9803260089
DETROIT FREE PRESS
980326
Thursday, March 26, 1998
METRO FINAL CHASER
1D
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1998, Detroit Free Press
AS A RENTAL, STACKHOUSE LOOKING LIKE A GOOD BUY
This was one of those cold spring nights at the Palace where lottery
implications were everywhere you looked. On the one hand, you had the home
team, the Pistons, who are heading unhappily toward a lottery pick, unless
they somehow string together eight or nine wins in their last dozen games.
Across the floor, you had the visiting team, the San Antonio Spurs, featuring
young Tim Duncan, the soon-to-be-Rookie of the Year, whom the Spurs got last
year with the No. 1 lottery pick.
And then, coming off the Detroit bench, you had Jerry Stackhouse, a
soft-spoken guy and former lottery pick himself, who symbolizes this whole
crap shoot of evaluating NBA talent.
Stackhouse, you may recall, was the No. 3 pick just three years ago, who has
yet to dominate the game the way people predicted. They called him "The Next
Michael Jordan," which I believe is what they now call anyone who has hang
time, a good move to the basket, and some sort of connection to the state of
North Carolina.
Stackhouse had all three. He went to Jordan's alma mater, left after his
sophomore year, got plucked by Philadelphia and now, thanks to a pre-Christmas
trade, is here in Detroit, as that newest category of professional athlete,
The Rental. You know. You pick up a guy for the last few months of his
contract and you try him out. You rent him. If he works, you do what you can
to sign him back. If not? Well, as they say when you smack a Hertz car against
a telephone pole, "Hey. It's a rental!"
But here's the catch. Stackhouse is suddenly playing like a stud. He's
scoring. He's soaring. He's defending. And the Pistons are going to have to
consider more than renting.
They may have to buy.
He'll get more money next year
"What are you playing for right now -- in order of importance?" I asked
Stackhouse after the Pistons' win over the Spurs, their fourth win in a row.
"Number one, I'm playing for us to get to the playoffs and for me to play in
my first playoff game," he said. "Number two, because I just love playing the
game. Number three, to take care of my family financially with a new contract
next year."
That contract will bring more money next year -- a lot more from somebody. But
will it be the Pistons? Well. Here's the kind of thing that makes it difficult
to say no: Stackhouse racked up 22 points Wednesday night. On Sunday against
the Hawks, he had 23. And it isn't just the points. It's this: Wednesday.
Fourth quarter. Spurs making a run at the Pistons' lead. Stackhouse intercepts
a pass meant for Vinny Del Negro and takes off, gets fouled, hits both free
throws.
Minutes later, Del Negro on a breakaway. Stackhouse rises like thunder and
slaps the ball away.
"That's the thing that is really pleasing me about Jerry right now," said his
coach, Alvin Gentry, "he's playing aggressively on defense."
This has hardly been Stackhouse's traditional strength. So some would suggest
that Jerry is only playing this hard because a contract looms in the balance.
On the other hand, what if this is the real him?
Ha. Not so easy being a GM, is it?
Missing the championship thing
Nor is it easy coming into the league used to winning and suddenly finding
yourself only about losing. Stackhouse, a silky-shooting guard with swift
acceleration to the hoop and a natural mastery of the air, came out of North
Carolina with a winner's mentality. But as is often the case in lottery picks,
he went to a lousy team, the 76ers. In two seasons, he never saw a postseason.
This week, his old college team is back in the Final Four. Lights. Camera.
History. Meanwhile, it's possible Stackhouse will be absent from the NBA
postseason again.
"Sure I miss the whole championship thing," he said, as he draped his tie
neatly around his neck. "I've thought about it. I thought if I maybe had a
sub-par college career, maybe I would have been drafted by the Lakers or the
Bulls or something.
"But I'll always be honored to have been the No. 3 pick."
Stackhouse, his talent and his age (23) make things tricky for the Pistons,
because he plays the same position as Joe Dumars. Dumars may be getting older,
but he's still the guy who will get you over the hump. He did it Wednesday
night with the biggest shot of the evening, a three-pointer when the Pistons
were in danger of losing control. As long as Joe can do that -- and he can
easily do it another year -- any coach will want him on the floor in crucial
times.
Where does that leave Stackhouse? He'll want to be a starter wherever he goes
next. But with Dumars on the roster, that's no guarantee.
"What if Joe comes back?" I asked Stackhouse.
"More better," he said.
"Would you be willing to be a sixth man?"
"Yeah. It's something I could do. I'm doing it now, coming off the bench,
heating up. I'm not the Microwave yet, but maybe I'm the Toaster."
The Toaster. Maybe he likes that role. Maybe, when his agent starts
negotiating, he suddenly doesn't. You look at Duncan, who has turned his team
around as a lottery pick, you look at Stackhouse, who is still searching as a
lottery pick, and you look at the Pistons, who may be into this whole lottery
thing themselves in a month.
The Toaster, huh? Well, things are getting warm.
To leave a message for Mitch Albom, call 1-313-223-4581.
THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY FROM THE PRINTED ARTICLE.
COLUMN;JERRY STACKHOUSE