Playoffs 2000:Free-spirited center thrives in structured lineup

Free-spirited center thrives in structured lineup
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY -- Olden Polynice feels vindicated, and with good reason. Labeled a disruptive force and even a "cancer" in recent years, things could only get better at some point.

That's where Polynice is now.

While his former teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, Polynice will start at center for Utah when the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals open Sunday in Portland.

When Polynice signed as a free agent in August, it raised eyebrows around the league. How could an outspoken, free-spirited journeyman fit into the structured regime of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan?

No problem, it turns out.

"When we first met, Jerry had me sit down," Polynice said. "He laid out all the rules, from the drawstring on down. He does that with everyone on the team ... and we all abide by the rules.

"But once again," Polynice added with a cynical frown, "you'll hear people saying I don't abide by any rules."

The 1999-2000 season offered a chance for Polynice to reshape his image. He came to Utah after a year in Seattle and four strenuous years in Sacramento, where it was said he eroded team unity.

"That reputation went out the window when he got here," Sloan said. "He had to go on what our team is trying to do. We've got great players that show great leadership. I think everything worked out well."

After public spats with Sacramento teammates and management, Polynice was described as a "cancer" in the locker room. He said it was an incorrect and unfair assessment.

"A guy wouldn't play if his knee was sore or maybe he had a hangnail, and it made me mad," Polynice recalled. "I would say something about it and then suddenly I'm a cancer."

That hasn't been a problem in Utah because of Sloan's clearly defined expectations and a tendency among the Jazz players to rarely acknowledge injuries while playing through them.

Signed to push Greg Ostertag at center, the 35-year-old Polynice became a starter and averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds during the regular season.

After he scored 13 points in Utah's 96-93 victory over Seattle on Friday night, Sonics coach Paul Westphal described Polynice as the "fifth player" who made the difference for the Jazz.

Karl Malone, Utah's perennial All-Star forward, must have sensed the same thing in August. He put aside years of feuding with Polynice to welcome him to the Jazz.

"Olden has done everything he was supposed to do," Malone said. "When he came here, I told people to just give him a chance. I believe it's the environment you're around, and he's done a great job for us."

Polynice has found a comfort zone with the Jazz, but it's one he said always existed.

"I didn't come here looking to prove people wrong," he said. "I'm the same person I was last year and the same person I was the year before last. I didn't change anything about myself."