After a productive year with the Los Angeles Clippers despite the team’s dismal struggles (12-70, worst record in NBA and lowest winning percentage in team history), Darnell Valentine entered the 1987-88 season looking to improve on both his own production and dramatically boost his team’s fortunes.
Unfortunately, Larry Drew, Valentine’s old rival from Missouri, beat him out for the starting point guard position, yet this former KU standout managed to start 32 of 72 games, including the last 27 contests. His statistics, though, slipped from the previous season. Valentine averaged 7.1 points, 4.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 20.7 minutes per game, while shooting 41.8 percent from the field, a career-high 45.5 percent beyond the arc (15-33) and 74.3 percent at the free throw line.
He scored in double figures 11 of 13 games from March 2 to March 25, including a stellar 25-points and 12 assists in 41 minutes against Sacramento on March 20.
Two weeks later on April 8, Valentine scored a season-high 27 points versus the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by a career-best 30-point outburst in a 122-105 win over Houston on April 10. Valentine added 11 assists and five steals in 33 minutes, shooting 14 of 19 from the field, 1 of 1 from three-point range, and 1 of 2 at the charity stripe. The former KU All-American was game-high scorer, even outscoring future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon (19) of the Rockets.
The Clippers were still woeful with a 17-65 record under head coach Gene Shue.
After the season, Valentine finally got his wish and was out of L.A. He was acquired by the Miami Heat in the June expansion draft and then promptly traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second-round draft pick.
With now seven years in the NBA as a solid veteran, it appeared Valentine was in the twilight of his career. Cleveland and head coach Lenny Wilkins wanted Valentine as just a backup point guard to star Mark Price. Valentine played sparingly for the Cavs during 1988-89, averaging just 14.1 minutes in 77 games (four starts). He posted career lows in points (4.2), assists (2.3), steals (0.7) and rebounds (1.3) per game, while shooting 42.6 percent from the field, a career-low 21.4 percent from three-point range, and 81.3 percent at the charity stripe.
Valentine scored in double figures in just seven games all season, capped with a season-high 15 points against New Jersey on Feb 22, 1988. He also had a season-best 10 assists versus Milwaukee on March 23, 1989.
While his stats were down, Valentine was elated to be on a winning team after the dismal Clipper years. Cleveland finished at 57-25 in second place in the Central Division, but lost a heartbreaking 3-2 playoff series to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs.
Valentine had his best game of the postseason in a Game 1 95-88 loss, posting eight points, six assists and three steals in 33 minutes.
His stay in Cleveland didn’t last long. In July, the Cavs announced they had no interest in resigning Valentine. He couldn’t make another team. So suddenly, after eight years in the NBA, Valentine’s career seemed to be over.
He was out of the NBA in 1989-90 before the Cavs suddenly resigned him the following season in early December 1990 to replace Price, who suffered a season-ending knee injury. While this was heartbreak for Price and Cavs fans, Valentine was thrilled to be back in the NBA where he made his name with his relentless self-discipline and dedication all these years.
He had been working as an intern at a Portland TV station and also playing in a Mexican basketball league. Mexico was, indeed, light years away from the NBA.
"I'm in paradise. Being back in the NBA is like surviving a plane crash," Valentine said at the time. "In Mexico, our team bus had a huge hole in the floor. We traveled around in a donkey bus. It was like being in Fred Flintstone's car. It had no bottom. I couldn’t believe it, and it makes me appreciate (the NBA)."
With Price down, Valentine became the starter during the 1990-91 season and I celebrated by buying my prized Cavs starter jacket. I cherished this jacket and wore it everywhere. I also wrote a letter to the editor in the Lawrence Journal-World how Valentine was back in the NBA where he rightfully belonged. I paid tribute to my childhood hero in that letter, praising his defense as the master of his craft and also his tremendous work ethic.
The day the letter was published, Lafayette Norwood called me at 9:30 a.m. Norwood, a very close friend of Valentine and his high school coach and assistant at Kansas, wanted to thank me for my letter. I was overwhelmed with gratitude by him taking the time to call me. We had a great, happy 20-minute talk about my letter and I also asked Norwood how Darnell was doing in Cleveland.
While it wasn’t my fault, I apologized to him for the Journal-World spelling his first name “Darrell.” I was shocked by the paper’s blatant mistake. My legendary journalism professor at KU said in our second day of class that he would dock us 50 points by incorrectly spelling a name. I couldn’t fathom how the Journal-World could get Darnell’s name wrong.
Norwood was extremely gracious and wasn’t worried at all about the mistake.
“Those things happen,” he said, which made me feel at ease.
I finished our phone call on cloud nine and went to the KU-Missouri game in Allen Fieldhouse later that day on top of the world.
In Valentine’s first two games with Cleveland, he made quite the splash. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 assists and shot 58 percent from the field while scoring 24 points in his second game in 44 minutes against the Bucks. While he couldn’t keep those numbers up, he still had a solid season, averaging 9.4 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 28.3 minutes per game. He started 60 of 65 contests, while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 24.0 percent beyond the arc, and a career-high 83.1 percent at the free throw line.
He scored a season-high 28 points against Atlanta on Feb. 5, while adding eight assists and four steals, followed up with 10 points and 10 assists two nights later against Houston.
And then on April 21, while he didn’t know it at the time, Valentine played the final game of his nine-year NBA career against the Sixers. He finished strong in his swan song, posting 12 points, nine assists and two steals in a 123-110 victory, while shooting 5 of 8 from the field, 0 of 1 from beyond the arc and 2 of 2 at the free throw line.
Missing Price, who was averaging 16.9 points, 10.4 assists and 2.6 steals in 16 games before his season-ending injury, Cleveland stumbled to a 33-49 record and sixth place in the Central Division.
While Valentine tried to hook on with the Milwaukee Bucks the next season in training camp, former Kansas State star point guard Steve Henson beat him out. So Valentine’s NBA career was now over.
But he couldn’t give up the game he always loved growing up in Chicago and Wichita. Valentine next played two years in Italy before finally hanging up his jersey for good.
All for the love of the game.
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