THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 27, 1995 TAG: 9511270131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA LENGTH: Long : 153 lines
Before the game the old ACC rivals, the two young professionals, posed together for a magazine cover. Joe Smith leaned his right arm on Jerry Stackhouse's left shoulder, and their broad smiles helped light up the court at the CoreStates Spectrum.
It didn't seem like old times in Chapel Hill or College Park, though. It was better, because of the names on the uniforms and the bubbling atmosphere that accompanies an NBA event.
But then Saturday night's contest between Smith's Golden State Warriors and Stackhouse's Philadelphia 76ers began, and the subconscious imagery in their pregame pose became clear if you wanted to see it.
Norfolk's Smith, the No. 1 pick in last June's draft after his sophomore year at Maryland, leaning on Stackhouse, the No. 3 pick after his sophomore season at North Carolina.
Smith, an innocent of 20, leaning on Stackhouse, an old 21. Smith, a starter asked to do no more than his share for a searching team, leaning on Stackhouse, a natural leader trying too hard to reverse his club's disastrous 2-9 start.
Smith, a pup gradually gaining his legs, leaning on Stackhouse, a bull already worn down by the weight of a team, a city and his own expectations.
``I think about (the losing) when I lay down at night,'' Stackhouse said after the Warriors handed Philadelphia its seventh straight loss 107-89. ``I'm not sure everybody takes it home with them . . . which is probably not the best thing to do.''
Smith understands - the Warriors improved only to 5-8 with the victory. But in Smith's locker room, the bright upside of potential was evident. Down the corridor, while Stackhouse stoically sat and discussed the Sixers' shortcomings, then accepted a brief pep talk from Julius Erving, Smith joked with coach Rick Adelman.
``What? They didn't give you a turnover for that (3-pointer) you tried?'' Adelman, looking at the stat sheet, said in mock horror as Smith doubled over with laughter. ``It was like a scud missile.''
Smith, a forward, had just turned in a 13-point, 10-rebound performance despite foul problems that limited him to 24 minutes. Six rebounds came in the fourth quarter when Golden State foiled a Philadelphia rally and pulled away. He struggled with defensive positioning, but shot 6 for 9, blocked two shots and stayed in the flow of the game, rarely forcing anything.
Not so for Stackhouse. A shooting guard, he did 36 minutes of hard labor, scoring 18 points with six rebounds and nine assists, but making only 6 of 15 shots and committing six turnovers.
Still, with 15 seconds left in the rout, there was Stackhouse diving after a loose ball, further cementing his status as the only 76er who comes to play from beginning to end every night.
He is The Man so soon, before he's ready, and it's a burden he shouldn't have to bear. It's one that Smith, because he is surrounded by better teammates such as Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway, is free from, though his appetite for work and responsibility has negotiated the jump from Maury High School to Maryland to the pros.
``That's why he's going to be a successful player, because he's willing to listen, he wants to work and he's a very quick learner,'' Adelman said. ``I don't have any expectations of him. I just want him to grow as a player. We're trying to learn as a team right now, and I think that's hurt him somewhat. We haven't necessarily made him a go-to guy.
``If he gets it going we'll go to him, otherwise he finds ways to score. He goes to the boards, he runs the floor, those types of things. But I think by the end of the year he'll be a go-to guy.''
Smith progress report:
Through 13 games, all starts, Smith is averaging 12.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and shooting 44.8 percent from the floor in 29.7 minutes. He lives with his mother and a cousin in a rented four-bedroom house, seems as engaging and well-mannered as ever - and by his own admission hasn't gained a pound since he left Maryland.
That will mean trouble on many nights for Smith, who at 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds is thin for the power forward slot he is filling. With maturity, weight-room work and acclimation to the NBA, Smith will be able to move between power forward and small forward as needed, Adelman said.
``Our first exhibition game was against Utah, and I guarded Karl Malone,'' Smith said. ``I thought going into the game I was ready, but as it went on I thought, God, I've got a long season of this, all the banging and being bumped around, you know. But I'm starting to adjust to the game better.''
Said Adelman: ``He has to just learn to use his strengths rather than get in a wrestling match with these people. I don't think right now he knows how to adjust to people who are very strong.''
Still, Smith already has a 30-point game on his resume, against Atlanta in his fourth appearance, and is emotionally stable enough that Adelman wants him on the floor at critical moments.
``You never know with Joe the next day if he had 30 points or four points. He never changes,'' Adelman said. ``He just continues to go out and play, and that's another reason why I think he's going to be successful. The way he's very mature beyond his years.''
Stackhouse progress report:
He is averaging 19.6 points, four rebounds and shooting 43.7 percent in 36.8 minutes for a team in total disarray, as characterized by no less an authority than coach and general manager John Lucas.
Because of the large role he will continue to play and his performance to date, Stackhouse is considered a front runner for rookie of the year. Unless the yoke of this team grinds him to a pulp first.
He is struggling with distancing himself from the losses, he said. Trying not to take them personally, as he always has.
``I can't put everything on my shoulders and say I should've done this or that to make it happen for us,'' Stackhouse said. ``I've got to say it was a team effort. As long as I go out and feel that I leave everything on the court, that's how I deal with this situation.''
Already, as the Sixers have been blown out by an average of nearly 20 points per game during their seven-game losing streak, Stackhouse has been left with drawing desperate optimism from the Chicago Bulls' unlikely 1985-86 season, when they made the playoffs despite a 30-52 record.
This team doesn't appear capable of winning half that, but Stackhouse has to find solace where he can.
``You're going to win games just for the fact that teams are going to have key people get hurt, and some nights teams won't have it,'' Stackhouse said.
Then he smiled slightly.
``We're going to win some games, it's just can we get 30? Can we get enough key players hurt on other teams 30 times?''
Smith and Stackhouse had little interaction Saturday. They exchanged pleasantries and chuckles during their five-minute photo shoot and sought out each other for a quick handshake afterward.
But then it was on to the next game, more learning, and a long way to go until April.
``It seems like college was just yesterday, I guess because of the great time I had there,'' said Smith, who spoke to a few former Terrapins teammates last week. ``I want to try to keep the memories close.''
To him, ``North Carolina-Maryland is old now,'' Stackhouse said. ``But it's always fun to see Joe. I've always been impressed with him. I think he does a lot of little things, whether it be rebounding or going after loose balls, that make his team better. He doesn't always have to put up big numbers to be effective.''
If only Stackhouse were so fortunate in Philadelphia.
``He's not happy because they're not winning, and everybody wants to win,'' Smith said. ``He's going out and giving as hard an effort as he can. He said he's not going to let anything bring him down. As long as he keeps that attitude, he's going to be all right.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
When Norfolk's Joe Smith, left, met up with Jerry Stackhouse in
Philadelphia on Saturday, Smith had 13 points and 10 rebounds to
Stackhouse's 18 points, six rebounds and nine assists, but Golkden
State won 107-89.
Joe Smith
Jerry Stackhouse
[For graphic with statistics, see microfilm for this date.]
FROM ACC TO NBA
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm on page C6 for this
date.]
by CNB