Finally 4 Dantley: Coveted honor comes tonight

There was, he lights up in recalling, a Midwest Division championship that came in 1984 and followed losing seasons during his first four years in Utah.

"I think the highlight," Dantley said, "was when we won the division. Frank (Layden) was the All-Star coach; we turned the franchise around."

There are the stats and accolades — a 29.6 points-per-game scoring average from 1979-86 in Utah, four consecutive 30-plus-point seasons from '80-81 through '83-84, NBA Comeback Player of the Year award in '84, six All-Star Game appearances as a member of the Jazz — that Dantley firmly feels make his number worthy of hanging alongside those of Stockton, Malone, Hornacek, Mark Eaton, Darrell Griffith, Pete Maravich and an honorary one for Layden.

"When guys get their number retired, it's because they played well on that team," he said. "That's what it should be — because they played well while they was with that team.

"You got some guys who don't play well, and they might be good guys, or whatever it might be, they might get theirs retired. But the reason why you (should) get your number retired is because you played well for that franchise — that's what I think."

There also is a decided perception the Jazz, who arrived from New Orleans amid fiscal and market-choice uncertainty in 1979, were saved by a trade sending Spencer Haywood to the Los Angeles Lakers bringing Dantley to Salt Lake City.

"All I can say is I enjoyed being in Utah," said Dantley, drafted out of Notre Dame by the Buffalo Braves — and now an assistant coach with the tonight's Jazz opponent, the Denver Nuggets.

"When I come to Utah (now), some of the guys on my team, they always joke, 'How could you live in Utah?' It was the best place for me. You know, I wasn't into a social life, going out, hanging out — so it was a great place for me. It was great for my career. Same with Buffalo. When I went to Buffalo, I wasn't worrying about anything snow or anything like that. All I was worried about was playing. I played so many minutes I didn't have any energy to go out after the game."

Standing against a hallway wall at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Dantley seems to have little energy left to beat up himself, or anyone else, over the fact his last NBA game came in 1991 — six Hall of Fame bids as a finalist, seven teams, 15 seasons, more than 1,000 combined regular-season and playoff games, and 23,177 points ago — and yet only now, for the first time in his pro career, he's having his number retired.

"Kind of knew it was gonna happen," Dantley says, sneaking in a quick sigh. "Just didn't know when it was gonna happen.

"I'm glad it's happening."

He is not alone.