TEMPLE ALUM RICK BRUNSON FINALLY HAS A GUARANTEE WITH SONICS

By JON PAUL MOROSI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

He spent 400 summer hours within the walls of Philadelphia's juvenile justice system. He wanted to.

Rick Brunson needed the internship to graduate from Temple University with a degree in social work. So, his status as an NBA point guard notwithstanding, he worked it. Nine to five. Suit and tie. May to August. Monday through Friday.

If at some point this summer, you were a teenager arrested in Philadelphia, you would have met with a counselor who has logged 4,287 minutes, and counting, in the world's greatest basketball league.

"Ask for my time card," he said last week, "they'll show it to you."

No need. Not necessary. At this point, there is little reason to doubt Brunson was there, without fail, as in his other, more lucrative career.

Some who arrived at 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue knew who he was. Some did not. Many wondered what exactly he was doing there.

"You retired?" he was often asked.

"No," he told them, "just trying to get my degree."

Done. He also received another hard-earned piece of paper this summer, one for which he has worked nearly as long. After a career year with the Clippers, the Sonics offered him a one-year contract worth just over $1 million for the chance to be a reserve point guard.

His signature Aug. 5 was one of the more significant of the basketball summer -- to those who paid attention. After 310 games, eight seasons, and eight teams, Brunson has a guaranteed NBA contract for the first time in his career.

In previous camps, he counted teammates as they stretched, calculating whether there was a place for him. He's guaranteed. That guy's guaranteed. Where does that leave me? Every year, for eight years, he won the numbers game.

"What are the odds?" asked Dean Demopoulos, the former Seattle assistant and current Nate McMillan top aide who was an assistant coach at Temple during Brunson's career there. "There's that one spot open, year in and year out. Every year, you're the guy.

"That's incredible. If there are any others like that, I don't know them."

As recently as last season, Brunson had to cope with what Mavericks general manager Donn Nelson has called the most unsettling feeling in basketball -- the awareness that every pass, every shot, every defensive slide could produce the misstep that prompts an organization to say, "He's not the right fit."

No longer. Brunson is "tempered steel," Nelson said. Strong. Unsnappable. Wealthier, too.

That does not mean, however, that he is coasting. He is still a reserve, deep on the depth chart. He calls himself the team's "15th man," even though he is actually higher than that.

"The 15th guy shouldn't have the greatest talent," he declared. "He's a guy you know that, if you put him in at any given time, he's not going to hurt you. He may not help you. But he won't hurt you."

The point is this: Luke Ridnour's place in the rotation is safe, just as those of Shaun Livingston, Jamal Crawford, Jay Williams, and Kirk Hinrich were before.

"They never fear for their jobs," Brunson said. "I'm here to help them. I'm not here for a five-year, six-year deal. I'm 33 years old. I want to see you improve."

Tireless work ethic

Brunson is a left-handed point guard -- quick, name some others -- but that is hardly the way most people know him. There is his contract history. Then there is his work ethic.

Dan Leibovitz, for one, considers him the hardest-working NBA player. Leibovitz, a Temple assistant, has lived around the block from Brunson. He knows the routine well. Brunson rises near 6 each summer morning and brings his personal key to the Cherry Hill (N.J.) East High School. He shoots. He plays pickup games. He runs up and down and around the gym's stairs.

Brunson has been known to do the same routine on Temple's campus. He'll work out on his own. He'll work out with a trainer. He'll play in pickup games with college players, pro players -- whomever arrives from among the many name roundballers who call the Philadelphia area their offseason home. In the way of his mentor, Temple coach John Chaney, Brunson would probably play them all if he had the time.

His agent, Leon Rose, considers him the quintessential "gym rat." Care to argue?

"It's just an entire day, killing himself," said Leibovitz, who often mentions Brunson as an example to Temple players. "He is a maniac."

He changes his habits slightly during the season, depending on his playing time. He was often on injured reserve when he was with Chicago three years ago, so he had to keep in shape.

Naturally, he ran. Up the stairs. Around the building. In every arena.

"All the steps," he said. "The one stadium I didn't conquer was Utah. Too steep. I got three-quarters of the way and had to rest. That was it."

New Orleans Arena, he said, was also troublesome. KeyArena? No sweat.

A career to be proud of

He was in seventh grade when Jeff Van Gundy saw him for the first time at Rick Pitino's Providence College Individual Instruction Camp. Van Gundy, then Pitino's graduate assistant, had Brunson on his team during camp.

He had to have been special then. He must have been a standout. He had "NBA" written all over him.

Right?

"No," Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy could, however, tell he was a very good player, one who had already acquired some of the intangibles that have defined his career.

He has since evolved, Van Gundy said, from a "great" high school player (McDonald's All-American), to a "very good" college player, to a "well-established backup point guard" in the NBA.

The lattermost role does not sound very glamorous. Then again, he has made more than $4 million doing it. Banks do not discriminate between guaranteed and non-guaranteed paychecks.

"He can be as proud of his career as some of the greatest players in this game," Van Gundy said. "He maximized what he's been given as well as anybody in the NBA.

"When he goes into coaching -- and I'm sure he will -- he's going to look back at this period and see what he accomplished, when he could have easily fallen by the wayside and never had an NBA career at all."

Long after Pitino's camp, Van Gundy coached Brunson for all or part of three seasons with the Knicks. The two remain close today. Whenever Brunson plays against Van Gundy's team -- now the Rockets -- he pays him a visit before doing anything else at the arena that day.

Still, as Brunson was sure to point out, even their friendship was not enough to score him the guaranteed money. And that was OK.

"Some guys crack, start making excuses about politics," Van Gundy said. "Rick just stuck with it, year after year."

Better with age

Last season was Brunson's most "satisfying" as a professional. Injuries to Livingston and Marko Jaric left minutes for him, and he responded with career highs in points (5.5), assists (5.1) and rebounds (2.3) per game.

Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy was not surprised. He coached Brunson in Portland during his first NBA season.

When Dunleavy needed a reserve guard one year ago, Brunson's name came to mind immediately, a sort of brand name for the smart, reliable veteran who does not cause problems on or off the court. Chris Dudley compared him to former Sonic David Wingate, the sort of player who teammates enjoy and coaches find reasons to keep.

"He was just what I expected," Dunleavy said. "He went from playing eight or 10 minutes per game to playing a large number of minutes. He did a terrific job. He more than took advantage."

Dunleavy noticed the 32-year-old Brunson was even better than the 25-year-old Brunson, for the reason that his marketable assets have only improved over that time.

"He plays with his head and his skills," Dunleavy said. "Because of that, he's only going to get better with age. The skills he has are not going to diminish."

The Clippers were interested in keeping him for another season. The decision was made, however, around the time Dunleavy's father died, and there had been miscommunication within the organization.

The end result was a ninth season in the NBA for Brunson, with the team that wanted him most. Sonics coach Bob Weiss joked that he is the only NBA coach who had not had Brunson on his team. While Weiss said the guard minutes have not been determined, it is likely he fits on the depth chart somewhere between Ronald Murray and Mateen Cleaves.

"I don't know why teams let Brunson go," Weiss said. "He's great in the locker room. You don't use him for four games, but you put him in, and he's a guy you can trust.

"A lot of teams make mistakes on guys like that. They don't think he's ever going to be a star. They want to keep searching. But he's one of those guys who can really help you win."

Brunson has said he wants to play 10 seasons in the league. He hopes this one will stretch into May and June -- provided, of course, that the Sonics are able to squeeze in a little schedule relief. Temple's graduation ceremony is May 18.

Brunson wants to be there. So, he'd like it to be an off day during what (he hopes) will be a deep postseason run.

"Call David Stern," he suggested.

Good idea. After all these years of conforming to precisely what the uncertain NBA needs, Brunson deserves a guarantee or two.

P-I reporter Jon Paul Morosi can be reached at 206-448-8189 or jonpaulmorosi@seattlepi.com.