Rod Strickland just wanted to start.
And it really didn`t matter if it was in New York or some place like San Antonio. In fact, if Strickland had his druthers, San Antonio-the city, not the team-is not a place where the former Knick guard would want to be at least eight months a year.
”Big difference,” said Strickland, who grew up in the Bronx and lived in Newark, N.J., before being traded to the Spurs for Maurice Cheeks last Feb. 21. ”I hate the food. I think San Antonio is more of a family town. There`s not much to do here. Nothing.”
But play basketball. While Mark Jackson and Cheeks have been on-again, off-again starters for the Knicks, Strickland is flourishing as the starting point guard on the Midwest Division-leading Spurs.
Larry Brown gushed with praise for the third-year guard after he posted 16 points, 6 assists and 10 defensive rebounds in a 95-86 win at Detroit last week.
”He`s been terrific,” the Spurs coach said. ”It`s such a new experience for him to start and trying to be vocal and be a leader. He has the ability as a point guard, but he`s never been the guy to call plays and change defenses and understand the clock and score. He`s doing better and better.”
The trade, of course, remains controversial here, the Knicks giving up dash and youth in Strickland for steadiness and experience in Cheeks. Strickland appears to be a good fit with the running Spurs, who have a wealth of young talent in center David Robinson, forward Sean Elliott and guard Willie Anderson.
”He`s a good basketball player,” Cavs assistant coach Brian Winters said. ”He was good with New York, too. He`s got good quickness. They like to run up and down; it`s a good place for him-get out in transition, that`s what he likes. He`s pretty good at it. He`s not a great shooter, so if he can get out, get in the lanes, penetrate and score that way, that helps them.”
Strickland has gotten the Knicks, if not New York, out of his system. He felt the pressure after the trade because Cheeks had done such a fine job with the Spurs. But Strickland now knows that, finally, he`s the man.
”It feels good, definitely better than it felt in New York,” the former De Paul star said. ”I feel a little more appreciated. Now you get an opportunity to show what you can do. I`m playing a lot better, just from the fact that I`ve been here for a while. I`m getting used to the guys and they`re getting used to me.”
Brown has gone so far as to import some of Strickland`s buddies. One-fourth of the Spurs` roster is made up of former Knicks-Sidney Green and Pete Myers joining Strickland.
”I think it`s important that Rodney`s comfortable with the people he`s around,” Brown explained. ”Sidney`s trying. He wants me to get Eddie Lee Wilkins now. He said that`s Rodney`s guy.”
Strickland is giving Brown consistent numbers-15 points, 8 assists and nearly 3 steals, playing 36 minutes. Lateness, a problem that plagued Strickland trying to get to practice, hasn`t been a problem in quaint San Antonio.
”Where I`m at, I`m probably about 15 minutes away from everything, except for the airport-I`m five minutes away from there,” Strickland said.
”That`s pretty good. And there`s no traffic, so I don`t have to worry about being late.”
More Top Picks Starts
Brown always has had a tolerance, understanding and the will to try to reform troubled players.
”I would think there`s less opportunity to be late,” Brown said of Strickland. ”But he doesn`t do anything maliciously, that`s the big thing. I think as a coach you have to understand that. I`ve been around Rodney. I know he wants to win and he`s for the coach.”
And he could`ve been leading the Knicks. But that`s history as far as Strickland is concerned.
”I have no perception, I don`t even get into that,” said Strickland.
”I`m in San Antonio now. Those things in New York are behind me now. I don`t even try to analyze it. I really don`t care.”