The Lunch-Bucket All-Stars

By RANDY HILL
FOXSportsArizona.com

Feb. 4, 2011

Combining
unexpected power with rare speed and agility, they seem like physical
contradictions. They're able to produce complicated maneuvers in
explosive bursts that are replicated during impressive displays of
stamina.

The stunning ability to move from point A to point B
while producing demonstrations of severe manual dexterity set them even
further apart from their sporting peers.

Without fear of reasonable contradiction, we can say the NBA is home to some of the greatest athletes in the world.

And then there's Jared Dudley.

At
6-foot-7 on a modestly distributed 225 pounds riding under a purple
headband, the fourth-year swingman could be mistaken for a rec-league
all-star preparing to ditch some calories at the local health club. But
even though he may need extra credit to pass the eyeball test, the
Phoenix Suns had 22.5 million reasons for signing Dudley to a five-year
contract extension last November.

Those reasons have nothing to
do with making vertical salvos or filling the lane with a dizzying burst
of speed. What Dudley brings the Suns is a desperately needed sense of,
well, desperation. When he's competing against NBA-caliber wing players