Insider Special:Better Late Than Never...

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Better late than never

By Terry Brown

Friday, March 21 Updated 10:17 AM EST

I wonder what Earl Boykins wants to be when he grows up.

Boykins

"He may have been a star in the college ranks," said one NBA scout, "but it's been an uphill climb for him ever since. Being 5-foot-5 never looked good on any NBA resume and he'll be fighting against it for as long he's in this league."

Scoring 25.7 points per game his senior year at Eastern Michigan didn't get him selected in the First Round of the NBA draft in 1998. Becoming the school's second all time assist man didn't get him drafted in the Second Round, either.

The New Jersey Nets, instead, yanked him out of the CBA in January of 1999 then released him in February. Cleveland signed him in March then waived him in October. Orlando signed him in November then waived him in December.

In one calender year, he had spent two seasons in two different leagues with four different teams.

The Cavaliers then signed him again in February of 2000 to two 10-day contracts. The Clippers picked him up in September and for the first time in his career, Earl Boykins spent an entire year with one team, even started two games in 2002 and promptly became a free agent when the Los Angeles decided not to offer him another contract.

Then, on Nov. 27, 2002, the Golden State Warriors signed him for the remainder of the year.

That night he played one minute.

The next game, he scored 20 points.

Four games later he scored 23.

In the month of December, he averaged 4.8 assists per game. In January, he went 13 of 15 games with one turnover or less while playing 22-plus minutes per game. In February, he shot 6 of 14 from three-point range. By March, the Golden State Warriors were in the playoff hunt for the first time in recent memory and Boykins had a job.

"He creates havoc for opposing defenses with his penetration and he's continued to work on his game," said the scout. "Of course, there are obvious liabilities because of his size, but he's carved out his own niche and the way it looks, he fits perfectly into the Warriors' money and team mold."

But he isn't the only late bloomer in the NBA who simply needed a little more time, a little more understanding, one or two more chances, if not a little Most Improved Player love to help along the way because lightning bolts and thunder didn't accompany their turnarounds.

Theirs was a game of inches when everyone else was measuring feet.

After being the 48th pick in the second round of the 1998 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Alvin Williams spent four seasons in Toronto never averaging double-digits in any season or more than five assists per game. They tried to trade him to Boston but it backfired because of injury and the transaction was nullified.

Then, in 2002, they made him their starting point guard and he responded with 11.8 points per game and a career-high 5.7 assists. This year, he's averaging 13.2 points per game on a career-high 44 shooting percentage.

The guy who was traded along with two players, three draft picks and cash for Damon Stoudamire is now an honest to goodness starting point guard in the NBA. Stoudamire, on the other hand, has almost as many DNP-CDs as starts this season while averaging 5.4 points per game.

"There are teams out there that really work on developing their players," said one NBA scout. "And then there are coaching staffs who just sit on their asses. And unless you dedicate the time and effort to bring players along, they're not going to get any better."

Billups

Chauncey Billups may have been the third overall pick in 1998, but he was traded later that very same season. Five years and five teams later, he is having his finest season ever, averaging a career-high in points for the Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons.

Troy Hudson was never drafted, either. He played for Yakima and Sioux Falls before ever making it to Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Orlando on a string of 10-day contracts. On August 26, 2002, five years after jumping to the NBA, Hudson was signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves.This year, he's averaging career-highs in points (14.4) and assists (5.8) while drilling 103 three-pointers, 17 more than he ever has before with 18 more games still to play.

Eric Snow started his NBA career in Seattle in 1996. By 1998, he was averaging 1.5 points and 0.2 assists per game on his way out the door. He finished the season in Philadelphia averaging 3.9 points per game.

A year later, he was up to 8.6 points per game. Two years after that, he was up to 9.8, then 12.1, then, eight years later, a career-high 13 points per game, along with a career-high 3.9 rebounds per game on a career high 45 percent from the field while still averaging 6.9 assists per game.

"A lot of players come into the league with their heads in the clouds," said another NBA scout. "Sometimes they just get drafted by the wrong team. Sometimes they never belonged. But sometimes they needed to better understand themselves and how they fit into the pro game. Not everyone can be a superstar. "

Donyell Marshall was one of them. He was the No. 4 pick of the draft and averaged a somewhat meager 10 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They dumped him midway through the season where he finished at 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Golden State Warriors.

The very next year, he was down to 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds, and 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds the next. He was starting all over. Again.

The following year, he averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game before dropping to 11 points and 7.1 rebounds per game the next season. Again.

Another year, another team ...

"He was a bust," said one of the scouts. "But somewhere along the line the light came on. He grew up and matured as a player and a person. A lot of credit has to go to Utah for seeing something there and bringing him along."

While in Utah, he was back up to 14 points per game where he's been for the last four seasons even after signing with Chicago during the latest off season. He's shooting 47 percent from the field, 41 percent from long range and 76 percent from the line, more than a steal and a block per game to go along with nearly 10 boards.

"Mentally, he caught up with the physical aspects of his game," said the scout. "And now he's having the best years of his career."

Even if it is nine seasons after he thought they'd come.