The Philadelphia 76ers knew it would take time for Shawn Bradley to develop when they made him the second pick of the 1993 draft.
But in the City of Brotherly Love, time waits for no man - at least not when he is 7-6. The three- to four-year timetable espoused by the organization when Bradley was selected has been largely overlooked by critical fans and an impatient owner.Bradley is booed by fans at The Spectrum every time he is introduced. He is skewered on talk radio stations and ridiculed for lack of production.
Owner Harold Katz blasted Bradley publicly three months ago, saying he didn't warrant the money he was being paid. Katz has told associates he considers Bradley to be a $44.2 million mistake, one that must sting even more when he sits at his Florida vacation home and sees what Anfernee Hardaway, the player selected immediately after Bradley, has done for Orlando.
General managers around the NBA say the Sixers tried to deal Bradley before last month's trading deadline. The Mavericks reportedly were one of the teams that expressed an interest.
Will Bradley make it in the NBA, or will he go the way of Manute Bol, a longtime bit player? This is the debate.
"Forget the money," said Magic vice president John Gabriel, who cut his basketball teeth in the 76ers' front office. "Is he a basketball player who has shown enough that he deserves an opportunity? The answer is absolutely yes.
"From the damage already done, will that happen in Philly? The answer is probably no."
Jimmy Lynam was in charge of Philadelphia's basketball operations when Bradley was drafted. He is not about to dismiss the center.
"I think it's too early," said Lynam, now the Bullets' coach. "But I would say the one thing that would appear to be an area that he has to improve is his strength. His frame is such I don't know if that can happen the way he would like."
Bradley is listed at 248 pounds. That appears to be a generous estimate. Privately, club officials have said he has lost up to 30 pounds this season. Bradley, who said he was up to 260 pounds earlier this season, declines to say how much he weighs.
The Sixers don't dwell publicly on Bradley's inability to put on weight, but it is a concern. The club has abandoned the 7,000-calorie-a-day-diet he was on last season because it made him sick. Lee Haney, a former Mr. Olympia who was retained during Bradley's rookie year to help him bulk up, is no longer with the team.
Sixers' Coach John Lucas has Bradley undergoing a series of tests and blood work to determine if he is capable of putting on pounds. He also has him on a stringent weightlifting program. Bradley clings to the hope that he will get bigger since his father put on weight in his mid- to late-20s.
Bradley turns 23 later this month.
"I haven't seen him lately, but Shawn's biggest - and I felt only problem - was his lack of conditioning," said Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who worked with Bradley in the offseason. "If he can get to the point where he's strong enough to hold his position inside and run the court, he has the skill and instincts to be a great player.
"But that's a big if."
Strength dictates what Bradley is able to do on both ends of the court. His lack of strength has been a source of ridicule. Orlando's Nick Anderson accused teammate Shaquille O'Neal of child abuse in his matchup with Bradley earlier this season.
"Until he gets his strength, it's difficult to really assess what he can do," Lynam said. "But I think he has shown spurts, much more so this year than last year."
Bradley's average of 7.9 points is down more than two points a game from his rookie season. But his rebounding (7.1 per game) is up and he has had some big games.
The former BYU star had 28 points, 22 rebounds and nine blocks against the Clippers. He had 17 points and 15 rebounds against the Spurs' David Robinson earlier this month. Bradley is one of the league's best shot blockers, ranking fifth with an average of 2.94.
"You have to look at the numbers," Lynam said. "He has an impact on the game."
An impact when he's able to stay on the court. Bradley has more fouls (261) than field goals (198) this season. He averages nearly five fouls a game, and leads the league in disqualifications with 15. On offense, Lucas has tried to relieve the pressure on Bradley by making him a small part of their scheme.
"He's a jump shooter," Abdul-Jabbar said. "When he goes to shoot the sky hook, the other players can take away his base because he's not strong there. They can push him out of position from where he tries to shoot it.
"He can't hold his position, and position is everything. On defense, he gets pushed under the basket where he can't be effective. If he can deal with that where they can't push him around, he's going to be tough. He has incredible reach and catches well. He passes well, can shoot and has good vision."
Vision is one thing. Dedication is another.
Before the season, a Sixers' official told Bradley that Katz and others in the organization questioned his resolve in rehabilitating his injured knee. Bradley responded that those questions were unfair and he was working out three days a week.
Lucas has driven Bradley hard this season, pushing him to play with minor injuries. So far, Bradley hasn't missed a game.
The timetable the Sixers placed on Bradley's development when he was drafted appeared logical. But $44.2 million contracts have a way of warping logic.
"The idea with Shawn was it was going to take three years, and it turned into three months," Lucas said recently. "Let's get back to three years.
"If he was the 27th pick in the draft, people would be saying what a steal. Instead, because of his position, they say what a disaster," Lucas said recently.
It's too early to call Bradley a disaster. Mavericks' Coach Dick Motta is like most coaches in the league, saying people should take Bradley's background into consideration before criticizing his performance.
"I look at his experience and his age," Motta said. "He doesn't have much experience. He came from a little, tiny high school, so in some ways, he has been behind from the start. I think that's something people should keep in mind."