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CHAT TRANSCRIPT -- MAY 21, 1999
One-on-One with
Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Armstrong, the runaway winner in the voting for both the Most Improved and Sixth Man Awards, is the first player ever to win both awards in the same season.
Darrell Armstrong helped the Magic to the East's best record this season. (NBA Photos) |
Armstrong helped the Magic to the top record in the Eastern Conference this season, averaging career-highs of 13.8 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.16 steals in 30.0 minutes per game, appearing in all 50 contests with 15 starts.
He ranked third in the NBA in free throw percentage at .904, eighth in steals and 12th in assists. His season was marked by late-game heroics, including a game-winning jumper with 1.6 seconds left at Indiana on April 27, 19 points in the fourth quarter in a win over Miami on March 28, and a game-winning layup at the buzzer against Philadelphia on March 15.
Darrell answered your questions in a live chat on Friday, May 21. Here is the transcript:
Tavoris Lawrence from dial.accucomm.net at 4:09pm ET
How does it feel to win the Sixth Man Award this year knowing that just five years ago you were playing in the CBA?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:09pm ET
It feels good, I mean, just putting myself in the position to show my talent was my biggest concern. I wasn't really looking at fighting for an NBA award. My biggest thing was, it didn't watter to me where I was five years ago, it was about getting the chance to play.
Margaret from proxy.aol.com at 4:10pm ET
Darrell, congratulations on a great season! We flew down from Ohio to see the Miami game where you had 19 pts in the fourth quarter. You are a great player. What do you think this team needs to go to the next level? Do you think Penny will sign and stay with the Magic? Do you think Derek Strong and Horace Grant will stay?
Thanks.
Darrell Armstrong at 4:11pm ET
I'm not sure. I think we need some more young legs. What we need, I'm not sure, because I'm not the GM, I can't say. We need some young guys on the team. On the Penny situation, I'm not sure if he'll stay. I think he will, but it's all about working out situations with the Magic. For sure I think Derek Strong and Horace Grant will be here. It was a difficult season for a lot of players, and we're looking forward to next year, when the season will start on time and go its regular length.
Tony from proxy.aol.com at 4:12pm ET
How many packs of sugar do you put in your coffee before a game?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:12pm ET
It depends. I have a big cup, and I definitely want to make sure it's sweet. I'm all about making sure my coffee is sweet. Some people can drink it with one sugar, not me. Usually, I put about eight packs in there. But the kids tell me it's got to be sweet!
Brandon Swickard from proxy.aol.com at 4:13pm ET
Who did you admire in the NBA when you were a kid?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:13pm ET
I always liked watching James Worthy, who's from my home town, Sleepy Floyd, who's also from my home town, and Michael Jordan. But I loved to watch a lot of people play. Those were basically my favorite three to watch, though.
James from dtsa.osd.mil at 4:14pm ET
What was the difference from last season, that improved your game?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:14pm ET
I played the whole year! That was the biggest thing. Last year, when I was playing strong and good, I had an injury that ended my season. I had rotator cuff surgery. At that time, I was playing well, really doing a good job, but that put me in the background. No one knew what had happened to Darrell Armstrong.
Barbara from proxy.aol.com at 4:15pm ET
How is your arm doing? I read that you were playing with ligament damage most of the season, I hope you do not have to have surgery, I will say a prayer for you. Good luck at whatever you do!
Darrell Armstrong at 4:16pm ET
Thank you. It's doing fine. It hurt so bad during the last couple of weeks of the season. Every game I took a charge and I had to catch myself with that wrist. It aggravated the injury more. We thought it was a cyst, but we did an MRI this week and found it was a ligament tear.
Justin Martin from cybertours.com at 4:16pm ET
Congratulations on your awards Darrell, I'm a big fan! What was your most memorable moment from this season?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:17pm ET
I had a lot, but I think I had two. When I stole the ball from Philly with three seconds to go to win the game. It felt like everyone on the team stepped up to make it happen for me or whoever to get that steal. Also, the Indiana game (April 25), when we were struggling. We'd lost five in a row, and were trying to hold onto the second or third spot. I ended up hitting a game-winning shot, on TNT. Those were probably my two most memorable moments this year.
Dan from agapesystems.com at 4:17pm ET
Who is the hardest to guard in the NBA?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:18pm ET
I think every guard in the NBA , as point or two guard, is difficult. With your body, mood swings, changes...some nights you don't feel like taking on a guy, and that night he might be hot. You never know in the NBA, on any night, any guard can give you numbers. You've got to be ready to go every night, or you can get embarassed really easily.
nollimit68 from proxy.aol.com at 4:18pm ET
Darrell, who do you think will get to the Eastern Conference Finals?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:19pm ET
I think Indiana, and New York will be playing in the Finals. Right now New York is playing on a high, and they've got guys stepping up playing well for them, giving Patrick Ewing help since he's injured. Indiana, especially with us out of the picture, it's going to be an easy task for them to just walk on into the Championship. Plus, they've got New York's number.
Jalen Brown Melbourne, FL from psc.state.fl.us at 4:20pm ET
Commentators are always talking about your frame, do you plan on adding any pounds during the off season?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:21pm ET
I've been trying that for about 10 years now, but I keep losing weight! I'm going to definitely add muscle, get stronger in my upper body. And this offseason, I get the chance to lift with my legs. I didn't get that chance during the season. I felt weak. I felt like my defense was less effective. My legs wouldn't let me play the way I wanted to.
Jayman from proxy.aol.com at 4:21pm ET
Who was your mentor growing up and who motivated you to become a successful basketball player?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:22pm ET
I just think my mom is my motivator and mentor, not so much in basketball but in everyday life. She worked so hard to raise three kids alone, and instilled alot of things in me. How hard I've seen her work when I was young, it made me want to work even harder. She's my mentor. Forget any basketball player, my mentor is my mom.
Ursel from tnt2.irvington.nj.da.uu.net at 4:22pm ET
What do you think of the rookies Matt Harpring and Michael Doleac?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:23pm ET
I thought they did a great job, especially with the short time we had to prepare for the season. No one expected them to come in and play the way they did. I knew Matt would come in, but I didn't know Mike, because I always played with Matt during the summers in Atlanta. After seeing Mike play, though, I knew he could help this team. They just play hard, and that's what you need on any NBA team — guys who give their all. And that's what they did, and they made a name for themselves.
R. Pitino from tfn.com at 4:23pm ET
Darrell: I admire the work you did covering "the Answer", you are easily one of the hard working players in the league — how many seasons did you put in the CBA before jumping over?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:25pm ET
Well, I put in basically a month. I played three years in the USBL, a summer league for NBA scouts to come see you, and I played two years in the Global Basketball Association, and then that league folded. I played two years overseas, in Cyprus, Greece, and in Spain. Then I joined the Magic. The CBA is a great league. Everyone plays hard, every night. They can't afford to take a night off. They play hard, and that's, I think, the best thing about the CBA.
vhakim@umich.edu from subnet-36.med.umich.edu at 4:25pm ET
Hey Darrell,
Seeing stories like you about people who worked their way up to the top is great! How did you overcome the comments that others always told you saying you couldn't make it?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:26pm ET
I used it to my advantage. I heard the negative things, and just did all the things I needed to do to get stronger and better. It just made me work even harder. And that's the best thing about making the league: the people who didn't think I could do it congratulated me and told me how happy they were for me. That was very special to me, like a reward.
Adam Priest from sigecom.net at 4:27pm ET
What team played you the toughest throughout the season?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:28pm ET
Ooh, I don't know. Probably Indiana. Probably Miami, they played us tough. A lot of teams played us tough, but sometiomes you've got to go right back at them tough. Only a couple of teams held me to under 10 points. I know Miami was one, and Indiana was one. I'm not sure about the rest. Dallas, they held me under 10. There were a lot of teams that held me down.
sharon from israel from internet-zahav.net at 4:28pm ET
After playing in Europe, how hard was it for you to come and play in the physical game of the NBA?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:29pm ET
That's a good question. It was very difficult at first, because I had to get used to the height of guards in the NBA. They were much taller than guards in the European leagues. When I got here, some guards would tip my ball when I shot. I had to learn how to get my shot off quicker and get around people faster. It was easy in Europe, but vey difficult in the NBA.
Justin Martin from cybertours.com at 4:29pm ET
Are you very superstitious? If so, what do you do?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:30pm ET
I'm superstitious about, usually, cutting off my goatee, and sometimes when I cut it off, I get an injury. If I let it grow back I might get another injury. Sometimes I do cut it off, I might not play well. This year, I kept it on the whole time. That was a first, keeping it for a whole season.
Alex from ix.netcom.com at 4:30pm ET
When did you know you wanted to make a career out of basketball?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:31pm ET
Probably my first or second year in college, after playing intramural basketball in college. I kept having love for it, and realized that I wanted to play college or pro basketball.
nollimit68 from proxy.aol.com at 4:31pm ET
Who was the person you turned to when times got hard?
Darrell Armstrong at 4:33pm ET
I turn to my Bible. It's taught me things about real life, about being patient. I got a chance to read it when I was playing in Spain, playing in Greece. I would get impatient, wondering who was watching me, what teams wanted me. But I started reading my Bible, and...it taught me about patience.
Darrell Armstrong at 4:34pm ET
Thanks to all the fans around the world who've supported me. I'd like to thank my teammates, my coaches, the Orlando Magic, the media for voting for me for those awards this year. And thanks to everyone who called in with a question today.
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1998-99 chat archive Darrell Armstrong wins Most Improved Award Darrell Armstrong wins Sixth Man Award Multiple award winners in the same season NBA.com Postseason Award poll results
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