http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14238058p-15058590c.html
It's a record he isn't seeking
Shareef Abdur-Rahim is second all-time among players never to reach the playoffs.
By Sam Amick
He says it with a straight face.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - who looks as if he's talked about this a million times because, well, he practically has - says that, should the Kings make the playoffs, the best part about finally getting there wouldn't be the pageantry, or the long-awaited extension to his season or the reality of being that much closer to a ring.
It would be, he says with a shrug of the shoulders, nice because, "I wouldn't have to answer the questions anymore."
Questions, for example, about how it feels to be the longest-tenured active player never to have been there, or to be No. 2 on the all-time list, where the only shred of good news is that 194 games separate him and Tom Van Arsdale.
But there is no question that Abdur-Rahim wants to rid his reputation of this much-publicized stigma. And as the Kings come closer to securing the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs and ending his playoff-less streak - which stands at 735 entering tonight's game against the Clippers - it is his silence in these past two months that speaks to his desire.
When Abdur-Rahim had his jaw broken Dec. 26 against Portland, it was a case of damage piled onto disappointment. That night's loss gave the Kings a 10-17 record. And for the player who was arguably the biggest free-agent signing of the offseason, it seemed he would stray from the playoff path once again.
In that sense, this Kings turnaround that was sparked by the arrival of Ron Artest is a blessing. But with the collective revival has come Abdur-Rahim's individual conflict, the question of how a player who started 638 of 672 games before this season juggles the satisfaction of finally winning with the reality that he has gone from a star to a sub.
Abdur-Rahim has been coming off the bench since he returned Jan. 19, as coach Rick Adelman has opted for the defense and rebounding of Kenny Thomas in at power forward. The position has gone full circle, as Thomas made his own desire to start known on the first day of training camp in October. And while Abdur-Rahim admits he wishes he had regained his starting role, he said he refuses to focus on himself before the team.
"I think I'm just resigned to the fact that I want to win," Abdur-Rahim said. "I feel like I'm a starter, but I feel like coming off the bench I still am, and can be, a major part of what we're doing. The most important thing is for us to win and to get in the playoffs."
In recent weeks, there have been times when his face said what he wouldn't. When Abdur-Rahim was pulled out of the Warriors game midway through the fourth quarter Friday - having just tallied six points, three rebounds and one assist in the first six minutes - he walked slowly to the bench with a glum look on his face.
"I wouldn't say I'm down, because after a minute or so on the bench, I'm like, 'OK, let's go, let's go,' " Abdur-Rahim said. "But I wouldn't be me if I didn't want to stay on the floor. It's time for me to (retire) when I'm OK coming out."
Off the floor, Abdur-Rahim has gone to great lengths to let those close to him know that he truly is OK, that rocking the boat while it's chugging toward the postseason is something he simply won't do.
Especially considering the past.
Forget being in the playoffs. He's been in the playoff hunt only once in his previous nine seasons, when he was traded in February of the 2003-04 season to a Portland team fighting for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. But the Trail Blazers lost their last four games of that season, finishing two games behind Denver and with a 41-41 record that wasn't good enough.
Before his stay in Portland, there were five fruitless seasons in Vancouver and three in Atlanta.
His agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been there every season, signing Abdur-Rahim when he went pro out of Cal in 1996. With a relationship that is a mix of personal and professional, Goodwin has done what some of his colleagues don't - follow the lead of his client rather than the other way around.
"Despite some frustration, I can see the sparkle in Shareef's eyes as he tells me he's doing whatever is necessary to win games, including playing with a wired jaw," Goodwin said. "That look is enough for me."
Adelman, widely known as an offensive coach, said most of his decision to start Thomas has been for his impact on defense.
"Kenny's probably our most active post defender," Adelman said. "He'll work a guy and make it tough on them. He's able to switch out on smaller people and move his feet a little bit better. From that standpoint, his activity has really helped us as well as his rebounding."
Among his teammates, no one can come close to sympathizing with Abdur-Rahim. Only rookies Francisco García, Ronnie Price and Sergei Monia have never been on a team that went to the playoffs. The Kings have no shortage of players such as Corliss Williamson, who has been to the playoffs seven times and won a championship with Detroit in 2004.
"The NBA is all about timing, being in the right place at the right time, and it'd be great for (Abdur-Rahim) to get that monkey off his back as far as getting to the playoffs," Williamson said. "I know he would be excited more than anybody on this team, and I know we'd all be excited for him. He won't be No. 1 (on the all-time list). We'll make sure of that."
Abdur-Rahim, meanwhile, knows the answer to all his own questions regarding his role coming off the bench.
"I ain't going to say I don't have it in me to spaz out," he said. "I do. But what does that do for me? It's frustrating, but what can you do?
"Things happen in life that are out of your control. All you really can control is your attitude and your effort. That's basketball, and that's life."
It's a record he isn't seeking
Shareef Abdur-Rahim is second all-time among players never to reach the playoffs.
By Sam Amick
He says it with a straight face.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim - who looks as if he's talked about this a million times because, well, he practically has - says that, should the Kings make the playoffs, the best part about finally getting there wouldn't be the pageantry, or the long-awaited extension to his season or the reality of being that much closer to a ring.
It would be, he says with a shrug of the shoulders, nice because, "I wouldn't have to answer the questions anymore."
Questions, for example, about how it feels to be the longest-tenured active player never to have been there, or to be No. 2 on the all-time list, where the only shred of good news is that 194 games separate him and Tom Van Arsdale.
But there is no question that Abdur-Rahim wants to rid his reputation of this much-publicized stigma. And as the Kings come closer to securing the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs and ending his playoff-less streak - which stands at 735 entering tonight's game against the Clippers - it is his silence in these past two months that speaks to his desire.
When Abdur-Rahim had his jaw broken Dec. 26 against Portland, it was a case of damage piled onto disappointment. That night's loss gave the Kings a 10-17 record. And for the player who was arguably the biggest free-agent signing of the offseason, it seemed he would stray from the playoff path once again.
In that sense, this Kings turnaround that was sparked by the arrival of Ron Artest is a blessing. But with the collective revival has come Abdur-Rahim's individual conflict, the question of how a player who started 638 of 672 games before this season juggles the satisfaction of finally winning with the reality that he has gone from a star to a sub.
Abdur-Rahim has been coming off the bench since he returned Jan. 19, as coach Rick Adelman has opted for the defense and rebounding of Kenny Thomas in at power forward. The position has gone full circle, as Thomas made his own desire to start known on the first day of training camp in October. And while Abdur-Rahim admits he wishes he had regained his starting role, he said he refuses to focus on himself before the team.
"I think I'm just resigned to the fact that I want to win," Abdur-Rahim said. "I feel like I'm a starter, but I feel like coming off the bench I still am, and can be, a major part of what we're doing. The most important thing is for us to win and to get in the playoffs."
In recent weeks, there have been times when his face said what he wouldn't. When Abdur-Rahim was pulled out of the Warriors game midway through the fourth quarter Friday - having just tallied six points, three rebounds and one assist in the first six minutes - he walked slowly to the bench with a glum look on his face.
"I wouldn't say I'm down, because after a minute or so on the bench, I'm like, 'OK, let's go, let's go,' " Abdur-Rahim said. "But I wouldn't be me if I didn't want to stay on the floor. It's time for me to (retire) when I'm OK coming out."
Off the floor, Abdur-Rahim has gone to great lengths to let those close to him know that he truly is OK, that rocking the boat while it's chugging toward the postseason is something he simply won't do.
Especially considering the past.
Forget being in the playoffs. He's been in the playoff hunt only once in his previous nine seasons, when he was traded in February of the 2003-04 season to a Portland team fighting for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. But the Trail Blazers lost their last four games of that season, finishing two games behind Denver and with a 41-41 record that wasn't good enough.
Before his stay in Portland, there were five fruitless seasons in Vancouver and three in Atlanta.
His agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been there every season, signing Abdur-Rahim when he went pro out of Cal in 1996. With a relationship that is a mix of personal and professional, Goodwin has done what some of his colleagues don't - follow the lead of his client rather than the other way around.
"Despite some frustration, I can see the sparkle in Shareef's eyes as he tells me he's doing whatever is necessary to win games, including playing with a wired jaw," Goodwin said. "That look is enough for me."
Adelman, widely known as an offensive coach, said most of his decision to start Thomas has been for his impact on defense.
"Kenny's probably our most active post defender," Adelman said. "He'll work a guy and make it tough on them. He's able to switch out on smaller people and move his feet a little bit better. From that standpoint, his activity has really helped us as well as his rebounding."
Among his teammates, no one can come close to sympathizing with Abdur-Rahim. Only rookies Francisco García, Ronnie Price and Sergei Monia have never been on a team that went to the playoffs. The Kings have no shortage of players such as Corliss Williamson, who has been to the playoffs seven times and won a championship with Detroit in 2004.
"The NBA is all about timing, being in the right place at the right time, and it'd be great for (Abdur-Rahim) to get that monkey off his back as far as getting to the playoffs," Williamson said. "I know he would be excited more than anybody on this team, and I know we'd all be excited for him. He won't be No. 1 (on the all-time list). We'll make sure of that."
Abdur-Rahim, meanwhile, knows the answer to all his own questions regarding his role coming off the bench.
"I ain't going to say I don't have it in me to spaz out," he said. "I do. But what does that do for me? It's frustrating, but what can you do?
"Things happen in life that are out of your control. All you really can control is your attitude and your effort. That's basketball, and that's life."
