It’s no surprise that Jeff Pendergraph called Juwan Howard in June to wish him a happy Father’s Day.
Last season in Portland, the rookie out of Arizona State and 14-year veteran quickly formed a close relationship which easily extended beyond the basketball court.
At 37 years old, Howard had seen and been through it all in the NBA.
He shared stories about his days at Michigan and being the last player standing out of college basketball’s famed “Fab Five” of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson in the early ’90s. He taught Pendergraph what it meant to be a professional — in the NBA, with the media, and conditioning his body in the offseason to survive a long season.
For Pendergraph, there was an instant respect factor with Howard — and the feeling was mutual.
That is why it was easy for Pendergraph, 22, to tell Howard how he did not know his dad growing up in Etiwanda, Calif., and was raised in a single-parent home where he looked after his younger brother and sister.
At seven years old, Pendergraph was the man of the house. He didn’t have a choice. His mother, LaDona Orcutt, was busy working two jobs from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. to try and support her family.
So when Pendergraph reached out to Howard on Father’s Day, it was like a family reunion of sorts.
They talked about life, summer workouts, and getting ready for October’s training camp in Portland.
The alarming part of the story came a month later when Howard signed a free-agent contract with the Miami Heat on July 20.
“We were playing phone tag for a while and then I caught wind of him heading to Miami,” said Pendergraph.
“It stinks to see him (Howard) go, and I wish he could have stayed. But he has to do what is best for him. Trust me — I will take those extra minutes. I’m not going to complain about that.”
Pendergraph and Howard were immediate fan favorites in Portland last season thanks to their physical play, a part of Pendergraph’s game he won’t be shy to show off for the Blazers this year.
Howard appeared in 73 games and averaged 6.0 points with 27 starts and with the knee injuries to Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla, Howard moonlighted at center behind Marcus Camby.
Pendergraph was left to watch and learn. Starting the season on the disabled list after offseason hip surgery, Pendergraph returned and played spot minutes in 39 games.
Now a season removed from averaging 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, the 6-9 second-year power forward will be the one taking Howard’s job backing up Camby in the middle this season in Portland.
As the first week of training camp continues for the Blazers, the coaching staff envisions Pendergraph as their reserve center to open the season.
He’s part of a deep and rather inexperienced bench that lacks size in the frontcourt with Oden and Przybilla rehabbing their knee injuries.
As Howard rides off in to Miami with the chance to finally win an NBA ring with the all-star trio of Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, Pendergraph prepares himself for a larger part in Portland’s game plan this season.
“I’m just trying to push myself more and even when I get tired, I have to keep going. Last year I was so hurt, so I need to still get my mind right and almost go through it (training camp) as a rookie,” he said. “I didn’t really get to go through that last year. I’m excited to get going and push the guys and push myself. We don’t have a lot of time to get ready.”
In two days of training camp, Pendergraph is steadily building upon his offseason workouts that included Blazers assistant Kaleb Canales traveling to California and putting Pendergraph through some “intense” two-a-day workouts for two weeks.
They worked on everything from Pendergraph’s footwork around the rim and his face-up game. Much like then, Canales can tell now that Howard’s work ethic and dedication has influenced Pendergraph in many ways.
The Blazers will miss Howard’s veteran leadership in the locker room and on the floor, but they love Pendergraph’s confidence and positive attitude.
“We are going to need him this season. He comes to work and puts his hardhat on every day. He does what we ask, and encourages his teammates. That’s the way Juwan was,” explained Canales.
“Juwan made a comment to me one time that he knew he had to bring it every day in practice, because he knew Jeff was. But I really think it was the other way. Jeff knew Juwan was going to be ready to go. They would guard each other a lot in practice, so Jeff knew he couldn’t take possessions off. He had to bring it.”
The toughest part for Pendergraph today is adjusting to the offseason changes which saw the additions of free-agent swing guard Wesley Matthews, and rookies Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson and Elliot Williams, along with a revamped front office and coaching staff under Nate McMillan.
“It’s a little weird, especially on the coaching side,” Pendergraph explained, with Monty Williams, Joe Prunty, Dean Demopoulos and John Townsend replaced by a more seasoned staff of Buck Williams, Bernie Bickerstaff and Bob Ociepka.
“It’s going to be a new learning experience getting to know everyone all over again. It’s hard with Juwan gone, but you have to keep an open mind,” added Pendergraph.
“This is a business. It’s not personal.”
