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Friday, June 7
Updated: Saturday, June 8, 9:25 AM ET
Logan lets his play silence critics
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
CHICAGO -- The players who aren't here must be scared, right?
No, that's not it. They probably have that guarantee they're going to be picked in the lottery, or at least the first round. That's it, right?
Why else wouldn't they come to the Chicago pre-draft camp to prove they can play against anyone, anytime, no matter the makeup of a particular team? Why wouldn't they just get out on the court and get into a structured game instead of some individual workout. Why not see where they stack up against some of the best college players, albeit not the best NBA prospects, this past season?
|  | | Steve Logan trails only Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati career scoring. |
What, afraid a team or a scout won't see you at your best? Did an agent tell you that you shouldn't go because it might not enhance your stock? Maybe you can't deal with a little criticism?
Maybe you just don't want to mess with Cincinnati guard Steve Logan -- or anyone else who has something to prove.
Well, at least come on by to watch Logan play at the Moody Bible Institute. Sure, he's got flaws. He knows it, everyone in the gym knows it. Yes, every big-name coach, NBA general manager and scout who has watched Logan for his entire four-year career at Cincy knows he's got flaws.
The whispers can be heard from scouts in the stands:
"Too short" ... "Too chubby" ... "Too cocky" ...
"He's got his own agenda" ...
"A scoring guard in a point-guard's body."
Yeah, Logan has heard all the above and then some, and knows they'll say it again. But over the first two days in Chicago, they've also said Logan is as tough as anyone in the camp, won't back down from anything, and he makes shots and passes for finishes in and around the basket. They've say these things because Logan is involved in every play, whether he's touching the basketball or running his mouth a bit, on every possession.
This is Logan's life here and he's not going to let some agent, or anyone else, dictate to him how he should go about this draft process. He's a player, and a player plays.
"I've got so much confidence in myself,'' said Logan, the two-time Conference USA player of the year and the only one of the five Wooden player of the year finalists who is in Chicago. Two of the other four finalists, Duke's Jay Williams and Kansas' Drew Gooden, are locks for the top five and didn't need to be in Chicago. The other two, Gonzaga's Dan Dickau and Maryland's Juan Dixon, are potential first-round picks and were advised by their agents that it wasn't necessary.
That leaves Logan as easily the biggest "name" in the gym.
"Why not come here? I got nothing to hide. That's why most don't come," Logan said. "If you got confidence in yourself then why not come. That's the biggest thing. All the great players in the world are here to show everyone what you can do. If you're a player then you should be here."
These are strong words from one of the most compact packages in the gym. Logan was listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds prior to the camp. He measured in without shoes at 5-10 and 207. But where was he at the end of the game? Making plays. He led his team with 12 points and had four assists in a win Wednesday, and then tied Luke Recker with a team-high 16 points by taking a team-high 17 shots in its second-game loss Thursday.
But was Logan frustrated after missing 10 shots Thursday? Not after dishing out 11 assists and committing only two turnovers. Not when just one game isn't his whole résumé. And not when he knows he'll help a team win because that's what he has done his entire career.
"Stressful? This is what I've been doing all my life, just proving myself," said Logan, who won't play Friday after spraining his right ankle in Thursday's game. "They always say I'm too short or something. Hey, a lot of guys can't do things that I can do. If a guy is 6-5 then I'll just outthink him. If he's faster then me, then I'll outsmart him."
As for playing the two, or shooting guard, at the next level?
"How can anybody consider me a two-guard? I played the one (point) all my life and I played two at Cincinnati for one year because coach (Bob Huggins) needed me to score more," Logan said. "I just changed my game because he needed me. I don't care what they say."
Some facts that support Logan's claims:
Logan is the No. 2 scorer at Cincinnati all-time behind Oscar Robertson with 1,985 points.
Logan set a UC record for free-throw percentage (86.1 percent) as a senior and ended his career with a school record for most wins (111) and games played (135).
Logan averaged 21.5 points over his last 56 games, which included a streak of 52 straight double-digit performances.
Logan had seven or more assists in 13 games last season.
Logan has already worked out for the Heat, Knicks, Bucks, Raptors and Nuggets -- all teams that could use point-guard help. First-round or second-round matters only with guaranteed money, and even where he's drafted won't change how Logan approaches his professional career.
"I never had money, so what's the difference?" Logan asks. "I'm an overachiever and everybody in my neighborhood knows that. They're all proud that I went to school and everything I've done. It's a great honor, but I'm just going to prove myself again. If I go in the second round then I'll make the best of it, go and play hard. And if I go in the first round then I'll do the same thing."
Logan's chances of getting into the first round are slim with only two of the bottom nine teams in the point guard market. Toronto will be the first team on the clock that has shown some interest, but picking Logan at No. 20 might be considered too high. Denver is another option at No. 25, but is more likely to either trade its pick or take a European player who won't come over next season. A number of teams could, however, use their second-round pick on Logan, with Denver (33), Milwaukee (34), Cleveland (35), New York (36) and Miami (38) all in need of a backup point.
Make no mistake, Logan will be in the league, somewhere. He knows it. He just doesn't know how he's getting there and with whom. If it's not through the draft, he won't shy away from any summer league, either. Just more games for a player to play in. A player who won't be looking for any preferential treatment. A player who expects to play without being asked.
After all, that's what a player who wants to a player does, right?
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. Katz covers the NBA draft for ESPN.com and ESPN.
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