The Nate Archibald Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Friday, November 26th, 2004
The Royals posses the fifth overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. The talent pool is deep; Detroit selects Bob Lanier first, and then marquee names such as Rudy Tomjanovich, Pete Maravich and Dave Cowens are snatched off the board. Cincinnati, in desperate need of a big man, selects Sam Lacey fifth. Immediately, the agonizing wait begins: Will Archibald last until the second pick in the second round, nineteenth overall, which is where the Royals pick next?
Somehow, Archibald slides out of the first round. When the San Diego Rockets choose Niagara’s Calvin Murphy with the first selection in round two, Cousy wastes little time grabbing his man. Training camp confirms that Tiny is a score-first point guard, yet Cousy’s faith never waivers. He knows that the rookie is young and athletic, and that Tiny – now also known as Nate the Skate for his seemingly effortless end-to-end, full-court sprints – has been pushing the ball and scoring baskets his whole life. Changing that mindset won’t happen overnight. So he gives Archibald the reigns to the offense, along with the green light to shoot the basketball. He uses the practices to mentor his protégée on the art of quarterbacking an NBA team. Archibald averages 16.0 points and 5.5 assists, respectable numbers, but he is also turnover-prone and has trouble making adjustments on the defensive end.
The turnovers continue to plague Archibald during his second season, causing Cousy and General Manager Joe Axelson to briefly consider trading their prized pupil. The move is ultimately vetoed, and Archibald responds by playing the best basketball of his young pro career. By midseason he is on the All-Star Game bubble, but toiling for the moribund Royals doesn’t help his cause. Feeling slighted, Archibald goes on a scoring rampage over the second half of the season; his 34.0 points-per-game average over that span removes all doubt as to whether this 6’-1” rocket man can succeed on the NBA stage.
The Royals, struggling on the court and at the box office, relocate to Kansas City following the 1971-72 season. The franchise also changes its name to the Kings, and Archibald responds with a season for the ages: The third year pro becomes the only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same season. The numbers – 34.0 points and 11.4 assists per game – are simply mind numbing. Archibald is selected to play in his first All-Star Game, and is also honored with a place on the All-NBA First Team. The pride of Patterson has beaten the odds – the drugs, the violence, the poverty – on his way to basketball stardom.
Despite this newfound celebrity, there are reminders of Patterson’s dark reality at every turn. A brother is arrested for robbery. Another is brought in on drug charges. Yet another suffers a drug overdose. These are the grim situations that Tiny had been able to avoid as a child, the life-altering events that had ruined so many of the friends he’d grown up with. Through high school he’d been able to protect his younger brothers and sisters from such dangers. Now, he is too far away to help. He flies home, again playing the role of father-figure, and begins to work through the most challenging period in his family’s history. His siblings listen to him as they always have and, over time, their mistakes are overcome.
