BACK TO NORMAN : After Sitting Out Last Season With Knee Injury, Clipper Guard Is Raring to Go

There’s a side to Norm Nixon that differs from the common perception. Sure, the Clipper guard lives life in the fast lane. Nixon never met a party he didn’t like.

One night, he’ll take the limo to the Academy Awards. Then, it’s off to the Emmys, or time to hang out with Jack Nicholson and the Hollywood crowd. He’s on a first name basis with Michael Jackson, and we’re not talking about radio talk show hosts here.

And there was a time when Nixon was quite the ladies’ man. When some of his former Laker teammates talked about Nixon and scoring records, they weren’t always referring to baskets and free throws.

But now, this swinging single has become a dedicated double, quietly making the transition to family man. Nixon has been married for the last 3 1/2 years to actress Debbie Allen, and the couple have two children, Vivian, 3, and Norman Ellard Jr., who was born Aug. 26.

Nixon sold the Baldwin Hills house in which he lived during his bachelor days, and he and Allen have moved into a white-on-white Tudor mansion in Santa Monica, four blocks from the beach. It is an impressive structure, the kind you see in Architectural Digest.

Vivian’s tree house sits in the front yard of the house. Out back, there is an Olympic-size swimming pool and a tennis court. Other amenities include a dance studio for Debbie and a gym, with exercise machines, a sauna and Jacuzzi, for Norm.

“I’d have to play 10 more years to pay for this house,” joked Nixon, who signed a five-year, $2.7-million contract with the Clippers in 1985.

The house is filled with paintings and pictures of Nixon and Allen with sports, entertainment and political figures. One highlight is a picture of Allen and President Reagan.

Nixon’s old Laker jersey is framed on a kitchen wall next to posters from the Broadway shows in which Allen has starred, including the hit “Sweet Charity.”

So it was in this setting that Norm Nixon, one-time man about many towns, talked with a reporter recently while rocking his infant son. The conversation was about his comeback from a knee injury that sidelined him all last season. But the family man keep wandering toward that topic, too.

“There’s nothing like being a father,” he said. “When you think everything else is bad, you come home to these smiles and it lets you know everything else is OK. They can take away everything I have. This is just material. I love my kids.”

Nixon said Allen encouraged him to return to school and complete the requirements for his college degree while he was recuperating. He took classes at UCLA this summer so that he could finish his degree from Duquesne, the Pittsburgh school he left in 1977 without graduating to join the Lakers.

“Debbie’s a finisher,” Nixon said. “She’s very disciplined and she finishes what she starts. I wanted to finish school because of her. That was hard, going back to school.”

Nixon said he draws energy from his wife, who started her career as a dancer and won two Emmy Awards for her work on the TV series “Fame.” He also said his wife’s work ethic has rubbed off on him.

“I was out three to four nights in a week with the boys, and she wrote a TV special in that time,” he said.

Also at his wife’s urging, Nixon, who will be 32 on Sunday, has begun to think about life after the National Basketball Assn. He has appeared in several TV series, including “Fame” and the “Bronx Zoo,” and he added that he’d like to get into the production end of TV and movies after he’s through playing basketball.

“I co-wrote a TV series with Debbie,” he said. “It’s a TV sitcom built around her. And I’m involved in the production of her ABC special. I’d rather get into the production end of it than acting.”

Nixon, who served as a TV commentator on Clipper games while he was sidelined with his injury, said he’d also like to try his hand at sportscasting.

“That (sportscasting) was fun,” he said. “I would definitely like to get into that after I’m through playing.”

That end may come when the three years left on his contract with the Clippers runs out. Or, it may be sooner.

“Athletes are a time bomb, like dancers,” Allen said. “The year he spent not playing gave him a chance to finish school. And I think it got his juices going to start thinking about what he’ll be doing when he finishes playing.

“The Clippers had such a bad year that as his wife I’m glad that he didn’t play. But he was real dedicated. I didn’t see him crack. I anticipated he’d would and he never did.

“It’s been a year of reflection for him. I think he’ll come out better and I think the team will be better.”

Nixon, a nine-year NBA veteran, said he’s dedicated himself to this season’s comeback.

“I know they’re a lot of people thinking that I’ll never play again,” Nixon said. “No, I don’t have anything to prove. But by watching and not playing last year, I’m more excited about this season than I’ve been in a while.

“When you go from a championship team to a team that’s bad, you tend to go through the motions. But I’m excited again.

“The biggest high you can have is playing in the world championship. That’s the greatest high I’ve ever had. I miss it. I miss winning.

“I’ve got three years left on my contract. And I want to get in the playoffs one more time and get to the best-of-seven series. Just getting to the playoffs isn’t anything for me because I’ve won two NBA titles (with the Lakers).

“People still think of me as a Laker, even though I haven’t played there since 1983. People came up to me this summer and congratulated me for winning the title.

“No, I’m not bitter against the Lakers. They did what they had to do. Would I go back there and play again? No. That’s a chapter that’s closed.”

Nixon’s dream (fantasy?) is to lead the Clippers to the playoffs. They haven’t made the playoffs since 1976, when the team was in Buffalo.

“I want to get there and just get past one more round,” Nixon said. “If we win 30 games, maybe we can get to the playoffs.”

The Clippers will also be attempting a comeback from last season’s 12-70 record--third worst in NBA history.

Norm Nixon took a dribble, gave a little head fake and then blew past a defender on his way to the basket.

Woosh.

It was only a pickup game at UCLA, but if this was any indication, it appears that Nixon’s knee is fully recovered. Nixon said he can’t wait to get started again.

“I haven’t been to training camp the last two years,” he said. “I missed camp two years ago because I held out. It was March before I felt good again. And last year I missed camp because I was hurt.”

Just about everything went wrong for the Clippers last season. First, Nixon got hurt, then forward Marques Johnson missed all but 10 games of the season with a neck injury. Center Benoit Benjamin, counted on to carry the team, wasn’t even able to carry a decent tune in the shower.

“If we have another year like last year I couldn’t take it,” Nixon said. “Last year was terrible. It was nobody’s fault. It was the fate of the cards.”

Nixon practiced with the Clippers for the last month of the season, but the team decided not to activate him.

“It was frustrating last year because I had to watch it,” Nixon said. “I knew I couldn’t play. Commentating kept me close to the game, so I could get mad. The teams that played us had no respect for us. People were laughing at us.

“I think one of the biggest elements that the team was lacking last year was leadership. When Marques went down and Cedric (Maxwell) was traded, that was it.”

Gene Shue, who succeeded Don Chaney as Clipper coach after last season, is counting on Nixon to help improve the team.

“I saw Norman play and he played very, very well,” Shue said. “It didn’t look like anything was bothering him. He’s a high-profile player and we need high-profile players. I’m tickled to death that Norm Nixon is ready to play.”

With the return of Nixon, the Clippers have three point guards on their roster going into training camp--Nixon, Larry Drew and Darnell Valentine.

The Golden State Warriors reportedly tried to make a deal for Drew on draft day last June. They would have sent the Clippers forward Purvis Short in exchange for Drew and the Clippers’ 19th pick in the draft. The deal didn’t go through, however.

“If I was coaching this team, I wouldn’t have three point guards,” Nixon said. “I think it’s not fair to have three guys who could start for any team in the league.”

Said Drew: “Once camp starts, we’ll be competing for a job. That’s the way it should be. You come into camp to compete for a job. Maybe they’ll trade one of us. “

Nixon still has nightmares about the injury.

He was in New York with his wife, who was starring in “Sweet Charity” on Broadway. Nixon was playing in a Broadway Show League softball game when it happened.

“I was playing center field in Central Park and I just hit a hole,” he said. “I lay down. I knew I’d messed myself up. I hoped that I hadn’t torn any cartilage. I didn’t cry. I did it to myself. I was fortunate that I already had a contract.”

Nixon said he tore 80% of the quadriceps tendon in his left knee. The injury was similar to that suffered by Dodger outfielder Pedro Guerrero in 1986. Nixon has a scar about seven inches long just above his knee cap.

Nixon said that going through therapy last season was harder than playing.

“I almost cried when they took the cast off. My leg was this big,” he said, holding his hands close together. “I couldn’t even bend my leg. I couldn’t walk up any stairs. That was hard. I didn’t talk about it. Nobody ever knew what I was going through.

“I worked real hard in rehabilitation. Therapy is much harder than playing. I worked so hard for so many days. I worked out 9-10 months every day.”

Nixon had a busy summer. He played basketball at UCLA four times a week and worked out with ex-sprinter John Smith, now a track coach at UCLA, to build up his leg.

“I did a lot of running this summer,” Nixon said. “Even though I haven’t played in a year, I don’t think I’m a pound heavier.”

Nixon’s forte has been his speed and quick first step to the basket. When he’s at the top of his game, Nixon is one of the best penetrating point guards in the NBA.

Nixon’s Clipper teammates and his ex-Laker teammates, who played with him this summer at UCLA, said they think he’s recovered.

Said Laker Magic Johnson: “He’s not tentative. That’s what you look for when you have an injury like that. He was blowing past people to the basket. He looked good. He’s back. He shot well. He’s playing well. He’s making his move.”

Said Laker Michael Cooper: “He looked good. His quickness and timing look like they’re coming back. It seemed like everything is coming back.”

And said Benjamin: “We’ll have a totally new look with Norm back. We missed him a lot. I’m looking forward to playing with him for a full season. We missed his experience last season. He’s played in the finals and he knows how to win. It’s going to be an exciting year. I can feel it inside.”