High riser: unassuming high schooler Gerald Green's stock is soaring at just the right time

Sporting News, The, July 1, 2005 by Sean Deveney

Gerald Green is looking good. Why shouldn't he? He's 19 and soon will be a millionaire. Green is seated in a hotel ballroom in downtown Chicago in early June, his back looking uncomfortably straight--as if he's repeating in his head, "Posture, posture, posture." He's wearing a new gray suit. Diamond earrings wink from each ear. It's a fitting look for the top prep player in the country.

Green is dapper now, meeting the NBA media for the first time. But ask Gerald Green Sr. what his son was doing the previous day back in Houston and he says, laughing, "I had him out mowing the grass. He was doing the edging, the whole thing, and I was sitting on my truck having a cigarette, making sure he was doing it right. I know you're going to the NBA and all, but the grass doesn't know that."

Green Jr. won't have to mess with a weed whacker much longer. When the NBA conducts its draft Tuesday, Green should be a top five selection. But don't expect him to develop a massive ego. He oozes humility, which makes sense considering his parents--Gerald Sr. and mother Brenda--still have him pushing a mower despite his impending fame.

When he is asked to guess where he will be drafted, Green says he can't because he can't believe he will get drafted at all. Asked what he thinks of an NBA age minimum, he says, "I believe the league will do what is in the best interest for everybody, so that would be OK." Asked what the first thing he will do with his NBA paycheck, he says, "Pay my church tithe."

"This still isn't even real to me," Green says. "I mean, basketball is just something that I have always done because I love it. I can't start seeing it as a job and making a lot of money. That is hard to get used to."

Two summers ago, Green was an unknown, playing at the Reebok ABCD Camp as a 6-5 center. But he began intense workouts, grew a bit and returned to ABCD last summer as a 6-7 shooting guard. He was named MVP of the camp's All-Star game.

A terrific season at Houston's Gulf Shores Academy, in which he averaged 33 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, solidified Green's status as a first-round pick. Outstanding postseason performances in the Roundball Classic and McDonald's All-American Game, in which he made six 3-pointers, vaulted him even higher.

"He seemed to get better as the year went on," says one Western Conference executive. "You might think you have a knock on him--say, he can't shoot from the outside-then he goes out and hits six 3s."

Athleticism and shooting are Green's strengths. His weaknesses are ballhandling and his body, which needs more muscle. Green had hoped to weigh 210 pounds in Chicago, and he thinks he can get up to 225. But in the official measurements, he was just 192, in part because of a recent illness.

Green Sr., a retired firefighter, admits there were concerns about his son in his first two years at Houston's Dobie High--Gerald got into some scuffles with classmates. The last altercation involved Gerald stepping in to defend a teammate, and it helped convince the family that a transfer to Gulf Shores, a school focused more on basketball, was a good idea.

"It was just an opportunity for me to start over," says Green Jr. "The style of play was good for me. And I needed a counselor and mentor at school."

Green says he may not be mature enough for the NBA--he's shy and still a kid, really. But Green Sr. says that the potential for his son finding trouble is not a concern.

"He'd have to change into a different person," Green Sr. says. "There are a lot of times, when it's Friday night, and here is this kid, a big-time star, a nice car, and he's at home. In bed. That is unheard of. He's 19.

"I go in and check his forehead. I ask him, 'You feeling OK?' He'll say, 'Yeah, Dad, I am OK. I am just going to stay in and chill.' That's OK by me. He is not a typical kid, looking for trouble. I don't think, as a parent, I have anything to worry about."

As of next week, maybe one worry: Who's going to mow the lawn?

Deveney's first-round forecast

NBA Insider Sean Deveney predicts that five high school players will be
taken in the first round of the draft; last year, a record eight were
taken.

No.   Team            Predicted pick       Pos.   Ht.

 1.   Bucks           Andrew Bogut          C     7-0
 2.   Hawks           Marvin Williams       SF    6-8
 3.   Trail Blazers   Gerald Green         G/F    6-7
 4.   Hornets         Deron Williams        PG    6-3
 5.   Bobcats         Chris Paul            PG    6-1
 6.   Jazz            Fran Vazquez          PF    6-10
 7.   Raptors         Raymond Felton        PG    6-0
 8.   Knicks          Charming Frye         C     6-10
 9.   Warriors        Danny Granger         SF    6-8
10.   Lakers          Ike Diogu             PF    6-8
11.   Magic           Antoine Wright       G/F    6-6
12.   Clippers        Yaroslav Korolev      SF    6-9
13.   Bobcats         Hakim Warrick         SF    6-8
14.   Timberwolves    Jarrett Jack          PG    6-3
15.   Nets            Sean May              PF    6-8
16.   Raptors         Martell Webster      G/F    6-7
17.   Pacers          Charlie Villanueva    PF    6-9
18.   Celtics         Chris Taft           PF/C   6-9
19.   Grizzlies       Joey Graham          G/F    6-6
20.   Nuggets         Ersan Ilyasova        SF    6-9
21.   Suns            Johan Petro           C     7-0
22.   Nuggets         Francisco Garcia      SG    6-7
23.   Kings           Rashad McCants        SG    6-4
24.   Rockets         Wayne Simien          PF    6-9
25.   Sonics          Matt Walsh            SG    6-6
26.   Pistons         C.J. Miles            SG    6-6
27.   Jazz            Julius Hodge         G/F    6-7
28.   Spurs           David Lee             PF    6-9
29.   Heat            Monta Ellis           PG    6-3
30.   Knicks          And Blatche          F/C    6-11

No.   Team            School/country          Comment

 1.   Bucks           Utah                    Sticking with the big
                                                guy.
 2.   Hawks           North Carolina          Incredible potential
                                                here.
 3.   Trall Blazers   Gulf Shores Academy     A trade would shake this
                        (Houston)               up.
 4.   Hornets         Illinois                Steady offense, great
                                                defense.
 5.   Bobcats         Wake Forest             Charlotte may move to No.
                                                3.
 6.   Jazz            Spain                   Some believe he's the
                                                best big man available.
 7.   Raptors         North Carolina          Will give the team an
                                                identity.
 8.   Knicks          Arizona                 A borderline center who
                                                plays with finesse.
 9.   Warriors        New Mexico              Will provide frontcourt
                                                depth.
10.   Lakers          Arizona State           Lakers also could go for
                                                a point guard.
11.   Magic           Texas A&M               Improved shooting makes
                                                him an exciting
                                                prospect.
12.   Clippers        Russia                  Clippers can be patient.
13.   Bobcats         Syracuse                Just needs perimeter
                                                work.
14.   Timberwolves    Georgia Tech            Underrated playmaker who
                                               fills a need.
15.   Nets            North Carolina          Maturity is a plus.
16.   Raptors         Seattle Prep            Raptors are thinkin long-
                                                term.
17.   Pacers          Connecticut             An active big man
18.   Celtics         Pittsburgh              Has slipped but is worth
                                                a shot.
19.   Grizzlies       Oklahoma State          Impressive in workouts.
20.   Nuggets         Turkey                  Versatile teen-aged big
                                                man.
21.   Suns            France                  A long-term project.
22.   Nuggets         Louisville              Can shoot and is a
                                                skilled passer.
23.   Kings           North Carolina          Very smooth, but there
                                                are attitude questions.
24.   Rockets         Kansas                  Will add needed depth at
                                                power forward.
25.   Sonics          Florida                 Will bring points off the
                                                bench.
26.   Pistons         Skyline H.S. (Dallas)   Athleticism of him
                                                noticed.
27.   Jazz            North Carolina State    A versatile wing player.
28.   Spurs           Florida                 Ready to play now.
29.   Heat            Lanier H.S. (Jackson,   Another promising
                        Miss.)                  project.
30.   Knicks          South Kent Prep         Team is hoarding big men.
                        (Conn.)