‘I did it myself’

Victoria Sun

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 1999 | 10:28 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA team that has committed arguably the most draft-day blunders (see Bo Kimble, Randy Woods, Joe Wolf and Danny Ferry) in history finally did something right.

In keeping with tradition, however, the Los Angeles Clippers didn't make the move until six months after last year's draft.

On Jan. 22, the Clippers saved former UNLV player Tyrone Nesby from the obscurity of the CBA and signed him as a free agent during the lockout-shortened season.

Through 14 games, he's fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 12.2 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.

Nesby, along with former UNLV recruit Lamar Odom, the top pick in this year's draft, and new acquisition Derek Anderson, have helped the Clippers get off to a 4-10 start. That's not too bad, considering the team has had one winning season in 14 years since moving to LA from San Diego in 1984.

Surprisingly, Nesby says that only one person helped him get to the NBA -- and it wasn't UNLV head coach Bill Bayno.

In fact, he didn't have too many nice things to say about his former coach.

"You've got a player out there that can play good and he's gotta go the other way to get into the league," Nesby said while sitting courtside at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. "That just shows you what type of coach he is.

"And then once he gets there, then all of a sudden he (Bayno) wants all the publicity. But no, it's not like that. I tell people to this day, I got myself in. No coach helped me get in, I got myself in.

"I don't want to have nothing to do with the coaches. Don't get me wrong. UNLV as a school, I loved it. I love the people who were there and the professors. Just the coaches, I didn't like. I have nothing good to say about the coaches."

In past interviews, Nesby has made only positive comments about the UNLV coaching staff. So Bayno was puzzled by Nesby's apparent change of heart.

"I'm totally surprised," Bayno said. "I've never had a problem with him.

"I've never heard Tyrone say anything about coach Cyp (Glynn Cyprien) or myself or any of the coaches. I just wish him all the luck in the world."

Bayno was further confused by Nesby's comments because he said that he and Nesby ran into each other at McCarran International Airport a few weeks ago and exchanged pleasantries.

"We had a good talk," Bayno said. "We laughed. We joked around. Everything seemed fine.

"I've never taken any credit (for his success). Maybe other people have given me and Cyp credit, but we've never tried to take anything away from him.

"He is the only player to have ever gotten close to my mom (Sophie). He invited her to a Knicks game before. My whole reaction is I've got nothing bad to say about him."

Nesby, or "T. Nes," as he likes to be called, averaged 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in two seasons at UNLV but wasn't selected in the 1998 NBA Draft.

"I thought I was gonna get picked," Nesby said. "I'm at home, thinking, 'Man you're kidding me.' I didn't get picked.

"And my mom said 'You know what you need to do now. Just go to the CBA and get there the hard way.' That's what I did."

Nesby played in 25 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the CBA under current Detroit Pistons assistant coach Mo McHone.

Although he didn't put up outstanding numbers, averaging 9.8 points and three rebounds in 16.8 minutes a game, he did enough to impress the front offices of the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs, the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics before he chose to join the Clipper ship.

Of his decision to play for LA instead of the Spurs, who went onto win an NBA title, Nesby added with a woeful smile "That was before they were the champs."

Coincidentally, the Spurs tried to sign Nesby when his contract expired at the end of last season. But the Clippers matched San Antonio's offer and re-signed him to a multi-year contract on Aug. 9.

He is definitely pleased with his original decision.

"I'm just loving this year," Nesby said. "It's been real good so far.

"One thing I see is that everybody plays hard and plays together. Guys listen to each other this year. Guys come out and want to win. And I can see the fire in their eyes instead of everybody looking all droopy and depressed like they don't want to be here."

Perhaps because Nesby signed with the Clippers, a team known for its ineptitude at signing and keeping good free agents, most teams were unaware of his explosive scoring ability. So he was able to sneak past his opponents.

Not any more.

"This year it's a lot harder to go to the hole because everybody knows now," Nesby said. "Last year nobody knew me so I was going to the hole, and dunking on people.

"But this year it's like, 'Don't let him go to the hole. If you see him, go help.' "

Nesby is finally living the life that most people only can dream about. But he laughs at the notion that he's "big time" and says he most certainly hasn't gone Hollywood.

"I'm no LA dude. I'm not gonna lie. I don't like LA. Everybody's really phony. I don't know anybody in LA and I'm not trying to know anybody.

"But the team I love. The players I love and the coaches I love. That's the thing that counts."

He might not act like an NBA prima donna, but there are other indicators that Nesby has arrived:

* You know you're big time when you've got two cell phones -- with different area codes.

* You know you're big time when you live down the street from guys such as LA Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Glen Rice in the posh Southern California community of Bel Air, and you keep a second home in Las Vegas.

* And the final sign that you've made it is when your Christmas tree is 13 feet tall and it took more than four hours to decorate it.

"It's my first real tree," Nesby proudly offers, in the manner of a kid telling you he's going to get straight A's on his report card. "I love it."