Believe it or not, I am the tall one in our family... Really...
Brad Daugherty and I have many things in common.
We were both drafted to come to Cleveland. Brad was the first choice of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1986 NBA draft. In fact, Brad was the #1 overall draft pick that year. I became the #1 pick of Karen Young in her 1961 draft, a shallow year with very limited attractive picks from which to choose.
Brad is about 25 years younger than your favorite blogger. Brad went to the University of North Carolina where he earned a degree. I went to UNC, too, where I barely got a degree. Rumor has it he was a good student. That rumor was never spread about me.
Here’s a very visible way that Brad and I match up. We’re both tall. He’s just a smidge taller at 7 feet vs. my 5 feet, 5 inches. Everyone looks up to Brad. Small children look up to me. I don’t want to make excuses, but I once was 5 feet, 6 inches tall. When Brad gets a bit older, he will start to shrink, too, maybe all the way down to 6 feet, 11 inches.
Through my work with the Cavaliers ownership group over many years, I got to know Brad a bit. When we’d see each other we’d always talk UNC basketball. We both loved the game and had some great moments in Cleveland talking about our days as players in Chapel Hill. One way we aren’t quite on the same page is that Brad played basketball for the University of North Carolina in front of rabid fans in a large, impressive and sold-out arena. I, on the other hand, played basketball at the University of North Carolina on a playground across the street from my dorm with nobody watching. An academic gift I did receive at UNC was to learn the difference between the words for and at. I am forever grateful to my university for teaching me that important lesson.
Brad was a BMOC (Big Man On Campus). I was an SMOC (Small Man On Campus). I learned that if you want to be a BMOC, you need to play basketball for UNC. Playing at UNC doesn’t cut it.
The picture above was taken a week-and-a-half ago at a reception sponsored by the Cavaliers to honor the four new inductees into its Wall of Honor. That’s Brad Daugherty all suited up between Karen and me, and Larry Nance to Karen’s left. They are two of the nicest guys to ever play in our city, and both are also on the Wall of Honor at Rocket Mortgage Field House in downtown Cleveland. That’s all I have to say for this blog.
In fact, it’s the long and short of it.
Have a great day, everyone.
DY: In Just a Few Words is a blog that comes out when something needs to be said or every Tuesday - whichever comes first. Davis Young is a communications professional who adds 50+ years of experience and perspective to issues of the day. His emphasis in DY: In Just a Few Words will be humor (a touch of sarcasm here, a pinch of facetiousness there...). Once in a while, he will touch on something a bit more serious - but hopefully not too deep or depressing.
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