MVN - Most Valuable Network

Doug Christie: Coming back

The NBA’s latest comeback kid has played fifteen seasons in the NBA. Versatility has always been his strong suit, and now he promises that he can be effective at three positions – point guard, off-guard and small forward – with his shooting and ball-handling skills reportedly better than ever. He claims to be fully healthy after having played just 14 games total over the last two seasons. He pledges to be a leader for both the youthful and experienced as well as a positive influence in every way possible. And all he wants in exchange is a little bit of money and the chance to compete for a championship.

Doug Christie wants to return to the NBA. Whether or not he can still be effective in this league, I don’t know. That we need more people like him in this league is for absolutely certain.

Christie says that while he has not been offered a contract yet, he is receiving strong interest from two East Coast teams who he won’t name at this point (for those scoring at home, The Rack is guessing Boston and Miami). He has spent the last several months engaging in his own basketball and conditioning-intensive workout program. Both of the suitors qualify for contender status in Christie’s eyes, which works well given his number one basketball priority.

“I more than anything want to be on a championship contender and to be there to contribute and win a championship,” Christie says. “I’m ready. I’m able.”

Truth be told, I don’t really have a clue whether or not he is ready or able. I don’t know what to make of a guy who has been injured for most of the last two seasons telling me: “At 37 years old, I’m not a 37-year-old body. The last time I got a physical they told me that I was about 25 years old as far as bodies go.” Or that he could easily play three more years.

Or what to make of it when that guy who played parts of 15 seasons sans a single all-star appearance asserts that he can be an all-star, “no question.”

Christie maintains that with full health, he will be a different player than the shell of himself seen over the past few seasons.

“I think if you look at those records you see that a healthy Doug Christie is definitely a competitive one and one that is [going to] bring a lot to the table,” Christie states with confidence. “I can play 20-30 minutes per night. I say that because if you’re able to play more than one position, now you’re able to get minutes at various positions. I think my shooting has improved tremendously. My ball-handling and passing ability [as well]. Always working on foot-speed and strength.”

To be frank, I don’t care all that much whether or not a few of his claims come off as a tad far-fetched. All I can do is hope against hope that Doug Christie can do all that he thinks he can on the basketball court because we need as many like him as we can get in this Association.

We need guys who just want to win. We need guys who believe that winning a championship “is the Holy Grail.” Guys who say, “I’ve never really been one as far as individual accolades go. It is a team sport. A championship is what you strive for. That’s what I’m striving to come back for.”

This is a man who understands the value of good, hard, physical basketball. A man who is a throwback to the way the game used to be. A man who tells us: “Take [the rules] back to the way they were in the ‘70s and ‘80s. How do you change the rules of the game? That’s like changing the rules of Monopoly! Let the game be the game.”

The lack of self-centering and grandiosity that surrounds the modern athlete doesn’t hurt either. In an era of obsession with individual statistics and personal highlight reels, it is impossible to overrate the value of a player explaining that the reason he admires Dwyane Wade and LeBron James is because, in his words, “I love the way that both of them are unselfish. They are also leading their teams. I have the utmost respect for guys who lead their teams.”

For those of us tired of hearing endless coach-speak and sports jargon from the modern athlete, Christie wins another point. He won’t shy away from anything, particularly questions about his unconventional marriage and his oft-maligned wife, Jackie.

As for the belief that Jackie‚Äôs presence ‚Äì she has garnered a reputation around NBA circles as both jealous and domineering — could adversely impact his chances to get signed, Doug says, ‚ÄúThat is the craziest thing that I‚Äôve ever heard, because if you have a wife that supports you and helps you and has your back 150 percent, that‚Äôs what you want as a man, as an athlete as a professional, whatever it is. My wife, all she wants to do is make sure that everything is taken care of for me.‚Äù

Maybe some of Jackie’s public behaviors have left some observers a bit bemused. But frankly, in a world of domestic abuse, divorce and infidelity – all of which is believed to be especially rampant in the NBA’s culture – who are we to try and get in the way of any husband and wife who truly love each other? Props to Doug for showing the candidness and security to open up about the issue.

And more props to him for his biggest achievement of all: understanding that as important as basketball is, it falls distantly behind being a human being.

“I’m definitely trying to set an example, not only for myself and my family and my children but for other kids and families that are looking on,” Christie says. “You can respect your wife, you can respect yourself and you can go out and be a professional athlete in the glitz and glamour of the NBA. It’s cool to still love your family and respect your wife at the same time.”

Ultimately, that’s all I needed to hear. After that, everything else that Christie elucidated in the forty minutes he generously took to chat – and there was plenty of good stuff said – was nothing more than gravy. Whether it was about how hard NBA players truly work, or what great teammates Chris Webber and Charles Oakley are, or his levelheaded attitude toward the Tim Donaghy situation (“I’m going to take a wait-and-see approach”), or about how the way to stop opposing stars is to slow them down, deny them the ball and force bad shots or anything in between, it was all just an awesome bonus. It didn’t matter.

Sure, it was wonderful discussion. To have the opportunity to speak with not only an NBA player, but a truly thoughtful and insightful one was fantastic. I loved being in the flesh to listen to game respect game, as Christie labeled Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Bron and Wade as the six best at his position. And I loved listening to him classify Garnett, Melo, Wade and Bron as the game’s top four players, thanks to their multi-dimensional games and abilities to take their teams on their respective backs. Hearing him call Rick Adelman “underrated” and Tim Duncan a “true champion” was enjoyable. Talk of future plans for more books and a clothing line with his wife was nothing if not intriguing. So was the advice he has to impart on young players, which is to work hard, be respectful and stay out of trouble.

But it was all extraneous to that biggest point of conversation. Doug Christie gets it. He is a human being first. A husband. A father. A role model. A thinker.

And somewhere after all that, he is a man who was once a very effective professional basketball player and would now like to try to be one again.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I hope he can do it.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 12:49 am and is filed under NBA Off-Season Moves, Taking It to the Rack, Doug Christie, Ray Allen, Rick Adelman, 2007 NBA Off-Season, Jackie Christie, NBA Comebacks, Tim Donaghy, NBA Free Agency, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, General NBA, Sacramento Kings, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Blogroll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.