Clyde dishes on Dream Team, Yao and that pesky coaching rumor

NEW YORK -- It was an unusual scene. Tennis great Ivan Lendl and Olympic hockey legend Mike Eruzione talking about golf (both are low single-digit handicap players), Dara Torres and Brett Hull talking about life in the water and on the ice, and Troy Aikman asking Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day about medical issues in thoroughbred racing.

It was the 24th annual Legends Dinner to benefit the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, a night that makes everyone grateful for whatever he or she has.

Clyde Drexler was one of the honorees at the Legends Dinner to benefit the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis. (Getty Images)

"Marc Buoniconti has been in that wheelchair for 2½ decades," Clyde Drexler said of the former Citadel football player -- and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti -- who was paralyzed in 1985. "But there is finally something to be very, very excited about."

Drexler was speaking of the first human clinical trials to cure spinal cord paralysis that will begin at the Miami Project, funded by a $10 million anonymous gift on Tuesday night.

Drexler also wanted to talk basketball. The NBA season, which begins in a couple of weeks, has him thinking about his old team and current employer, the Houston Rockets. Drexler does analysis for the radio broadcasts. Now in his fourth year, there's been speculation that his goal is to replace head coach Rick Adelman.

Clyde the Glide would like to make one thing clear: The rumors -- based partly on his own vague statement -- that he wants the job when Adelman retires are, in Drexler's view, wildly incorrect.

"I have zero intention of coaching the Rockets," he said, circling his index finger and thumb to make the point. "Zero."

Then how did the rumor get started?

"When asked if I'd want to coach in the NBA, I said, 'Never say never.'"

For one thing (and two and three), his life is too busy. The legendary guard, who starred in college at University of Houston and won a title with the Rockets, has a calendar that is bursting. He waltzed on Dancing With the Stars, where apparently his glide was not appreciated. He finished eighth.

There is golf, his kids and even college football. Drexler went to the Cougars' nail-biting 29-28 win over Texas Tech on Sept. 26, accompanied by his college and NBA buddy Hakeem Olajuwon.

But ultimately, there is basketball.

Drexler, who was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in the NBA History, has strong memories of his glory years in Portland, teaming with Terry Porter to break the team scoring and assist records. Drexler finally won an NBA title in 1995 with the Rockets, but his greatest achievement came in 1992.

"The Dream Team," he said, as if it needed no explanation.

Coached by Chuck Daly, the Olympic team made up of first names like Magic, Michael, Larry Sir Charles, and Clyde, affected all the players deeply. John Stockton said it changed his life.

"We were a family and we were playing for something bigger than ourselves," Stockton said. "I didn't like Clyde Drexler before we went to Barcelona, in fact, I couldn't stand him. But being together made us close. I finally forgave him for trying to poke my eye out one game."

Drexler said playing on the Dream Team was magical.

"No one could touch us," he said. "The closest team, Croatia, still lost by 30. The practices were 10 times harder than the games."

As for this year's Rockets team, Drexler has startling thoughts on Yao Ming, whose two foot surgeries left his season, possibly even his career, in doubt.

"Yao might be back by midseason," Drexler said. "The Rockets aren't conceding that he's out for the year."

And what of Aaron Brooks, the 6-0 guard who's being called on to both score and run the floor?

"He's going to break out this year," Drexler said. "When Yao went down against the Lakers last year in the playoffs, Aaron stepped up in Game 4 and scored 34 points. The Rockets need his scoring. They also need him to find people in the paint."

Brooks averaged 16 points and shot 45 percent in the playoffs. Pretty good, but Drexler is wondering where all the 22-point/50-percent shooters have gone. Last year, only New Orleans's Chris Paul and San Antonio's Tony Parker averaged those numbers. In Clyde's day, Michael Jordan, Chris Mullin, Kevin Johnson, Sidney Moncrief and many others played at that level.

"It was the standard to shoot 50 percent," said Drexler, shaking his hand in disgust, "or you simply didn't get the ball."