Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Stay Classy, Clyde


Clyde Drexler was always "classy."

That's what set him apart from all the other superstars of the late 1980s and early 90s. The way he carried himself both on and off the court, was as a class-act. He never made wild statements to the media, like Charles Barkley. He was never an aggressive pit bull like Karl Malone. He never walked with a swagger or had a personality that controlled a room like Michael Jordan.

He was the player who went about his business, night in and night out. Played hard, was gracious in victory and defeat, and always said the right thing to the media. He was one of the league's most incredible scorers and an athletic dunker, but never threw those facts in anyone's face. He was the basketball equivalent of Barry Sanders flipping the football to the referee after a touchdown.

Trail Blazer and Rocket fans admired him for it. Portland radio announcer Bill Schonely called him "one of the game's true gentleman."

That's why it was so great to see the success Drexler achieved. He was an all-star. Took two teams to the NBA finals. Named to the 1992 Dream Team. Inducted into the Hall of Fame. Clyde showed that it could all be done by being the nice guy.

Which is also why it hurts to hear what he has to say today.

As the 20th anniversary of the Dream Team approaches, writers have been catching up with members of the team to reflect on that monumental roster. In Jack McCallum's new book soon to the published, Clyde shared his thoughts on the selection of Magic Johnson, who had recently been diagnosed with HIV in 1991.

"He couldn't play much by that time. He couldn't guard his shadow...but you have to have to understand what was going on then. Everybody kept waiting for Magic to die. Every time he'd run up the court everybody would feel sorry for the guy, and he'd get all that benefit of the doubt."

Clyde goes on to say that if they had known in 1992 that Magic would live for so long, then Drexler would have been named the MVP of the 1992 all-star game, in which they shared similar stat lines.

It was a shock to read those words coming from Clyde. It was as if decades of being so politically correct caught up to him in one unfortunate interview.

Over the years, Drexler always said the right thing, to a fault. He never criticized anyone. Always wanted to get along. And for as much success as he achieved, he never got to the heights of other NBA superstars of his day, both professionally or in public perception.

He was the league's second best shooting guard behind Michael Jordan, but was perpetually stuck in his shadow. He carried two Trail Blazer teams to the NBA finals (on bad knees), but was never lauded for his enormous efforts.

He was a top scorer on the Dream Team and was responsible for a lion's share of highlights, but the attention went to Magic, Michael, and Larry. Even in the Dream Team's brilliant new documentary, Clyde's major contribution was mentioning how he wanted everyone to get along, and the story of wearing two left shoes at a practice.

Was his classiness to blame? If he had spoken out more, would history remember him as being more than the nice guy?

As Blazer fans, we always wanted a little more for Drexler, but we were still happy with what he achieved. Now it sounds like Clyde always wanted a little more for himself, too.

But I think the most shocking part of that statement - "Everybody kept waiting for Magic to die." - was that it came from Clyde. He had always been so supportive of Magic through the years. Always so willing to put his ego aside for the sake of the team. He may be repeating a thought that was shared by the other members of the Olympic team. But because it was Mr. Nice Guy Clyde Drexler who said it, it becomes magnified. If Barkley had said it, no one would have batted an eyelash.

Fans always admired how The Glide stayed above the fray, but maybe the pressure of staying so classy finally got the best of Clyde Drexler.



Friday, June 22, 2012

Yeah it's great, but...

In a couple of months, the Gonzaga University men's basketball media guide will be released. Inside, there will undoubtedly be a section about "Zags in the NBA," which will feature the words " alumni have included two NBA champions and a Hall-of-Famer."

66 percent of that sentence is strange for me.

Don't get me wrong. I am estatic that Ronny Turiaf has now won a championship ring with the Miami Heat. It was wonderful to see a Zag reach the mountaintop and take the floor for an NBA championship team, especially considering everying Ronny has gone through in his career. I was even happy to see Adam Morrison in street clothes - but on the roster! - for two NBA-champion Los Angeles Laker teams. But there's something ... off, about those accomplishments. Something doesn't seem right. As good as it is to see alumni accomplish success, the way it was done leaves me feeling strange.

It keeps taking me back to the same question: why has it been so hard for Gonzaga Bulldogs to become star players in the NBA?

To date, John Stockton remains the only successful Zag to play in the association. He's a Hall-of-Fame point guard. Member of the 1992 Dream Team. All-time leader is assists and steals. Two Finals appearances. No ring.

In the 30 years since Stockton graduated from GU, and number of other star players have stepped foot in the Martin Center and McCarthey Center. Some have been serviceable role-players. Some helped put Gonzaga in the national spotlight. And a few were considered the best players in the country.

But none have achieved greatness at the next level. Adam Morrison's fall from grace is well-known. Dan Dickau had flashes of promise but ended up with a journeyman career. Ronny Turiaf was felled by his heart condition early in his career and never developed into a star.

As fans, all we want is to see them successful as pros. We want them to win. We want them to show the world how their skills helped put a tiny Jesuit college in the middle of nowhere on the national radar.

It's great to see them win, but we'd always hoped for something ... more.

There isn't really an answer. It is the system they played in at Gonzaga? It it the lack of experience with a power conference? Or it is all just the dumb luck of the draw? Do conferences like the WCC just have the once-in-a-generation player come along (Stockton, Steve Nash)? There's been plenty of examples of NBA players succeeding and failing in all of these circumstances.

Either way, it's something Zag fans are still getting used to.

Congratulations to Ronny. Here's hoping he paves the way for a Zag to someday lead a team to an NBA title.