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by John DiCarlo

In just a few minutes of conversation, Greg Buckner emanates that matter-of-fact, no-nonsense vibe that led Sixers coach Larry Brown and General Manager Billy King to pursue the 6-foot-4, free agent guard last summer.

Ask Buckner, who spent his previous three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, about personal accolades and statistics, and he changes the subject to something else, like rebounding or diving for loose balls.

OK, so you ask him why he hustles and why he dives for loose balls, and Buckner will tell you that a player should be doing that, no matter who his coach is.

In a league so enamored with the flash, Buckner is a throwback. It’s not that he can’t score, put the ball on the floor or drive to the basket and finish with a dunk - because he can.

But Buckner fills up the stat sheet in other ways, ways that have contributed to the Sixers getting off to a quick start at the beginning of the season. Coming off the bench, Buckner is part of a versatile rotation that allows the Sixers to press teams and force turnovers to create chances on the offensive end, just like they did two seasons ago.

Sometimes Buckner doesn’t even have to put the ball in the basket to get a nod of approval in Brown’s postgame press conference.

“Buck had a great game for not scoring,” Brown said following the team’s 83-74 win over the Miami Heat back on Nov. 27. “I thought he gave us a big lift when he came in during the first half.”

Three Buckner blocks led to three of Miami’s 17 turnovers that night. Two nights later, he contributed eight points, two assists and two rebounds in a narrow, 95-94 win over the Washington Wizards.

Simply put, Buckner is a luxury the Sixers did not have a year ago. Through the team’s first 18 games, he averaged 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Those numbers are very similar to what he posted in Dallas last year (5.8 ppg., 3.9 rpg. 1.1 apg.).

But on this particular night, after the win over Miami, Buckner won’t let himself off the hook that easily.

“Right now, I think I’m playing terrible offensively,” said Buckner, who shot 52.5 percent from the floor as a Maverick last season. “But Coach keeps telling me, ‘Be aggressive, stay aggressive.’ And I think that’s what I’ve got to do to get out of that funk. But that encouragement means a lot to me.

“I think, Coach has put that confidence in me. At times, I think Coach believes in me more than I do, and I think that really helps me offensively.”

Buckner is about as level headed a player as you’ll find in the locker room. In a way, that maturity can be traced back to a time in college when he thought about walking away from his team.

“	At times, I think Coach believes in me more than I do, and I think that really helps me offensively.” — Greg Buckner

In the fall of 1994, Buckner was a freshman at Clemson, struggling through the demanding practices run by Tigers coach Rick Barnes, who has since moved on to Texas. He walked out of practice one day and thought about never coming back. But when he called his mother in Hopkinsville, Ky., he heard a voice on the other end of the phone telling him to stick it out.

Good thing he did.

Buckner made his mark quickly. He became only the fourth freshman in ACC history to lead his team in scoring (12 ppg), rebounding (5.9 ppg), and field goal percentage (.526). He became the first Clemson player to be selected as the ACC Rookie of the Year. Once Buckner had closed the book at Clemson, he had become only the third player in school history to exceed 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists.

In 1998, the Mavericks made Buckner the 53rd overall selection in the second round of the NBA Draft. But Buckner spent the 1998-99 season with Grand Rapids in the CBA. The Mavericks waived him that February, only to sign him again in August of 1999.

After being waived once more, Buckner got another opportunity. This time, he stuck. He made good on two consecutive, 10-day contracts, and the Mavs re-signed him for the remainder of the 2000 season. That August, Buckner signed a two-year deal and finally had some sense of stability in the league. When it came time for free agency this past summer, the Sixers and the Lakers were Buckner’s most persistent suitors. Buckner weighed his options and decided to come east, even if meant leaving a very talented Mavs squad that now looks like the frontrunner of the Western Conference.

“I think Coach Brown and Allen Iverson made the difference (in coming to Philadelphia),” Buckner said. “Coach is arguably the best coach in the NBA. Allen Iverson is one of the top three players in the NBA, and that’s going to give you an opportunity to win championships. That is what I want to do. It’s tough to get that out West (in the Western Conference). But I think here in the East, we can get to the Finals, and anything can happen from there.”

More often than not, at least in the media, Brown is praising Buckner more than he’s scrutinizing him. Either way, Buckner appreciates the feedback and tutelage.

“Coach is one of those guys who’s going to tell you when you’re wrong and tell you when you’re right,” Buckner said. “He’s very complimentary when you do things well. I think that helps a lot of guys, not just me. It keeps guys together and keeps their heads up.”

Upon his signing to a long-term deal in July, Brown and King lauded Buckner’s ability to defend opposing shooting guard and small forwards, and Buckner has made good on that reputation. In the Sixers’ first 18 games, Buckner had already registered 23 steals, just eight shy of last season’s total.

“	You just have to go out there, play hard and be a professional and not worry about who’s playing beside you. If you do that, things will take care of themselves.” — Greg Buckner

Ideally, Buckner would love to get that shooting percentage back up near the number of 52 percent from a year ago. But, not surprisingly, he says he’s going to stay within his role on the team to do it. That means you won’t see him taking ill advised shots or forcing the issue just to score points.

“I’ve played with two excellent teams so far in the NBA, and I know what to do and how to work off the talent around me,” Buckner said. “I just have to find a way to keep my confidence up. I just have to find a way to find my niche, keep my body fresh and continue to work on my game.”

In the meantime, Buckner will rely upon a method and an attitude that has worked best for him thus far, that same no-nonsense, matter-of-fact vibe that led him to Philadelphia in the first place.

“My game is all hustle,” Buckner said, “and you can do that for just about any coach. It happened to bring me here. You just have to go out there, play hard and be a professional and not worry about who’s playing beside you. If you do that, things will take care of themselves.”