Stackhouse Brings Excitement To Philly
Go ahead, jog the memory banks, consult the old-timers, pore over the scrapbooks.
It is practically impossible to recall a time when the drafting of a college athlete unleashed such joyous agreement in Philadelphia as that of Jerry Stackhouse by the 76ers.
Other athletes have landed here to great expectations and praise - Steve Carlton, Julius Erving, Pete Rose and Moses Malone come to mind - but all were either traded here or signed here as free agents with proven pro track records.
What makes Stackhouse unique is the unprecedented and universal acclaim with which a skeptical and emotional sports town greeted him.
Sixers owner Harold Katz and Sixers general/manager coach John Lucas and almost anyone who looked closely at their team felt Stackhouse was the perfect pick in the NBA draft. Hardly a soul in Philadelphia stood up for Rasheed Wallace, the taller, homegrown star. Even Wallace’s high school coach said he could understand the Sixers taking Stackhouse.
At red lights, Lucas said, people chanted at him: “Stack-house, Stackhouse, Stack-house.”
“I don’t even think that when we brought Moses here in 1982, it was agreed on this much,” Katz said.
It is a credit to Stackhouse that everyone sees so much in him, even beyond his exquisite skills. He seems to be a young man with all pros, no cons, and many believe he will remind the city of Erving. Philadelphians might appreciate that comparison even more than the ones to Michael Jordan.
How special is Stackhouse?
Well, his mere arrival brought catharsis to an organization that had flailed its way through much of the last decade.
Remember, the Sixers are the same team that left fans puzzled and stricken by trading Malone and the No. 1 overall draft pick on the same fateful day in 1986. The team that took a gutsy risk by choosing Shawn Bradley second in 1992.
The selection of Stackhouse, on the other hand, brought what Lucas called “instant credibility.”
For the Sixers, it required huge doses of patience - a rare commodity in the organization, among the team’s fans or in the city.
Imagine how much patience it took for Lucas to stare down Clippers coach Bill Fitch, whose team held the No. 2 pick in the draft. Imagine how much patience it took Katz not to trade hastily for a sure shot at Stackhouse, to wait instead to get him with the third pick.
In a fleeting pensive moment 3 hours after making the pick, Lucas said: “I grew up as a GM today.”
What happened?
Lucas and Katz, two volatile personalities, made a strong pair on draft day. They had the NBA so wellcovered that Lucas didn’t have to talk to Fitch because Katz was talking directly to Clippers owner Donald Sterling. To find out that nobody was trying to trade with the Clippers to get a chance to grab Stackhouse, each man called on old friendships and favors owed. Still, they could not sneak any smiles until 45 minutes before the draft, when Golden State finally gave up trying to wheedle players from them in a trade for the first pick and ‘fessed up about being ready to select Joe Smith.
Because it all worked, the Sixers have options, one of which includes additional patience. Stackhouse will come on. Bradley could, too.
The player who makes everything viable, however, is Stackhouse, the athlete who can do what cannot be taught - make his teammates better.
“I will go with any of these guys and with the coaching staff as far as they will go,” Stackhouse said. “I will be there with them.”
Lucas would like to think that Stackhouse can reclaim something of a home-court advantage for the Sixers at the Spectrum - something Lucas was stunned to find so lacking during his first season in Philadelphia. That’s why Lucas immediately began fanning the flames of excitement over Stackhouse around town.