Torraye Braggs still hasn't made up his mind yet as to whether the NBA lockout last season was a blessing or a curse for him. He'll probably have a more clear-cut opinion in the fall, depending on if he makes the final Utah Jazz roster or not.
This week Braggs and the others in the Jazz rookie/free agent camp will try to make an impression on the coaches during the Rocky Mountain Revue, which begins Monday in the Delta Center and runs through Aug. 2.Braggs, you may or may not recall, was the only player drafted by the Jazz just a few days after they'd lost in the NBA Finals to the Chicago Bulls for the second straight time in June 1998. A big, bruising 6-8 forward out of Xavier University, he felt he had an outstanding chance of doing like other second-round Jazz picks like Bryon Russell and Shandon Anderson and making the team.
But the lockout changed all that.
Braggs initially worked out a way that he could have the best of both worlds during the lockout. He signed to play for a Spanish professional team in order to make some money, but he had an opt-out clause where he could get out of the contract to come back to the U.S. to try out for the Jazz should the lockout be settled. He played 13 games for Cantbria Baloncesto, where he averaged 17.6 points and eight rebounds.
But he got out of his contract and returned to the States before the lockout was over. Braggs went back to Cincinnati, where Xavier is located, and worked out with some of his old college friends to stay in shape so that he'd be ready for Jazz camp when -- or if -- the lockout ended. Finally, when it looked like the lockout was going to scrap the season, Braggs signed with a different Spanish team, this time without an opt-out clause.
Less than two weeks later, the lockout ended, but Braggs was stuck in Spain. After finishing up in Spain, he played for awhile in Venezuela.
Now he's finally getting a chance to show the people who drafted him that he can play, but he no longer is Utah's lone drafted rookie in camp. Two others -- Quincy Lewis and Scott Padgett -- were first-round picks, meaning they'll get guaranteed money for three seasons. The prospect of Braggs making the Jazz roster next fall are long because there are few spots available.
Still, he's trying to stay positive about how things turned out.
"I felt bad at first, but maybe it will turn out good," said Braggs of missing his potential first NBA season. "Playing in Spain and Venezuela helped my floor game a lot because I had to diversify my game. At Xavier, I had to do all the dirty work -- rebound and defend. In Spain, I worked on my offensive game and shooting."
Braggs realizes the odds are long, but says he likes his chances of making it with the Jazz. In his favor is the fact that the Jazz have little depth at the power forward and center positions since free agents Thurl Bailey and Greg Foster are not likely to be re-signed.
"I like my chances (of making the Jazz)," said Braggs, who grew up a Lakers fan in Southern California. "I know what my capabilities are and I know what the team's needs are. I feel I could fit in."
Braggs "has a nice strong body on him," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "Now we'll just see how he plays and see how he works out with the team. We drafted him because we liked him, and he played overseas and that experience should help him."
Braggs, perhaps appropriately considering his last name, doesn't lack for confidence. Despite being selected by the Jazz with the 57th pick overall in 1998 -- the second to last pick of the draft -- he had grand plans for his NBA career.
"Hopefully I can fulfill (Malone's) shoes and maybe surpass him," Braggs said on draft night 13 months ago. "I know I can learn a lot from him, and hopefully I can teach him a few things and make him better while he's still playing."
You've got to like the gumption of a rookie power forward who feels he can teach perhaps the best power forward of all time a few things.