Darnell Valentine made his mark in the NBA

In my last blog entry, I wrote about Darnell Valentine’s jersey retirement in Allen Fieldhouse in 2005. Now, I feature him again with a story about his NBA career. I rank Valentine as the No. 3 former Jayhawk guard with the best NBA career behind Jo Jo White and Kirk Hinrich. And I have D.V. as the No. 11 ex-’Hawk overall with the top NBA career.

Like I did with Paul Mokeski, yet even more so, I followed Valentine’s pro career religiously as my fandom reached new heights. Every time he was on TV, it was like Hanukkah, a time to celebrate and rejoice with my dad in watching my childhood hero perform on basketball’s greatest stage. I remember getting so nervous when he was at the free throw line; I wanted so much for the ball to swish through the net. And when he missed, which wasn’t very often (78.7 percent career free throws), I felt badly for him. 

I would also listen to his games on the AM radio and chart his statistics for the season. Following Darnell in the NBA became a central part of my life in high school and college. The first thing I did when I got the paper was look at the box scores to see how Darnell performed the previous night. I cheered his successes and became saddened whenever he was injured. Once in college at KU, after he suffered an injury while playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, I took a break from studying in the stacks of Watson Library and wrote a long, heartfelt letter to him, closing with an inspirational poem about D.V. taking the ball coast to coast and scoring a layup over Moses Malone.

It was a letter I needed to write; I had to let my childhood hero know how important he was to me.

Several months later, Darnell wrote me back as I leaped for joy when the letter arrived in my mailbox. Oh, I’ll never forget that letter postmarked Dec. 17, 1986 written on stationary from the Holiday Inn Westwood Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles:

“Dear David: How are ya? I’ve spent a lot of time in Lawrence this summer and I’m surprised I didn’t meet you. But I received your letter, and it was really inspiring. I appreciate your support and loyalty. The amazing thing that may surprise you is fan support goes a long, long way and it makes the game of basketball that much more enjoyable. Kansas is truly a beautiful place with beautiful people and I’m proud to be a part of it. Thank you and take care. God Bless, Darnell.”

I’ve always appreciated Darnell for taking the time to write me back, and will forever cherish that letter. 

I ached for D.V. to reach the upper rank of NBA point guards, and while it never happened, I always admired his tenacious defense and how hard he worked and competed to become the best player possible.

...

Darnell Valentine first exploded on the national scene the summer after his junior year at Wichita Heights at Howard Garfinkel’s prestigious Five-Star camp in Wheeling, W.Va. After Valentine’s performance, Garfinkel simply gushed that he was the best guard in the history of the camp, even superior to Butch Lee of Marquette and Phil Sellers of Rutgers.

Scouts continued to rave over Valentine’s game as the phenom joined Kansas basketball. During his sophomore year in 1978 while scouting at the Big Eight Holiday Tournament in Kansas City, Boston Celtics general manager Red Auerbach was awed over Valentine’s skills.

“Valentine is quicker than Jo Jo (White) and he penetrates better,” Auerbach told The Sporting News in comparing him to the former Celtics’ star (1969-1979) who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame last September.

As Valentine earned All-American honors his senior year in 1981 and prepared for the NBA Draft, Auerbach predicted the Wichita native was destined for stardom.

“He is,” Auerbach marveled, “going to be a great one.”

While Valentine never lived up to the hype, he had a very commendable nine-year NBA career and was a true defensive wizard with an unwavering work ethic. The 6-1 guard’s career all began with the Portland Trail Blazers, who chose him as the No. 16 pick in the first round of the draft.

After learning the ropes his rookie season under starter Kelvin Ransey and averaging 6.4 points per game, Valentine became the starting point guard in Year 2. Portland head coach Jack Ramsay was so high on Valentine that he raved about him to Sports Illustrated just before his second season.

"Darnell Valentine may be the best point guard in the NBA, you'll see," Ramsay said.

Valentine averaged a career-high 12.5 points and 2.1 steals per game in 1982-83, endearing himself to Ramsay and Blazers fans with his nonstop hustle, defensive prowess, and charming personality.

"He's a fierce competitor," Ramsay told "The Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball." "He never stops. He's never going to be outplayed."

Unfortunately, Valentine never rose to NBA stardom despite his outstanding defense and great playmaking and penetration ability. He was a questionable outside shooter, battled injuries, and was constantly fighting for minutes with fellow point guards Lafayette Lever and Steve Colter in Portland. He also played in a complex halfcourt offense under Ramsay, which restricted his freedom.

Then with the arrival of rookie and future All-Star Terry Porter in 1985-86, the Blazers dealt Valentine to NBA purgatory with the woeful Los Angeles Clippers for a first-round draft pick, where he played in obscurity for two and a half seasons before finishing his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers (two seasons) at age 31 in 1991.

Valentine talked about that trade to Los Angeles to the Oregonian in 2009.

"It was an open competition in training camp (with Colter and Porter), and I came out the starter," Valentine said. "I was playing well, but then they wanted to change directions."

Before the Clippers’ deal, a trade to Indiana fell apart as Valentine became “a lame duck.”

"Everything was so abrupt. So I passed the baton to Terry,” Valentine said of Porter, who became an All-Star and one of the top assist men in NBA annals.

Valentine, who was ranked the No. 33 best player in Trail Blazers' history by the Oregonian in 2009, always elevated his game in the playoffs for Portland. He averaged 12.0 points, 6.8 assists, and shot a scorching 88.4 percent from free throw line during the postseason, and is tied for the team record for most assists in a playoff game with 15. Valentine, who averaged 18.4 points and 8.4 assists in a playoff series with Phoenix in 1984, also ranks fifth all time in Blazer history in playoff assists.

"I was never the greatest player during the season," Valentine said. "But when it got to playoffs, I think teams were so intent on stopping our strengths – (Jim) Paxson and (Calvin) Natt – that it allowed me to make things happen."

Valentine, whose trademark was his tree-trunk thighs, has a favorite story about his time in Rip City.

"I had those big legs, which were probably my rite to passage,” he said. “Well, there was another player in the league who had big legs too – World B. Free – and Mychal Thompson would never let me hear the end of it. He always wondered why I couldn't jump like World B. Free. So he always called me 'Ground Jordan'."

While he wasn’t a leaper, Valentine was the consummate and unselfish point guard for Ramsay. The Hall of Famer and late Portland head man loved coaching Valentine and greatly admired his work ethic.

Under the caption, “Heart of a Champion,” here’s what Ramsay wrote in his 2004 book, “Dr. Jack’s Leadership Lessons learned from a Lifetime in Basketball”:

“Many of the players I coached who weren’t among the team’s most gifted players were the hardest workers and made maximum use of their skills. Darnell Valentine was perhaps the most self-disciplined player I ever dealt with.

“DV — who had watermelon-sized quads, a strong upper body and excellent quickness handling the ball and defending — worked fanatically on his conditioning.  He was on the floor an hour before practice, working on his defensive footwork, pull-up jumpers, or full-court drives to the hoop. Then he would stretch for about 15 minutes before the team practice began. He was also extremely careful about his diet. He ate primarily foods high in carbohydrates and supplemented them with enough protein and fat to fuel his extraordinary energy level. Valentine even brought his own food blender with him on road trips and often boarded the team bus carrying large bags of fruit and veggies, which he offered to everyone. In addition to his fierce work ethic, relentless self-discipline and powerful will to win, he always wore a smile and was one of the best team players I ever coached.”

Valentine was overwhelmed with gratitude when I relayed Ramsay’s statement to him before his jersey retirement at KU on Jan. 1, 2005. The two were good friends and fellow fitness addicts; they used to take bike rides together.

“Coming from him, that’s an incredible compliment,” Valentine said. “I appreciate that. We did a lot of things alike. We thought alike. Even when I was traded to the Clippers, I know that I understand the business of basketball now, sometimes it’s not about the coach and it’s not about your playing. It’s a business. Sometimes, things are done by committee. Jack and I, we had a great relationship.”

Valentine, who has lived in Portland since he retired from basketball and worked for Precision Castparts (a Fortune 500 manufacturing company) as employee engagement leader since 2007, richly enjoyed his time with the Blazers.

"Coming out of Kansas, I was afraid that the NBA would be an overwhelming challenge," Valentine said. "But the Blazers — the Stu Inmans the Harry Glickmans — they embraced and cared about us, and I think that eventually was reflected in the community. And it's amazing how that regenerates itself. Portland is a special place. I could feel that right from the start.”

Valentine boasts career averages of 8.7 points (5,400), 5.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 23.2 minutes per game. He started 345 of 620 contests, while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 26.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.7 percent at the free throw line.

I asked my childhood hero when he returned to Allen Fieldhouse for his jersey retirement in 2005 how he felt about his pro career.

“I think it could have possibly been better, and it could have possibly been a lot worse,” he replied. “I’m just thankful that it was what it was. I think I had some tough breaks. ... I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish.”

Lafayette Norwood, Valentine’s close friend, mentor and coach at Wichita Heights and assistant at Kansas, believed he caught a tough break by never catching on with the Chicago Bulls and superstar Michael Jordan. The Bulls were close to trading for Valentine after the 1984-85 season (his fourth year with Portland), but the deal never happened.

“I thought that was the turning point in his life,” said Norwood, who added the Bulls didn’t have a point guard at the time. “I thought if the Bulls could have got him, he could have been able to experience some things I thought we had in mind at the beginning of his career. Chicago was in the process of beginning to evolve as far as being a championship final team. If he could have gone to Chicago, obviously with Michael, he could have made that happen and become a critical (part to their success).”

Norwood thought Valentine could have elevated Jordan and his Bulls’ teammates’ games with his tenacious defense and become one of the best NBA point guards. Despite not getting with the Bulls, Norwood was proud of what D.V. accomplished during his nine NBA seasons.

“Oh, he had a great career,” Norwood said with a smile.

Like many others, Norwood was deeply impressed with Valentine’s competitive fire.

“I've never been around a young man so obsessed to be a professional athlete,” Norwood told the Lawrence Journal-World on Jan. 17, 1986.

David Magley, Valentine’s teammate at KU, also greatly admired his work ethic. Magley saw Valentine compete in the NBA when he played briefly for the Cleveland Cavaliers as a rookie in 1982-83.

“I gained even greater respect for Darnell,” Magley told the Journal-World after the Cavs released him. “I respected Darnell at KU because he worked so hard. He’s kept it up in the NBA. Darnell is so devoted. A lot of NBA players just don’t show the intensity he does.”

“He was a warrior,” former Missouri guard and NBA rival Larry Drew told me several years ago.

Valentine credits his mother, Rose, for his superior drive.

“My mother instilled in me was the fact I had a real strong work ethic,” he said. “I was dedicated to the game and I respected the game.” 

And Valentine, of course, loved the game.