Family connection with franchise may have put Arkansas star in compromising position
NEW YORK CITY — Some people just can’t hide their feelings no matter what. Their face is always going to betray them.
That was definitely the case when former Arkansas guard and SEC Player of the Year Darius Acuff found out he had been drafted to the Sacramento Kings. The excitement and smile that should have been there was, instead, replaced by the look of a young man who, seconds ago, was praying “Please don’t let them pick me. I’ll do anything, just let them pick anyone else “
Then his name was called, and while there was clear energy on the face of his mother that was also reflected in the eyes of his father, Acuff looked like his life force had been drained immediately. He couldn’t even fake his way through the mandatory lottery pick interview immediately after getting drafted.
“Uh, it’s very special,” Acuff said after being asked point blank what made the moment special. “Just being here with them, seeing them smile. That’s the best moment.”
That’s right. Seeing his parents smiling and happy is about as good as he has got.
There was no thrill about going to Sacramento and the fact he was going to the Kings seemed to have taken all the wind out of his sails at the finish line of finally making it to the NBA after all this time and hard work.
The pick before, Brooklyn took took guard Keaton Wagler, which had to hurt both because it was another guard and also because Arkansas coach John Calipari spends so much time building relationships with the New York teams during his annual fall family vacation / Razorbacks game in the city. He literally used to coach the Nets back before their merchandise literally sold itself in a market designed to turn a player like Acuff into a marketing legend.
The reason why Acuff’s parents were excited about their son going to the least seen and marketed team in all of California is because Scott Perry, the coach of Acuff’s dad at Western Kentucky back in the day, is currently in the Kings’ front office and is able to keep an eye on their baby boy while protecting him and providing insight.
It also didn’t hurt that while wearing his Razorback rose colored glasses, Acuff made the purple and silver of Sacramento look incredibly sharp. If he can just get someone to actually see him play and fall in love with his game at the NBA level, his merchandise will sell itself and supplement his reported $36.5 million rookie contract.
Anyone sporting it, whether it be hat, jersey or shirt is going to look good.
Opposite Side of the CoinÂ
While Acuff looked despondent despite being drafted in the top half of the lottery, his former Razorback floor partner, Meleek Thomas, unexpectedly slid into the second round following a late run on big men and a trade out of the late first into the early second by Cleveland.
Still, when it was officially announced Thomas was being drafted by Cleveland, the one destination perfectly set up to make the sacrifice of falling into the second round worth it, there was plenty of reason to smile. Thomas was headed to the most ideal situation possible.
And while he stood at the podium grinning from ear to ear while wearing Cleveland gear and a Cavs logo behind him on the digital screen, it was assumed Thomas knew he had already been traded. With trades coming in a flurry, ESPN struggled to keep up with and convey all the movement.
In this case, Thomas was selected with a Sacramento pick and later traded to Cleveland.
He was headed to the home of an Eastern Conference Finals team where nine players averaged double digits and key stats such as rebounds, steals and assists clearly showed a culture of hustle and selflessness. His destiny was pointed toward an environment where Thomas could finally spread his wings and grow into the player he only had the opportunity to flash at times at Arkansas.
Elite When Given Reins
The few fleeting moments where Thomas got to lead the Hogs on the floor while Acuff ever so briefly rested and the game against Missouri to close the season while Acuff rested a leg injury showed a dominant force were his only opportunities to show the player Thomas actually is. It was clear that if he weren’t spending all year playing Scottie Pippen to Acuff’s Jordan that he could have put up equal numbers, if not slightly better.
People forget during the 49-point game against Alabama that put Acuff on the map for good nationally, Thomas took the game over for a long stretch while hitting 6-of-8 from three to not only keep Arkansas from getting blown out, but putting them in control. Despite the legendary scoring spree Acuff went on, Thomas still found a way to score 24 points that came at key pivotal moments.
In the regular season finale with a lot on the line for both the Razorbacks and a full Missouri roster, Thomas scored 30 to go with six rebounds while leading the Hogs to a crucial 88-84 win in Columbia without Acuff.
It was why so many people in and around Arkansas wanted Thomas to come back and lead the Razorbacks this season. Rather than become a late first rounder at best, they wanted him to return to the Hogs for theoretically more money than Thomas was about to earn in the NBA,
They foresaw a run for National Player of the Year while Thomas torched the Arkansas record books and climbed the NBA draft board. Yet, as soon as he heard he would likely be a first round pick of some sort, the dream was over.
Thomas was gone. The only question is now that it’s all unfolded, would he have rather he made a different decision.
He just spent a year not being able to truly be his own man while propping up Acuff game after game. Is that something he would have preferred to continue doing had the Kings decided to keep him as their selection? Would friendship and familiarity been enough to make it worth it?
He would have had someone to go through all of this with him. Splitting rent on a place in California for a while would have been an option if needed.
Having Acuff on the floor, giving him someone whose game he knows might have made things a little easier while learning the NBA style. There would have been the advantage of someone to bounce things off each night while they progressed through Summer League, preseason camp and the first season.
However, Thomas now has room to show who he is.
Is It a Blessing?
Instead of a repeat of life with the Razorbacks, here is a chance to join a young team that is being groomed to become a favorite to make the NBA Finals next year and constructed in a way that will keep the Cavs coming back for several years.
It is his chance to spread his wings and grow into the dominant player he is destined to be in an environment that will maximize his game. All the while, that growth will be seen nationally, week after week, while his new non-Arkansas fans found him and consistently progressed, expanding year after year.
Facing reality
There will be a ton of pressure on Acuff and Thomas from the jump. This isn’t the Kings from back in the day when Corliss Williamson made a pass through the area and Thomas faces the tough task of finding a place on the roster in hopes of avoiding a two-way contract.
The Golden1 Center is relatively empty. Once respected as by far the loudest arena in all of the NBA, Sacramento is a relative grave yard these days.
That’s thanks in large part to players immediately making it their goal to get out as soon as possible rather than build the team back up to their 1990s glory days. Not exactly a recipe for a winning culture.
Acuff may do their best in honor of Perry and trying to do him a favor, but it’s an uphill battle. Most of America has no idea where Sacramento is, that it’s California’s state capitol and are almost guaranteed to have the Kings be that one team they couldn’t remember when trying to list every NBA team.
Meanwhile, Cleveland is loaded and balanced. Thomas’s best bet is to play well enough to look like an option to free up a little contract money by allowing the Cavs to move someone who costs more from the bottom of the roster.
Both will look sharp in their new uniforms, but the Summer League games may be the last time most Arkansas fans see this pair ever again. Acuff’s Kings may never show up on their TV and Thomas may soon be in the back and forth portal of NBA bench and the G League.
