(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz guard Ace Bailey (19) dunks as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) defends him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
But days before he was set to cash in at the draft, controversy hit. Reports surfaced that he didn\u2019t want to play for certain teams in the lottery, including the Jazz<\/a>, and he fell on draft boards. Fans rushed to their own assumptions \u2014 good and bad. Some thought he was a diva or a ball hog. People called him \u201centitled.\u201d<\/a> Others said he\u2019d be an immediate All-Star.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving that responsibility is amazing, but it also can be a lot,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n Ever since, he\u2019s been caught in the middle of those expectations \u2014 not fitting neatly into any. On the floor, he\u2019s been good but not great \u2014 averaging 11 points as mostly a third option. Off the floor, teammates swear by him \u2014 but it takes time to rewire public perception.<\/p>\n So who is the real Ace Bailey? Well, like his diet, he\u2019s trying to figure that out. But he\u2019s definitely not who everyone thinks he is.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople shouldn\u2019t make assumptions, but that\u2019s hard to do in the world we live in,\u201d his teammate Kevin Love said. \u201cJust get to know him. Ace Bailey is great.\u201d<\/p>\n (Noah K. Murray | AP) At Rutgers, Ace Bailey was a freshman phenom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell developed his own rule coaching Bailey last year.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anybody calls about Ace Bailey, I f—ing call back right away,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been coaching 42 years, and he\u2019s as good of a kid I\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n Pikiell loved talking about his star. But those calls became more contentious days before the draft. Pikiell started hearing Bailey was plummeting, thanks to alleged threats made by his management that he didn\u2019t want to play for certain teams picking in the top five. ESPN reported Bailey might not report<\/a> if an unfavored franchise selected him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one had any issues with this kid the whole draft, all of a sudden, three days before, it was like, \u2018What\u2019s wrong with this guy?\u2019\u201d Pikiell said. \u201cIt always puzzled me.\u201d<\/p>\n The speculation reportedly stemmed from Bailey\u2019s agent, Omar Cooper, pulling strings behind the scenes.<\/p>\n For most of the year, Bailey was projected to be picked third behind Duke star Cooper Flagg and fellow Rutgers teammate Dylan Harper. But Cooper, according to ESPN<\/a>, wanted his client to wind up in Washington, New Orleans or Brooklyn where he could be a major contributor immediately. None of those teams were picking in the top five. Instead, they lined up at six, seven or eight.<\/p>\n In response, Cooper strategically canceled Bailey\u2019s workouts with teams inside the top five to dissuade them from drafting him. The 76ers were drafting third, and Bailey called off his flight to Philadelphia the day before.<\/a> He also didn\u2019t visit Salt Lake City, where the Jazz picked fifth.<\/p>\n Cooper, who wasn\u2019t a registered agent, received plenty of blowback for trying to manipulate the draft process. But Bailey also caught flak, with some NBA players calling him \u201centitled.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not in a position to be making those demands,\u201d NBA all-star Paul George said on his podcast. \u201cMake it to the league first.\u201d<\/p>\nInto the chaos<\/h2>\n