Blazers soph struggles
He was a magazine cover boy before his high school graduation. He’s the subject of a book and a movie. He has a multimillion-dollar contract with Adidas, and he’s a prep legend in New York.
Life should be good for Sebastian Telfair. But the former first-round draft pick is struggling in his sophomore season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Telfair started as a rookie as last season drew to a close and the Blazers gave up on the playoffs, let go of coach Maurice Cheeks and turned to player development. He was still a starter this season under new coach Nate McMillan, despite stiff competition in the backcourt from Jarrett Jack, Juan Dixon and Steve Blake.
Then Telfair strained a ligament in his right thumb and missed 12 games, and Dixon and Blake took over. The pair anchored the Maryland team that won the NCAA title in 2002.
With Dixon shooting and Blake at the point, the Blazers’ dim season appeared to take a turn, even if the record didn’t immediately reflect that. When Telfair was cleared to play, he was relegated to a reserve role.
“I look at myself and the way I played last year when we had a different system, and I thought that sometime in my career I could be a good player in this league,” he said. “I never felt any pressure, I just worked hard and did what I needed to do. Then we got a one-two punch that came and stepped into that position, and there’s nothing really I can do.”
Through the first half of the season, “Bassy” started in 21 of 29 games and averaged 9.6 points. But lately, coming off the bench, he has appeared rushed at times and tentative at others.
“He’s still trying, I think, to figure out how he can help this team. There’s been so much talk about his shoot-first mentality that I think right now he’s thinking, as opposed to playing. And that’s what I’ve told him: ‘Play your game’,” McMillan said.
Telfair says his situation is the most difficult thing he’s ever gone through.
“Right now, I don’t know who I am. I’m definitely not Sebastian Telfair,” he said.
Telfair grew up in a Coney Island housing project and became New York state’s highest prep scorer. He led Abraham Lincoln High School to three New York City public league titles and a state championship.
There was a great deal of buzz about whether Telfair would go to college or jump to the NBA. His cousin, Stephon Marbury, spent a year at Georgia Tech before going pro.
College, as it turns out, wasn’t in the cards.
The Blazers coveted the 6-foot, 160-pound guard, but the team was expected to take him with a later first-round pick – not the 13th overall selection.
When the Blazers went to their youth movement last season, interim coach Kevin Pritchard – the team’s director of player personnel – wasted no time making Telfair a starter. He went on to average 11.1 points and 6.6 assists.
Telfair picked up this season where he left off – showing flashes of brilliance, along with gaffes of inexperience.
But for now, Telfair watches as Blake and Dixon take over. After becoming a starter on Dec. 18, Dixon averaged 17.8 points and 4.0 assists.
“Those guys are doing a great job. If they weren’t doing as good as they were, then maybe it would be more difficult. But those guys are doing a good job. They’re a pair, you know, when you mention Blake you gotta mention Juan, when you mention Juan you gotta mention Blake,” Telfair said.
“Right now, I’m just not myself. I’ve got to get back playing my way.”
On the court
Elton Brand scored 30 points, Sam Cassell added 27, and the Los Angeles Clippers moved 11 games over .500 for the first time since leaving Buffalo for California with a 115-113 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Cassell sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer and scored six points in the extra period for the Clippers (28-17), whose franchise hasn’t been 11 games over .500 since the Buffalo Braves were 30-19 on Jan. 28, 1976.
Rockets 93, Knicks 89: At New York, Tracy McGrady scored 23 points and David Wesley added 19, including several key free throws late, to lead Houston’s win.
Kings 96, Jazz 78: At Sacramento, Calif., Mike Bibby scored 23 points, Kevin Martin added 20 and the Kings hit more than enough field goals in the fourth quarter to beat Utah after a humiliating 0-for-20 fourth quarter in Salt Lake City two days earlier.