The voice on the other end of the phone interview was calm and collected. His answers to questions were concise and clear.
Who would have known I was talking to Rafer Alston, the trouble-making, coach-punching, girlfriend-beating point guard? At least that’s how he appears after years of media reports. It makes it hard at times to sift out facts from fiction.
Tuesday’s news story announcing Alston’s trade to the Houston Rockets listed him as temperamental in the headline.
Alston, a former point guard at a nearby community college in my hometown of Camarillo, Calif., hasn’t been afraid to make headlines in his six-year NBA career. The New York native, who played at Ventura Community College, later transferred to Fresno State and made a roundabout trip to the NBA.
More people know the New York streetball legend by his nickname “Skip to My Lou.” He’s been featured numerous times on AND1 videos filled with dribbling, dunking and you-name-it highlights. Sure, Alston was talented, but critics said he didn’t have NBA game or the ability to lead an offense, instead relying on flash and little substance.
His NBA career started slow with three years in Milwaukee under then-coach George Karl. Alston averaged only 38 games per year over that period and played less than 14 minutes per game.
Alston’s break came with Toronto in 2002-03. It was a 47-game stint, but it did enough to show NBA personnel his potential. He hooked up with Dwayne Wade and Lamar Odom with the Miami Heat in 2003-04. Alston had his opportunity and he flourished, playing all 82 games – starting in 28 – and averaged 10.2 points per game. He consistently splashed 3-pointers, averaging two per game at a 37-percent clip.
Happy ending right? Not exactly.
Miami lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals with Alston hoisting a last-second prayer in the series clincher.
Miami revamped its roster, shipping Caron Butler, Odom and Brian Grant to the Los Angeles Lakers for superstar Shaquille (insert clever nickname here) O’Neal. Alston had an offer to stay in Miami, but instead chose a more lucrative offer from his old team in Toronto.
Still think happy ending? Basketball player earns big bucks after rough start. Should we cue the music and start the credits?
Again, not quite.
Toronto’s rebuilding gave Alston a platform to shine, and he did for a while, averaging career highs of 14.2 points and 6.4 assists in 80 games last season.
Success couldn’t hide Alston’s troubled relationship with coach Sam Mitchell, a talented role-player during his 13-year career.
The acrimony between the pair culminated with Alston after a Dec. 3, 2004 game in Boston. Alston threatened to leave the Raptors and at one point said he was considering retirement – at the ripe old age of 29.
Then came February, when there was another dispute.
Several newspaper reports said Alston and Mitchell came to blows at halftime. Fellow guard Morris Peterson said at the time, “It’s like one big soap opera.”
Mitchell denied any bodily contact.
“There was no shoving; there was no physical contact. There were words exchanged and that was more or less the extent of it,” Mitchell later told The Fan, an all-sports Toronto radio station.
Sounds reasonable, but this incident came after Alston was suspended in January for conduct detrimental to the team after walking out of a practice.
So it was not very surprising Tuesday to see Alston shipped to the Rockets for Mike James. Alston is now more of a replacement for an injured Houston guard than a big-name free agent signee. Alston joins a Houston team oozing with potential with Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Stromile Swift.
When I talked to Alston, before he decided to leave Miami in the summer of 2004, he was straight forward and provided smooth answers. Alston gave no indication of anger management issues and sounded like countless other athletes I’ve spoken to.
There, at its roots, is the problem when determining an athlete’s sincerity. As a sportswriter, I make every effort to take athletes at their word. But when they don’t tell the truth, when they hide beneath an ego, it’s harder to figure out.
I had another interview with another former Ventura College basketball player who I’ll leave unnamed. He had had his share of legal problems and seemed to put them behind him. He returned to the basketball team and was a fan favorite and a good interview. Months later I’m reading the newspaper and I see he’s been accused of sexually assaulting a minor.
Athlete’s intentions, unclear at times, make it difficult to get the whole story. Quality journalists get the truth, metering out the innuendo and the lies. Readers want the whole story.
It’s a talent I’m trying to master, not being a naive sports fan who’s excited to talk to professional athletes, but a seasoned pro who finds the facts. An interview with Alston, who has had a turbulent career helps. Hard questions that can lead to the truth sometimes result in rebuke from a player who is unhappy with a reporter’s questions.
Alston did show some anger, bristling at a final query about his team’s post players.
Maybe I’m onto something after all.
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