February 6, 2004

By Kevin Broom

To many fans the NBA is mind-bending highlights, lucrative contracts, and lacquered marketing.  But, there?s another level of pro hoops that exists eons from the fame and multi-millions of the game?s elite.  This level is populated with basketball junkies ? the sub-minimum salary, borderline players who bludgeon each other before small audiences in obscure towns like Rockford and Yakima, hoping for ?The Call? to get another shot at The League.

Torraye Braggs, who was recently released by the Wizards to make space on the roster for Gilbert Arenas, is one of those players.  At 6-8 and 245 pounds, Braggs isn?t a prototypical NBA power forward, and he lacks the athletic ability to make up for it.  He tries to compensate by outworking the competition, but the NBA is a pitiless meritocracy, and the bottom line is talent.

Talk to enough fringe players ? the second round picks and undrafted players who bounce among minor leagues, get waived, re-signed, traded, then waived again ? and some themes emerge: humility, accurate self-knowledge, and a willingness to sweat by the bucket if it means a glimmer of a chance to play in the NBA.

?It humbles you,? Braggs said.  ?It forces you to develop a work ethic, because once you get here [the NBA], some guys aren?t used to that, haven?t been through that kind of hardship, and it gives you a different outlook.?

For the smarter ones ? guys like Braggs and another former Wizard, Bobby Simmons ? minor league adventures are educational gifts.  Many in the D-League or CBA cling to the delusion that they have star talent, but haven?t been given a true opportunity by NBA teams.  A few see the minors as a chance to learn what they can and can?t do, and how to apply their capabilities to help a team.

?It?s hard in this league for guys to accept limited roles,? said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.  ?That?s my job as a coach to define to them that they?re a better player in certain situations and certain roles.?

When Braggs left Xavier, he was not considered a good NBA prospect.  Pro scouts viewed him as an adequate scorer who lacked defensive intensity, made poor use of his wide frame, and didn?t rebound well for his position.  NBA teams generally want shot blocking from the power forward, but Braggs is too short and ground-bound to offer that dimension.

He attended the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he played well enough to earn the tournament?s MVP, and convince the Utah Jazz to select him with the 57th pick in the 1998 draft.  Braggs went to Utah?s camp, but his shortcomings were apparent and the Jazz cut him before the season.  Then began a hoops odyssey that?s still going at an obscure city somewhere.

In the past six years, Braggs has had stints with 17 professional teams in seven different countries.  Currently a free agent, Braggs is almost certain to add an 18th team in the coming days.  He has played with three NBA teams, and had three tours of duty in Spain, the CBA, and a Venezuelan summer league.  During one of his two stretches in Greece, he appeared in that league's all-star game.  He?s also played in the Philippines, Israel, and a Puerto Rican summer league.

During that time, he has worked to develop skills that NBA teams can use.  Where defense and rebounding were once weaknesses, they?re now considered his best assets.  The same scouts that once didn?t like the way he used his bulk, now say Braggs has gotten stronger, tougher, and smarter about how to establish position.

Braggs' experience highlights the haphazard nature of the minor leagues as a training ground for young players.  The teaching is erratic, with some coaches focused on winning, and only a few truly taking the time to help players develop.  Braggs, something of an expert on minor league basketball, thinks the NBA would be wise to invest in a minor league system similar to Major League Baseball.

?I think it?s a good idea, if they can work out the compensation,? he said.  ?I think it could help players because it would be more centered, more NBA oriented.  I wish a lot of these young guys on this team [Wizards] could have that experience.?

Braggs time with the Wizards was brief, and he has little tangible to show for it.  He appeared in just four games, averaging 5.5 minutes per contest.  He committed more fouls than he scored points or grabbed rebounds.  He broke teammate Kwame Brown?s nose in an accidental lay-up line collision.  Working on 10-day contracts (which earned him more than his season salary in the CBA), he knew he was a temporary worker.

But there was one moment ? perhaps Braggs? highlight with the Wizards, maybe something that when he?s finished playing he?ll look back on and smile.  The Wizards had accumulated a pleasant lead against Indiana, but the Pacers were chipping away at a comeback.  In a typical Wizards game, they would have registered yet another come-from-ahead loss.  On consecutive plays in the game?s final minutes, the Pacers fed Ron Artest in the post, and Artest easily overpowered Larry Hughes on one play, and Mitchell Butler on another.

With 1:35 on the clock, and the Wizards leading by eight, Eddie Jordan surveyed his bench and called on Braggs.  The Pacers ran the same play, but Artest had difficulty establishing position against the beefier Braggs.  Artest got the ball a few feet farther out on the court, and tried to make a move.  But Braggs wouldn?t budge, then delivered a hard foul before Artest could get in position to launch a shot.

The Wizards had a foul to give, and when the Pacers re-started play, Braggs? defense was good enough that Indiana couldn?t make the entry pass to Artest.  The possession degenerated into a missed jumper from Jamaal Tinsley ? the last guy Indiana wants shooting the ball.

The Pacers had run the same post play for Artest on four consecutive possessions.  The first two were successful, but the failures versus Braggs forced Indiana to change gears.   Their next efforts?  An Al Harrington turnover, a made jumper and some free throws from Reggie Miller, a jumper from Anthony Johnson, and another turnover.  The Wizards won, 107-96.

Braggs? statistics were unimpressive ? two fouls and an assist in six minutes of play.  But, he contributed to a team?s win in a way that he doesn?t think would have been possible six years ago when he was leaving college.  It wasn't a high-wire dunk, and it surely won?t get replayed on SportsCenter, but for a hoops nomad like Braggs, it?s a game to remember.

Alabama football coach Bear Bryant once said there were three kinds of players, ?First, there are those who are winners and know they are winners. Then, there are losers who know they are losers. Then, there are those who are not winners but don't know it. They're the ones for me. They never quit trying.  They're the soul of our game.?

Bryant would have liked Braggs.

Kevin Broom is a Senior Writer with RealGM and a frequent contributor to WizFans.  He can be reached at KevinBroom@RealGM.com.