<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">SAPPORO, JAPAN - As a kitchen appliance, Malick Badiane would likely be a blender ? a spinning, whirring combination of sharp blades and high-revving motor. He doesn't play basketball so much as he attacks the game, using his active, lively legs to maneuver for position under the hoop and his long arms and angular body to go after rebounds and blocked shots. Three years ago, the Rockets saw enough potential in a 6-11 teenage forward to make him a second-round pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and they have watched him grow and develop from afar while he has played for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners in the top German league. Now, Badiane is a 22-year-old at the World Basketball Championship, competing for the Senegal national team. And he is hoping his time to get a shot at the NBA in Houston is near. "I think I am ready to try, to attend a fall training camp and measure my progress," he said. "I am not saying that I am ready to play in the NBA at this moment." The Rockets aren't saying Badiane will ever be ready. But when you watch him come off the bench for Senegal and virtually throw himself into the action, it is not difficult to see what intrigues them. His energy. "I bring athleticism and defense into a game," Badiane said. "I know that I am never going to be a big scorer in the league. I can get my points by hustling and being active. But I think that I can make a contribution by being very aggressive on defense, getting blocked shots and going after every rebound." In Senegal's first two games of the tournament, Badiane has as many rebounds as he does points. He has pulled down 14 rebounds in 37 minutes of playing time, which is the kind of per-minute ratio (one every 2.7 minutes) that makes people take notice.</div> Source
