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The Dallas Mavericks sent point guard Darrel Armstrong to
the Indiana Pacers for Anthony Johnson. From the blind eye
the trade looks like a wash, just a swap of point guards.
But after the trade was officially announced it seems the
Pacers are getting swingman Rawle Marshall and forward Josh
Powell. Armstrong averaged 10.1 points per game and 4.1 assists
per game in his eleven-year careeer. It begs the question
to be asked, why did Larry Bird do this trade? Sure they receive
Powell and Marshall, but the actual headline grabber is, Johnson
for Armstrong.
It seems the Pacers are rebuilding the team and putting on
a new look that was missed when Ron Artest was traded, they
lost that defensive edge that was sorely missed. The Pacers
first free agent move was to add Al Harrington, the deal isn't
one hundred percent official but as the clock ticks the trade
moves somewhat closer to being completed. As of now it stands
that Pacers might send center Jeff Foster to Atlanta, but
Foster seems disgruntled on the move that would make him a
Hawk. Harrington brings a tenacious outlook at the four and
three spots and would improve the team defensively. The acquisition
of Armstrong brings them a hustler and an energy guy off the
bench even at such an old age of 38, the guy all about work
ethic. Armstrong represents everything about moral and discipline. |
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In short everything
that's right with the NBA begins with Darrel Armstrong. Growing
up in Gastonia, NC, he had trouble making it off the bench
at his high school, Ashbrook. No one has struggled harder
to get to this level than him, going undrafted in 1994 from
Division II Fayetteville State, then playing in the GBA, CBA,
USBL, then overseas in Cyprus and Spain, where they called
him AM-strong . He played with hasty abandon, with inclusive
ignorance for his individual being, taking charges, plunging
for loose balls and whatever else it took to give his team
one more possession. He spent nine years in Orlando and he
never took a play off, in fact it seem as if he even didn't
know how. So in a league where knuckleheads like Rasheed Wallace,
Dennis Rodman, and even Glenn Robinson last year in San Antonio
can win titles, it's time to unite behind the one guy who
is an accurate role model in every sense of the word. Shaq
and Kobe couldn't work out their dissimilarities or else they'd
be onto their seventh straight title. Armstrong played every
game like he was in the Finals, and I for one hope he gets
to experience that again this year.
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| In my opinion the Pacers came out
winners in this trade. Darrel Armstrong in my opinion is one
of the few unsung role-models of the NBA. He may not be the
best player on the court, but he plays with heart. No one shows
more desire and hustle for the game then him. Any team that
has him adds a great personality and a coach on the bench. He
may not have the skills to perform at his old age, but any team
would be lucky to have him. |
"No one shows more desire and hustle for the game
then him. Any team that has him adds a great
personality and a coach on the bench" |
