Renaldo Balkman is a professional basketball player from the United States of America who plays as a power forward. Also known as Taz, Balkman went to the IMG Academy where he took his team to the number one rank amongst all prep schools with a 40-2 record. Despite this performance, he was, more or less, unknown at the high school level and it wasn’t until 2002 that he was discovered by Dave Odom, coach of the University of South Carolina basketball team.
Balkman reached the courts of the University of South Carolina and during the 2005-06 season, led the team to two crucial wins over Florida State. In 2006, Balkman was voted as the NIT MVP after averaging 9.6 points per game with 6.3 rebounds during the season. In his three years playing college ball, Balkman managed a 7.4 points per game average along with 5.3 rebounds and a playing style that was considered similar to Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest.
Balkman appeared for the 2006 NBA Draft and was picked in the first round by the New York Knicks, a choice that was severely criticized and ridiculed in the media. However, Balkman worked extremely hard and within a few months, changed the perception against him.
Balkman began his career at the Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 7.6 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He played 68 games for the New York Knicks that year, averaging 15.6 minutes and 4.9 points per game with 4.3 rebounds as well. Defensively, Balkman was extremely strong and on more than one occasion, was required to fill in all the guard spots and even play center.
After a poor 2007-08, Balkman was traded out to the Denver nuggets along with cash, in exchange for Taurean Green, Bobby Jones and a second round pick in the 2010 draft. Green and Jones were waived off almost immediately, adding fuel to the idea that the Knicks were in financial trouble.
With the Nuggets looking to create a strong defensive lineup, Balkman fit into their plans like a glove and although he played 53 games for the team, he only started 10, averaging 5 points per game with 3.8 rebounds.
