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We chronicled the past and peeked at the future of Sean May in today's piece, but there was much more, shall we say, meat to the story that we didn't get into.
The chubby chapter.
May talked at length about his reputation as a human balloon, capable of growing and shrinking with a few hefty breaths during his playing career. To his credit, he couldn't have been classier chatting about the topic. He's seen the chatter, heard the critics, knows about all the jokes, and shrugs his burly shoulders at all of it.
The microfracture surgery, May said, was solely to blame for his tipping 300 pounds in 2008. It's life in the 260s now, with nothing but excitement about what he can do without the unwelcome weight.
"The stigma has always followed me," May said. "But the one thing is, you've never heard me get upset about it, never heard me (complain) about it. You've just never heard that from me because I don't care. It doesn't bother me.
"I know me. I know my game. People who watch me play - If you didn't even hear a weight and you watched me play, you wouldn't think that he's too heavy. But as soon as you hear a number, this connotation comes in your head. It's just been that way."
The number in college, May said, was higher than his scale reading now.
"I was heavier at (University of North) Carolina, like 270," May said. "(The focus on weight) is also with the knee surgery, that scares them. When Sacramento came to me (about his weight clause), My agent asked me, 'Do you care if they put a weight clause in your contract?' I was like, 'I don't care, as long as it's not something where he's got to be 245.' I'll never get to 245. I haven't been that since eighth grade. I just don't care (about the clause). I want to play basketball."
Even before May was returning to UNC this summer to earn his degree, he was known as a bright man. I got that sense last season, when he and I discussed his enigmatic former teammate, Rashad McCants, and his insight came with a tinge of emotional intelligence you don't always see in NBA locker rooms.
It was for that reason I asked May to analyze his new team in as candid a way as possible, knowing he would avoid all the same cliches if nothing else.
"Are there some holes? Sure," May began. "(But) is this a team that's going to compete with a lot of teams in the NBA? Yeah. I definitely think so. The talent pool and core group of this team has a lot of young talent. I've always liked Beno (Udrih). Last year wasn't a great year for him or this team, but I've always been a fan of his, even when he was in San Antonio.
"Tyreke Evans, this is the first time I've played with him, but I watched him in college. I think he can help the team. I think he's good. He's got great size...I think he can (play point), but to be a good point guard in this league - a lot of people question his shooting ability, and he's got to be able to come off screens and knock down shots because that makes you able to make plays. I think he's savvy enough, quick enough. I just think he has to work on his decision making like every rookie.
"Jason (Thompson), I think, is a great low post player. Spencer (Hawes), I didn't realize he could shoot it like he shoots it. For a big, he runs the floor well, he shoots it really well. There's a lot of talent, but again - how is all that going to play together? I don't' know.
"When you throw in rookies who are going to play, like Omri Casspi - I love him. He's a great young talent, but I don't' know how he's going to play when you throw all the terminology at him and the new system. For a guy like Kenny Thomas, it'll be (no big) thing.
"There's going to be guys petitioning for minutes, and I'm going to be one of them. What's interesting is some teams you end up having to play small ball, playing a three at the four - Desmond (Mason) is one of those guys, Donte' (Greene) can be one of those guys, (Andres) Nocioni is definitely one of those guys. He gives fours (power forwards) headaches, because he can shoot and he's constantly moving. He gives threes (small forwards) headaches because he's so much bigger. It just depends."
While so many fans clamored for the Kings to add a legitimate backup center over the summer, May was glad they didn't. Every added frontline player would have meant less minutes for him, and he said he's confident some unorthodox mixture of Hawes, Thompson, himself, Kenny Thomas and Jon Brockman can compete.
"I can guard fives (centers)," he said when asked if he could play the center spot in short stretches when needed. "If you're talking Yao Ming, then no. He's just too big...But if you're talking Kendrick Perkins on the floor with KG (Kevin Garnett), and you've got me and Jason Thompson in there, can we guard that? Yeah. You put JT on Kevin, me on Kendrick, or vice versa. It doesn't matter. There's a lot off teams playing fours (at five)." - Sam Amick
