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By Neil K. Warner
At any moment James Lang could bust out his Bill Clinton.
“Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate.”
It could be on the bus or in the locker room when he goes into George Bush mode.
“The United States of America is engaged in a war against an extremist group of folks.”
He also does Jamie Foxx, but his best impersonation is saved for Utah Flash head coach Brad Jones.
“I don’t want to be mad all the time, but ya’ll guys have to come out and be aggressive about ya’ll,” Lang says in his best Tennessee accent. Lang then throws a piece of chalk down and turns up his lip to the delight of the locker room crowd.
"Thank you very much, I’ll be here all year."
“I don’t like to see anybody frustrated, sad. I think that’s my job is to make everybody laugh and smile,” Lang said. “My grandma passed away two years ago. She always told me to take a funny mentality about basketball. I try to spread it around the team, you know, stuff like that.”
Lang is generally regarded as the funniest guy on the Utah Flash. He keeps the team laughing and the mood light, which is usually a welcome relief in what can prove to be a long and tedious season.
“He’s funny. He’ll make you laugh. It’s good for you to be around him because he loosens everyone up. All you have to do is look at him and he’ll start smiling and laughing,” said teammate Kevin Kruger. “He’s a good personality to have as a friend and in the locker room. He’s got the vibe around him that people what to be around. I think he has the tools. He’s just one step away. I’m not an NBA scout, but I know he’s been there. If someone picks him up I’m sure they wouldn’t be disappointed.”
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Kruger sees what NBA scouts have seen since he was an intriguing high school prospect.
After a successful high school senior season where he averaged 21 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, and three assists per game at Central Park Christian High School in Birmingham, Ala., a series of honors followed. Lang was named to USA Today High School Boys Basketball All-USA Second Team. He was named a 2003 McDonald’s High School All-America player and played in the McDonald’s High School All-American Game and the EA Sports Roundball Classic. He scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 17 minutes in the McDonald’s game, and made seven of his eight field goal attempts. In the EA Sports Roundball Classic, he scored 12 rebounds, seven points, and three blocked shots in 24 minutes of action.
Lang committed to play for the University of Louisville, but later signed with an agent and declared for the 2003 NBA Draft. He was projected to be a first-round draft pick. After all, who couldn’t use a 6-10 center, with hands like a point guard, and a shot more accurate than a shooting guard?
But there was an asterisk next to his name that has been there since high school: His weight.
Lang reportedly lost more than 70 pounds to get down to around 300 pounds prior to his senior season, but the battle with the scale has continued since high school.
Lang was selected in the 2003 NBA draft. He was taken with the 48th pick (in the second round) by the New Orleans Hornets. He was waived in December of that year after back injuries kept him sidelined.
Since then, Lang has teased NBA teams with his potential.
He played in the ABA, the USBL and in Spain before getting invited to Jazz training camp. Jazz fans might remember him since he was the last player cut in the fall of 2005.
Then it was on to play in the D-League with the Asheville Altitude in 2003-04 and the Arkansas RimRockers in 2005-06. He began the 2006-07 season with the Washington Wizards, but played in just 11 games and finished the season with the RimRockers.
He signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors and hooked up with the Miami Heat for the summer league in 2007. But for Lang the NBA has been like Pam, the cooking spray, because he just can’t stick.
This year he was selected in the second round by the Flash in the D-League draft where he has continued to show his promise, averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in an average of just 21 minutes per game. He’s also shooting a sizzling .571 from the field.
In a game against Anaheim on Dec. 5, he scored 23 points and had nine rebounds. Then against Bakersfield on Dec. 22, he scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but perhaps his biggest night of the season against Tulsa on Jan. 5, when he dominated, scoring 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. He also pulled down a season-high 23 rebounds.
But following Lang’s biggest game of the year, he scored 10 points and had eight rebounds. And in a game against the Iowa Energy at the D-League Showcase, Lang scored just two points on 1-of-5 shooting.
“I think in order to get him better we have to demand more of him and let him know what we expect from him every night,” Jones said. “He is such a terrific nice kid and guys like him. On the court he’s a wonderful kid. I jokingly say before games, ‘do I need to slap you tonight to get you to play?’”
Consistency is something NBA teams are looking for. They want to see how a player does in back-to-back games. They want to see him string together a series of dominating performances, not just one once in awhile.
“I’m working on being consistent. Keeping a good attitude even though I may not get a lot of minutes,” Lang said. “I need to be more aggressive and work hard and to go at my opponents with all I got. That’s what I learned. You’ve just got to keep going hard even if things aren’t going right for you.”
Perhaps the reason Lang is so happy-go-lucky is that he sincerely believes he knows where his career his headed. He has no doubt he will be playing in the NBA. Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has been to Orem to see the Flash play. He weighed in on Lang.
“He’s a very talented guy. The thing that usually caused him the biggest problem since he we had him was his condition, pure and simple. He could have four or five great plays and then not be able to get anything done in the next stretch,” Sloan said. “In that league he can probably go a little longer because he can overpower guys. We like him. He can pass the ball, he’s got great hands, he can play around the basket.
"There comes a time when we can’t get you in shape. You’ve got to do that yourself. Everybody’s told him that. He’s probably heard that everywhere he’s been.”
Sloan is in the majority who believes that Lang has the talent to play in the NBA.
“He can play in the league in my opinion, but he can’t play at that weight and be effective all the time,” he added. “I told him, ‘get yourself in shape so you can make some money.’ I can’t do that for him. I can tell him the truth, that’s all I know. I just I wasn’t going to B.S. him.”
Lang is listed on the Flash roster at 305 pounds which Jones admitted may be kind, but Jones said Lang had lost about 20 pounds since he arrived in Orem in November.
“It’s obvious his weight has been an issue his entire career. When he got here, he was probably a bit too heavy,” Jones explained. “I think he really likes it here and he has found that we can really help him. Now he’s in the middle of the season trying to drop weight. To his credit, he’s been fantastic of that. He’s really worked hard.”
The weight issue is something Lang is getting more comfortable talking about, especially since he knows it is the biggest hurdle to clear.
“Right now the reason I’m losing weight is I want to take care of my body, I want to be up (in the NBA) for a long time,” Lang said. “I think I’ve been doing good on my diet and watching what I eat. I’m kind of comfortable right now where I’m at, but not too comfortable. I’m going to go down some more. I’ll keep going down.”
Lang says he is enjoying his time in Orem and despite his stints in the NBA, he seems content with the D-League. After all, it’s closer to the NBA than playing overseas. He can get seen more often by teams who may be looking for a big man who can add to the team chemistry, and if he does make weight that means just one thing — a call-up — where he could add Bill Walton to his routine.
“The officiating tonight was hooor-ible.”
“It’s a good thing to be close, to be in the loop, to be doing well. It’s just a matter of time,” Lang said. “I’m going to get there (NBA). I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. It will be soon. I promise you it will be soon.”
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