My co-worker played high school ball with Willie Cauley-Stein's biological father Willie Cauley. Apparently Cauley was super talented high school player out if Niagara Falls who was supposed to play at Pitt, but he kept getting in trouble with the law. I think the story is that the older Willie met a girl while playing community college in Kansas and that's when younger Willie Cauley-Stein was born. Cauley-Stein didn't grow up with his biological father or have any kind of relationship. You can infer that he might have shunned bball and harbored some resentment as a result. Willie Cauley ended up in and out of jail and never made it big in college ball. Now Cauley-Stein appears to be a natural, but its a game he was somewhat reluctant to jump into.
When I look at Cauley-Stein- I'm not sure I've ever seen a more athletic 7 footer. He has the tools to be the best defender in the NBA and one of the best of all time simply due to his eyepopping athletic ability at his size. He could block 4 shots a game and guard people on the perimeter. He may never be great on offense, but if you do figure out how to get him to focus he could be Mutombo like with his defensive impact.
