[IndyStar] Old pros Mutombo, Armstrong still have it

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Old pros Mutombo, Armstrong still have it

By Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said it's about having love for the game. Indiana Pacers point guard Darrell Armstrong said it's about knowing how to play the game effectively at a certain age.

The secret remedy that Armstrong and Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo, two of the league's oldest players, are using to defy their age is working. And at the rate they're going, the two could be answering questions on how they're still getting up and down the court for the next year or two.

"I think that most guys lose it mentally before they lose it physically," Van Gundy said. "If you still love the game, love the life and love what goes into it, you can play effectively. Armstrong has a tremendous motor to him and loves to compete; so I'm not surprised at all at what he's doing. Dikembe, I feel like he still enjoys being part of the whole process of being part of the team, which goes a long way to your ability to still being able to do it physically."

Mutombo, 40, who made a name for himself for his finger wagging after each blocked shot, is the league's oldest player. He said last month that he planned on playing another season, which would be his 17th. He has started 32 games for the Rockets this season.

"I'm not surprised at all he wants to keep going," said Armstrong, 38. "He knows how to play the game. He's a big man, so he doesn't have to use up as much energy defending guys up and down the court. He can stand right there in the middle of the lane, and once he blocks your shot, he wags his finger at you. That's funny."

Armstrong, the Pacers' energizer bunny, is the league's oldest point guard. He has said a number of times that he is thinking about playing beyond this season.

"Dikembe and Darrell are two of the bright spots in our league right now," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Dikembe is a guy that for the longest time seemed to have the most consistent, steady metabolism for basketball that I've ever seen. He still plays exceptionally well."