J
Jasen Lee
Guest
SALT LAKE CITY — In the world of American sports, the names Wally Pipp, Don Majkowski and Drew Bledsoe have something in common. They are pro athletes who were replaced by other players who would go on to legendary glory in their respective leagues. Pipp was the New York Yankees’ first basemen before a young Lou Gehrig took his place and went on a historic consecutive games streak and earn a bust in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Majkowski was the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback who was replaced by another future Hall of Famer named Brett Favre. And Bledsoe was among the first players to lose his starting job after suffering an injury when he was replaced as starting quarterback of the New England Patriots by a young upstart named Tom Brady.
While the situation that befell Utah Jazz backup big man Tony Bradley this week isn’t entirely analogous to the aforementioned examples, it does represent an opportunity for a young unproven talent to potentially make his mark in the NBA and perhaps lead to the fruitful career he has worked tirelessly to attain.
The Jazz announced earlier this week that backup center Ed Davis will miss four weeks due to a fractured fibula suffered in the game on Nov. 1 vs. Sacramento. The meant the ‘next man up’ would be Bradley — a 6-foot-10 third-year player out of North Carolina who has spent much of the first two years of his fledging pro career bouncing between the G-League and the Jazz working to improve his game and prove his worth to the Utah coaching staff that has invested in his development.
Head coach Quin Snyder said Bradley has been working diligently on his game and this is a chance for him to show what he has learned.
“Tony Bradley is going to have an opportunity to play,” he said. “He’s been working hard.”
Bradley”s first chance at big floor time came Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers as he logged 13 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. After the game, he noted the significance of his current circumstance.
“This was a big opportunity to get out there and get some minutes against this Clippers team,” Bradley said. “(I) just want to play with energy. It’s tough that you get hurt but I mean, some minutes opened up for me and I think I’m ready. My job is I just want to play hard that’s all I know so I just want to play well no matter what.”
Bradley will now have other chances to make a bigger in-game contribution to Utah’s fortunes as the season progresses.
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