WHY DOES EVERYBODY LOOK DOWN ON THIS SUN?
Robey will be in town with the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night. He'll be glad to be back in Boston, and glad to be out of Phoenix.It hasn't been easy or fun for Robey since the Celtics shipped him to Phoenix for Dennis Johnson."Certain people here in Phoenix blame me for it," Robey said earlier this week.
"They still look down upon me because of the trade. Well, I'm not the person that made the trade."If Larry Bird was traded for Mark Eaton, it wouldn't be Mark Eaton's fault. Sometimes it's tough for me to play in our own arena because certain fans are tough on me. It's human nature. It bothers you, but after everything I've been through, I'm kind of gettin' used to it."Robey remembers the day that his life changed.
It was June 27, 1983. Red Auerbach had summoned three Celtic beat writers to his chambers for the purpose of berating free agent Kevin McHale and his agent. Talks were not progressing as Auerbach had hoped, the Knicks were breathing down the Celts' necks, and Red was hotter than a cigar tip.
Finished with his tirade, Auerbach picked up a phone, grinned slightly and said, "Stick around for a few more minutes."
Moments later, Auerbach hung up the phone and announced, "The Celtics have acquired guard Dennis Johnson from Phoenix in exchange for Rick Robey.". . . and what else?Nothing else.
Auerbach got DJ for Robey straight up.It has proved to be one of the grand heists in Auerbach's life of NBA crime. Red's photo should be on the wall in the front offices of 22 NBA cities with the inscription, "Do not return phone calls from this man."
The trade has ranked right up there with Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater, Babe Ruth for cash, and Manhattan Island for 20 bucks and some beads.
Dennis Johnson has been Boston's best guard for two seasons. He scored 20 or more points in the final four games of the epic 1984 finals, playing with a broken wrist in the seventh game. He was an All-Star last season. The Celts rewarded him with a four-year contract worth about $3.2 million.
Robey has enjoyed no such glories in Phoenix. He's had four operations and played in only 65 games in his first two years with the Suns. Since he arrived in Arizona, he's been over-weight, injured or ineffective.
Five games into the 1985-86 season, Robey is playing for the first time since undergoing major heel surgery, but the Suns went into last night's game with a winless record."Our team has had a lot of changes," noted Robey. "But we're startin' to come along."The 6-foot-10-inch Robey thinks he's finally ready to start playing his game again.
He'd better be. He'll be 30 in January and this is the final year of his contract.Medical problems have threatened Robey's career since he left Boston. It started with arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during his first season in Phoenix. At the end of that season (he averaged 5.6 points in 14 minutes per game), Robey had surgery on his right heel.
Robey's Achilles tendon was badly inflamed during camp prior to the 1984-85 season, and it was determined that he would have to either retire or have major heel surgery to give his Achilles room to breathe. Dr. Stanley James (who operated on Joan Benoit) performed the surgery one year ago. While Robey was sidelined, he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He played in only four games last season.Robey went through rigorous rehabilitation until July, when he finally started jogging.
By August, he was playing full-court games again. Coach John MacLeod is giving him one last shot with the Suns this year. Robey is James Edwards' backup center, and is scheduled to start against certain pivotmen. He started against Utah's Eaton last week."I'm beginning to feel more comfortable out there again," Robey said.He misses Boston and the Celtics.
"Sometimes I think of how nice it would be to go back someplace with a different atmosphere," he said. "And this summer, we'll see what happens. From all the talk, I'll probably be a free agent this summer. I think there's several clubs I can still help."
He was the third player picked in the 1978 draft and played for the 1980-81 champion Celtics. Nonetheless, Rick Robey will probably go down in Celtics history as the man who brought Dennis Johnson to Boston.
Robey will be in town with the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night. He'll be glad to be back in Boston, and glad to be out of Phoenix.It hasn't been easy or fun for Robey since the Celtics shipped him to Phoenix for Dennis Johnson."Certain people here in Phoenix blame me for it," Robey said earlier this week.
"They still look down upon me because of the trade. Well, I'm not the person that made the trade."If Larry Bird was traded for Mark Eaton, it wouldn't be Mark Eaton's fault. Sometimes it's tough for me to play in our own arena because certain fans are tough on me. It's human nature. It bothers you, but after everything I've been through, I'm kind of gettin' used to it."Robey remembers the day that his life changed.
It was June 27, 1983. Red Auerbach had summoned three Celtic beat writers to his chambers for the purpose of berating free agent Kevin McHale and his agent. Talks were not progressing as Auerbach had hoped, the Knicks were breathing down the Celts' necks, and Red was hotter than a cigar tip.
Finished with his tirade, Auerbach picked up a phone, grinned slightly and said, "Stick around for a few more minutes."
Moments later, Auerbach hung up the phone and announced, "The Celtics have acquired guard Dennis Johnson from Phoenix in exchange for Rick Robey.". . . and what else?Nothing else.
Auerbach got DJ for Robey straight up.It has proved to be one of the grand heists in Auerbach's life of NBA crime. Red's photo should be on the wall in the front offices of 22 NBA cities with the inscription, "Do not return phone calls from this man."
The trade has ranked right up there with Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater, Babe Ruth for cash, and Manhattan Island for 20 bucks and some beads.
Dennis Johnson has been Boston's best guard for two seasons. He scored 20 or more points in the final four games of the epic 1984 finals, playing with a broken wrist in the seventh game. He was an All-Star last season. The Celts rewarded him with a four-year contract worth about $3.2 million.
Robey has enjoyed no such glories in Phoenix. He's had four operations and played in only 65 games in his first two years with the Suns. Since he arrived in Arizona, he's been over-weight, injured or ineffective.
Five games into the 1985-86 season, Robey is playing for the first time since undergoing major heel surgery, but the Suns went into last night's game with a winless record."Our team has had a lot of changes," noted Robey. "But we're startin' to come along."The 6-foot-10-inch Robey thinks he's finally ready to start playing his game again.
He'd better be. He'll be 30 in January and this is the final year of his contract.Medical problems have threatened Robey's career since he left Boston. It started with arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during his first season in Phoenix. At the end of that season (he averaged 5.6 points in 14 minutes per game), Robey had surgery on his right heel.
Robey's Achilles tendon was badly inflamed during camp prior to the 1984-85 season, and it was determined that he would have to either retire or have major heel surgery to give his Achilles room to breathe. Dr. Stanley James (who operated on Joan Benoit) performed the surgery one year ago. While Robey was sidelined, he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He played in only four games last season.Robey went through rigorous rehabilitation until July, when he finally started jogging.
By August, he was playing full-court games again. Coach John MacLeod is giving him one last shot with the Suns this year. Robey is James Edwards' backup center, and is scheduled to start against certain pivotmen. He started against Utah's Eaton last week."I'm beginning to feel more comfortable out there again," Robey said.He misses Boston and the Celtics.
"Sometimes I think of how nice it would be to go back someplace with a different atmosphere," he said. "And this summer, we'll see what happens. From all the talk, I'll probably be a free agent this summer. I think there's several clubs I can still help."
He was the third player picked in the 1978 draft and played for the 1980-81 champion Celtics. Nonetheless, Rick Robey will probably go down in Celtics history as the man who brought Dennis Johnson to Boston.
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