Jawai eager to hone his skills with Stampede

Some people might relish the idea of being a couch potato, sitting around watching NBA games and never exercising.

For Nate Jawai, who joined the Idaho Stampede last week, nothing could be more frustrating.

But that's pretty much how his NBA career began.

The 6-foot-10, 280-pound center/forward was taken by the Indiana Pacers with the 41st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and became the first indigenous Australian to be picked by an NBA team.

Shortly thereafter, he was traded to Toronto as part of the deal that sent Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors.

So the rookie took his game to Toronto and was excited about beginning his NBA career.

But things went seriously awry in training camp when doctors found an abnormality in his heart.

"All athletes have enlarged hearts, but mine was slightly bigger," Jawai said. "They wanted to monitor it for about three months without any activity. But I'm good to go now."

Still, he admits that hearing the news was initially quite frightening.

"It was a scare for me," the 22-year-old said. "For the first month-and-a-half, there was a lot of sleepless nights."

Eventually, fear gave way to frustration.

"I just had to sit and watch my teammates," he said. "I couldn't do anything, no shooting or conditioning."

Jim Kelly, the senior director of player personnel for the Raptors, said the team took a cautious approach to Jawai's situation.

"He had extensive testing from the best specialists we could find," said Kelly, who was in Boise on Saturday to watch Jawai as the Stampede defeated the Utah Flash 104-96. "We were just trying to make sure it was OK for him to go forward."

Finally, in mid-December, Jawai was cleared to resume practicing. Jawai, a raw talent who didn't begin playing basketball until he was 16, was in no shape to log significant time with the Raptors.

"He couldn't ride a bike or anything (during his layoff)," Kelly said.

After logging just 18 minutes in five games with Toronto, he was sent to the Stampede last week to put in more time on the court.

Stampede coach Bryan Gates picked up Jawai at the airport Thursday and was immediately bombarded with questions about Boise, the Stampede and the team's players. It was clear to Gates that Jawai was going to be an eager student.

"It's such a treat for me when somebody that is coming here on assignment really wants to be here," Gates said.

Some NBA players resent being assigned to the NBA Development League. Not Jawai.

"The thing is, I wanted to come down here and log some minutes and get back into game shape quicker," he said.

And he vowed not to bring an attitude with him.

"I can't just come down here from the NBA and be all selfish and think I'm the man," he said. "I'm not that kind of guy. ... I want the guys to play how they play. I want them to keep doing what they're doing and I'll just try to fit myself into the team."

After his long layoff, fitting in with any team is going to take some time.

Jawai had eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes in his first game with the Stampede on Friday. He also had four offensive fouls and fouled out.

"I didn't play the way that I usually play," he said. "... It's going to take time."

Jawai continued to show some rust Saturday night as he scored 12 points and had five rebounds in 31 minutes while starting in place of injured center Lance Allred. But he also showed some soft hands and deft passing ability for a big guy.

Oh, and he can also throw down a monster slam and block shots with authority when given the opportunity.

Gates said he couldn't fault Jawai's effort, however.

"He plays hard," Gates said. "He puts his chin down and he runs."

The coach has seen enough to understand why Toronto signed Jawai to a two-year contract.

"We're excited about helping the Raptors in his development," Gates said, "because he is somebody who could play in the NBA for a long, long time."