Loren Woods
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| Position | Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Nationality | |
| Born | June 21, 1978 (age 28) St. Louis, Missouri |
| College | Arizona |
| Draft | 2nd round, 46th overall, 2001 Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Pro career | 2001–present |
| Former teams | Minnesota Timberwolves (2001–2003) Miami Heat (2003–2004) Toronto Raptors (2004–2006) |
Loren Woods (born 21 June 1978, in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American professional ex-NBA basketball player who is currently playing in Lithuania, basketball club BC Zalgiris. He started his college career at Wake Forest, where was supposed to take over the center position once Tim Duncan left. However he transferred to the University of Arizona. Woods was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft.
Woods had been viewed as a lock to be a first round selection by many NBA draft analysts. At 7'1, 245 lbs, many scouts considered him to have the size and athleticism to be a quality NBA center position. Some journalists speculated[citation needed] that GMs with higher draft picks intentionally selected other players to help Minnesota Timberwolves after the NBA stripped them of several first round draft picks, as punishment for the Joe Smith trade scandal.
Others, however, believed that Woods' lower than expected draft position was based on concerns about his perceived reputation of having a volatile personality. During the summer games following his selection, he fought with fellow 2001 draft pick Brendan Haywood, leading some to claim validation of the latter theory.
Since his selection, Woods' career has been mostly unremarkable. After leaving Minnesota Timberwolves, he played for the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors, where he appeared in 45 games during the 2004-05 season and posted a career best 3.9 points per game. On August 15, 2006, Woods signed with the Sacramento Kings as a backup center. He was waived by the Kings before the season began.
| 2001 NBA Draft | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Round Kwame Brown | Tyson Chandler | Pau Gasol | Eddy Curry | Jason Richardson | Shane Battier | Eddie Griffin | DeSagana Diop | Rodney White | Joe Johnson | Kedrick Brown | Vladimir Radmanović | Richard Jefferson | Troy Murphy | Steven Hunter | Kirk Haston | Michael Bradley | Jason Collins | Zach Randolph | Brendan Haywood | Joseph Forte | Jeryl Sasser | Brandon Armstrong | Raul Lopez | Gerald Wallace | Jamaal Tinsley | Tony Parker | |
||
| Second Round Trenton Hassell | Gilbert Arenas| Omar Cook | Will Solomon | Terence Morris | Brian Scalabrine | Jeff Trepagnier | Damone Brown | Mehmet Okur | Michael Wright | Earl Watson | Jamison Brewer | Bobby Simmons | Eric Chenowith | Kyle Hill | Sean Lampley | Loren Woods | Ousmane Cisse | Antonis Fotsis | Ken Johnson | Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje | Alton Ford | Andre Huston | Jarron Collins | Kenny Satterfield | Maurice Jeffers | Robertas Javtokas | Alvin Jones | Bryan Bracey |
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1978 births | African American basketball players | Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players | Living people | Miami Heat players | Minnesota Timberwolves players | Toronto Raptors players | McDonald's High School All-Americans | Basketball centers | United States basketball biography, 1970s birth stubs