Kemp, team have lots to lose with latest ding

By Kerry Eggers

The Portland Tribune, Feb 26, 2002, Updated Oct 30, 2009

When I reached John Lucas, the Cleveland Cavalier coach had not yet talked with Shawn Kemp, who was suspended by the NBA last week for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse program.

But Lucas, whose own career ended prematurely because of substance abuse and ran a rehabilitation center for years afterward, was concerned.

Lucas, one of the men I most admire in the NBA, didn’t know the specifics of Kemp’s situation and hadn’t talked with him in depth since Kemp spent time working out with him last summer in Houston. “It could be for something like not returning phone calls, not taking a drug test, whatever,” Lucas said. “He must not have been in compliance for a while. In that case, they are just trying to get his attention.

“I have not talked to Shawn or heard anything about what is happening there now. But my gut is, when you are out of contact, you are not doing what you need to do.”

Because of confidentiality rules in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement signed in 1999, NBA or team officials cannot comment on the Kemp case. “There is a flat-out prohibition in the agreement,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik said. “I can’t say anything.”

Then there is Bob Whitsitt’s stance. During a Friday news conference announcing Kemp’s indefinite suspension for violation of the anti-drug program, Portland’s president-GM said he doesn’t know the extent of the violation. “Whatever A to Z is,” Whitsitt said, “it could be any of those.”

Of course, Whitsitt knows, as does coach Maurice Cheeks. They aren’t about to share that information with reporters, however, even if they were so allowed. But who am I to doubt Whitsitt’s sincerity? When later asked how the Blazers would fill Kemp’s roster spot, his straight-faced reply was, “If one of our guys (on the injured list) is healthy enough, we will put him in there” Ñ knowing full well that none of those three players has a legitimate injury. Like many teams, Portland stashes three healthy players on the list, using it as a taxi squad.

When he left the Blazers last March, Kemp voluntarily entered an Atlanta rehab center for cocaine abuse, avoiding a mandatory “lifetime” suspension. (A player given a lifetime suspension is allowed to ask for reinstatement after two years.) He understands that if he tests positive for the drug during his probationary period, he will be banned indefinitely from the league.

I began covering the NBA in 1989-90, Kemp’s rookie season in Seattle, and have found him an engaging, thoughtful interview most of the time. For a man who has admitted to making many mistakes, he has a kind heart. He goes out of his way to sign autographs and has a soft spot for kids. Each Christmas, he enjoys playing “Santa Kemp,” bestowing presents on underprivileged children. Last Christmas, he and his wife, Marvena, wrapped about 400 gifts for the recipients of their kindness.

Something is very wrong, though, when a man with so much to lose Ñ and I’m not talking solely of the $46 million due from the Blazers over the next two seasons Ñ allows something so important to slide. A source inside the Blazer organization says the feeling is that Kemp will be back with the club in two weeks or so, but there is no way of telling for sure.

In an interview with the Tribune in December, Kemp said this: “I would be a fool to say you are going to recover 100 percent and never have to worry about it. There are certain steps I have to take, and I continue to do that. But I think I will be fine. I am drug-free. I don’t drink. I have handled all my responsibilities. I have always been able to handle situations well once they have happened to me.”

I hope Kemp handles this situation well. I would feel better, though, if these things didn’t keep happening to him.

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