Portland trades former Jayhawk great Darnell Valentine to Los Angeles Clippers

The Portland Trail Blazers had a habit of drafting point guards in the early 1980s. The franchise selected Kelvin Ransey (1980), Darnell Valentine (1981) and Fat Lever (1982) during the first round, and then Steve Colter (1984) in the second round.

With Valentine and Colter still in Portland, would the Blazers pull the trigger and select yet another point guard in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft?

That’s exactly what they did when Portland picked Terry Porter from Wisconsin-Stevens Point, an NCAA Division III school, with the 24th overall selection and last pick in the first round. The Blazers saw something they liked out of this promising guard and future Portland great, despite playing forward at just 6-3 in college and at times guarding the opposing team’s center.

Now, with three point guards on the roster, it appeared someone had to go. With Colter’s emergence last season and Valentine entering the last year on his contract and becoming a free agent next year, he seemed to be a marked man. Portland was looking to trade him before the season began, with his most likely destination the Chicago Bulls, who had just selected budding superstar Michael Jordan in last year’s draft, the reigning Rookie of the Year who averaged 28.2 points per game in 1984-85.

In a Sept. 24, 1985 article in the Chicago Tribune, Bob Sakamoto wrote:

“If the Bulls have the heart, they may get their Valentine. The Bulls are looking to acquire the Portland Trail Blazers’ Darnell Valentine to fill a gaping hole at point guard. But the price for the four-year veteran could be power forward Sidney Green, which may be too steep.”

Sakamoto continued:

“Portland has three point guards and a shortage of power forwards. The Bulls have three power forwards and zero point guards. It’s a natural.”

But there were complications in the possible trade.

“A National Basketball Association source close to Portland said the Bulls are hesitant to part with Green,” Sakamoto wrote. “What Chicago is doing, he said, is waiting it out until Portland realizes it must move Valentine. Then the Bulls will offer the Blazers two second-round picks in the 1986 draft, their own and one they got from Dallas, for Valentine.

“But how long do the Bulls wait? There are indications Valentine will be traded before the season begins in late October.”

''There are only so many minutes for our point guards,'' Portland general manager Stu Inman said. ''We like all of them, but there is only room for two. If we were to make a trade, it would be for a player in the category of a Sidney Green. We would go that way. If we couldn't get a big forward, we would settle for draft choices.''

Sakamoto reported that “the Blazers like second-year playmaker Steve Colter and have big plans for first-round draft choice Terry Porter of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. That would seem to leave Valentine, who was born in Chicago, as the odd man out.”

''He is the kind of selfless guard who stands out defensively and can get the ball to the right people,'' Inman said. ''He has a decent outside shot. If you leave him wide open, he will hit it, absolutely.''

“Darnell Valentine is looking to move, and Chicago is his No. 1 choice,'' the NBA source said. ''He is just the player Chicago needs. Don’t let (Bulls’ vice president of operations) Jerry Krause fool you. They’re not going to play Jordan and (Quintin) Dailey together. That`s just what all the other teams in the NBA would love to see.''

Sakamoto wrote that with “new Bulls’ coach Stan Albeck emphasizing a fast-paced, transition offense, opening up the court for Jordan and forward Orlando Woolridge, Valentine would fit better than either (Jon) Paxson or (Kyle) Macy, with whom the Bulls have also talked.”

''He is more geared to an uptempo game,'' Inman said about Valentine.

However, the trade never happened with Valentine. The Bulls eventually acquired Paxson on Oct. 29 as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs receiving cash as compensation.

So Valentine began his fifth season in Portland, while he didn’t know how long he’d still be a Blazer. He actually started the first 27 games before Portland coach Jack Ramsay replaced him in the starting lineup with Colter on Dec. 17. Ramsay said Valentine wouldn’t play anymore and the Blazers were looking to move him. Valentine requested not to accompany the team on road trips.

“I feel like a man without a country,” the former KU standout said while out of action for a month before playing one more game against New York on Jan. 11, 1986.

He played OK during those 28 games, but his game slipped. Valentine averaged career lows in points (9.1 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg) in 26.2 minutes per game, while also averaging 1.8 steals per game. He shot 44.7 percent from the field and a career low 71.0 percent at the charity stripe.

Valentine scored in double digits the first five of seven games of the season, and then scored in double figures six of his next eight games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 3, capping that stretch with a season-high 18 points against Washington. He also scored 16 points three times in 28 games. Suddenly, after Dec. 3, Valentine’s playing time diminished and he went seven games without scoring in double digits.

He then went from Dec. 13 without playing a game until Jan. 11 versus the Knicks, only because Jim Paxson was out with a minor injury. Valentine played just six minutes and scored two points.

Finally, on Jan. 14, 1986, Valentine and Portland got their wish; the Blazers traded the veteran point guard to the Los Angeles Clippers for L.A.’s first-round draft pick in 1986. The teams also swapped 1988 second-round picks.

At last, Valentine had a new home.

“'I wish it would have happened smoother,” Valentine told the UPI on Jan. 15. “But now I can continue with my career.”

“I'm happy for Darnell,” Portland coach Jack Ramsay said. “He's going to a team that wants him. We came out of it with about as much as we could have hoped for.”

Valentine loved his time in Portland, but wished this could have been dealt better.

“The organization has been great to me,” he said. “However, it was unfortunate the way things unwound. It wasn't handled as well as I would have liked, but I'm happy to be out. It was like I was a marked guy, everyone knew the situation. I'm happy it's done and I can go about my career.

“The only part about me leaving and going to a team that is struggling is that Portland is going to be a great team,” Valentine added.

Sam McManis of the Los Angeles Times reported that  Clippers general manager Carl Scheer said “it took him ‘no more than a second’ to complete Tuesday’s trade, which management and Coach Don Chaney agreed upon after a quick evaluation of the Clippers’ 1-6 record on the trip.”

“This franchise is not going to be successful until it gets good players,” said Scheer, “who had been talking to Portland about Valentine for three weeks.”

“Point guard is not our most pressing area, but we would not have gotten a player of Valentine’s quality with Boston’s pick (which figures to be either 22nd or 23rd),” Scheer added.

The Clippers already boasted All-Star point guard Norm Nixon. But, McManis wrote that “Nixon, 30, has been inconsistent after missing nearly a month of the season during his free-agent holdout and is not considered to be as good a defensive player as Valentine, 26.”

The Clippers also had Franklin Edwards, a third point guard, who was backing up Nixon.

McManis added that “Nixon and Valentine will have to co-exist. Nixon, when asked recently about the possibility of splitting playing time with Valentine, expressed concern.”

“If this team was 27-12 instead of 12-27 and was breaking up a good combination, I’d be concerned with the fact that Norm is concerned, if, in fact, he is. Nixon is concerned with winning, and, with Valentine, we’re improving our team,” Scheer said.

McManis wrote “there are several reasons why Valentine became expendable. Ramsay felt that second-year man Steve Colter and rookie Terry Porter fit into his plans more than Valentine, and the coach also has had recent success using the tandem of big guards Jim Paxson and Clyde Drexler. Another factor is that Valentine will become a free agent after this season and would have sought a more lucrative contract.”

Valentine’s salary was worth $265,000 ($175,000 cash).

He was eager for new beginnings in L.A, despite going from a perennial playoff team to a lowly franchise.

“I'm excited to be a part of the Clipper organization now,” Valentine said. “I'm looking forward to getting down to L.A. and having the opportunity to play.”

Tony Guy is my all-time favorite Jayhawk

My Dad awaiting to attack the ball!

Tony Guy attacking the goal

Former KU standout Tony Guy is definitely my all-time favorite Jayhawk. And I’m not talking about just what I remember about his basketball exploits. As good as player as he was (and I thought Tony was a great one), he is even a better person. More than any other KU basketball player, I believe Tony Guy has made the most profound impact on my life.

I first met Tony on a memorable afternoon at my parents’ house in the summer of 1982, after he had graduated from KU and was preparing for the NBA Draft. 

But first some background.

Tony’s KU sponsor family was the Pucketts, who lived two houses down the street from us in Lawrence. Tony would often shoot baskets in their driveway, and one day, my dad approached Tony and they developed a friendship. My dad and Tony played racquetball many times that summer at Robinson Gym, across the street from Allen Fieldhouse, where Tony created his hardwood magic for four years. I remember my dad driving me and Tony to one of their games in his old little white volkswagen with Tony’s 6-6 frame cramped in the front seat. I watched them play, and even got in a few points with Tony one game, finding it quite difficult to have much success against him since he was so tall and had great reach.

After the game, Tony invited me to shoot hoops with him sometime. In one of my life’s deepest regrets, I never took him up on that offer. I was a very quiet, shy and introverted teenager and just never went over to t the Puckett house and shot baskets with him. That would have been a thrill of mine if I did take Tony up on his offer.

My late and forever hero dad, Goody, arguably the most popular, beloved and legendary professor in KU School of Social Welfare history, was a great racquetball player and 57 years old at the time he played the 22-year-old Guy in all those games. My dad, a wily veteran racquetball player who loved the game and would win tournaments into his 60s against college students, had the experience over Tony and he would usually beat the former Jayhawk star. Tony obviously was so much more athletic, quicker and faster than my dad, but my father was a master at positioning on the court and knew where to get the best angles to hit the ball off the wall. 

But as my dad recalls, the more they kept playing, Tony really improved his racquetball and started beating my dad some games. My dad said Tony was the perfect gentleman on the court, mild mannered, didn’t get upset or anything. He basically played racquetball the way he played hoops at KU -- poised, calm, and always in control of his emotions.

I’ll never forget the first day I met Tony. One day my friend and I came to my parents’ house and saw Tony’s car in the driveway. I got really nervous since I was about to meet my childhood hero, that stage in my life during the summer after my sophomore year of high school, when Tony and his fellow teammate David Magley would be my last two KU basketball heroes. I was getting older and would soon no longer idolize these great future Jayhawks I saw play.

But at that time, I viewed Tony as somewhat larger than life and I was giddy with anticipation of meeting him. When I stepped inside my home, Tony did not disappoint. He got up from the chair, warmly said hello and began to talk about how racquetball was helping his lateral quickness, and how he was running five miles daily preparing for the NBA Draft. Tony was pure class, genuine, humble and full of grace. He met all of my expectations and more of what my childhood hero would be like.

Because of Tony Guy, he helped bring my dad and I closer together and I’m forever grateful to him for that. My dad and I would often talk about his racquetball games with Tony, giving me the full scoop. And I will never forget that magical and priceless moment when I hugged my dad inside Allen Fieldhouse for the first and only time in the Phog during a thrilling overtime game against Kentucky on Dec. 12, 1981, a great team that KU could never beat.

I was standing up, turned to my left towards my dad, and gave my father a huge, tight embrace. I wanted to hold onto that hug forever; I didn’t want to ever let go. I’ll remember that feeling forever.

All because of Tony Guy.

Tony had just hit a key jumper from the top of the key in overtime, maybe tying the game or giving KU a lead. The crowd went completely wild and I was full of chills; I just acted spontaneously and hugged my dad after that shot swished through the net.

Unfortunately, KU lost to Kentucky that cold December night, 77-74, but the memories of embracing my dad after Tony’s thrilling shot remain as rich, emotional, and clear as ever.

In 1999, 17 years after Tony played his last game at Allen Fieldhouse and was drafted in the second round by the Boston Celtics, I drove up to Kansas City to his State Farm office to interview my childhood hero for a Where Are They Now? interview for Jayhawk Insider Magazine. I immediately showed Tony a picture of my dad. Tony remembered my dad quite well. He said it was people like my dad, sociology professor Norm Yetman, and others he met at KU who cared about him as Tony Guy the person and not Tony Guy the basketball player, that made his college years so special. The interview lasted nearly an hour with Tony talking to me about his favorite KU memories, of battling Magic Johnson and then Michael Jordan during Jordan’s first college game at North Carolina, and about the importance of being a good father to his kids, a good husband, and how vital it is for today’s parents to be there for their kids, to be good role models for them. No other KU athlete or former athlete had talked to me the way Tony did that magical afternoon. That's what made him all the more special in my eyes.

It was a wonderful and very meaningful man-to-man, heart-to-heart talk between us. I was no longer the impressionable teenager wowed by Tony’s basketball skills, but a 33-year-old man with a completely different perspective on life. I greatly appreciated Tony opening up and sharing his private thoughts with me. And as it turns out, his favorite memory during his KU years involved a defining conversation he had with Yetman, a talk that changed Tony’s life. I told Tony that Norm had been my adviser at KU and helped me with my 82-page honors thesis my senior year about racial participation and integration in KU basketball history.

A small world, indeed.

Before I ever met him, Tony Guy was always one of my all-time favorite KU players. But just from knowing him a little bit in the the summer of 1982 and meeting and talking to him again in 1999, and seeing what a great, genuine, and caring person, father and husband he is, I can now say that Tony Guy is, without a doubt, my all-time favorite Jayhawk.

So here is that Where Are They Now? story I wrote on Tony in 1999 for Jayhawk Insider. I added some additional information for this story I wrote 20 years ago. I have such fond memories of the time Tony spent with me for that interview. It’s been said the greatest gift someone can give you is their time and knowledge, and Tony gave me both.

...

Tony Guy doesn’t hesitate when asked about the most favorite memory of his Kansas basketball career. Ironically, he talks not of his 36-point explosion against Arizona State in the 1981 NCAA Tournament. Instead, Guy recalls a conversation he had with his sociology professor Norm Yetman, which changed his life forever.

Guy, just a sophomore at the time, was walking with Yetman on campus one day when the professor gave his student some worldly advice.

“He said, ‘Tony, this is a neat place to got to school. You’re a neat basketball player. And who knows what’s going to happen to you in the future. The most important thing you can do for Tony Guy is to get the most of this experience as possible — meaning you need to graduate and you need to get a degree.’"

Guy, who views Yetman as a “surrogate father,” thinks about their conversation daily now 20 years later.

“What Norm was trying to tell me was that ‘a lot of people you’re going to come into contact with are going to like you because you’re Tony Guy the basketball player. I just want you to know that I care about you because you’re Tony Guy the person. Tony Guy the person will carry you much further than Tony Guy the basketball player ever will.’”

Guy then smiled and laughed and said Yetman told him lightheartedly: "I've seen you play. You can't jump."

Guy has had a very rich and fulfilling life since graduating from KU in 1982 with a degree in personnel administration and earning Academic All-Big Eight honors. After being drafted by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the NBA Draft, Guy was released and spent a year in the CBA. He then married and played professionally in Switzerland for one season.

Guy, who had never fully recovered from a preseason leg injury his senior year at KU, decided to retire from basketball and enter the job force. He worked on his master’s degree in educational administration at UMKC and served as the assistant men’s basketball coach. He was then offered a job as an insurance agent at State Farm in 1987. Guy has been with the company ever since.

Suddenly, the telephone rings in Guy’s downtown Kansas City office.

“Good afternoon. State Farm. Tony speaking.”

After a few minutes, Guy smiles and congratulates his client. It seemed the gentleman had just gotten married and called Guy to add his wife as a driver on their car insurance. Guy said he receives great satisfaction helping others develop peace of mind.  

“I think everything I stand for, this company is about,” Guy said. “It’s a neat feeling to be working for a corporation who values the same things you value. Just taking care of people’s needs is important.”

Away from the office, Guy keeps busy sharing quality time with his three kids and wife, as well as playing golf and doing speaking engagements on behalf of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

“I’m having more fun now than I’ve ever had in my entire life,” he said. “I guess the lesson I try to share with the younger guys playing is there’s a lot of life left after basketball. The bottom line is all that matters is, ultimately, what type of fathers and husbands we become. ...To be quite honest, my kids don’t know nor do they care about any of my basketball exploits. And that’s the way it ought to be. But they do care if I’m a good father and a good husband.”

 

Guy could certainly tell his children about his many basketball exploits in college. However, Feb. 4, 1979 wasn't exactly one of his better days. Guy now recalls this game against Michigan State his freshman season, when he had the dubious honor of guarding Magic Johnson.

“Magic was so overwhelming that I said to myself, ‘What am I doing out here?’ He was just truly incredible.”

Guy learned from the experience against Magic and developed into a Playboy Preseason All-American selection his senior year. KU’s first game that season happened to be against North Carolina and some freshman guard named Michael "Mike" Jordan on Nov. 28, 1981. Just as Magic did to Guy over two years earlier, the Towson, Md., native and former McDonald’s All-American took Jordan to school with his wide array of playground moves.

“I had a real good first half,” Guy said. “I remember I was at the free-throw line and (James) Worthy  was yelling over to Mike: ‘Hey, don’t go for his ball fakes.’ He was really coaching Mike on how to defend and guard me.”

Unfortunately, KU lost that game and finished the season 13-16, one year after reaching the NCAA Sweet 16. Guy played in pain the whole year after developing a calcium deposit in his left leg during preseason conditioning. He hurt so much he couldn’t sleep at nights.

“Nobody knew it,” Guy says now about the injury. 

Guy, who would have been the 16th selection in the 1981 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers had he gone pro after his junior year (Portland told KU teammate Darnell Valentine they wanted to take him and Guy with their 15th and 16th picks), said he never thought about leaving school early.

“There is no doubt in my mind that had I played in the NBA, the quality of my life wouldn’t have been richer than what it is today,” Guy said. “Things normally work out for the best.”

A Closer Look at Tony Guy

Years at KU: 1978-1982

Education: BGS, 1982. Personnel Administration

Career Notables: School’s No. 5 all-time leading scorer after leaving KU. Now No. 23 (1,488 points)... Preseason Playboy All-American his senior year...Scored career-high 36 points in leading KU past No. 2 ranked Arizona State in the 1981 NCAA Tournament (13-15 from the field while earning NBC Player of the Game)...Academic All-Big Eight in 1982...Second-team All-Big Eight 1980-81...Co-captain 1980-81 and 1981-82...Co-winner of Phog Allen MVP team award in 1981 and 1982...Led KU in scoring his junior year at 15.8 ppg and in assists (103) his senior year...Team-high free throw percentage in 1980 (78.5) and 1981 (77.6)...No. 10 in career starts (115 out of 117 games) and tied for No. 12 in consecutive starts (72).

Family: Wife, Jerri, and three kids (daughters: Courtney, 13 and Morgan, 5, and son, Clay, 5).

Since Leaving KU: Guy spent one year in the CBA with Maine and Wyoming before playing professionally in Switzerland in 1984. He then worked on his master’s degree at UMKC and served as assistant men’s basketball coach before being hired by State Farm in 1987.

Currently: Guy is an agent for State Farm.

Hobbies: Golf and spending time with his family.

Favorite KU Memories: Guy, who wasn’t known for his vertical leap, relives the time he dunked the ball from just inside the free-throw line against Arizona State in the 1981 NCAA Tournament. “I’m in the air and I thought to myself, ‘Tone, you’re on national TV, and you’re about to fall flat on your face in front of millions of people. ... I just keep going and going, and thinking I’m going to get to the bucket. And I get to the bucket, and the place just goes off.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “I think that those kids play with an enthusiasm and togetherness that is unparalleled. We didn’t have it when I played. There is more of a one for all and all for one attitude.”

More about Tony Guy

I believe Tony Guy is one of the greatest and most underrated players in KU history. If not for playing injured his entire senior season, the lean 6-6, 200-pound Guy would have ranked higher in the school record books. Still, he finished his magical and illustrious career as the fifth-leading scorer in KU history (now No. 23). And Guy sits just outside the top 20 in career assists with 327 and just outside the top 12 in steals with 161.

His best year came his junior season in 1980-81, when he helped lead KU to the Sweet 16. Guy, who was finally moved to his natural position at shooting guard, averaged a career-high 15.8 ppg and shot a deadly 53.7 percent from the field. Guy and All-American Darnell Valentine formed one of the nation’s best backcourts, and they complemented each other exceptionally well. Valentine was the feared and master penetrator, while Guy was a sharp shooter from 20-feet out who could also create his own shot. I absolutely loved Tony’s lean-in jumper and all his ball fakes. Except for leaping ability, Tony had no weakness on the court. He could simply do it all--pass, dribble, defend and shoot. He was quick and could drive to the basket, as consistent and steady as they come on the court. Amazingly, he started all but two games of his four-year career. He was just a pure joy to watch and brightened my childhood immensely.

Guy ranks tied for third in KU annals with most steals in a game (with nine other Jayhawks, including Valentine and Danny Manning) with seven against K-State on Feb. 17, 1979. Those seven steals are also tied for second for most steals in a conference game.

Guy arrived at KU in 1978 as only KU’s second McDonald’s All-American behind Valentine. Tony, who was a unanimous high school All-American, had a legendary prep career at Loyola High School in Towson, Md., where he helped lead his team to three straight Baltimore Catholic League tournament titles (1976-78) Guy, who teamed with Baltimore’s first McDonald’s All-American Pete Budko (he went to North Carolina to play for coach Dean Smith), was Baltimore’s second McDonald’s All-American and is still his high school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,499 points.

A three-year starter for the Dons, Guy’s teams during that time went an impressive 78-19. Loyola ranked No. 2 in the state in final polls both his sophomore and junior years. Guy, the team captain his senior season, led Loyola in scoring (22.9 ppg), rebounding (11.1 rpg) and assists (3.6 apg) his senior year with a career-high 39 points that season and career rebounding high of 18 both his junior and senior seasons.

Guy earned the prestigious honor of being named to the BCL’s first Hall of Fame class on May 19, 2011.

On pressboxonline.com, here is what Keith Mills said about Guy at that time.

“One year after Budko arrived at Loyola, he was joined by Tony Guy, the magnificent 6-foot-6 do-it-all swingman, who scored 1,499 points during his four-year career and was also named to the BCL all-tournament team three years in a row.”

"Tony would be the prototype in the game today," former Calvert Hall coach Mark Amatucci once said. "If he wanted to stay outside, he could. If he wanted to go inside, he could. He could shoot from 20-25 feet and he could also go right by you. He was a fantastic player."

And most and far more important, a truly “fantastic” human being.

Tony, thanks eternally for the memories -- both on and especially off the court. You will aways have a special place in my heart!