By Rich Myhre
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Gary Payton is 33 years old, which in normal human years puts him in the prime of life.
However, in NBA years, which are calculated something like dog years, Payton now belongs with the league’s senior set.
In itself, this is hardly noteworthy. True, Payton still plays superbly, but so do several other fellows who are as old and even older than the Seattle SuperSonics guard.
What stands out about Payton is the minutes he plays, even in his early twilight years. Night after night, no other NBA graybeard play as many minutes as Payton. The fact is, no one else is even close.
Payton, who is in his 12th pro season, ranks third among NBA players in playing time at 42.1 minutes per game. Of the other players in the top 10, only one – 30-year-old Eddie Jones of Miami, who is 10th at 39.9 – is not in his 20s. Among the few dozen NBA players who are older than Payton, the one with the highest minutes-per-game average is 38-year-old Karl Malone of Utah, who is 25th at 37.8.
Because Seattle has already played 27 games, more than most teams, Payton has played 1,138 minutes this season, the top mark in the league.
Here, it gets even more remarkable. Older NBA players typically see their minutes shrink because coaches are trying to save aging muscles and joints. In Seattle, the opposite is happening. The more Payton ages, the more he plays. He is on a pace to play the most minutes of his career this season. It would break the mark he set in 1999-2000, while last season’s average would drop to a close third.
According to Sonics coach Nate McMillan, the reason Payton plays so much is necessity.
“He’s our best player,” McMillan said, “and you have to use what you’ve got. Normally when he’s out of the game, we’re not clicking offensively. So until we get a group that can hold the lead or build a lead, then we’ll play the guys that are making it happen. And he happens to be one of those guys.”
Former coach Paul Westphal, who coached Payton for two seasons and part of a third until being fired a year ago, used to put it this way: “I’ll play Gary as little as possible, but as much as necessary.”
Which, given the mediocrity of the Sonics in recent years, turned out to be a lot.
Payton declined to talk with reporters after Thursday’s team practice, as he often does. His teammates, though, were quite willing to discuss an athlete who is truly amazing, even in the eyes of his peers.
“The word typical does not enter into my vocabulary when I start talking about Gary Payton,” said backcourt mate Brent Barry. “Gary is a freak (of nature) and there’s really no other way to put it. He plays both ends of the court and he takes a beating, and he’s still getting things done.
“Gary has rubbed people the wrong way because he competes so hard and wants to win so bad. But if you took that fire away from him, he probably wouldn’t be in the position he is today. What keeps him going is his will to win and his desire to compete. And that’s the thing I most respect about him, having played with him for the last three years.”
Forward Vin Baker, who speaks of Payton almost with awe, says his friend “has absolutely one of the most phenomenal bodies that’s ever come through sports. There are some people in sports who have been blessed with the gift of a great body and great stamina, and he’s one of them. He’s got more stamina than 99.9 percent of the guards in our league. I’ve never seen him ask out of a game. He doesn’t want to come out of games. He gets (angry) when he does.”
The rest, Baker said, is pure attitude. “Eighty-five percent of his game is mental. Gary is just a warrior. He won’t let anybody beat him.”
An obvious question, of course, is to wonder how much Payton can take. Even McMillan admits there is “always a danger of a guy wearing down. But right now I’m basically coaching with a feel for the game. If I can give him longer minutes on the bench, I will. But he’s durable. He’s able to play those minutes. Most guys can’t compete hard for 40-plus minutes. Gary’s been doing it for his whole career.
“We could save him for the end of the season,” McMillan said with a smile and a shrug. “But there may not be an end of the season (ie., a postseason) if we don’t use him now.”
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