Isaac Austin begs to differ, but the Utah Jazz did give him an opportunity.
The Jazz drafted the 6-10 center in 1991 after he'd been passed over 47 times. He earned a paycheck with Jazz letterhead on it for two full years despite never contributing much on the court. He couldn't stay away from high-fat foods, was overweight and his conditioning suffered because of it.Older, wiser and thinner, Austin is now making the most of another opportunity with the Miami Heat.
It's hard to imagine, but the guy who used to only get garbage time for the Jazz, and who two years ago was relegated to playing in Turkey, could be an NBA all-star this season.
Next season Austin could be back in a Jazz uniform.
And he will be, if best friend Karl Malone has anything to say about it.
Austin won the league's Most Improved Player Award last season when he averaged 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Now people are wondering if he'll become the first two-time winner of the award.
Austin, who started the first 23 games of the season in place of injured perennial all-star Alonzo Mourning, is averaging a Mourning-like 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds. Mourning is back, but Heat coach Pat Riley is trying to work out ways to have both big men on the floor at the same time.
"Ike should make the all-star team; he deserves it," said Jazz assistant coach Gordon Chiesa:
"It's a great story. He's a guy who hit rock bottom, but it made him stronger and look at him now. He's a star."
Austin's road from being Utah's 12th man to Miami's go-to guy was long and winding.
"When I had the weight clause at Utah, I passed every one of them, and I thought that was going to do it," he said. "But I didn't have the opportunity. I'm not saying that I should have been out there every second, but I wanted the opportunity to play. That was the main thing. I didn't get the opportunity to play."
The Jazz cut him after training camp prior to the 1993-94 season. It wasn't like other NBA teams were knocking down his door trying to sign the 300-pounder, either.
He caught on with the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the CBA but abruptly quit one day and moved back to Salt Lake City. Late in the '94 season, Philadelphia signed him, and he played 14 games in a 76ers uniform. He was released at season's end.
So it was off to Europe. He played the '94-95 season in Lyon, France - and ballooned to 340 pounds. But with Malone's encouragement and the help of fitness guru Mack Newton, he dropped 40 pounds in 40 days. He then caught on with a team in Turkey for the '95-96 season.
"You get frustrated being in a situation like that (in Turkey), but it was the best situation for me," he said. "It taught me a lesson at the same time I was able to work on my game, because I got the experience of playing."
With his weight down to 290, it was time for another NBA tryout last season. He impressed Riley enough in minicamps that he was invited to veterans' camp and eventually made the team.
Now Austin tips the scales at about 268.
So does Austin's newfound success amaze Malone? "Not really," Malone said. "But I've been knowing him for awhile, and it's neat to see him do so well, but it doesn't surprise me."
The Heat would love to keep Austin around, but that's not likely. He becomes a free agent at the end of the season and will likely get multiple offers that the Heat won't be able to match because he's a two-year player and the Heat are restricted to offering him a 20-percent raise. They're over the salary cap to boot.
Enter Malone.
Austin still loves in Salt Lake during the offseason and his wife, Denise, is from Utah. Malone would love to have him back as a teammate.
But the Jazz don't have enough cap room at present to offer what will surely be Austin's market value. Even if the Jazz don't re-sign Chris Morris (who is making $3 million) and Antoine Carr ($1.6 million), they won't have much room since other players will be getting raises - most notably Greg Ostertag, whose six-year, $39 million deal kicks in next year.
Malone said he'd take a pay cut "in a heartbeat" for the Jazz to get Austin back. "I know Ike," Malone said. "It's real realistic (that he'll play for the Jazz next year)."
Austin indicated that he'd like to play for the Jazz again and holds no hard feelings for the coaching staff. "I'm fine with Jerry (Sloan), with the whole coaching staff," he said. "I'm cool with them all. It was a business situation for them."
But his impending free agency has to be put on the back burner. "Right now I can't really talk about that because I have to focus on the here and now, which is trying to win a championship with the Miami Heat."
Which is even better, believe it or not, than trying to win a championship in Turkey.