Damon Stoudamire

Damon Lamon Stoudamire (born the September 3rd 1973 with Portland cement, Oregon) is a professional American player of Basket-ball of NBA, currently with the Memphis Grizzlies. It was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the first turn (seventh choice) of the Draft NBA 1995. In NCAA, he played for the Université of Arizona. Damon is the cousin of the former player of the Université of Arizona and current leader of play of the Atlanta Hawks, Salim Stoudamire.

Career with the college

Damon Stoudamire evolved/moved with the college Woodrow Wilson, playing for the " Trojans" to Portland, it led the team to an assessment of 74 victories -4 defeats and to the championship of the State in 1989 like in 1991. Stoudamire carried out averages of 26,1 points, 9,2 master keys decisive and 3,6 rebounds per match. It gained two titles of better player of the year of Oregon and a title of " High School AlAmerican" at the time of its year senior.

Career at the university

Stoudamire played post of leader of play for the Université of Arizona (Wildcats) and the legendary trainer Lute Olson. It belonged to the " first-TEAM AlAmerican" and finalist in the race under " Player college off the Year". Stoudamire made team with Khalid Reeves at the time of its year junior to lead his team to the Final Furnace NCAA. At the time of its year senior, it gained the distinction of " AlAmerican" for its 22,8 points by match. Stoudamire finished its career while being better player of the history of Wildcats to the number of shootings at marked 3-points (272), second with the number of marked points (1849 points) and fourth with the decisive master keys (663) and was the only player of the history of the Arizona to register 40 points at the time of two meetings. Stoudamire registered its best performance with 45 points the January 12th 1995 vis-a-vis Stanford. He was finalist for the trophy " Wooden" in 1995 after having divided the trophy of " CAP-10 Player off the Year" with ED O' Bannon.

Career NBA

Toronto Raptors

Stoudamire carries out an excellent season Rookie with Toronto Raptors with averages of 9,3 decisive master keys and 19 points. It gained the nickname of " there; Mighty Mouse " had with the fact that it measured only 1m77, and that it had a tattooing of mouse on its right-hand man. Damon currently always holds the record of shootings at 3-points registered (133) for a rookie and the third best average with the decisive master keys. Damon finished in the second place of the markers among the rookies at the time of its first season and was the leader in term of played minutes and decisive master keys. It accepted the trophy of " Rookie off the Month" twice and belonged to the " All Rookie First Team". This same year, Stoudamire gained the trophy of NBA Rookie off the Year at the time of the Saison NBA 1995-1996, glanant 76 of the 113 possible votes and the trophy of " Most Valuable Player" Rookie Range. Stoudamire off holds the record of the player drafté low (seventh rank) to have gained the title of NBA Rookie the Year, since Mark Jackson (with the 8th rank). Damon is also known like the smallest player to gain this trophy. He did not play the 10 last meetings of his season rookie because of a wound to his left knee.

Portland cement Trail Blazers

In 1998, it was transferred by Raptors in company of Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers to the Portland Trail Blazers, against Kenny Anderson, Alvin Williams, Gary the Trent, two first turns of draft, a second turn of draft and an amount of money. With Trail Blazers, its statistics fell considerably. In 2002, the Blazers placed Stoudamire on the bench for the majority of the season. Scottie Pippen and Bonzi Wells occupied the position of leader of play. However, at the time of the playoffs, Stoudamire had a time of significant play.

The January 14th 2005, Stoudamire beat its record in career and the record of Trail Blazers by registering 54 points, including 8 shootings at 3-points, against the New Orleans Hornets. This same year, the April 15th 2005, it beat record NBA of 21 shootings at tried 3-points, by transforming some only 5.

The contract of Stoudamire with the Blazers expired in 2005, and it became clear that Trail Blazers, which was in the optics of a " movement of rajeunissment" and which prospected players with a good character, did not intend to resign Damon. That concretized in August 2005 when the team signed the leader of free play agent Juan Dixon, and allotted number to him 3 of Stoudamire. Stoudamire wanted that the Blazers resign it and transfer it in the tread to send it to the Houston Rockets. That would have made it possible Portland to recover one of the large contracts of Houston, but because the team had many players with strong wages, the Portland cement management leaders decided to go in another direction with players like Dixon and Steve Blake.

Memphis Grizzlies

August 5th 2005, after Stoudamire discussed with many teams, one announced its signature for contract of 4 years with Memphis Grizzlies, where it replaced Jason Williams, which left to the Miami Heat, as titular leader of play. At the time of a metch on December 30th in its birthplace of Portland cement, Stoudamire was wounded with the tendon. It missed the remainder of the Saison NBA 2005-2006. Stoudamire returned at the beginning of the Saison NBA 2006-2007. He and the veteran Chucky Atkins shared the time of play at the post of leader.

Suspension

He had vexations at the time where he played with Trail Blazers with incidents related to the Marijuana including one with the winger-extremely Rasheed Wallace, being made stop in his Hummer for excess speed and control under the influence of the marijuana. After Stoudamire was made stop for possession of Marijuana in 2003, it bailed out of a fine of 250.000$ and was suspended three months. The president of Trail Blazers Steve Patterson announced that he wanted to break the contract of Stoudamire, but did not find a clause to do it. Stoudamire carried out a programme of 90 days detoxication and a clip against the use of marijuana. Moreover, it reached an agreement with the leader-writer of the newspaper The Oregonian John Canzano to carry out unexpected urinary tests at the time of the season 2003-2004 in order to prove its sobriety. In the middle of the season, Canzano appeared in the cloakroom to carry out this test to which Stoudamire was subjected; an independent laboratory tested it and showed that Stoudamire was " clean". This act rehabilitated Stoudamire in the spirit of the Portland cement fans, which regarded it as one of the " Jail Blazers" (pun with the captive word). However, Stoudamire was criticized by the Association of players NBA for the test of drug, informant whom players NBA were to undergo only of the tests prescribed and notified in the collective agreement. The fact that the test is voluntary, and not required by the league or a team, did not exempt Stoudamire against criticisms. In spite of these criticisms, no official action was undertaken apr association against Stoudamire for its participation in this test.

References

Airborne: The Damon Stoudamire Story by Doug Smith

External bonds

TheDraftReview.com - Page on the draft of Stoudamire
Page of Stoudamire on NBA.com
stoudamire.com

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