University of North Carolina Athletics
Stackhouse Soars As Pistons Sink
January 22, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2001
LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse would love to have Kobe Bryant's problems.
While Bryant seemingly longs to be the undisputed star of the Los Angeles Lakers - or some other team - Stackhouse is stuck as the lone star of the struggling Detroit Pistons.
``Kobe has no idea how good he's got it,'' Stackhouse said, shaking his head. ``Kobe is playing with a dominant big man who opens up a lot of things for him. If he didn't have Shaq, he might be just another guy scoring a bunch of points on an average team.''
Like Stackhouse.
However, it might be a stretch to call the Pistons even an average team. They have lost nine of their last 11 games and are 15-25.
Stackhouse is averaging an NBA-best 30.1 points, just ahead of Bryant.
``Kobe can have the scoring title,'' Stackhouse said with a grin, ``if I can have some of his wins and a chance to win the ring he's got.''
The Pistons seem to be years away from having a shot at the championship. And that would happen only if they add some stars to help Stackhouse and replace the void left by Grant Hill, who signed with the Orlando Magic in the offseason.
For now, Stackhouse is relegated to being Detroit's first, second and third option on offense.
When he has the ball on the perimeter, defenses swarm around him because he's proved he can make shots from anywhere.
When he drives to the basket, he is attacked as if he were a wide receiver coming across the middle because he's a threat to score with a powerful dunk or crafty layup, regardless of how many people are in his way.
Stackhouse has had little choice but to shoot, shoot and shoot some more.
Joe Smith, a role player in Minnesota, and Chucky Atkins, who has gone from starter to reserve in Detroit, are scoring about 12 points a game as Detroit's only other players averaging double figures.
Stackhouse is averaging almost five assists a game, and if teammates regularly made the open shots he creates, he would be among the league leaders in assists as well as scoring.
After Stackhouse scored 41 points in a loss to Portland last week, Damon Stoudamire almost felt sorry for him.
``It looked like they needed somebody to step up offensively, another weapon,'' the Trail Blazers' guard said. ``They definitely miss that second scorer.''
Do opponents let Stackhouse score all he wants because his teammates can't score enough to pose a threat?
``We didn't want to give him 41, he got 41,'' Stoudamire said.
The competitive scowl that Stackhouse displays on the court doesn't go away when he has to reflect on yet another loss.
``I don't like the fact that it seems like I have to score 40 or 50 a night,'' the former North Carolina star said. ``I see other teams that aren't any better than us where their key player has a bad game and they can still win. I'd like to see that here.
``If other guys are scoring, I'll pass the ball all night. But when the shots aren't going in, I feel more pressure to have to score the points myself.''
Detroit coach George Irvine understands Stackhouse's frustration.
``Most teams come right after him and dare our other guys to score,'' Irvine said.
Stackhouse calls his parents, Minnie and George, in Kinston, N.C., after every game. Minnie Stackhouse can hear the sadness in her son's voice after losses.
``He's not used to losing,'' she said. ``I try to lift his spirits up and usually I can by the end of the conversation.''
If Stackhouse is still down after talking to his parents, it doesn't take long for an ear-to-ear smile to appear when he walks into his 11,000-square foot home in suburban Detroit.
Stackhouse's wife, Ramirra, and his two children, Jaye, 3, and Alexis, 1, quickly engulf him in hugs and kisses. They really don't care if the Pistons won or lost.
``Losing two of my sisters to diabetes also helps me keep things in perspective,'' said Stackhouse, who is a spokesman for the National Diabetic Program.
If he needs more pseudo-therapy to forget about a loss, Stackhouse can head to his basement where an aquarium is filled with piranhas and assorted fish.
``I'm kind of fascinated by piranhas,'' Stackhouse said. ``It's crazy when I feed them, it's like `Survivor.'''
What fish does Stackhouse relate to the most?
``The Red Devil, definitely,'' he said. ``His back is all torn up by the piranhas, like I get beaten up in a game. But neither one of us is going away.''
