The National Football League is also in the midst of midget mania; just take a gander at the top of the standings. The unheralded Bears, Bills and Broncos, not to mention the undefeated Titans, hold at least a share of the lead in their respective divisions, while trendy Super Bowl picks like the Vikings, Cowboys, Browns and Jaguars all sit in third place and are out of the current playoff picture.
Height has always been a prerequisite for playing wide receiver, leaving the shorties to play defensive back and have stature-exploiting fade routes constantly remind them of their deficiencies. But, as ESPN’s Jeffri Chadiha argued recently in his article entitled “In Wake of Welker, Teams Turning to Tinier Targets,” athletes can now have the glory of playing wideout without the annoyance of having to duck through doorways. Players like Santana Moss (5’10”), Wes Welker (5’9”), Steve Smith (5’9”) and Lee Evans (5’10”) all defy convention, leading their teams in either receptions or yards. Scouts for the Broncos and Eagles reap the benefits of thinking small, as 5’10” rookies Eddie Royal and DeSean Jackson have become mainstays in lineups both real and fantasy. Sub-six-footers sure made their presence felt this Sunday: Moss, Smith and 5’8” Jets running back Leon Washington each scored a pair of touchdowns while leading their respective teams to victory.
Naturally, the NBA, seeing the plague of the puny attacking other leagues, should be bracing itself for the dominance of the diminutive, the maturation of the miniature and the takeover of the tiny. The writing was on the wall when the Bulls used the first pick in this year’s draft not to take Michael Beasley, the scoring big man they so desperately needed, but to grab point guard Derrick Rose. Draft law used to value height over all, but now the experts preach the value of a top-notch floor general. An anonymous NBA scout told Sports Illustrated, “I believe you can challenge for the playoffs if you have an upper-echelon point and marginal talent at the other positions.” And it’s not even like Beasley was that beastly; he measured in at the pre-draft camp at 6’7”, two inches less than his listed height. When asked about this discrepancy, he replied, “I’m a little disappointed to find out I’m actually a midget.”
The fate of many teams’ 2008-09 campaign rests in the small hands of small guards—hands that make a basketball look like a basketball, not an orange laced grapefruit with which Shaq can’t shoot free throws. In acquiring point guard Mo Williams, the Cavaliers have finally found the Robin to LeBron’s Batman. Williams’ shooting and playmaking ability should give King James more space to operate and put an end to those Wally-Szczerbiak-just-shot-another-airball nightmares he’s probably been having.
Whether or not the Cavs’ Central Division rivals, the Bulls, rise from the dead depends largely on the play of Rose, to whom new Head Coach Vinny Del Negro has already given the proverbial keys, as witnessed by his impressive preseason campaign.
Whether or not Rose blossoms quickly, we will still be in the midst of the Golden Age of the Point Guard. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are threats not only for the NBA First Team, but also for MVP. Jose Calderon, T.J. Ford, Jameer Nelson and Devin Harris will all see spikes in their numbers this season, as will Rajon Rondo, who has the Celtics repeat hopes resting on his skinny shoulders. Don’t forget that Tony Parker keeps steadily improving, Jason Kidd still has some fight left in him and Steve Nash is still alive and kicking.
Somewhere at a Space Jam reunion, Muggsy Bogues is laughing in Shawn Bradley’s face, with the help of a step ladder.
Further proving that the importance of height is nothing but a tall tale are the undersized shooting guards that make the term “combo guard” no longer a dirty word. Dwyane Wade broke the Michael Jordan 6’6” shooting guard mold by turning in arguably the greatest NBA Finals performance ever in 2006, despite possessing two fewer inches than His Airness. After a couple of injury-plagued seasons, D-Wade will be back with a vengeance, ready to stake his claim to the title of best player in the game. No undersized off-guard conversation is complete without mentioning 6’3” Ben Gordon (actually about 6’ 0’’), the Bulls’ leading scorer and sixth man extraordinaire.
Wade and Gordon won’t need to slap on a blue cape and draw a ‘U’ on their chests to convince the league that their teams are underdogs, but both teams have the potential to make the playoffs. The NBA is not a league of parity like the NFL, or a league where surprise teams happen with the frequency that they do in MLB, so for an unexpected team to make some noise, they have to have something experts liked in the past. The Bulls return the same core as last season’s team, which many picked to finish in the top four in the East. All of their players are a year older and a year wiser, and they should have a massive chip on their shoulders after last year’s disgrace of a season; in addition, the team now has Rose to distribute the ball and to help do away with the squad’s offensive struggles and low field-goal percentage. As for the Heat, a healthy Wade will do wonders for last year’s last-place team. With Beasley scoring and corralling rebounds, and Shawn Marion in a contract year, the Heat could be dangerous.
Even if the Bulls and the Heat don’t succeed this season, the Year of the Little Guy has still taught us that talent eventually shines through. The Rays simply had more talent than the Red Sox; the Titans have a better defense and running game than anyone in the NFL; Steve Smith’s combination of speed and body control is second to none; Dustin Pedroia can flat-out rake; and Chris Paul runs the floor better than any of his peers. These teams and players all display how perceptions and expectations mean nothing. It’s all about what you can bring to the table—even if you’re five foot nothin’, a hundred and nothin’.