Celtics rookie Tacko Fall is placed in concussion protocol after 7-foot-5 center banged his head

By Alex Raskin, Sports News Editor for DailyMail.com 

Commonly attributed to the former Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden, the phrase ‘you can’t teach height’ has been a staple of the NBA Draft for decades now.

Traditionally the seasonal adage is used by scouts, executives, or media to justify the preference for one aspiring pro player over another who may possess more skill.

For instance, while serving as a Jazz executive in 1993, Layden pulled out the well-worn maxim to explain why he believed 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley was a better prospect than NCAA All-American players like Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, and Jamal Mashburn.

Taken with the second-overall pick of the 1993 NBA Draft, 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley had a solid NBA career, but failed to live up to the praise he received from the likes of Frank Layden and Rick Majerus 

‘Listen, he should go first in the draft ahead of Chris Webber,’ Layden told The New York Times. ‘Webber’s a great player, and so is Hardaway and the guy from Kentucky, Mashburn, but you can’t teach height.’

University of Utah coach Rick Majerus went a step further, comparing the notion of passing on Bradley to the Portland Trail Blazers’ infamous decision to choose Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft.

Time has proven Layden and Majerus were both wrong. Bradley, who was taken by Philadelphia with the second pick, became a role player for a few teams over his 12-year career while Webber, Hardaway and Mashburn became All-Stars. 

The Bradley dilemma is just one of many instances of NBA executives becoming intoxicated with a player’s listed height.  

The problem is, the league’s giants have often struggled to meet expectations.

Obviously 7-foot-5 Yao Ming was indispensable for the Houston Rockets between 2002 and 2011, getting selected to eight All-Star teams and ultimately being inducted into the Hall of Fame after his career was cut short by foot problems.

But outside of the Chinese basketball icon, only a handful of players over 7-foot-3 have enjoyed any sustained success in the NBA.  

Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Mark Eaton (right) stands alongside Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who is about half a foot shorter than the 7-foot-4 former Jazz center

Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Mark Eaton (right) stands alongside Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who is about half a foot shorter than the 7-foot-4 former Jazz center 

At 7-foot-5, Yao Ming was indispensable for the Houston Rockets between 2002 and 2011, getting selected to eight All-Star teams and ultimately being inducted into the Hall of Fame after his career was cut short by foot problems

At 7-foot-5, Yao Ming was indispensable for the Houston Rockets between 2002 and 2011, getting selected to eight All-Star teams and ultimately being inducted into the Hall of Fame after his career was cut short by foot problems

George Muresan and the late Manute Bol (both 7-foot-7) struggled with injuries and development, Canada’s Sim Bhullar managed to appear in only three NBA games, and 7-foot-5 Chuck Nevitt averaged just 5.3 minutes a game for his career. 

Then there was the Memphis Grizzlies’ disastrous decision to draft 7-foot-3 Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet with the second pick of the 2009 NBA Draft – one year after the establishment of the defensive three seconds rule, which, as it turns out, mitigated the value of players like Thabeet. 

Now 32, Thabeet most recently played in Japan last year.  

There are success stories like 7-foot-4 Mark Eaton, who won NBA Defensive Player of the Year twice, and Rik Smits, who became an All-Star in 1998, but they are in the minority. 

Historically speaking, great size does not guarantee anything at the NBA level. The best players are judged by their ability and not their DNA. 

‘It’s not how big you are,’ legendary UCLA coach John Wooden famously declared, ‘it’s how big you play.’  

Of course, that’s easy to say when you’re coaching 7-foot-2 Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  

Known as Lew Alcindor during his UCLA days, 7-foot-2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became one of the game's greatest players, in addition to being one of its tallest

Known as Lew Alcindor during his UCLA days, 7-foot-2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became one of the game’s greatest players, in addition to being one of its tallest 

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