decisions thrown in as well.
Amundson must have grown an inch since the season ended because he’s now listed at 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds.
Whether he’s 6-9 or 6-8 what is unmistakable is the work ethic he has brought to the team.
Coach Maurice Cheeks talks about the energy that Amundson has provided. And nobody has worked harder in the offseason. Amundson missed very few days at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
And he has been impressive in both the Las Vegas and Utah summer leagues. We all know it’s only summer league, but Amundson has shown the type of heart that is needed on a young team that won’t go into many games with more talent than the opposition.
He also had scouts talking about him in Las Vegas in a positive way. There is little question that he will be on the team this season, barring some unexpected trade or other moves.
And on a team that lacks a true standout at power forward, he actually may earn some meaningful minutes.
While it still may be risky to give him somewhere near 20 minutes a night, he also shouldn’t be a candidate for too many DNP- coaches decisions either.
Nobody will outwork him on the court and that type of non-stop effort can become contagious, especially on a young team.
No, the Sixers haven’t gotten the power forward they have wanted this off season, and there aren't a lot of great immediate options out there. Yet if Amundson has to play important minutes for limited stretches, it won’t be a disaster.
In fact one can hope that his teammates can adopt his all-out attitude of never giving up and always thinking that he is as good as his opponent.
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Time to Take Amundson Seriously
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Marc Narducci is in his 23rd year as a sports reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 2007-2008 season will be his first as the 76ers beat writer. For the past two seasons, Marc had been the backup writer for the Eagles. Over the past few years Marc covered the NBA, NHL and Major League baseball as well as writing on sports media. Prior to covering professional sports, Marc was a long-time high school sportswriter for The Inquirer's South Jersey section.
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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on July 18, 2007 6:45 PM.
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Comments (3)
Marc, do you think the combination of Almundson and Jason Smith might be enough to offset the loss of Joe Smith? Sixers played very well once Steven Hunter was inserted in the starting line-up and Andre Miller arrived to play the point. With the entire core returning from last year and an addition of some nice young talent....why is everyone counting the Sixers out as a playoff contender?
Posted by RS | July 19, 2007 11:52 AM
Posted on July 19, 2007 11:52
i wondered how dennis rodman was wiewed before gettting his chance at playing time, was he a much better prospect than admunson, and if not why cant we expect admunsons hustle to continue to produce results during the season, i know its just summerleague, but every year someone comes out of knowhere to be a contributer on a team why not a guy like admunson who i believe is a great find. My point is ive seen some of the games and am impressed tremendously with admunson and think he shouldnt be discounted. think bruce bowan or radja bell, with a chance, and the right team, you never know what you may find
Posted by philly3038 | July 20, 2007 9:18 AM
Posted on July 20, 2007 09:18
Anyone else remember a young Ben Wallace with Washington? Another high energy guy who was a pretty good rebounder and shot blocker. Not saying Amundson will achieve what Wallace has but I am saying that it's not uncharted territory.
I think not getting Joe Smith to resign was a blessing. I want this year to be all about playing the young guys as much as possible to see what it is we have or don't have.
I'm thinking the Sixers just may end up being a pleasant surprise. Lou Williams and Amundson could be a big part of that surprise.
Posted by Anonymous | July 21, 2007 8:37 AM
Posted on July 21, 2007 08:37