Party Foul: Renardo Sidney

Violation: Gluttony.

Explanation: The story is familiar -- a high school standout, highly recruited, great size, great feel for the game, absent work ethic. Even if you mixed Dwight Howard’s sense of entitlement, Robert Traylor’s appetite, sprinkled in a teaspoon of Eddy Curry, and maybe a pinch of Kwame Brown, you would still fall light years short of a Renardo Sidney comparison. Let’s not mention that he lied about receiving benefits in high school and was forced to sit out his entire freshman year at Mississippi State. Or that he punched one of his own teammates while in the stands during a NCAA tournament in Hawaii. Let’s just talk about his weight – one that conjures up flashbacks to the nutty professor. In a recent interview with beat reporter Brandon Marcello:

Marcello: What do you weight right now?
Sidney: I weigh 310 pounds.
...
Sidney: When they ruled me ineligible, I stopped working out and started eating.

He must have taken this mantra very seriously. Oftentimes this season, he looked out of breath, out of shape, and out of drive.

The real pity is that he is actually good. He is 6-foot-11, has real post moves, can dribble like a point guard, and can shoot the three - 40% beyond the arc this season. A real waste of talent, a party foul.

Penalty: With his skill set, Sidney should be a lottery pick; instead he will have trouble even getting on an NBA roster. Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury went all-in on this kid -- on a straight draw, if you will -- and busted on the river and lost his job.

Somewhere out there, Tony Horton just thought, “challenge accepted.”

Photo and video courtesy of Duane Burleson and YouTube