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The Royals posses the fifth
overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. The talent pool is deep; Detroit
selects Bob Lanier first, and then marquee names such as Rudy Tomjanovich,
Pete Maravich and Dave Cowens are snatched off the board. Cincinnati, in
desperate need of a big man, selects Sam Lacey fifth. Immediately, the
agonizing wait begins: Will Archibald last until the second pick in the
second round, nineteenth overall, which is where the Royals pick next?
Somehow, Archibald slides out of
the first round. When the San Diego Rockets choose Niagara’s Calvin Murphy
with the first selection in round two, Cousy wastes little time grabbing his
man. Training camp confirms that Tiny is a score-first point guard, yet
Cousy’s faith never waivers. He knows that the rookie is young and
athletic, and that Tiny – now also known as Nate the Skate for his seemingly
effortless end-to-end, full-court sprints – has been pushing the ball and
scoring baskets his whole life. Changing that mindset won’t happen
overnight. So he gives Archibald the reigns to the offense, along with the
green light to shoot the basketball. He uses the practices to mentor his
protégée on the art of quarterbacking an NBA team. Archibald averages 16.0
points and 5.5 assists, respectable numbers, but he is also turnover-prone
and has trouble making adjustments on the defensive end.
The turnovers continue to plague
Archibald during his second season, causing Cousy and General Manager Joe
Axelson to briefly consider trading their prized pupil. The move is
ultimately vetoed, and Archibald responds by playing the best basketball of
his young pro career. By midseason he is on the All-Star Game bubble, but
toiling for the moribund Royals doesn’t help his cause. Feeling slighted,
Archibald goes on a scoring rampage over the second half of the season; his
34.0 points-per-game average over that span removes all doubt as to whether
this 6’-1” rocket man can succeed on the NBA stage.
The Royals, struggling on the
court and at the box office, relocate to Kansas City following the 1971-72
season. The franchise also changes its name to the Kings, and Archibald
responds with a season for the ages: The third year pro becomes the only
player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists in the same
season. The numbers – 34.0 points and 11.4 assists per game – are simply
mind numbing. Archibald is selected to play in his first All-Star Game, and
is also honored with a place on the All-NBA First Team. The pride of
Patterson has beaten the odds – the drugs, the violence, the poverty – on
his way to basketball stardom.
Despite this newfound celebrity,
there are reminders of Patterson’s dark reality at every turn. A brother is
arrested for robbery. Another is brought in on drug charges. Yet another
suffers a drug overdose. These are the grim situations that Tiny had been
able to avoid as a child, the life-altering events that had ruined so many
of the friends he’d grown up with. Through high school he’d been able to
protect his younger brothers and sisters from such dangers. Now, he is too
far away to help. He flies home, again playing the role of father-figure,
and begins to work through the most challenging period in his family’s
history. His siblings listen to him as they always have and, over time,
their mistakes are overcome.
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