NEW YORK – Steven Adams, the 7-footer from New Zealand by way of a year at Pittsburgh, took a moment to put his easy-going nature into words.
“If something breaks, everybody is like ‘Ah!’” Adams said. “Get another one. You know what I mean? I just find a lot solutions pretty quickly that seem reasonable. That’s why I’m just a stress-free kind of guy.”
If something breaks, get another one.
It’s a funny way to describe his mindset in a draft where the Cavaliers are seemingly debating a couple broken pieces – Nerlens Noel (torn ACL) and Alex Len (partial stress fracture of his ankle) – for the No. 1 pick.
Why can’t Adams be the other one?
Like Noel and Len, Adams is a young, athletic center. It’s difficult to make a case he belongs ahead of Noel, but I don’t see why Adams is ranked (around 10th) so much lower than Len. Adams is about the same age (slightly younger, actually) and about as productive – and he’s not injured.
Perhaps, an NBA team sees it that way, too. But Adams has no idea. Despite his best attempts to gauge the interest of teams he’s met with, Adams hasn’t found any tells.
“I don’t know if it’s me and I suck at reading people, but they had a pretty good poker face,” Adams said.
Not that Adams worries about it. He’s more concerned with getting to know his draft classmates, many of whom find the twists and turns of the draft process more nerve-wracking.
“I just be myself, and then they usually kind of pick up themselves as well,” Adams said. “They forget whatever they’re thinking about, whatever their problems may be, and they just kind open up and be themselves. It’s cool.”
