The NBA, arguably more than any other sports league, is a superstar’s league. A team is typically only as valuable as their superstar or superstars. When you turn on ESPN and watch SportsCenter in the morning they give you the impression that Kobe was the only one playing for the Lakers the night before or that the Bulls don’t even really play until Derrick Rose is back.
But the league is full of players and unsung heroes that have great talent and skills that are under-appreciated Some are not just under-appreciated by the media and the public at large, but also by their team and the league. Hamed Haddadi is one of those players. A giant Iranian who has mostly rode the bench throughout his entire career, Haddadi recently has gotten a chance to shine on his new team the Phoenix Suns. Not only has he been effective on the court, he has more importantly brought a charm and a humbleness not commonly seen in the NBA.
If you are not familiar with Hamed Haddadi, I can’t blame you. He has largely been nonexistent on the NBA radar. If you are familiar with Haddadi it was probably because you heard his biggest claim to fame, that he is the NBA’s first and only Iranian born player, or you happened to see his massive-self sitting on the bench during a Grizzles game and couldn’t help but Google who this giant was. For those who are not familiar with Haddadi (which I assume is most of you) here is a video that shows some of the many highlights of his career.
So not overly impressive, I know, but not everyone can have highlight reels like Blake Griffin and LeBron James. What he does is far from flashy but it is effective and he does it with great effort and most importantly a beautiful smile.
Beautiful…
Haddadi first caught the leagues eye after showing flashes of great potential in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Haddadi easily passed the eye-test standing at a whopping 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighing in at over 250 pounds, but then, he also excelled in the games averaging 16.6 points and 11.2 rebounds. Later that summer, America cleared him to play in the NBA and the Memphis Grizzlies quickly signed him to a three-year deal.
In his first three years, he saw very limited playing time in Memphis. He had more games where he did not play than games where he played, and the games he did play he saw very limited action. The most games he played in a season were 36 in his second season with Memphis. In the limited games Haddadi did play, he has posted very modest numbers; he has career averages of 6.4 minutes per game, 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. He was almost invisible on the NBA landscape with only his ethnicity and hulking frame garnering any attention, not his play.
During the lockout year last year Haddadi had hiccups establishing his work visa and didn’t get to Memphis to play until the season was well underway, yet because of injuries to Memphis’ starters he played the most basketball he ever played in a season, but once again for only small stretches at a time. Then when the playoffs came around Haddadi found himself out of the rotation and regulated onto the bench to watch Memphis get bounced unceremoniously to the Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
After last season, Haddadi’s contract was up and he became a free agent for the first time since 2008. He was reported by Iranian news outlets to be frustrated by his limited role and wanted a chance to prove himself to Memphis or another team. Memphis never gave Haddadi significant minutes but his large frame and ability to rebound still was valued and they offered him a 2 year 2.5 million dollar contract. Though frustrated with his role, Haddadi accepted the contract and set out to prove his value to the team.
This chance never materialized in Memphis as he only played in just a little over 10 games for them before being traded to Toronto to make the salary cap numbers work in the Rudy Gay trade. While being a part of the Raptors he never played a single game, first due to visa issues and then because he was quickly traded for Sebastian Telfair in February less than a month after being sent to Toronto.
Haddadi has only been with his new team for a few weeks and has had very limited practice with the Suns, but because of the recent injury to Marcin Gortat. Haddadi and his 7 foot 2 frame was called upon in a big way last Saturday night in Phoenix. The Phoenix Suns were hosting the sputtering Rockets as they tried to gain a foothold on a playoff seed in the west. The Suns are destined for the lottery after a disappointing season, but on this night they looked like they had everything to play for and the Rockets were the ones with only pride on the line.
After the starters struggled for the Suns, the bench came out swinging and led Phoenix to a narrow victory. Offensively, Jared Dudley spearheaded the bench unit’s attack scoring 22 points and dishing out 7 assists but it was Haddadi’s rebounding and defense that slowed down the devastating penetration of Harden and Lin of the Rockets. Haddadi played 28.13 minutes well above his career average of 6.4 minutes a game. Those 28.13 minutes were filled with supreme effort, as Haddadi sprinted up the court with an enthusiasm and energy like he was in game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Haddadi looked borderline euphoric to be on the court for double-digit minutes. Every possession he was defying his aching knees and lumbering nature to force himself up and down the court with great haste. He stayed active on defense, rotating quickly and staying in front of the Rockets constant penetration. He battled with Asik for rebounds keeping the leagues second leading rebounder on his toes.
Offensively, his effort was clearly evident as he cut hard to the basket and was quick to set a screen for a teammate but he did show rust from not playing any kind of significant minutes his entire NBA career… His offensive rust, but more importantly his lovable nature and team-first attitude were put on perfect display in one of the greatest moments I have ever seen in the NBA.
Midway through the 3rd quarter Haddadi found himself with the ball wide open at the top of the key with no defender in sight. He slowly looked around and decided this opportunity was too good to pass up and he launched a jumper that clanked harmlessly off the side of the rim. Luckily the ball was snagged by a teammate who was fouled on the put-back.
When the ball was dead, Haddadi turned his head to the bench lifted his palms up as if to ask if it was ok that he shot the jump-shot. His coach Lindsey Hunter, responded with a huge grin and a wave of his hand to signify that it was ok he shot that one wide-open shot. His teammates can be seen grinning and chuckling at this genuine display, probably never having seen a professional player act in such a manner. I was enjoying Haddadi’s play up to this point but after this shot, and more importantly his subsequent reaction, I became Haddadi’s number one fan.
In this league of guys always trying to get their own shot and put up big numbers, where do you see that kind of humbleness and desire to just please and do what’s right for the team? I would love to have a guy like that play for my team and it also doesn’t hurt that he is over seven feet tall and is a rebounding beast. (P.S. I searched the Internet for a video of this shot but I couldn’t find one, you will have to take my word for how awesome this moment was.)
Haddadi only finished with 6 points and missed all four of his free-throw attempts but he had a team-high of 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. His effort and desire was contagious, though, as his team rallied to carry the offensive load as Haddadi cleared the boards and anchored the defense. His effectiveness was clear in his game high tying plus-minus figure at +15.
On Monday, Haddadi followed up this great performance by posting his career-high in points in a losing effort to the streaking Denver Nuggets. Haddadi went 4 of 7 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free throw line for his career-high of 13 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and recorded 2 blocks in only 19 minutes of play.
This performance was good enough to give Haddadi the best plus-minus performance on his team. Having Haddadi play 20+ minutes a night of every game or expecting him to carry your team to a playoff spot may be a bit unreasonable or far-fetched. Haddadi however, is a player who can definitely have a very positive impact for a team if given the chance with not only his play but also his unique charm and sunny disposition.
HADDADI!!!!!!!!!!!
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