Chris Andersen has some career mileage on him, but he likes to compare himself to a car owned by that little old lady who drove only on Sundays. Which, coming from soneone known around the NBA as the "Birdman," sounds strange enough.
The energetic reserve would be an ideal candidate for Comeback Player of the Year if the NBA still had the award. He averaged 6.4 points and a career-high 6.2 rebounds while finishing second in the NBA in blocked shots with a 2.46 average, despite logging a modest 20.5 minutes a night.But in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit, severely damaging Andersen's house and his Hummer and leading Andersen, like many residents, to flee. In addition, Andersen was becoming estranged from his mother, who raised him in the tiny town of Iola, Texas.
"The problems just kept coming, and it was like a domino effect," Andersen said of the fall of 2005, when the hurricane-displaced Hornets moved to Oklahoma City, where they would play two seasons. "I just fell apart. I had nobody to turn to. And the people I could turn to, I really didn't turn to.
"I guess it was a sense of pride I thought I could handle [the problems] by myself. I made some decisions, and they weren't the right decisions."
Andersen had begun missing games and practices. He said it was the flu. But it made Scott wonder.
"A lot of things were going on that were suspicious and, as a head coach, you just don't catch them all," Scott said. "There were a bunch of signs that, when it finally came out, I said, 'Man, I wish I had paid more attention to this and that.' We were all like, 'The flu doesn't go that long.'"
The word finally came down Jan. 27, 2006 that Andersen had been suspended and his contract voided for testing positive for a drug "of abuse." Andersen, who says he never will reveal the drug, would be eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.
"I broke the rules," Andersen said. "But I took it like a man. I did what I was supposed to do. I told myself, 'I'm going to get motivated, to change the way I've been living, and dig myself out of the hole I was in.'"
Andersen went through a 30-day rehabilitation stint at a Malibu, Calif., clinic. He credits his Denver-based attorney, Mark Bryant, and his fiancée Brandy Newman for straightening him out.
Andersen moved back to the Denver area and began to work out regularly while waiting for his hopeful NBA return. His ticket finally came when he was re-signed by New Orleans on March 5, 2008.
"I was very thankful they brought me back, but I guess they had higher expectations," Andersen said.
Andersen was rusty, and, with the Hornets' rotation set, played little upon his return. He became a free agent after the season, and he made it known he'd love to return to the Nuggets.
"I saw him [in downtown] Denver, and he said he was trying to make a comeback with the Nuggets," said Denver guard Anthony Carter. "I thought he was just playing with me."
The Nuggets signed him in July. By the time training camp arrived, a serious Andersen, who had been working out intensely, showed up with a conservative haircut, saying it was a "new me."
The Nuggets soon found out how serious he was.
"I don't think anybody expected what he's done," said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. "Nobody believed he was going to come back and do what he's done."
It didn't take long for Andersen to again win over Denver fans, who regularly hold up "Birdman" signs. In fact, Anthony jokes he might be "losing my touch" as Denver's most popular player.
"I'm thankful [the Nuggets] have allowed me to do what I do, roam around and help everybody out on defense," Andersen said. "I knew I was going to play like this. I was hoping I was going to play a little better, but I had a couple of injuries [the most serious a broken rib that cost him nine November games]."
Andersen, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and wants to return to Denver, believes there's plenty of time for him to improve.
"For two years, I wasn't putting miles on my shoes," he said. "That means I get to play two extra years."
- i love guys like this. when they put all there heart into the game, after all the bad things that had happened to them. it gets into me. and i feel really blessed to know these people and learn from them. hope you will too.
