Theus happy to share news he handed out plenty of assists
By Mike McGraw | Daily Herald
If there is ever a tough question in my head, it's likely on other people's minds as well. So I try to be direct and give someone a chance to address the issue.
With former Bulls star Reggie Theus, first-year head coach of the Sacramento Kings, in a talkative mood on Saturday, I decided to ask him (with all due respect) about charges that sharing the ball wasn't exactly his strength as an NBA player. So now what does he say to his own team on the subject?
I have very fond memories of Theus playing with the Bulls, particularly the 1981 team with Artis Gilmore, Ricky Sobers, David Greenwood, Dwight Jones and Bobby Wilkerson. That group upset the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs before getting swept by the Celtics.
More importantly, it was the first Chicago pro sports success to occur after I had my driver's license. So my friend Russ and I were able to transport ourselves to Ticketron and two of those playoff games at the Stadium.
Theus acted slightly insulted by the question, but had an answer ready. He challenged me to look up the assist totals from his playing days.
"When you do, I want you to call me," he said. "When I left the league, I was No. 11 in the history of the league in assists."
A day later, I checked the history section on NBA.com and Theus currently ranks 20th all-time in assists with 6,453, right between John Lucas and Norm Nixon, still ahead of Steve Nash.
I happened to attend a game in Philadelphia in the mid-1980s when Theus played for Sacramento and he basically shot the ball every time down the court. He's also remembered for being a poor fit when added to the Dominique Wilkins-Doc Rivers Atlanta team in 1988-89.
But Theus posted some impressive assist totals during his career, including 9.6 per game for the Kings in 1985-86 (third in the league behind Magic and Isiah). Theus' 4.7 assists during his one season with the Hawks was actually a career low.
"What made me, in my opinion, a great assist guy, I was looking to score every time I touched it, which meant the defense had to adjust to me," Theus said Saturday. "Then, of course, all you have to do at that point is do the right thing.
"All I tell my guys is to do the right thing. Duck your head and drive to the hole. If somebody steps up, get it to the open guy. If you were a poor defensive player and you become a coach, you become the hardest defensive coach there is. So I coach all aspects of the game."
As I thanked Theus and walked away, he again insisted I call him after looking up his numbers, even wrote down his phone number.
I think the coach of the Kings has better things to do than answer my phone call. So I'll just spread the word right here: Reggie Theus shared the ball very well in his playing days.