Is Dermarr all but gone?

[mrhonline]

Griz hopeful overcomes grisly crash

DerMarr Johnson returns to court

By Ron Higgins

higgins@gomemphis.com

July 5, 2003

http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_2089412,00.html

In reply to:

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The only thing DerMarr Johnson would have done differently is not turn down the radio in his Mercedes.

Had the radio been blaring, he would not have nodded off, driving home with friends in the wee hours last Sept. 13 on Cascade Road in Southwest Atlanta.

He would have not veered off the road, hit a tree, fractured four vertebrae in his neck and come within an inch of being dead or a quadriplegic. His friends pulled him out of the flaming car.

"I got off the exit near my house and turned down the radio because my friends were sleeping," Johnson said.

"It got too quiet. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled out of the car."

It is an incredible story, even more so when you watch Johnson, a 6-9 swingman from Cincinnati, in the Grizzlies minicamp at Rhodes College on Friday.

He has gone through the fire and back since the accident.

A halo brace was drilled into his skull, then Johnson's father died, then his college coach Bob Huggins suffered a heart attack.

"Everything that happened, happened for a reason," Johnson said with unwavering faith.

He is in the Grizzlies' camp because the Griz felt he was worth a look, especially since he had been training three times daily in Sarasota, Fla., with a group of NBA players and prospects. Other teams didn't want to take a chance on Johnson.

"I'm here because Mr. West has confidence in me that I'm still able to play," said Johnson, who averaged 8.4 points and 3.4 rebounds as a part-time starter in his second pro season in 2001-2002.

"The question isn't about my ability, it's about my health. Mr. West had interest in me when I was a rookie."

Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown has been suitably impressed with Johnson.

"When you consider his accident and the incredible rehabilitation he had to go through, what he's doing out here is terrific," Brown said.

"He hasn't played competitively in almost a year, but he's holding his own."

What bothered Johnson the most after the accident wasn't the speculation about whether he had been drinking that night - "We were all sober," he said - but rather implications that his career was over.

Hawks team physician Michael Bernot said Johnson could again enjoy a normal life, but maybe not one that included basketball since "there is a question of collisions and diving on the floor."

Just a normal life wasn't good enough for Johnson. He'd broken his arm twice as a kid, and the arm healed. He looked at his neck the same way.

Johnson stubbornly made it a point to do everything a little sooner than expected. Seven weeks after the halo went on his head, it came off.

His neck was so weak, it felt like rubber. He was so weak that when he dribbled a basketball with his right arm, it wouldn't bounce back to his hand.

His first shot on a practice court was an airball. But by Christmas, when he was supposed to be taking just set shots, he was shooting jumpers and dunking.

By the second half of the season, he grew bored at home games sitting behind the Hawks' bench where he was placed so he could avoid contact on loose balls. During a game, he'd wander to the practice gym in Philips Arena and start shooting.

"I really wanted to get into some games at the end of last year, but I knew they wouldn't let me do that," Johnson said.

Johnson has no hard feelings toward the Hawks. Had he not been able to play again, the organization would have given him a front office job so he'd have benefits.

He's grateful for the support he received during rehab, particularly from Hawks trainer Wally Blase, who said "the type of fractures DerMarr has had, it's a miracle he's not in a wheelchair."

"I just wasn't going to hang my head about it," Johnson said.

"Even when I was in the halo, I was making jokes about it. I couldn't take back what happened. I thought, 'It happened, I'm going to heal, and I'll play again.' I was very optimistic."

Johnson didn't go through a life-changing stage because of his wreck, no self-examination. The only thing that gave him pause and still does is what happened in the moments after the wreck.

With him and his two friends, James Burnett and Floyd Williams, lying bloody in a ditch on a dark road, just one vehicle happened past. It was a black Lincoln Navigator driven by a nurse named Laila Ali, with her cousin as a passenger.

The women loaded the three men in the Navigator, and while her cousin drove to Southwest Medical Center, Ali kept Johnson and Barnett conscious by asking them questions.

"Man, if they hadn't come along, I don't know what would have happened," Johnson said.

Today at age 23, Johnson likely wouldn't have had a second chance at life and a career. He's happy to get a shot with the Grizzlies because he likes Brown, and he thinks his open-court game and three-point shooting fits the Griz's style.

"Everything's cool," Johnson said.

"I'm just anxious to get back in a game situation, the flow and pace of a game. I feel like I'm going to be playing somewhere this season."

Brown certainly hopes so.

"The accident came at a terrible time in his life because he still hadn't fulfilled his potential," Brown said.

"I know he's looking for that spark to get back to where he thought he was before the accident, so this camp and the summer league (in Los Angeles) will be really good for him."

- Ron Higgins: 529-2525

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[Guest]

Yes,he will sign somewhere else.

But as I look at our roster right now.....We are not

going to have much of an a roster.We will probably

lose FA's because that dumb goof McDavid.Don't

even tell me he shouldn't be blamed.There is no

freakin way it takes all these months to buy a

team..Either he has the money to buy the team

or he doesn't.Get the deal done or back the crap

off.

We don't have a real coach

We don't have a gm

We can't re-sign players

We can't make any trades

Why?Because of McDavid.