There’s one thing that every NBA player has in common – from superstars to end-of-the-bench guys: At one point, they were all rookies. They’ve all picked up the donuts. They’ve all gone into the arena seats to recover the basketballs that the veterans punted up there.
But not all rookies go through their freshman season the same way. Some eased into their careers with established vets; some were forced into the fire. But they all took their freshman lumps.
With the Wine and Gold heading to Washington, we decided to sit down with Cavs center Brendan Haywood for today’s installment of Rookie Tales.
Born in New York City, Haywood – a four-year standout at North Carolina – was actually drafted by the Cavaliers with the 20th pick in the 2001 Draft. (Tabbed 12 spots after Cleveland took DeSagana Diop at No. 8 overall, the No. 20 pick was a result of the deal that brought Chris Gatling and Clarence Weatherspoon to Cleveland and sent Shawn Kemp to the Blazers.)
But before Haywood could get comfortable with Cleveland, he was dealt to the Orlando Magic for Michael Doleac. Just over a month later, he was dealt to Washington D.C., where he’d spend the first nine years of his 13-year NBA career.
Haywood didn’t come into just any situation as a rookie with Washington. In 2001-02, the legendary Michael Jordan stepped down from the Wizards front office and onto the court, attempting a comeback at age 38. It was also the year that the Wizards drafted Kwame Brown with the No. 1 overall pick the previous June.
The Wizards team Haywood joined in 2001 was coached by Doug Collins and featured Christian Laettner, Rip Hamilton, Etan Thomas and current Cavs assistant Tyronn Lue.
And long before the Wizards and Cavaliers began their heated three-year playoff rivalry, Brendan Haywood was just getting started in D.C. …
What do you remember about Draft night in 2001?
Brendan Haywood: The thing I remember most was being very excited and anxious and nervous. And then when I didn’t get drafted where I thought I was going to be drafted, anxiety started to build up. I didn’t want to be the next Rashard Lewis – in the Green Room, crying.
And then when I finally heard my name called with the 20th pick, it was just relief, joy, happiness and knowing that I could do stuff for my family that I never thought I could do.
And you were able to stay on the East Coast …
Haywood: Yeah, but once you stay in that Green Room for a little while, you don’t care if you’re on the East Coast, West Coast, Toronto – it doesn’t matter. As long as you get out of there.
Did you ever feel any resentment against the Cavs for trading you on Draft night?
Haywood: No, I never had any resentment because I think I was meant to be where I was. I had a great time in D.C. The guys I met in D.C. are going to be my friends for life. Guys like Jared Jeffries, Roger Mason, Laron Profit – those are going to be guys that are going to be at my wedding, man. Those are guys that I’ll be friends with when I’m 50, so I don’t mind it at all.
I made some great bonds and had a chance to play some very good basketball.
Because you were four-year guy from North Carolina, how much easier was your adjustment compared to Kwame Brown’s?
Haywood: I think it was very tough for Kwame. Just because of the expectations – coming in and playing with Michael Jordan, who we all looked up to growing up as a kid. And then, coming from a small town and going to a big city like D.C. and being forced to adapt and learn things.
People expected him to be an adult and he was still a kid – and they didn’t understand that. And I think it really worked on him, mentally.
North Carolina guys are renowned for taking care of each other. How big was it to have guys like Jordan and Hubert Davis in D.C.?
Haywood: It was great having those guys there because they showed me what it was to be a professional.
It was amazing to still see Michael Jordan be the first person in the gym at close to 40 years old. And not, like, barely the first one there. He’d be there at 8:00 a.m. working out with Tim Grover.
And guys like Hubert Davis, who weren’t playing – they were in the role I’m in right now. But he came in every day and he’d be lathered up before practice, working, getting a sweat, getting his shots up. So they showed me what it was to be a true professional and how to handle myself.
How important is it for rookies to learn from true pros like that?
Haywood: It’s imperative – because as a rookie, you want to link up with the right group. That gives you your base foundation for what you’re going to do for the rest of your career. You look back and think: ‘OK, this is what so-and-so was doing, and I have to do the same thing.’
Getting in with a bad group can kill you. Because then you think: ‘Hey, I can stay out all night. I can drink before games.’ You don’t want to get in with a bad group. Getting in with a good group is imperative.
Speaking of UNC, was it tough to play with a Duke icon like Christian Laettner?
Haywood: My relationship with Christian was fine. It wasn’t a Duke-Carolina thing; it was just a basketball thing.
Laettner was that guy that, it didn’t matter what school you went to – he was still going to get under your skin, because he was super-sarcastic, he always had something to say. But we practiced hard, we went at each other. It was nothing about Duke-Carolina, it was about getting better.
Etan Thomas was a unique NBA player. How was your experience with him?
Haywood: Etan was always socially conscious. He was somebody that was heavy into the community. He was a different type of NBA player. There’s not too many like him because he was the ‘earthy’ guy – into poetry and things like that. While everyone else would want to talk about the game last night, he wanted to have an hour-long conversation on politics and George Bush.
So he was a little bit different, but he was very smart, very opinionated and could convey his thoughts very well.
What was Tyronn Lue like back then and did you ever expect that he’d one day be an NBA coach?
Haywood: I always tell T-Lue, seeing him as serious and as good a basketball coach as he is today, I would have never expected that from him as player. He was always great and he always knew everything, but he was just so lighthearted back then.
I was talking to him a couple nights ago before the game. I said: ‘I’m looking at you in all these nice suits you have on. I’d never thought you’d dress this nice when, back in the day you had, like, 105 big, baggy throwback jerseys and that was your mainstay wardrobe.'
But it’s great to see his growth and I’m happy for him.
Were there any vets that were especially tough on you?
Haywood: No, the vets weren’t really tough. And that’s one of the things at Carolina that helped me.
As a freshman at UNC, I came in and tried to buck the system. And they made it very hard on me. Guys like Makhtar N'Diaye – I hated that guy as a freshman. I hated him! (Laughs) I probably still have some hate for him now!
But some of those older guys made it hard on me because I bucked the system. When I got to the league, I knew not to make that same mistake. I did everything they asked me to do and basically, by the end of November they stopped asking me to stuff.
Kwame was the guy bucking the system, so they kept messing with him. Me and Bobby Simmons got to fly under the radar after that.
So the lesson is: Do what the vets tell you …
Haywood: If you don’t fight it, you’ll end up just doing little things every once in a while, like getting towels for guys and little stuff like that. Helping with bags, getting donuts. But if you try to fight the system then guys will have fun playing with you. I learned all that early on.
The Cavs only have two rookies on the roster – Joe Harris and Alex Kirk. What advice do you have for those guys?
Haywood: The thing I try to emphasize to them is to be ready.
It’s a long NBA season and at some point, your number will be called. Whether it’s somebody getting hurt or whether it’s somebody in foul trouble – there’s going to be a game out of the blue, where you’ll be sitting there, looking in the stands and somebody’s gonna say: ‘Alex, go in the game!’ And you have to be ready.
So that’s the biggest thing I tell the young guys: Stay ready.