Who is Daniel Gibson?

NBA fans all have one question after watching Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Who the hell is Daniel Gibson?

The casual fan had never heard of Gibson until about two weeks ago, and the even more laid-back fan hadn’t heard of him until Saturday night, when Gibson scored 31 points (19 in the fourth quarter), as Cleveland blew out Detroit 98-82 and closed out the series. Spectators, and even announcers, watched in awe and uttered “Who is this guy?” or “Where did this kid come from? What an unlikely hero!”

During post-game interviews, LeBron James practically anointed himself the “king of scouting”, saying that he knew from Day 1 that Gibson would be an impact player. LeBron joked about how his eye for talent would land him a GM job when he retired.

Apparently, We Are All Witnesses…to LeBron’s incredible ability to spot the next big thing in basketball.

If James had held a press conference before the season started and told the world that Walter Herrmann would emerge as one of the league's best three point shooters and average 20 points per game in April, then yes, maybe I would be a witness to the next great GM. But sorry LeBron, Daniel Gibson didn’t just appear out of thin air as Herrmann did. Anyone who has followed remotely followed basketball in the last three years should be well aware of who he is.

Gibson didn’t attend Southwest Missouri State or come from Croatia. He was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year at the University of Texas two seasons ago, averaging 14.2 ppg and 3.9 assists while shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Gibson didn’t randomly burst onto the scene in Texas either; he was a McDonald’s All-American while leading Jesse Jones HS (Houston, TX) to the state championship.

After his freshman year in Austin, Gibson was projected as a lottery pick, but decided to return for his sophomore season anyway. His numbers fell a little the next year (13.2 ppg, 3.1 assists, 38% from 3), but that can be attributed to the emergence of teammates LaMarcus Aldridge, Big 12 Player of the Year PJ Tucker, and backcourt mates Kenton Paulino and AJ Abrams. While he didn’t have to shoulder the load offensively, Gibson was still the one of the best shooters in the country, and at a stout 6’2’’ 190 lbs, was regarded as the premier perimeter defender in the Big 12. For all the hype garnered by Aldridge (the #2 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft), the multi-talented Gibson was the biggest key to Texas’ success.

Following his sophomore season, Gibson felt he was ready to enter the draft. He initially was going to test the waters and go through the workouts, but his father told Texas coach Rick Barnes if Gibson wasn’t guaranteed to play PG next season (the position he was projected to play in the NBA), he would forgo his college eligibility at Texas and begin his pro career. Barnes couldn’t guarantee anything. His best chance to win would be to put Gibson and Kevin Durant on the wings, while Abrams and DJ Augustin sharing the PG duties. When Gibson’s father learned that his son would not be able to work on his lead guard skills at Texas, Gibson made his availability for the draft official. He fell all the way to #43 to the Cavs largely because scouts were unsure if he could play the point in the Pros.

During the regular season, Gibson appeared in just 60 games, averaging 4.6 points in 16.5 minutes per game, and after watching the playoffs, it is safe to say that Gibson’s father made a huge mistake. His son isn’t a point guard; he’s one hell of a shooting guard. And trust me, LeBron isn’t the only one who knew that.