The winds of change just might be blowing down in Charlotte, if Lance Stephenson’s on-court demeanor can be believed.
The Brooklyn-born Stephenson gained lasting fame for blowing in LeBron James’ ear during last June’s Eastern Conference Finals, but he hasn’t been up to his old idiotic antics during the Charlotte Hornets’ preseason.
But will it last?
How Stephenson comports himself with his new team, with their new/old nickname, is going to be closely watched in NBA circles. There are some personnel people who believe Stephenson will never change his ways.
"He’s a typical New York ballplayer -- an attention-seeker,’" one long-time Eastern Conference scout told me. “He needs to grow up, but he’s been acting the same way for a long time. He loves getting all the attention and that’s the way it’s been for him since high school. So I don’t know if he’ll ever change."
After four seasons in Indiana during which he came a long way to develop into an All-Star caliber player, Stephenson wore out his welcome with his biggest advocate, team president Larry Bird, even as he was helping the Pacers go to two straight Eastern Conference Finals. I mean, who in the heat of a playoff battle blows in the best player on the planet’s ear?
Stephenson, that’s who.
Not that it caught anyone off guard with the Pacers.
So when the Lincoln High School product became a free agent, Bird and the Pacers held fast to what turned out to be their one and only offer, a five-year, $44-million deal. Feeling he was low-balled, Stephenson decided to leave $17 million on the table when Charlotte owner Michael Jordan gave him a three-year, $27.5-million deal that tops $9 million per season. The Pacers’ offer was below the annual salary he coveted.
"I figured I'd just go somewhere else where I could be more happy and I feel like I'm playing (for) at least what I'm worth,’’ Stephenson told the Indianapolis Star this week.
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From one NBA icon to another, Bird to Jordan, he’s joined the franchise that used to be the Bobcats and now bears the name of the old hugely-popular Charlotte franchise that left in 2002 for New Orleans. But now Stephenson has to make good on his promise to change his foolish ways, including on Nov. 19 when he returns to Indianapolis to play his former team for the first time.
That’s when he will speak to Bird, his mentor, for the first since leaving.
"There ain't no hard feelings,’’ Stephenson told the Star. “That's my guy, but I haven't talked to him.’’
If Stephenson can channel his emotions, the Hornets will have found themselves one of the game’s emerging wing players to pair with the underrated low-post menace Al Jefferson. During an abbreviated preseason when he missed several games with a groin injury, Stephenson averaged 11 points and three rebounds in close to 30 minutes. More importantly, he didn’t resort to acting like a knucklehead.
As he admitted during his introductory press conference when he arrived in Charlotte, "I’m very competitive. During the (East Finals) I was trying to play hard against LeBron. I know some of my antics were overboard. But I’m trying to do whatever it takes to win.’"
His maturation and continued improvement would do wonders for the Hornets as they attempt to build a winner behind Steve Clifford, one of the NBA’s top young coaches who makes it a practice to remind everyone that Stephenson just turned 24.
Then there is some sage advice from former All-Stars when Stephenson’s name is mentioned.
"The great thing for Lance is that he has a chance to change the story about him,"’ former NBA great Grant Hill told me the other day. “He’s still young enough and still has enough basketball left in him and hopefully, he’ll learn from his mistakes. I’m a big fan of his, but I didn’t like some of the things he did, like blowing in LeBron’s ear. As a player, you have to learn how to deal with success. He had success in Indiana, but didn’t do a great job handling it. So a lot is going to be dependent on his attitude and his approach. This may sound a little crazy, but he has a chance to be a leader on that team … if he comes to recognize he needs to do the right thing and mature."
In other words, Lance, save your breath.
Longtime New York columnist Mitch Lawrence continues to write about pro basketball, as he’s done for the last 21 years. His columns for NBCNewYork.com on the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and the NBA, along with other major sports, will appear twice weekly. Follow him on Twitter @Mitch _ Lawrence.
