Dixon Showcases Talents for Nuggets

One would think that the National Champ, NCAA Tournament MVP, First-Team Associated Press All-American, 2002 ACC player of the year (with more votes than Jason Williams), most outstanding player of the 2002 NCAA Final Four, not to mention Maryland’s all time scoring leader, would be a slam-dunk for a top 10 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. But, on June 26 in New York, Juan Dixon might get passed over by every team in the first round.

In this day and age of professional basketball, where seniors in high school are drafted on potential, players who have proven themselves with hard-working four-year college careers and big-game experience are passed up for foreign talent with last names more difficult to pronounce than Worcherstershire sauce.

On Wednesday May 29, the Nuggets held a pre-draft workout featuring two proven four-year collegiate players who will in all likelihood be selected late in the first round or the second round: Dixon and Lynn Greer. The Nuggets have two first-round picks: the 5th and 25th, in addition to an early 2nd round pick with the 33rd selection. If this year’s draft goes as predicted, Juan may be available to the Nuggets with either of their late picks.

Without question, one NBA franchise will select Juan Dixon. “Yeah, I think that whoever drafts me late in the first round is getting a steal," he said.

Dixon is sure of himself and his abilities while maintaining that he holds no ill will toward teams who are drafting younger and younger on potential.

“I’m 23 and I know I am older than a lot of the guys in the draft," he said. "But I am confident in my abilities and confident that there are teams out there who will see me as a good pick.”

Nuggets General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe, who admitted Wednesday that many NBA teams are finding out that gambling on the potential of young players often works out for the better, acknowledged that players like Dixon can be just as good an investment for the team.

“There is definitely something to be said for a player who has proven himself under the national spotlight in the national championship game,” he said.

A lot of questioning has gone into whether or not Dixon can perform at the NBA level as a point guard as well as he did as a shooting guard averaging almost 26 points per game in the NCAA tournament.

“I don’t sweat it (members of the media dissecting his on-court abilities),” said Dixon. “I am confident I can make it as a point guard, I want to play point guard but if a team drafts me and puts me at the two-guard spot, I know I can play it, I have been doing it all my life.”

Vandeweghe dismissed most of that line of questioning, reaffirming the old-school belief that big-time players make big-time plays, citing lessons learned from his former coach at UCLA college basketball legend John Wooden.

“The way I look at it is you pick the five best players and let them work out the positions.”

Dixon does not seem to care all that much whether he gets on the court as the one or two guard, he just wants to play, and as he repeated many times on Wednesday, he is ready.

“In basketball, like everything, you have to prove yourself everyday.”