The Scott Wedman Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Sunday, November 14th, 2004
You
and fellow teammate Otis Birdsong helped the Kings reach the Western Conference
finals in 1981, battling Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets. Please take me
back to that series. What stands out most in your mind?
We didn’t shoot as
well as we should have. As a team, our percentage was down from our season
average. We beat the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns to reach the
Conference Finals, and we felt good about our chances against the Rockets. But
Phil Ford and Otis Birdsong got hurt, and that forced us to change our
rotation. Ernie Grunfeld had to play more forward than he was used to, and I
was also out of position a bit. As a team, we were out of our flow. The
Rockets had Moses, Calvin Murphy, Robert Reid, Rudy Tomjanovich and Mike
Dunleavy. Quality guys. So they were a very good team. It was a great
disappointment to lose, because I’ve always felt that we matched up better with
the Celtics that year. The Rockets fell 4-2 in the 1981 NBA Finals. I’ve
always wondered how we would have done against Larry Bird, Kevin [McHale] and
Robert [Parish].
Kings
ownership broke up the team following the loss to the Rockets, and you
signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Please tell me
about this period in your life.
That was the
first year of free agency and the right of first refusal. The agents for
myself and Otis [Birdsong] did a really good job – we both ended up signing
with Cleveland, and it was a financial success in both cases.
To be honest, I expected to stay in Kansas City my entire career. It felt
good – I knew the offense, the system, and everything about the situation
just fit. But ownership wasn’t looking to spend, and Cleveland was
aggressive. From a basketball standpoint it may not have been the best fit
for me, but that was an unknown at the time. When I got there I quickly
realized how much was different.
You
arrived in Boston following a midseason trade between the Celtics and the
Cleveland Cavaliers. How quickly were you accepted by your new teammates,
and what was it like to play for head coach Bill Fitch?
I vividly remember
the day that I was traded – it was January 16th, 1981. Ironically, my first
game as a Boston Celtic was against the Cavaliers in Cleveland. I remember
how strange it felt to dress in the road locker room. Back then the players
carried their own shoes and uniforms. I had my road uniform and a pair of
white basketball shoes with me, which posed something of a problem. The
Celtics either played in black or green basketball shoes. So I had to paint
my shoes green for the game [laughs].
I remember going out on the court for warm-ups – running the drills and
shooting the ball – and I don’t think I missed a shot. I felt really good –
I was excited to be a part of Boston Celtics, and to be playing with such a
talented group of players. And then the reality of the situation set in; I
didn’t get into the game, and I quickly learned that I was going to spend a
lot of time sitting behind Bird. It was very disappointing. But by the end
of that game I understood how close-knit that team was, and that it was
going to take some time to figure out where I fit.
The guys didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms, but I can understand their point-of-view; no one wants to see his minutes go down, and suddenly another player is thrown into the mix. After the Cleveland game I doubted whether Boston was the ideal situation for me. Confidence-wise, it was a very tough three-or-four month period because [Bill] Fitch had a set rotation. Cedric Maxwell was a starter, and McHale was the sixth man. Danny Ainge was slotted behind Gerald Henderson in the backcourt. Looking back, I think my biggest contributions those first few months came in the practices. I think I was brought in to push Larry in practice, to help keep him focused and motivated. Larry was very hard on me – he was always testing me, and challenging me the whole way. He’d talk so much trash. He’d try to show me up. It was a very difficult adjustment to make, because I wasn’t used to that type of environment.
The team played well after the trade, but Larry ended up getting hurt and we were swept out of the playoffs by Milwaukee. I used the summer to regroup. I worked with a personal trainer to improve my strength and conditioning, and when training camp opened I went right at Larry. He’d dish it out, and I’d give it right back. I wanted to prove that I belonged, and that I could fit into a productive role on the team. I became a contributor. I felt I was a key piece of the puzzle. At the same time, Larry began his run as the league’s Most Valuable Player. He was the MVP from 1984 to 1986, and I like to think I had a little to do with that. We had some great battles in practice.
The
Celtics were swept out of the 1983 NBA Playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks,
prompting Red Auerbach to make two key offseason changes; KC Jones was
promoted to the position of head coach, and Dennis Johnson was acquired in a
trade with Phoenix. Please tell me about KC and Dennis, and what each
meant in terms of winning a championship.
KC was the assistant coach when I arrived from Cleveland. He was a quiet,
soft-spoken man, but he was also very humorous. Very funny. As an
assistant, you knew you had a friend you could trust and lean on. He could
be a great buffer. In the NBA – and anything else for that matter – you
have to possess a certain degree of honesty, loyalty and integrity in order
to be successful. KC had those qualities. It’s so vital to have those
things in professional basketball because you go through so much. If those
elements aren’t present, then you discover quickly that the lines of
communication break down. It just doesn’t work. That was never the case
with KC.
KC was the perfect person for the head coaching job – we were a veteran team, so the X’s and O’s weren’t the most important factors for us. We needed someone who was accomplished, and who would let us go out there and play. It was a great move.
Dennis was very unusual. He was so casual and relaxed, and was always having fun. He was a true junkyard dog in many respects, a player who would do whatever the situation called for, and someone who always rose to the occasion. And he was such a great defensive player. He drew the tough assignments, always did great work defensively, and then was so dangerous on the other end of the court.
There were some questions about Dennis when the trade was made. There had been reports of run-ins with coaches in Seattle and Phoenix, and speculation that his personality was going to make him a problem. We welcomed him with open arms. He had a clean slate in Boston, and we were all determined to form our own opinions about Dennis Johnson. Larry and Dennis bonded almost immediately. There was a great deal of mutual respect between them. Three or four games into the exhibition season Larry made his famous statement to the press, saying that DJ was the best basketball player he’d ever played with. It was a great move by Larry, who was a master communicator and one of the best at working the press. He paid a great amount of respect to DJ, and DJ responded by fitting in perfectly. Larry was sincere when he made that comment, because he was never one to offer compliments easily. He quickly saw qualities in DJ that he liked, and he made no secret of his feelings.
