SPORT.3

Topics

1. atletika (8)
2. fudbal (793)
3. košarka (740)
4. nba (6701)
5. rukomet (12)
6. vaterpolo (27)
7. odbojka (105)
8. tenis (14)
9. zimski (21)
10. borilački (39)
11. auto-moto (816)
12. bilijar (14)
13. sah (43)
14. rekreacija (19)
15. prognoza (292)
16. navijači (274)
32. razno (82)

nba.2 stefan, 07 Jul 97

Kutak za vpoznanovica i ostale ljubitelje NBA :)

nba.4 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Cavaliers sign first-round draft picks CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers signed first-round draft picks Derek Anderson and Brevin Knight on Monday. "We are very happy to have Derek and Brevin signed," Cavaliers president Wayne Embry said. "It is encouraging to have our two first-round draft picks signed prior to rookie-free agent camp." Anderson, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kentucky, was selected 13th in last month's draft. He played two seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Kentucky, where he averaged 17.7 points as a senior. As a junior, he helped the Wildcats to the 1996 NCAA championship. Knight, a 5-10 guard from Stanford, was selected 16th. He was a second-team All-America last season, averaging 16.3 points and 7.8 assists. Under the NBA rookie salary scale, Anderson will earn about $3.18 million for three years, with a 1997-98 figure of $922,700. Knight is slotted to earn about $2.73 million for three years, including $791,100 this season.

nba.3 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Knight signs with Celtics; rights to Fox, 8 others renounced WALTHAM, Mass. -- Travis Knight followed a strong rookie season with Los Angeles by signing a free-agent contract with the Lakers' historical rivals, the Boston Celtics. The contract reportedly is for seven years and $22 million, but the 7-foot Knight said a major reason he chose the Celtics was new coach Rick Pitino. "There were other teams involved. I don't think I would have left L.A. for any team but Boston," Knight said. "The money was the same with a lot of teams, but to play for coach Pitino was an overwhelming factor." With oft-injured Pervis Ellison the only other center on the roster, the Celtics hope Knight can play 30 minutes a game next season. Knight, who averaged 16.3 minutes as a rookie, said he felt he could make the adjustment to the increased playing time. "When someone like Coach Pitino has confidence in you, you can't help but have confidence in yourself," Knight said. "But I know I have a long way to go." In order to fit Knight under the salary cap, the Celtics had to renounce the rights to all nine of their free agents, including captain Rick Fox. Pitino said he wanted to keep both Fox and forward Marty Conlon but "our hand was forced. We'll deal with it and move on." Boston also renounced the rights to Frank Brickowski, Todd Day, Nate Driggers, Steve Hamer, Michael Hawkins, Alton Lister and Brett Szabo. Under NBA rules, when a team renounces the rights to a player, it can't re-sign him until 54 days after the season begins. The Chicago Bulls drafted Knight out of the University of Connecticut last year with the last pick of the first round. They didn't sign him and he was claimed by Los Angeles, where he averaged 4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds last season. Knight, 22, averaged 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 25.6 minutes in 14 games as a starter. Celtics general manager Chris Wallace discounted the low projections for Knight when he entered the league. "It's not so much his pedigree in the draft," Wallace said. "It's what his characteristics are. This guy has some bona fide NBA characteristics." "The sky's the limit about how much better he can get," Pitino said. Pitino added that Knight's ability to run, pass and play defense fit in well with the system he is installing. "I need to play in a style that coach Pitino plays and to get an opportunity to be on the floor," Knight said. Jerry West, the Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations, said the team is sorry to lose Knight. "We were at a severe disadvantage to retain his services," West said. "Nonetheless, we completely understand the dilemma Travis faced, and the difficult decision he had to make regarding the immediate security of his future. "

nba.6 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

New York extends Van Gundy's deal NEW YORK (Jul 7, 1997 - 19:38 EDT) -- Jeff Van Gundy, who worked under Rick Pitino and Pat Riley with the New York Knicks, moved toward their superstar coaching stature Monday when he was given a multiyear contract extension. Terms were not disclosed, but it was certainly a vindication for the 35-year-old Van Gundy, an unknown self-described career assistant who took over as an interim coach from Don Nelson 17 months ago. Last season he led the Knicks to 57 wins, the most ever by a first-year coach in New York. "There are 29 of these jobs in the world and to think that I would ever have a chance to have one when I came into the NBA eight years ago was so far-fetched I never even dreamed about it," said Van Gundy, who has a regular season mark of 70-35 and is 10-8 in the playoffs. "To think it would happen with a franchise like the Knicks is way beyond anything I could have imagined." Van Gundy, who signed a two-year, $1 million deal before last season, will get far more under the new deal, although it's unlikely to approach the multimillion dollar contracts that Riley has in Miami or Pitino has in Boston. In fact, it's still likely to leave him fifth in the Atlantic Division alone -- behind Riley, Pitino, Larry Brown in Philadelphia and John Calipari in New Jersey. Van Gundy, whose father Bill is a junior college coach and whose brother Stan is Riley's assistant in Miami, came to New York eight years ago as an assistant to Pitino and stayed to work under Riley and Nelson. Riley tried to take him with him when he left for Miami after the 1994-95 season. But he stayed and got the head job when Nelson was fired in March 1996, going 13-10 the rest of the way. The Knicks lost to Chicago in the second round of the playoffs. Last season the Knicks went 57-25 in the regular season with what was basically a new team re-built around center Patrick Ewing, who last week signed a new deal through 2001. The Knicks led Miami 3-1 in the second round of the playoffs this spring and seemed en route to a confrontation with Chicago in the Eastern Conference finals. But they lost the final three games, the last two after five players, including Ewing, were suspended over a bench-clearing incident at the end of Game 5. "We think he's one of the bright young coaches in the league," said general manager Ernie Grunfeld, who said there was never a question about extending Van Gundy's contract. Van Gundy himself wasn't so sure. He said he had some doubts after the Knicks started last season 9-6, playing what he believed was only one good game. At the time, they were trying to integrate three new starters -- Allan Houston, Larry Johnson and Chris Childs -- with Ewing and Charles Oakley. "At that point we didn't know if we could be good. We had shown no signs through the first 15 games that we could be a winning team," Van Gundy said. "I was naive," he added. "I had said it wasn't going to take any time. Whenever you change that many people, it's going to be more of a struggle than you think it will be." Van Gundy said he has thought back to the disappointing end to the playoffs and the season seven weeks ago. "You have to come to grips with it -- to know not only that we lost but why we lost," he said. "But I hope that it helps us come to grips with the reality that faces us. Because if you're constantly looking backwards, it's hard to take steps forward."

nba.7 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Vancouver extends Reeves contract VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Jul 7, 1997 - 19:38 EDT) -- The Vancouver Grizzlies will announce Tuesday that they have agreed to terms on a contract extension with Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. The 7-foot center was the team's first ever draft pick, chosen sixth overall in 1995 out of Oklahoma State. The Grizzlies have called a news conference for noon PDT to announce that Reeves will be the first player from the highly talented class of 1995 to re-sign with his team. Reeves was the team's second-leading scorer last season, averaging 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds in 75 games. Vancouver posted a 14-68 record in their second season in the NBA. By signing Reeves to a contract extension, the Grizzlies have assured that their nucleus of Reeves, small forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim and rookie point guard Antonio Daniels will be together for at least the next two seasons. Abdur-Rahim will not be eligible to sign a contract extension until after next season, his second in the league. Grizzlies officials declined comment until the news conference.

nba.5 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Former Laker Scott signs with Greek team LOS ANGELES (Jul 7, 1997 - 15:20 EDT) -- Veteran free agent guard Byron Scott has signed a two-year contract with a team in Greece that's worth $2.3 million. Scott, 36, had hoped to end his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team he played with for 11 of his 14 NBA seasons. "His original intent had been to remain with the Lakers," agent Leigh Steinberg said Monday from his Newport Beach, Calif., office in announcing Scott's signing with Panathinaikos AC of Athens. "He feels that he's a Laker for life. But they were unable to offer him a contract that was anywhere close to these parameters." The Lakers were limited to offering Scott a contract worth $326,750 under the complicated salary-cap rules, but Steinberg said they made no offer at all. "The Lakers said they were not in a position to make any firm offer at this time, and they were unwilling to commit that they would make an offer in the future," Steinberg said. "Having said that, Byron was disappointed, but understands their situation. "There are very warm feelings still present between Byron and the Lakers. He leaves the Lakers with good feelings." Steinberg said Scott might eventually enter the coaching profession. In addition to his salary, Scott receives housing and a car as part of his contract agreement, Steinberg said, adding that the team will be playing in a new 20,000-seat arena next season. Scott will travel to Greece Saturday for a physical examination and a press conference the following day. Training camp opens next month, prior to the 35-game season. Scott played 10 seasons for the Lakers, two for the Indiana Pacers and one for the Vancouver Grizzlies before returning to the Lakers before last season. He played in 79 regular-season games, averaging 6.7 points in 18.2 minutes, then played in eight playoff games and averaged 6.4 points in 16.8 minutes. Scott's lowest scoring average in his first NBA 13 seasons was 10.0 points.

nba.11 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Boston takes chance on three 7-footers WALTHAM, Mass. (Jul 7, 1997 - 19:38 EDT) -- There isn't much basketball to speak of on Dominica, a tiny island in the West Indies, but Garth Joseph's friends understood enough about it to know it was the sport for him. The Boston Celtics saw three 7-footers who weren't selected in last month's NBA draft and reached the same conclusion. "When you take those gambles in the second round," Boston chief scout Leo Papile said Monday, "I'm going to gamble on the giant." Or, in the Celtics' case, giants. Not only did they use their second-round pick on 7-foot Australian Ben Pepper, but they also filled their free agent camp roster with the 7-2 Joseph, 7-0 Donald Hodge of Temple, 7-1 Lorenzo Coleman of Tennessee Tech and 7-3 Keith Closs from Central Connecticut State. "With big kids, it's an inexact science. But it's not a question of 'if,' it's a question of 'when'," Papile said. "Sometimes for NBA teams, the 'when' is too late. They don't have time to wait." Enter the Celtics. In the midst of rebuilding after the worst season in franchise history -- one in which Boston was forced at times to use 6-9 small forward Antoine Walker at center -- the Celtics are trying to get big. They were expected to sign 7-0 free agent Travis Knight once they freed up salary cap space. But Papile saw that few teams around the league have much depth at center and suggested the Celtics stockpile big men. Pepper isn't expected to help out this year, nor are Hodge and Closs. But Papile expects Coleman and Joseph to be on the roster when the season starts -- even predicting that Joseph has a 15-year NBA career ahead of him. "Leo, I think, knows what he's talking about," Joseph said with a huge smile. "I don't want to prove him wrong." Either way, Joseph's is an intriguing story. He first picked up a basketball in 1991, succumbing to "peer pressure" from friends who sized him up and figured the NBA would always have room for a giant. There was only one basketball court in Dominica then, he said, but nobody his own size to measure his talents against. "I'm the biggest guy in my country," he said. Joseph was discovered there by College of Saint Rose coach Brian Beaury, who had no picture of Joseph to support his reports, so he faxed back a handprint that spilled over an 11-by-17 inch sheet of paper. Joseph went on to lead the Division II school in Albany, N.Y., to three straight New York Collegiate Athletic Conference titles. In three seasons, he became the school's leading career rebounder with 1,072 and blocked shots with 300 while helping Saint Rose to an 82-11 record. A stress fracture in his right ankle will keep him on the sidelines for another month, an injury that could have scuttled the chances of a shorter undrafted free agent. But Papile expects him to be healthy -- and contributing -- by November. "They've seen me," Joseph said. "They know what to expect."

nba.8 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Six sent packing as Nuggets clean house DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets, trying to clear money under the salary cap to sign three first-round picks, renounced the rights to six players Monday. The Nuggets renounced the rights to Sarunas Marciulionis, Vincent Askew, Jerome Allen, Jimmy King, Keith Jennings and guard Kenny Smith. The move cleared up at least $4.8 million in cap room. Marciulionis earned $2.5 million and Askew made $2 million last season. Under NBA rules, when a team renounces the rights to a player, it can't re-sign him until 54 days after the season begins. Denver has three first-round picks it needs to sign: Tony Battie, Danny Fortson and Bobby Jackson. The Nuggets selected Battie with the third overall pick. Fortson, the 10th overall pick, was part of a four-player trade that sent center Ervin Johnson to Milwaukee. Jackson, selected by Seattle at No. 23, was acquired in a deal that sent second-round pick James Cotton to the SuperSonics. Marciulionis appeared in just 17 games because of knee injuries last season. He averaged just 6.8 points, shot 38 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range. Askew went from Seattle to New Jersey to Indiana to Denver in the past 12 months. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 43 games last season. Smith, who started the season with the Detroit Pistons before ending up with the Nuggets, averaged 6.3 points and 2.4 assists in 48 games. Allen, acquired from Indiana late in the season, averaged 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 76 games. King appeared in just two games last season and Jennings did not play because of injuries.

nba.9 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Fine of Trail Blazers' teenager remains unpaid COLUMBIA, S.C. (Jul 7, 1997 - 19:32 EDT) -- Teen-age NBA player Jermaine O'Neal, who turned a simple dispute into a bigger problem when he missed a court hearing for disorderly conduct, now must wait for a judge to tell him when he can clear up the matter. O'Neal, 18, won't learn until late this week when he must go before Magistrate William Smith for sentencing on the June mall incident. Smith sealed his ruling when the Portland Trail Blazers center did not appear at last Thursday's hearing, which O'Neal had helped schedule around his other commitments. The 7-footer is scheduled to return to Portland this week to begin summer workouts. O'Neal said last week that he didn't know he was supposed to show up in court and hoped to pay the fine by the end of the day. But his attorney, I.S. Leevy Johnson, said Monday that nothing could be done until the judge sets a new date. "You can't just walk in and say, 'Here's the money,"' Johnson said. Disorderly conduct is a fairly common charge in South Carolina, with fines running between $200 and $300. The magistrate also could impose a 30-day jail sentence, prosecutor Leah Moody said. O'Neal and a friend, Thomas Simmons Jr., spent a night in jail June 14 for allegedly cursing at officers after they were asked to leave a shopping mall. Someone in the group they were with was handing out fliers, a violation of mall policy. O'Neal starred at Columbia's Eau Claire High School before skipping college to go directly into the NBA draft. He was Portland's first-round pick last year, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 45 games as a rookie. He will play for the Trail Blazers later this month in a summer league for rookies, young players and free agents in Long Beach, Calif., and Salt Lake City. O'Neal said he expects to be back in Columbia on Aug. 4.

nba.10 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Coach Bird pushes Pacers hard INDIANAPOLIS (Jul 7, 1997 - 19:32 EDT) -- Larry Bird's aching back won't allow him to dash up and down the court much anymore. But that won't keep his Indiana Pacers from running hard. Just ask the players working out under coach Bird at the team's rookie and free agent camp. "It was a great workout, very intense," Fred Hoiberg said Monday. He's joining the others for two practices a day this week at Market Square Arena. "(Conditioning) is one thing we lacked a little bit last year. "We led in way over half of our games, and then lost it down the stretch. So if we can get in shape, I think it's going to help -- especially down the stretch." His words echoed those of Bird. "We are going to work hard. We are going to be the best-conditioned team in the league, and we are going to start here," said Bird, who noted his back was sore after the first 2 1/2-hour practice Sunday night. He isn't the only one hurting. He and his assistants have the group of 18 free agents and rookies running baseline to baseline sprints, timed full-court, fast-break drills, followed by scrimmage games in the evenings. It's not going to end after this week. "Some of our veterans who are out there are going to get a good indication of what kind of shape they are going to have to stay in for the rest of the summer," Bird said. "I was pleased to see the veterans come in in pretty good shape. But we still have a long ways to go." Along with Hoiberg, second-year players Erick Dampier and Darvin Ham are practicing this week. "He wants to see us get up and down the floor a lot and see what kind of condition we're in," said Dampier, who came into camp healthy after working with a trainer during the offseason. "A lot of the players are probably not in their best shape. Hopefully, they'll come in, give it all they've got and try to get in shape." Teammates Jalen Rose and Travis Best, who has a sore hip, are expected to join the practices soon. Bird expected to see Rose on Monday, but he was a no-show. "I'd like to see him come in, because he's one of the guys who didn't play much last year," Bird said. "He was in and out. I think it would benefit him if he was here." Also Monday, Reggie Miller stopped by the arena -- but just to watch from the sidelines and offer words of encouragement to his hard-working teammates.

nba.12 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

T-Wolves need to seal Garnett to long-term deal soon Sometime this summer, when both the fish and the mosquitoes are biting on those fabled 10,000 lakes, the Minnesota Timberwolves might offer forward Kevin Garnett a contract that would pay him about $122,000 a game. And Garnett, like the loons, might laugh. Timberwolves then might up the ante, offering the 6-foot-11 youngster a deal that would pay him $19 a minute. Every minute. Of every hour, of every day, all year long. And Garnett might yawn and check his watch. Ten million dollars a year might not be enough money to convince Garnett to sign a long-term contract extension with the Timberwolves this summer. Nor might $100 million over seven years. Garnett -- the NBA's first straight-outta-high school player in 20 years when he arrived in the 1995 draft -- probably will wait until next summer, when he and his agent will be free to negotiate with any team that can fit his paycheck under its salary cap. At that point, Minnesota's advantage -- they alone can dangle a deal at Garnett this offseason, a window of opportunity that slams shut Oct. 1 -- will become purely financial; they alone will be able to re-sign him without regard for the cap, offering, what, $15 million a year? Twenty million? Thirty, with half of Lake Elmo thrown in? Even that might not be enough if the Chicago Jerrys, Reinsdorf and Krause, decide they want Garnett to be air heir to Michael Jordan. "There is no reason to sign any kind of deal unless it's an offer that completely and totally blows you away,'' Eric Fleisher, Garnett's agent, said last week. ``And even then, you would want to sit down and think about it, and think about it, and think about it. "Three years ago, who knew that players might be making $25 million, $30 million, $35 million in a season? Now they are. Who's to say that, three years or five years down the line, they won't be making more than that? What we want to avoid with Kevin is that he doesn't find himself in the situation Scottie Pippen is in, where he's in a contract in which he's vastly underpaid.'' That's sound advice to Garnett. But it's another crisis coming too soon to a franchise that already has borne too many, a pie in the face of a team planted firmly on banana peels. From 1989 through 1995, the Timberwolves posted the worst six-season record (126-366, .256) ever in the NBA, five times losing at least 60 games. In 1995-96, with Garnett aboard as a 19-year-old rookie, they dumped the fourth head coach in club history, hired the fifth and still lost 10 of their final 12 games for a 26-56 mark. Last season, things began to change. At the ripe age of 20, Garnett asserted himself as a leader both on the court and emotionally for the Timberwolves. He averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds and more than 2 blocks per game, played in his first All-Star Game, put fannies in the seats and showed the potential, as well as the hunger, to become one of the game's top five talents. More than that, he helped Minnesota improve by 14 games (40-42) and reach the playoffs for the first time. The past was bleak. The present is satisfying. The future -- carefully crafted by basketball boss Kevin McHale, with Stephon Marbury and Tom Gugliotta as other budding stars -- looks bright. Yet in just 82 games and one more postseason, Garnett could be gone. Hardly seems fair, does it? The culprit, of course, is the rookie wage scale cobbled out by the NBA's labor and management factions two summers ago in the most strained off-season ever. Intended to stem the bloated contracts being handed to unproven college players, and remove a temptation from underclassmen who would be better off in school, the idea seems to be working in reverse. More players are opting out of college prior to their senior seasons -- or even, in certain cases, their freshman seasons -- than ever before. They want to get into, and through, the three-year salary scale as early in their pro careers as possible. Then they can make the really big bucks, as if $2 million each season isn't quite jumbo enough. Meanwhile, NBA teams merely will be swapping one problem for another. Instead of possibly being stuck for years with an overpriced underachiever, they risk losing true marquee players at just about the time those fellows are poised to make an impact. The Class of '95, the first to endure the rookie scale, is on the brink of freedom and serious relocation next summer: Golden State forward Joe Smith, Denver forward Antonio McDyess, Philadelphia guard Jerry Stackhouse, Portland forward Rasheed Wallace, Vancouver center Bryant Reeves, Toronto guard Damon Stoudamire, Dallas forward Michael Finley, a few others and Garnett. Each can grab however many millions, and whatever long-term security, is offered between now and Oct. 1. Or gamble that the market will go up. Again. Even the Timberwolves admit there is little incentive for Garnett to sign. They know what Shaquille O'Neal got ($121 million), they know all too well what Juwan Howard got ($105 million). They also know that -- as grounded and long on common sense as Garnett is -- any of a hundred factors could sway his decision. Nicer weather. A dominant center. More night life. Less night life. Bigger TV ratings. Fewer mosquitos. The same goes for Golden State, Denver, Toronto and the rest. But the Timberwolves' predicament is different. The Twin Cities, at the moment, is one of the nation's least stable sports markets. New winter competition, in the form of an NHL expansion team, will arrive in St. Paul by 2000, playing in a newer arena with more favorable financial terms. The Twins have vowed to get out of their Metrodome lease next year and could flee the state if a new outdoor ballpark isn't approved by legislators and funded largely by taxpayers. The NFL Vikings' whine (``What about us?'') gets louder each day for improvements, concessions, exemptions. The Timberwolves, a few weeks ago, were the most promising, centered franchise in town. But with Garnett's fate hanging over them, they seem every bit as precarious. In a way, it's a no-win situation for team owner Glen Taylor: Either he loses Garnett the way Orlando lost Shaq, or he gets the privilege of paying him three or four times what the entire franchise ($32.5 million) cost eight years ago. The team could raise ticket prices 20 percent and boost its average attendance by 1,000, yet generate barely half of Garnett's anticipated salary increase. "We are hopeful that the way that we have put the franchise together, how we treated him, brought him along . . . if those factors are part of the equation, then I feel pretty positive,'' Taylor said. ``But if the only factor in this negotation is money, if the agents say that, then I don't know if that's what Minnesota's franchise is about.'' Whether Taylor likes it or not, it soon may be.

nba.13 nba.news, 08 Jul 97

Sir Charles no king on golf course Residents of Lake Tahoe can once again go outside their homes. Charles Barkley and his barrage of errant golf balls have left. Visiting the resort city for the Isuzu Celebrity Golf Championship, Barkley had a final-round 102 to finish with a 78-over 294 total. Only Adam Oates of the Washington Capitals finished behind Barkley in the field of 77 as his final-round 100 gave him a 296 total. Former big-league pitcher Rick Rhoden won his fourth Isuzu title by shooting a final-round 70 Sunday. He finished with a 9-under-par 207 total that matched his tournament record. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback John Brodie and 14-year NHL veteran Dan Quinn were three strokes behind Rhoden for second. Loose Cannon Dyan Cannon is such a big Los Angeles Lakers fan that her cheers often turn to tears. "I've walked out of there crying," she says of the basketball games, where she has floor seats next to retired star Magic Johnson. The 60-year-old actress, who's co-starring with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the new film "Out to Sea," says she only missed five or six home games out of 41 last season. "I'm the No. 1 fan, because I come to the poopy teams," says the actress. "I'm there when the teams that aren't so hot are there."

nba.14 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Chapman, Hot Rod keep Suns' core intact PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns signed free agents Rex Chapman and Hot Rod Williams to one-year contracts Tuesday, returning two key members of a team that rebounded from a dismal start by winning 20 of its last 26 games. Meanwhile, the Mesa-based Tribune Newspapers said the Suns are going after Dominique Wilkins, who averaged a team-high 18.2 points in 63 games for San Antonio last season. Because of the salary cap, the Suns have only a $1 million exception to offer Wilkins. Earlier this summer, the Suns re-signed forward Mark Bryant and convinced guard Kevin Johnson to postpone his retirement plans for at least one more season. "This brings together our nucleus," general manager Bryan Colangelo said Tuesday. With Danny Manning, Jason Kidd, Wesley Person and Cedric Ceballos under contract, Phoenix has the top eight players back from the team that put together an 11-game winning streak in March and April. "I had a great time last year and I didn't want to go anywhere else," Chapman said. "If we can stay healthy, with KJ, Mark and Hot Rod back, this will be a very fun year." The Suns also re-signed center Horacio Llamas, the first native Mexican to play in the NBA, to a one-year deal Tuesday. Teams generally are allowed to spend any amount to re-sign their own free agents, but Chapman is entangled in a restriction. The Suns were over the cap last fall, so Chapman got only the $247,500 NBA minimum to join them. That led to this summer, when the Suns were only allowed to give him a 20 percent raise (to $297,000), because Johnson's $8.4 million contract extension put them over the cap again. But Chapman believes the Suns will reward his loyalty, meaning he expects the league average in 1998-99, or close to $3 million. "I had opportunities to go a few other places," Chapman said. "Ultimately, I wanted to be back in Phoenix. It was there for me when others were not." Chapman, who turns 30 in October, averaged 13.8 points in 65 games last season. He set an NBA playoff record with nine 3-pointers against Seattle in Game 1 of their first-round series. Williams' two years with the Suns have been marked by injuries. When healthy, the agile, defensive-minded center is a big plus. Phoenix was 40-28 with Williams in the lineup last season, and 0-14 in games he didn't play. Williams -- who turns 35 on Aug. 9 -- averaged 12.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots during the Suns' 11-game winning streak. Overall, he averaged 8.0 points and 8.3 rebounds in 68 games.

nba.15 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Grizzlies, Big Country agree to big bucks deal VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Jul 8, 1997 - 17:15 EDT) -- Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, one of the Vancouver Grizzlies' big hopes for the future, signed a six-year contract extension for a reported $65 million Tuesday. "Vancouver is not a stepping stone for players, it is a destination," said general manager Stu Jackson, who would not disclose the financial details of the contract. "The statement that has been made is very simple: our franchise is headed in the right direction. That Vancouver is an attractive place to play, it's a place that players will want to come to and Big Country is obviously a big, big key to our success." Reeves was the Grizzlies' first ever draft pick, chosen sixth overall out of Oklahoma State in 1995. The 7-footer was the team's second-leading scorer last season, averaging 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds in 75 games as Vancouver went 14-68 in its second season in the NBA. Reeves became the first player from the class of 1995 to negotiate a contract extension. The group was the first to play under the rookie salary cap and was prohibited from renogotiating its mandated three-year contracts until July 1. "We didn't want, and I don't think Country wanted, to be under the umbrella of speculation," Jackson said. "Speculation on whether he stays or goes. We didn't want to get into a position next July where we were in a bidding war for his services." Reeves said he didn't want to wait until next summer and see what the market would bear when he became an unrestricted free agent. "There are a lot of different reasons to do it now," he said. "One is that I get it out of the way, I know where I am going to be and what we are building for. I have always said that starting something from scratch and seeing it grow all the way is a major part of me, I relish that a lot. It's important to me get it over with early and concentrate on next year." "I think it shows the commitment the organization is making," coach Brian Hill said. "We feel Bryant is a very valuable part of this organization and a guy that is going to be responsible for helping us grow into a contending team, and we needed to make the commitment to him and the fans to keep him in Vancouver."

nba.16 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Kings sign top draft pick St. Jean SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Jul 8, 1997 - 20:15 EDT) -- The Sacramento Kings on Tuesday signed top draft pick Olivier St. Jean of San Jose State to a three-year deal, making the first player born and raised in France to join the NBA. Also Tuesday, the Kings signed 6-foot-9 forward Lawrence Funderburke, the team's second-round pick in 1994, to a two-year contract. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed. "I'm happy to get this out of the way," said the 6-6 St. Jean, the 11th pick overall in last month's draft and highest of the five first-rounders to sign so far. "It's time to get on to more serious things. Money is not always the issue. We're trying to first establish ourselves as professional basketball players." St. Jean, 22, who left San Jose State following his junior season, averaged 23.8 points and 8.8 rebounds last season and received honorable mention All-America honors. Funderburke, 25, the 51st pick following his senior year at Ohio State, has played the last three seasons for three different teams overseas. Last season, Funderburke averaged 21.7 points and 7.6 rebounds for PAU-Orthez in France. "It's been a long and tedious three years," said Funderburke, a former teammate of Predrag Stojakovic -- the Kings' No. 1 pick last season -- with PAOK in Greece. "The timing is right, and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help make this team better." Kings vice president Geoff Petrie said there was no update on talks with power forward Brian Grant or five-time All-Star guard Mitch Richmond. The Kings last week offered Grant, a fourth-year free agent, a reported seven-year, $42 million deal. For the second straight year, Richmond -- who has two years remaining on his contact -- has asked for a renegotiation and said he will not report to training camp.

nba.17 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Hawks name Phil Hubbard assistant coach Atlanta Hawks head coach Lenny Wilkens today appointed Phil Hubbard to his coaching staff, replacing Bill Hanzlik, who left on May 29th to take the helm of the Denver Nuggets. Hubbard played 10 seasons in the NBA from 1979-89 for Detroit and Cleveland, the last three under Wilkens with the Cavs. He has spent the last five years with the New York Knicks, most recently serving as scouting coordinator. "I'm excited about having Phil become apart of our staff," said Wilkens. "He's a guy that will work hard and he's a no-nonsense guy. He knows the game, and I really think he'll be an asset to our team." Hubbard joins Dick Helm and Stan Albeck as Wilkens' assistants.

nba.18 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Barkley, Jordan head All-Interview team NEW YORK -- Houston Rockets star forward Charles Barkley has been named to the NBA All-Interview first team for the 10th time in the 11-year history of the award, the NBA Public Relations Directors Association announced Tuesday. Barkley received the most votes (74) and was joined on the first team by New Jersey Nets forward Jayson Williams (47), Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (37), Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone (37), Detroit Pistons forward Grant Hill (16) and Seattle SuperSonics coach George Karl (28). The second team consists of Chicago Bulls guard Steve Kerr, Atlanta Hawks center Dikembe Mutombo, Miami Heat guard Tim Hardaway, New York Knicks forward Buck Williams, Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller and coach Rudy Tomjanovich of the Houston Rockets. A panel of NBA sports writers and broadcasters voted on players' accessibility and ability to provide informative and interesting quotes.

nba.19 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

All-NBA interview team NEW YORK (Jul 8, 1997 - 16:33 EDT) -- Balloting results for the 1996-97 All-NBA Interview team, conducted by the NBA Public Relations Directors Association and based on the voting of writers and broadcasters: FIRST TEAM Charles Barkley, Houston, 74 Jayson Williams, New Jersey, 47 Michael Jordan, Chicago, 37 Karl Malone, Utah, 37 Grant Hill, Detroit, 16 Coach: George Karl, Seattle, 28 SECOND TEAM Steve Kerr, Chicago, 15 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta, 12 Tim Hardaway, Miami, 11 Buck Williams, New York, 11 Reggie Miller, Indiana, 10 Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich, Houston, 9 OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES PLAYERS Avery Johnson, San Antonio, 8. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota, and Brian Williams, Chicago, 7. Kevin Johnson, Phoenix, and Dennis Rodman, Chicago, 6. Kenny Anderson, Portland, and P.J. Brown, Miami, 5. Vin Baker, Milwaukee; Clyde Drexler, Houston; Derek Harper, Dallas; Hersey Hawkins, Seattle; Gary Payton, Seattle; Nick Van Exel, L.A. Lakers; and Chris Webber, Washington, 4. Terrell Brandon, Cleveland; Vlade Divac, Charlotte; Eddie Johnson, Houston; Anthony Mason, Charlotte; Shaquille O'Neal (L.A. Lakers); Scottie Pippen, Chicago; Carlos Rogers, Toronto; John Starks, New York; and John Stockton, Utah, 3. B.J. Armstrong, Golden State; Chris Childs, New York; Joe Dumars, Detroit; LaPhonso Ellis, Denver; Rick Fox, Boston; Jeff Hornacek, Utah; Allen Iverson, Philadelphia; Eddie Jones, L.A. Lakers; Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston; Byron Scott, L.A. Lakers; Steve Smith, Atlanta; and Damon Stoudamire, Toronto, 2. Muggsy Bogues, Charlotte; Cedric Ceballos, Phoenix; Rex Chapman, Phoenix; Vinny Del Negro, San Antonio; Sean Elliott, San Antonio; Patrick Ewing, New York; Matt Geiger, Charlotte; Armon Gilliam, Milwaukee; Tom Gugliotta, Minnesota; Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando; Mark Jackson, Denver; Popeye Jones, Toronto; Joe Kleine, New Jersey; Luc Longley, Chicago; Rick Mahorn, Detroit; Dan Majerle, Miami; Chris Mills, Cleveland; Alonzo Mourning, Miami; Chris Mullin, Golden State; Terry Porter, Minnesota; Mitch Richmond, Sacramento; Cliff Robinson, Portland; David Robinson, San Antonio; Roy Rogers, Vancouver; Detlef Schrempf, Seattle; Latrell Sprewell, Golden State; Rod Strickland, Washington; David Wesley, Boston; Dominique Wilkins, San Antonio; and Gerald Wilkens, Orlando, 1. COACHES Del Harris, L.A. Lakers, 8. Pat Riley, Miami, 7. P.J. Carlesimo, Portland, 5. Danny Ainge, Phoenix; Dave Cowens, Charlotte; Jerry Sloan, Utah; and Jeff Van Gundy, New York, 4. Bill Fitch, L.A. Clippers; Mike Fratello, Cleveland; and Phil Jackson, Chicago, 2. Richie Adubato, Orlando; Larry Brown, Indiana; John Calipari, New Jersey; M.L. Carr, Boston; Bob Hill, San Antonio; Gregg Popovich, San Antonio; and Lenny Wilkens, Atlanta, 1.

nba.20 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Trail Blazers' O'Neal gets new court date COLUMBIA, S.C. (Jul 8, 1997 - 12:33 EDT) -- Jermaine O'Neal, who jumped from high school to the Portland Trail Blazers, will show up for court this time, his lawyer says. O'Neal, 18, turned a simple dispute into a bigger problem when he missed last week's hearing on a disorderly conduct charge. Magistrate William Smith now has ordered the 7-foot center to appear at 10 a.m. Thursday for sentencing, The (Columbia) State reported today. The 15-day jail sentence already has been cut to a $300 fine, the newspaper said. O'Neal, scheduled to return to Portland this week to begin summer workouts, said last Thursday he didn't know he was supposed to show up in person and hoped to pay a fine by the end of the day. But his attorney, I.S. Leevy Johnson, said Monday that nothing could be done until the judge set a new date. "You can't just walk in and say, 'Here's the money,"' Johnson said. Disorderly conduct is a fairly common charge in South Carolina, with fines running between $200 and $300. The magistrate also could impose a 30-day jail sentence, prosecutor Leah Moody said. O'Neal and a friend, Thomas Simmons Jr., spent a night in jail June 14 for allegedly cursing at officers after they were asked to leave a shopping mall. Someone in the group they were with was handing out fliers, a violation of mall policy. O'Neal starred at Columbia's Eau Claire High School before skipping college to go directly into the NBA draft. He was Portland's first-round pick last year, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 45 games as a rookie. He will play for the Trail Blazers later this month in a summer league for rookies, young players and free agents in Long Beach, Calif., and Salt Lake City. O'Neal said he expects to be back in Columbia on Aug. 4.

nba.21 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Prosecutors to use DNA evidence against Albert ARLINGTON, Va. (Jul 8, 1997 - 14:39 EDT) -- Prosecutors plan to use DNA evidence against NBC sportscaster Marv Albert when they try him on forcible sodomy and assault and battery charges in September. Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Arthur L. Knapp of Arlington last week filed notice with the Arlington County Circuit Court that the results of DNA analysis would be offered as evidence at trial. Albert has provided hair, saliva and blood samples in compliance with a court order on June 5. Albert, 53, was indicted in May on charges he repeatedly bit the woman and forced her to perform oral sex on him in his hotel room shortly after midnight on Feb. 12. Albert had described a NBA game between the New York Knicks and Washington Bullets earlier that night in Landover, Md. Albert has not entered a plea in the case, but has denied wrongdoing. He also has not been asked to provide prosecutors with any dental records. The woman, 42, reported the incident to police when she sought medical treatment at National Hospital in Arlington later that day, police said. Albert's local attorney, Peter D. Greenspun, was in court today and not immediately available for comment, a woman in his office said. The trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 22.

nba.22 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Pope returns from Turkey seeking job with Pacers INDIANAPOLIS (Jul 8, 1997 - 12:33 EDT) -- After a year playing basketball in Turkey, Mark Pope is ready to stay in the United States for awhile. At least one influential person thinks the 6-foot-10 forward-center may have a chance. Indiana Pacers coach Larry Bird thinks Pope should be able to find a home somewhere in the NBA. "Mark's very active," Bird said Monday, the second day of a rookie-free agent camp. "He's big, he knows how to play the game. He knows what needs to be done." Pope, a member of Kentucky's 1996 national championship team and Indiana's second-round pick last year, hopes a year of seasoning overseas will help as he attempts to make the team. "It's good any time you have an extra year to prepare and keep learning and growing -- especially when you are overseas," he said. "I was asked to do a lot of stuff I wasn't necessarily asked to do in college. "I was shooting the ball a little bit more, creating off the dribble. I was playing a lot more facing the basket. It was a good experience." A Rhodes Scholar finalist who compiled a 3.7 grade-point average at Kentucky, Pope averaged 12.2 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats in 1996. Pope played two seasons at Kentucky after transferring from Washington. The new experiences in Europe weren't limited to the basketball court. "Being in Turkey obviously with such a different culture. That was tough too," he said. "But the traveling was great. We went all over Europe. The experience of living outside the States was great. It makes you appreciate things here a little bit." Such as? "You name it," he said. "Simple things like food. They had grocery stores there. I would go to the store, but I couldn't tell what anything was. "In Istanbul, there are 15 million people stuck into the size of a 2 million person city. So the crowds wear on you, and it's real dirty. But I wouldn't trade it for anything, just the opportunity for me to be over there was great for me." Now he'd like a chance to play in the NBA -- and play for Bird. But first he and the rest of the free agents have to make sure they get past playing for such a big name as Larry Bird. "We can't think about it too much. We're just trying to get a job from the man right now," Pope said. "It's the kind of thing where you want to listen to everything he says because you know he knows what he's talking about." Bird likes what he sees from Pope after two days of practice. "You tell the kid something to do and you don't have to worry about," he said. "We run our plays and he picks up on everything very quickly. "He deserves to be in this league, there's no question about it. He just knows how to play the game. You can't find guys his size with his ability very often." Pope could not be happier to hear those words. "Obviously, I'd love to make the team," he said. "But a guy in my position, you just go through the summer and see if you can pick up a job somewhere, so you just have to play it by ear and hope for the best."

nba.23 nba.news, 09 Jul 97

Rose keeps gum in his mouth, begins work for Bird INDIANAPOLIS (Jul 8, 1997 - 19:39 EDT) -- Jalen Rose kept his gum in his mouth Tuesday even though he couldn't stop his jaw from dropping when he practiced for the first time under Larry Bird. "It was kind of hard for me because I was staring at him so much," Rose said, a day after an alleged gum-spitting incident held him up at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. "I was just in awe of the whole situation, in awe to be here, to be like a protege of Larry Bird. "I never thought, growing up and watching him on TV, that I'd have the opportunity to have him make me a better player and a better person. The opportunity is here, and I won't do anything to mess that up." It looked like Rose might have managed to do just that before ever taking the court for the first-year coach. Early television reports Monday said Rose had spit gum on a Northwest Airlines employee. Rose, according to the reports, had become angry with the female worker while trying to board a flight to Indianapolis. Airline officials then pulled Rose from the flight. "It was a slight misunderstanding," Rose said after the first of two practices Tuesday. "I think it got a little blown out of proportion. There were apologies made both ways -- from Northwest Airlines to myself and from myself to Northwest Airlines." Rose said he was later given a new ticket and he flew to Indianapolis but arrived too late to practice in Monday's evening session. "Some guys handle things differently than others," Bird said. "I really don't know what happened. I just know it's two individuals involved in something. So hopefully, they can work it out." Rose is ready to forget the whole thing. "I've had to explain this to 100 people. So I'm really kind of tired of telling the story," he said. "It was something real slight. I'm just going to continue business as usual." This week, that means joining 13 other players in intense, two-a-day workouts at Market Square Arena. Rose said he wants to improve his all-around game because Bird has said he plans to use the 6-foot-8 swingman in a variety of situations. "I'm going to do whatever Larry Legend tells me to do. I'm focused, and I'm going to be ready to go," he said. Rose, a first-round draft pick out of Michigan by the Denver Nuggets in 1994, was traded to Indiana in June 1996. Under Bird, Rose said, he plans to have fun -- something he seldom experienced at the end of ex-coach Larry Brown's bench last season. "Today might be one of the greatest days I've had. I know it's the best thing to happen to my career since the Fab Five," Rose said, referring to his recruiting class at Michigan that reached the NCAA title game as freshmen and sophomores. "(Bird) is somebody I've been watching and idolizing since I was little, respecting a whole lot -- both on and off the floor, and I'm excited to play for him. I was excited just to meet him."

nba.24 nba.news, 10 Jul 97

Pitino says deal with European team for Radja close WALTHAM, Mass. (Jul 9, 1997 - 17:45 EDT) -- Dino Radja appears headed to a team in Greece, a deal that could be completed by the weekend and free up nearly $3 million for the Boston Celtics to spend on a player coach Rick Pitino prefers. "It's progressing," Pitino said of negotiations to unload the 6-foot-11 forward who failed a physical after being traded to Philadelphia June 20. "We should know something within 12 to 72 hours." Pitino spoke Wednesday after the end of the Celtics' four-day camp for free agents. Radja reportedly flew to Greece Monday, and was believed to be close to joining Panathinaikos AC. An agreement reportedly hit a snag, but Radja still is expected to sign with the team, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. Radja was scheduled to make about $5.6 million next season and is under contract to Boston for three years. If he leaves, "we would have about $2.8 million to work with," Pitino said. He likely would use that money on a free agent center or power forward. Pitino had hoped to unload Radja's contract before the team signed free agent center Travis Knight to a seven-year, $22 million contract Monday. Instead, to fit him under the salary cap, Pitino renounced the rights to two free agents he wanted to keep, Rick Fox and Marty Conlon, and seven he didn't want. Pitino, who expects Radja to play in Europe next season, said the complexity of the contract was holding up the deal. The Celtics had traded Radja to the 76ers for forwards Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage, who passed their physicals with Boston. But Radja, who balked at going to Philadelphia, failed his physical and the deal was nullified. The Celtics believed he was healthy and filed an appeal of the nullification with the NBA but withdrew it before a hearing. Radja missed much of the 1995-96 season with an ankle injury and all but 25 games last season. He had arthroscopic knee surgery in January. Radja led the Celtics in scoring and rebounding in 1995-96.

nba.25 nba.news, 10 Jul 97

Court date reset for Threatt's drunk-driving charges PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. (Jul 9, 1997 - 1997 EDT) -- The arraignment of 13-year NBA veteran Sedale Threatt on a driving-under-the-influence charge and five other traffic violations has been rescheduled for next week, a Paradise Valley police spokesman said Wednesday. The 35-year-old Threatt, who played last season with the Houston Rockets, is to appear Tuesday in Municipal Court to answer citations alleging DUI, driving with an excessive blood-alcohol level, reckless driving, speeding, running a stop sign and failure to wear a seat belt. "Summonses have gone out, so we don't know if he's in town and received them," Lt. Ron Warner said. "We should know by the end of the week." Threatt, who lives in nearby Scottsdale, apparently was headed home early on June 26 when his eastbound 1997 Mercedes-Benz sedan bottomed out in a dip in the road, hit a tree and overturned. He was thrown through the sun roof and escaped serious injury. Investigating officers estimated he was driving nearly 110 mph on the 35-mph road, and a Scottsdale police technician later tested his blood-alcohol level at .236, more than double the legal limit. Threatt has also played with Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle and the Los Angeles Lakers.

nba.27 nba.news, 10 Jul 97

Pitino bringing fans, hope back to Celtics WALTHAM, Mass. (Jul 9, 1997 - 16:33 EDT) -- All the seats were filled. Fans who couldn't get them stood. They waited eagerly for the moment. Then it came, and they cheered for 30 seconds. Rick Pitino had entered the gym. It was only a workout for little-known free agents, two draft picks and four veterans. There was no air-conditioning. Yet about 2,400 spectators packed the arena when the man hired to revive the Boston Celtics marched in. "Many people are here to see Pitino," said Tim O'Brien, one of those hopeful fans. "There's such a tradition with the organization. The people are looking for a hero." The ticket price of $8 ($5 for kids) for each of the two nights didn't keep them away. O'Brien attended similar Celtics camps during the past seven years and said Tuesday night's crowd was the biggest "by far." Many fans parked their cars far away and raced to the box office. Too late. Both workouts Monday and Tuesday nights were sellouts. "We turned away 1,000 people (Tuesday night) and people were scalping tickets for a workout situation without any other NBA teams," Pitino said. "That's as impressive as it gets." Fans of the team that won an NBA-record 16 titles are hungry for a winner after M.L. Carr's embarrassing two-year reign as coach ended with a 15-67 record last season, the worst in club history. They're hoping Pitino, who turned around the New York Knicks and college programs at Boston University, Providence and Kentucky, can come through. He's already drafted his probable starting backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. "Let's say M.L. drafts these guys. You get half the crowd. They're here to see Pitino," said O'Brien, 32, a legal researcher from Newton. The fans Tuesday night ranged from the middle-aged man in a suit with a Celtics tie to the kids in green-and-gray T-shirts from the Red Auerbach Basketball School. Fans roared when Mercer, the sixth pick in the draft, drove right, then made a spin move to his left for a layup. They also cheered when Anthony Tucker, a longshot from the Florida Beachdogs of the CBA, dove into the first row of seats for a loose ball. And little-known Herman Alston fired up the crowd by firing up 3-pointers. The crowd was excited about anything in a Celtics uniform after two bleak seasons and the prospect of more until Pitino became president and coach May 6. "I haven't seen it like that in three or four years," said guard Dee Brown, who has emerged from Carr's doghouse to become a Pitino favorite. "They were very excited and I think that's just a sign of what's going to come." Carr hadn't coached before the 1995-96 season and it showed. Practices were poorly organized. Players' motivation sagged. Last season's team was so bad that Pitino dumped nine of its players on one day when he cleared salary cap space to sign center Travis Knight on Monday. "It sounds great, nine-for-one, but seven we renounced a long time ago," Pitino said. "It was really two-for-one. We didn't want to renounce either Marty Conlon or Rick Fox." Instead of over-the-hill centers Frank Brickowski and Alton Lister, who were renounced, fans came to see Billups and Mercer, who already are renowned. Hobbled by a sprained ankle, Billups watched the scrimmages from the bench. Nearby, Pitino remained calm for most of Tuesday's nearly two-hour session. He appeared pensive with his legs crossed and his chin cupped in his hand. At one point, barely taking his eyes off the action, he signed a copy of his book, "Success Is A Choice." In a way, Mercer felt like he was back in college. He has the same coach, the same system and the same athletic moves to get by defenders, soar for smooth jumpers and thrill spectators. The crowds are back, too. "It's like at Kentucky," he said. "The fans are going to support the team. It's a new year. We have new players coming in, a new coach. The fans are anxious and ready to see the team play." O'Brien is one of them. "There's an excitement back," he said. "It's going to be a great year."

nba.26 nba.news, 10 Jul 97

NBA rookie games: Pitino vs. Bird MARIETTA, Ga. (Jul 9, 1997 - 19:45 EDT) -- Larry Bird makes his coaching debut and Rick Pitino returns to the NBA Thursday night during rookie games involving the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. Each of the four teams will play one game each day through Saturday at Life University's gymnasium in Marietta, an Atlanta suburb. Bird, hired by the Pacers in May to replace Larry Brown, will get a chance to see Indiana's No. 1 draft pick -- Austin Croshere, the 6-foot-9 forward from Providence -- perform under game conditions against the Hawks' rookies in Thursday's second game. Pitino, who left Kentucky for Boston after taking the national title in 1996 and finishing second this March, will watch his rookies in the opener against Cleveland. "I don't think they're (Bird and Pitino) dressing out, but it'll be fun for the fans," said Hawks general manager Pete Babcock. Fans also will get their first look at Boston's first-round draft picks, Chauncey Billups of Colorado and Ron Mercer of Kentucky, and Cleveland's first-rounders, Derek Anderson of Kentucky and Brevin Knight of Stanford. For Babcock and Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens, the focus will be on No. 1 draft pick Ed Gray of California and second-round picks Chris Crawford of Marquette and Alain Digbeu of France. Gray, a shooting guard who led the Pac-10 in scoring last season, sprained his left ankle during Atlanta's first practice Sunday and is listed as day-to-day. He has been lifting weights and riding an exercise bike and said he should be ready to play Thursday. "I think I'll be back in enough time to play," Gray said. "I didn't think it was nothing when it happened."

nba.28 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Warriors hire St. Jean as GM OAKLAND, Calif. (Jul 10, 1997 - 22:27 EDT) -- Garry St. Jean, a former Golden State assistant and coach of the Sacramento Kings for 4 1/2 seasons until he was fired in March, was hired Thursday as the Warriors' general manager. St. Jean, who has spent 17 years as a scout, coach and assistant player personnel director with the Kings, Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and New Jersey Nets, said he was happy to be back in the NBA -- and with the Warriors. "When I left Sacramento, one door closed. But if you know the NBA, a couple of more often are going to open. You just don't know where you're going to land," said St. Jean, who led the Kings to their first playoff spot in a decade in 1996. "It sure is special for me to be back in the Bay," said St. Jean, an assistant for the Warriors under Don Nelson in 1988-92. "I had very special feelings about those four years I spent here. They were very important years in my life." The hiring of St. Jean comes a month after the Warriors hired P.J. Carlesimo as coach. St. Jean replaces Dave Twardzik, who was ousted after two years as general manager. Chris Mullin, who last year asked the Warriors for a trade, is the only player remaining with Golden State from St. Jean's tenure as an assistant. But St. Jean knows the team well from his time as the Kings' coach. St. Jean, 47, an emotional and intense coach who fumed at his own players and at referees in Sacramento, said he's ready to move from the bench to the boardroom. "I may sleep a little bit better. It's something I always thought about. I'm not going to cross that white line anymore. I'm going to watch him," he said, nodding at Carlesimo. St. Jean would not rule out a return to coaching. "I don't think anybody leaves the bench and says I'm going to be able to walk away," he said. "I think I'm relatively young enough that some day I could coach again." The Warriors also named Ed Gregory director of scouting. Gregory was the team's director of player personnel for two seasons.

nba.29 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Lenard, Heat agree to new deal MIAMI -- Miami Heat president and head coach Pat Riley announced that the team had agreed to terms on a multi-year contract with starting shooting guard Voshon Lenard. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Lenard, who was signed by the Heat two seasons ago out of the Continental Basketball Association, had the right to sign with any NBA team without the Heat receiving compensation. Lenard, who was eligible to sign for no more than the NBA annual average salary of $2,364,400, played last year for the veterans' minimum pay of $247,500. Limited by its position under the NBA salary cap, the Heat has only a $1 million cap exemption to make further moves this off-season. Riley has said the team needs a backup point guard, a slashing swingman and a big man to back up center Alonzo Mourning. But re-signing Lenard was a key. "Voshon is a key member of this team," Riley said. "He contributed heavily to our success this season, and we are investing in him for the future. He's a young player who continues to improve his game." Lenard was an integral part of Miami's record-breaking 1996-97 season. He was the team's top 3-point shooter, nailing 41 percent (183 for 442, 10th best in the league). He started 47 games and averaged 12.3 points, 2.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 28.9 minutes.

nba.31 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Knicks strike deal with top pick Thomas NEW YORK -- John Thomas, the New York Knicks' first-round draft pick from Minnesota, has signed a multiyear contract, the team announced Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 6-foot-9, 265-pound forward was the 25th player taken in last month's draft. As a senior last season, he helped lead the Golden Gophers to their first Final Four appearance, averaging 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 58 percent from the field in 35 games. "John is an extremely hard worker who should fit in very well with our team," Knicks president and GM Ernie Grunfeld said. "He's a rugged player and is sound defensively. John is very coachable and is a proven winner who will do whatever is asked of him to help the team." Thomas averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds over his four years at Minnesota and was a second-team all-Big Ten selection as a senior. "This is a great opportunity for me to join a winning organization with great veteran leadership," the 21-year-old Thomas said. "I'll be ready to contribute in any way I can." The Knicks finished 57-25 last season and were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

nba.30 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Jazz re-sign Carr, Anderson SALT LAKE CITY (Jul 10, 1997 - 21:33 EDT) -- Free agents Antoine Carr and Shandon Anderson were re-signed by the Utah Jazz, the team said Thursday. "We've looked at some players from other teams, but our focus is to keep the team intact," Scott Layden, the Jazz vice president of basketball operations, said. Carr and Anderson said they received offers from other teams, but that money wasn't a factor in their decisions. Instead, they said their loyalty to the team and their families was the first consideration. "I felt we had a mission we were not able to accomplish last year and I wanted to come back and do it right," Carr said of the team's bid for the NBA championship that fell short after a six-game loss in the finals to the Chicago Bulls. Carr, a 6-foot-9-inch, 13-year veteran who came off the bench to play power forward and center for the Jazz, signed a one-year deal. He said he hopes to eventually reach a multi-year deal enabling him to finish his career in Utah. "I have a newborn and I couldn't see moving her around the country," Carr said. "Now I've got a little time this summer to relax with my son." Signing Carr first was important to the team because he is one of the higher-paid players on the team. Carr said he took a pay cut clearing room for the team to sign other players. Anderson, a 6-foot-6-inch guard, signed a two-year deal. Anderson was courted by more than 10 teams with some willing to pay nearly twice as much as the Jazz, pending some trades, Anderson's agent, Lance Luchnick, said. Luchnick said as long as the Jazz were going to be fair with him, Shandon wanted to re-sign with the team. The Jazz have four remaining free agents to sign, foremost among them being forward Bryon Russell and guard Jeff Hornacek. The team also has reserve point guard Howard Eisley and forward Stephen Howard, in addition to first-round draft pick Jacque Vaughn and second round choice Nate Erdmann.

nba.32 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Rockets blast into future by signing Rhodes, Zwikker HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets signed their top two picks in last month's draft, inking swingman Rodrick Rhodes and center Serge Zwikker to undisclosed contracts. Rhodes, a 6-foot-6 guard-foward, was the 24th pick in the first round, while Zwikker was the top pick in the second round, 30th overall. As a senior at Southern California, Rhodes averaged 14 points and 4.9 rebounds in 25 games and led the team in assists with 4.2. He shot 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range and was named Pac-10 Conference Newcomer of the Year. Zwikker, a member of North Carolina's Final Four teams in 1995 and 1997, posted career-highs with 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior. He also recorded a career-high 61 blocked shots as a junior.

nba.33 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Sixers ink Thomas Philadelphia, PA (TSN) - The Philadelphia 76ers have signed forward Tim Thomas to an undisclosed contract. Thomas, who was selected with the seventh overall pick in June's NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets, was acquired by the Sixers along with guard Jim Jackson, center Eric Montross and the rights to guard/forward Anthony Parker in exchange for the rights to Keith Van Horn, center Michael Cage, guard Lucious Harris and forward Don MacLean on June 27. The 6-foot-9 1/2, 230-pound Thomas was named the 1997 National Freshman of the Year last season, as he averaged 16.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the Villanova Wildcats. The Big East Rookie of the Year started 31 of 32 games for the Wildcats, and became one of only seven players in school history to start the first game of his career.

nba.34 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Christie signs four-year deal with Raptors TORONTO -- Forward Doug Christie has signed a four-year, $20 million contract to stay with his current team, the Toronto Raptors, ESPN has learned. Christie had one year left on his current contract.

nba.35 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Portland's O'Neal gets suspended sentence, community service COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Jermaine O'Neal of the Portland Trail Blazers was given a 15-day suspended sentence Thursday after finally appearing in court a week late. Richland County Magistrate William Smith sealed O'Neal's 15-day sentence July 3 when the Portland Trail Blazers center failed to show for his hearing on a disorderly conduct charge. O'Neal, 18, apologized for last week's misunderstanding and said he wants people to know it was just a mistake, not disrespect for the legal system. "To anybody who has ever talked to me or been around me, I'm the nicest guy you could ever meet," O'Neal said. "This incident does not say anything about Jermaine O'Neal. I just hope to use this incident to better myself." Smith suspended the sentence and imposed 100 hours of community service for O'Neal and a friend, Thomas Simmons Jr., who also was charged in the incident. Both spent a night in jail June 14 after authorities said they cursed at officers outside a Columbia mall. "It was simply a mistake," said O'Neal's attorney, I.S. Leevy Johnson. Johnson said the sentence was appropriate for a crime that generally carries a fine of between $200 to $300. Johnson argued that more was made of this case because of O'Neal's celebrity. "He's 18 years of age and people expect him to conduct himself like he's 50 years old and I think that's unfair," he said. O'Neal's image has taken some hits. He's listened to local talk shows telling him to grow up. He also says a million-dollar endorsement deal to pitch a national soft drink has been placed on hold. O'Neal was to leave for Portland later Thursday and immediately begin summer workouts with the Trail Blazers. He is supposed to report for his community service on Aug. 8. "Will that give you enough time?" Smith asked. "Yes, sir," said the contrite O'Neal. The 6-foot-11 O'Neal, who would be starting his sophomore year if he went to college, said his trouble had put some potential endorsements on hold, including a $1 million contract to push soft drinks. "Hopefully, things will be taken care of in the next couple of weeks," he said. O'Neal starred at Columbia's Eau Claire High School before skipping college to go directly into the NBA draft. Portland's first-round pick last year, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 45 games as a rookie.

nba.36 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

UMass report says Camby accepted money from agent AMHERST, Mass. -- A University of Massachusetts administrator questioned basketball All-American Marcus Camby about his jewelry before the scandal broke over Camby improperly taking gifts from agents, according to campus investigators. However, the investigators still insisted that authorities at the school had no way of knowing Camby took the gifts. The finding came to light in a report released Thursday to The Associated Press. The report is the result of the school's eight-month investigation into Camby's activities. The report said Camby, strapped for spending money, took $2,000 during the summer of 1995 from John Lounsbury, who was an agent registered with the NBA. The player accepted the money "a few hundred dollars at a time," the report added. But it noted that Camby "never appeared to have any spending money." It also said "he only purchased meals during road trips when given a per diem to do so, and rarely purchased anything when the team spent time together shopping." The report revealed for the first time that David Glover, a former assistant athletic director, had questioned Camby about what appeared to him to be an expensive pendant that was given to him by friends, who had received it from a sports agent. Camby, according to the report, did not know immediately of the origin of the pendant, but he said nothing after discovering the gift had originated with an agent. The NCAA punished the university for the violation by stripping it of its 1996 tournament record, when the Minutemen reached the Final Four. College sports' governing body also ordered repayment of $151,000 in tournament revenue, which Camby has promised to pay back to the university in the form of a gift. Camby was drafted by the Toronto Raptors and completed his first year with the club. The university released the report to The Associated Press following a Freedom of Information Act request the news organization filed. Bill Strickland, a campus athletics spokesman, said the university withheld the report until it received permission to release it from the student-athletes named in it. Camby's OK came last week. In another section, the report revealed that teammate Charlton Clarke told investigators Camby had sex with a woman accompanied to Camby's room by another sports agent, Wesley S. Spears. Clarke also said he was aware of Camby driving a rental car provided by two friends the report described as alleged intermediaries for a sports agent wooing Camby. Spears was charged in Connecticut with attempted extortion and promoting prostitution in the Camby case. He was accused of arranging sexual liaisons with prostitutes for Camby and his friends. Former coach John Calipari told campus investigators that he had no reason to be suspicious of the gifts Camby took. He said he had a contract to stay at the university until he was 60 and could be fired only for an NCAA violation. He is quoted as saying, "No student is worth that." Calipari left to coach the NBA's New Jersey Nets about the time the Camby scandal broke. But he denied that it was a reason for his departure.

nba.37 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Celtics team doctor admits playing drinking game with teens at fatal party QUINCY, Mass. (Jul 10, 1997 - 20:51 EDT) -- The team doctor for the Boston Celtics has admitted playing a drinking game with at least three underage youths at a Cohasset graduation party that also was attended by a teen-ager who died in a drunken driving accident the same night. But Dr. Arnold Scheller of Milton, an orthopedic surgeon, said the point of tossing a ping pong ball into cups of beer was not to get drunk, even though scoring a "basket" meant another person had to drink beer. "The kids wanted us to see who could shoot the ball into the cups," Scheller said. "It took some skill to get the ball in the cup." The testimony came in the trial of John Lennon, 47, a Cohasset oil company executive charged with contributing to the delinquency of minors and providing alcohol to underage youths. Lennon threw a party on June 22, 1996 to celebrate his son's graduation from Thayer Academy and his daughter's graduation from college. One of the guests, Gregory Smith, 18, of Marshfield, a Thayer student, crashed his pickup truck into a utility pole on his way home. Tests showed that the level of alcohol in his blood was twice the legal limit. Scheller said his 18-year-old son, Matt, brought beer to the party. Asked if his son was drinking despite being under the legal age of 21, Scheller responded: "What is your definition of underage?" Nine Thayer students also testified at the trial. They said alcohol was plentiful at the party, but that Lennon did not serve them or encourage them to drink.

nba.38 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Da vidimo, dakle, kako trenutno stoje stvari... Eastern Conference movement charts A team-by-team list of Eastern Conference off-season moves (*Re-signed with team): ATLANTA HAWKS BOSTON CELTICS Free agents signed Free agents lost C-F Travis Knight from L.A. Lakers David Wesley to Charlotte Waived/rights renounced Retired C Frank Brickowski F Marty Conlon G Todd Day G Nate Driggers F Rick Fox C Steve Hamer G Michael Hawkins C Alton Lister C Brett Szabo CHARLOTTE HORNETS Free agents signed Free agents lost David Wesley from Boston Waived/rights renounced Retired F Donald Royal F Rafael Addison CHICAGO BULLS CLEVELAND CAVALIERS DETROIT PISTONS INDIANA PACERS MIAMI HEAT Free agents signed Free agents lost G Voshon Lenard* MILWAUKEE BUCKS Traded Acquired via trade F Danny Fortson to Denver C Ervin Johnson from Denver G Johnny Newman to Denver F Joe Wolf to Denver NEW JERSEY NETS Traded Acquired via trade G Jim Jackson to Philadelphia F-C Michael Cage from Philadelphia C Eric Montross to Philadelphia G Lucious Harris from Philadelphia G Anthony Parker to Philadelphia F Don MacLean from Philadelphia F Tim Thomas to Philadelphia F Keith Van Horn from Philadelphia NEW YORK KNICKS Free agents signed Free agents lost C Patrick Ewing* ORLANDO MAGIC Traded Acquired via trade G Eric Washington to Denver C Jason Lawson from Denver PHILADELPHIA 76ERS Traded Acquired via trade F-C Michael Cage to New Jersey G Jim Jackson from New Jersey G James Collins to L.A. Clippers C Eric Montross from New Jersey G Lucious Harris to New Jersey G Anthony Parker from New Jersey F Don MacLean to New Jersey F Tim Thomas from New Jersey F Keith Van Horn to New Jersey TORONTO RAPTORS Free agents signed Free agents lost G-F Walt Williams* WASHINGTON WIZARDS

nba.39 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Western Conference movement charts A team-by-team list of Western Conference off-season moves (*Re-signed with team): DALLAS MAVERICKS Free agents signed Free agents lost G Sasha Danilovic to Italy Traded Acquired via trade F-C Kelvin Cato to Portland C Chris Anstey from Portland DENVER NUGGETS Traded Acquired via trade G James Cotton to Seattle F Danny Fortson from Milwaukee C Ervin Johnson to Milwaukee G Bobby Jackson from Seattle C Jason Lawson to Orlando G Johnny Newman from Milwaukee G Eric Washington from Orlando F Joe Wolf from Milwaukee Waived/rights renounced Retired G Jerome Allen G Vincent Askew G Keith Jennings G Jimmy King G Sarunas Marciulionis G Kenny Smith GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS HOUSTON ROCKETS Free agents signed Free agents lost G Emanual Davis* LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS Traded Acquired via trade C Stanley Roberts to Minnesota G James Collins from Philadelphia C Stojan Vrankovic from Minnesota Waived/released Retired G Terry Dehere C Dwayne Schintzius LOS ANGELES LAKERS Free agents signed Free agents lost C-F Travis Knight to Boston G Byron Scott to Greece MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES Traded Acquired via trade C Stojan Vrankovic to L.A. Clippers C Stanley Roberts from L.A. Clippers PHOENIX SUNS Free agents signed Free agents lost F-C Mark Bryant* G Rex Chapman* G Kevin Johnson* C Horacio Llamas* F-C Hot Rod Williams* PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS Traded Acquired via trade C Chris Anstey to Dallas F-C Kelvin Cato from Dallas G C.J. Bruton from Vancouver Waived/rights renounced Retired G Mitchell Butler SACRAMENTO KINGS Free agents signed Free agents lost F Lawrence Funderburke SAN ANTONIO SPURS Free agents signed Free agents lost G Avery Johnson* SEATTLE SUPERSONICS Traded Acquired via trade G Bobby Jackson to Denver G James Cotton from Denver UTAH JAZZ Free agents signed Free agents lost G Shandon Anderson* G Antoine Carr* VANCOUVER GRIZZLIES Traded Acquired via trade G C.J. Bruton to Portland

nba.40 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

NBA First-Round Draft Pick Signing Status The signing status of first-round picks in the 1997 National Basketball Association draft: 1. San Antonio -- Tim Duncan, c, Wake Forest 2. Philadelphia -- Keith Van Horn, f, Utah 3. Boston -- Chauncey Billups, g, Colorado 4. Vancouver -- Antonio Daniels, g, Bowling Green 5. Denver -- Tony Battie, f-c, Texas Tech 6. Boston (from Dallas) -- Ron Mercer, f, Kentucky 7. New Jersey -- Tim Thomas, f, Villanova 8. Golden State -- Adonal Foyle, f-c, Colgate 9. Toronto -- Tracy McGrady, f, Mt. Zion Academy (HS) 10. Milwaukee -- Danny Fortson, f, Cincinnati 11. Sacramento -- Olivier St. Jean, f, San Jose State (signed undisclosed terms) 12. Indiana -- Austin Croshere, f, Providence (signed undisclosed terms) 13. Cleveland -- Derek Anderson, g, Kentucky (signed undisclosed terms) 14. Los Angeles Clippers -- Maurice Taylor, f, Michigan 15. Dallas (from Minnesota) -- Kelvin Cato, c, Iowa State 16. Cleveland (from Phoenix) -- Brevin Knight, g, Stanford (signed undisclosed terms) 17. Orlando -- Johnny Taylor, f, Chattanooga 18. Portland -- Chris Anstey, c, East Melbourne Magic (Australia) 19. Detroit -- Scot Pollard, f, Kansas 20. Minnesota (from Charlotte via Portland) -- Paul Grant, c, Wisconsin 21. New Jersey (from LA Lakers) -- Anthony Parker, g, Bradley 22. Atlanta -- Ed Gray, g, California (signed undisclosed terms) 23. Seattle -- Bobby Jackson, g, Minnesota 24. Houston -- Rodrick Rhodes, f, Southern California (signed undisclosed terms) 25. New York -- John Thomas, f, Minnesota (signed at undisclosed terms) 26. Miami -- Charles Smith, g, New Mexico 27. Utah -- Jacques Vaughn, g, Kansas 28. Chicago -- Keith Booth, f, Maryland

nba.41 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Bird on bench; Pitino a no-show during rookie games MARIETTA, Ga. (Jul 10, 1997 - 22:21 EDT) -- Larry Bird did something Thursday night that isn't done very often during summer rookie games. He made his NBA coaching debut by actually being on the bench and guiding his young bunch of Indiana Pacers against the Atlanta Hawks. He also came away a winner, beating the Hawks 88-75. "You always like to win, whether it's your first game or your 50th," Bird said. "It was a good experience, a different type of job, but fun. Tonight we did pretty well." Bird drew a standing ovation from the cheering overflow crowd of more than 3,000 in the 2,300-seat gymnasium of NAIA national champion Life University when he made his appearance following Cleveland's 85-75 victory over Boston. Rick Pitino's return to the NBA to coach the Celtics' rookies in the opening game against the Cavaliers, however, was put on hold. Pitino, who had a 1 p.m. flight from Boston to Atlanta, was delayed by ongoing negotiations involving center Dino Radja, which could free up $2.8 million for the Celtics to use on a free agent. Pitino is expected in Atlanta on Friday for the remainder of the games. "I'm pretty sure that's what kept him in Boston," said a Celtics spokesman, who did not want his name used. "We expect him to be here tomorrow." Ron Mercer, one of the Celtics' first-round draft picks, scored 10 points in 20 minutes. Chauncey Billups, the other first-round selection, did not play due to a sore left ankle. Both of Cleveland's first-round picks -- Derek Anderson and Brevin Knight -- did not play due to minor injuries. Autograph seekers had to wait until after the game to get to Bird, who was escorted onto the court by several security guards. About a dozen youngsters managed to get Bird's autograph on the court immediately following the conclusion of the second game before he was herded away by officials. Jalen Rose led Indiana with 18 points and Mark Pope added 14. Priest Lauderdale had 17 points for the Hawks. Indiana's first-round draft pick, Austin Croshere, did not play due to a pulled hamstring. Atlanta's No. 1 choice, Ed Gray, also sat out with a sprained left ankle. The rookie games -- The Atlanta Summer Shootout -- run through Saturday with each team playing three games. Bird, neatly dressed in an all-brown outfit, never hesitated when asked if he were going to be sitting on the bench for his first look in a game situation for his Pacers. "I've never done this before. I think it's just good to get a little bit of experience," said Bird, who agreed to a deal reportedly worth $4 to $4.5 million a year. Atlanta Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens said bench coaching during these annual rookie games is rarely done nowadays. "I can't remember the last time somebody did it," he said. "Most coaches today have the experience. Larry hasn't had any, so it's probably good for him." Bird, 40, a special assistant with the Celtics since his retirement five years ago, said he was excited about his new career. "I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think it was exciting," said the 1980 NBA rookie of the year who won three MVP awards and led the Celtics to three championships in 13 seasons. Bird opened camp for the Pacers on Sunday and has run a grueling training regimen since then with running playing a major role. "You've got to be in shape to play in this league point-blank. Running is what we do for a living. They all went the extra step for me," he said. There were no rah-rah speeches before the game. "No. We ran through some stuff during the week. Now we'll see what it takes to push the right buttons," Bird said.

nba.42 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Bird opens new chapter in storied career INDIANAPOLIS (Jul 10, 1997 - 09:45 EDT) -- Mark Pope does not have time to be in awe. He wants a job in the NBA. It does not matter who is passing him the ball during a low-post drill. What matters is what the former University of Kentucky player does with the ball. It does not matter who is bumping him away from the basket or trying to block his shot, even if that person is considered among the best basketball players of all time. But Pope could not help it this one time. "All of a sudden it hit me," Pope said Tuesday. "Dang, Larry Bird is guarding me." Bird's first steps as a coach -- on any level -- started Sunday when the Indiana Pacers had their first rookie/free agent camp at Market Square Arena. Those steps will continue next week when Bird takes his rookies, free agents and a handful of veterans to Atlanta for games against the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Even before Bird retired from the Celtics in 1992, he said he would not want to coach. He spent the last five years as a special assistant in the Celtics front office, mainly scouting college players for the draft. Tired of that, and bored with playing golf in Florida, Bird wanted to get back into the NBA, specifically as a coach, although not for Boston. Instead he helped lure UK coach Rick Pitino to Boston to become president and coach, and a day later Bird went to Indianapolis to take over his home-state team. Now he is referred to as "Coach Bird." "It's strange hearing it," Bird said, "but I'll get used to it. I already am." When Bird's Pacers play Pitino's Celtics in Atlanta, and again in the regular season, Bird said there will be no strange feelings. "We're going down there to win," Bird said. Winning is all Bird cares about. As a forward, he would do whatever he could to help the Celtics win, and more often than not he did, winning NBA championships in 1981, '84 and '86. Now as a coach, Bird wants to bring Indiana its first NBA title. "He feels that part of his job is to get whatever potential a player has and get the maximum out of him," said Pacers assistant Rick Carlisle, a one-time Celtics teammate of Bird. "Players want to play for a coach who, No. 1, has been there and, No. 2, knows what it takes to get there and, No. 3, knows how the game should be played. "Larry has all those things." Bird has not played in a meaningful game since the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and while he knows he cannot perform at his previous level, there are times he would like to get on the court again. "It's not that I wish I could play, but I wish I could scrimmage a little bit," Bird said. Bird still has trouble with his back, which forced him to retire a year or two early, and for now settles for a game of H-O-R-S-E. Much of the time during Tuesday's practice session, Bird, 40, was encouraging players. He did not raise his voice, except for telling second-year center Erick Dampier to use his left hand. The players were at full attention, and even had Bird laughing a couple of times, but for the most part the interaction was strictly player-coach. "Maybe when we get away from Indy and get used to each other we'll tell stories," Bird said. "I used to love sitting in the bus telling stories." Bird said his coaching style will be a combination of his coaches, even going back to his high school mentor, Jim Jones, in French Lick, Ind. The two he would like to emulate most, though, are Bill Fitch and K.C. Jones, who coached the Celtics to titles in Bird's era. "I'd like to be a mix of those guys," Bird said. "I want to be a guy the players like and that can still get them to play hard." Carlisle sees a comparison with Orlando Magic coach Chuck Daly. "When I first met Larry he was a man of few words, maybe the fewest words," said Carlisle, who was on Daly's staff with the New Jersey Nets. "But when he said something, it meant a lot. Chuck was the same way. I think players respond to that." Skeptics say Bird will not make a good coach because he will get frustrated with players that do not work as hard as he did. Bird disagrees. "Young guys want to be pushed," Bird said. Bird never needed to be pushed. There were times Bird was so early to practice at a bandbox gym the Celtics used at Hellenic College that he had to wait in his car until the trainer arrived. On his second day on the job as Pacers coach, Bird arrived so early that he had to wait again. "I got keys now," Bird said with a smile. "I feel like I own the city."

nba.43 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Rose excited about playing for Bird INDIANAPOLIS (Jul 10, 1997 - 16:51 EDT) -- Jalen Rose's debut with the Indiana Pacers is one he'd like to forget. Unable to impress former coach Larry Brown, Rose often was a spectator last season. A first-round draft pick of Denver in 1994, Rose became a member of the NBA's all-rookie team. But, the former star from Michigan and the Nuggets soon became unhappy with each other and he was traded to Indiana June 13, 1996. For much of last season, "Did Not Play, coach's decision," became Rose's biggest statistic. In his third season, Rose played only 1,188 minutes as the Pacers went 39-43 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989. To his credit, Rose kept his thoughts to himself and continued to work to improve. Now, he is enthused about being part of Larry Bird's coaching debut. Bird becomes Rose's fifth coach in four seasons. He considers reporting to the team's rookie-free agent camp, along with playing in the summer league this weekend, as ways to demonstrate his enthusiasm for the upcoming season. "This is just an honor, you have so much respect for Larry Bird," Rose said. 'We've seen him perform, you've seen in the NBA what he's done for basketball. His word is like coming from a basketball God. To me, I've been staring at him, more than listening to what he was saying." Bird is ready to give Rose the opportunity to prove himself. "I like Jalen. Back when he first came out, I was very high on him," said Bird, who was evaluating talent for the Boston Celtics when Denver made the 6-foot-8 Rose the 13th selection in the draft. "I would have liked to have seen the Celtics draft him because I know he's a multi-talented player. He can play two positions. He's big, and it is hard to find 6-8 point guards." That's exactly what Rose wants to hear. "I'm excited about our season," Rose said. "... He's going to know things that happen in certain situations, things that his teams did to win titles, and things that he did to be a great player. He's going to give us insight that someone who hasn't been in it can give us. Hopefully, that will give us an advantage." The two have talked away from practice about Rose's role during the 1997-98 season. "Larry's been watching me play for a long time," Rose said. "We've sat down and talked about it. I know ... he expects a lot out of me. I haven't been this excited since I was part of the Fab Five. "I feel good about my game. I feel good about my team, and my organization. That's just going to make me a better player." Despite averaging only 18 minutes per game in 62 games last season, Rose averaged 7.3 points.

nba.44 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

NBA teams continue to inflate salaries of big men Some lessons are never learned. It is why there are trades such as the recent Stojko Vrankovic-Stanley Roberts deal. It is why players such as Dwayne Schintzius, Oliver Miller and Yinka Dare still cash paychecks. And it is why players such as Benoit Benjamin, Stacey King and Greg Dreiling may yet resurface in the league. In the quest to find, sign and keep big men, the NBA long has gone to great lengths. Two moves this past week only offer further evidence of the league's out-of-proportion fascination with size. Bryant Reeves -- erstwhile big man who neither blocks shots nor possesses much in the way of lateral movement -- signed a six-year, $64.8 million extension with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Travis Knight -- capable backup center without the pedigree to become much more -- signed a seven-year, $22 million free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics. The moves are added indications that NBA teams still insist on measuring their self-esteem by the size of their big men. The Reeves deal is almost laughable. An average of $10.8 million (American, not Canadian) to a player who, quite possibly, never will emerge as an All-Star? (For now, Shaq, Hakeem and the Admiral figure to have those slots handled. For the next decade, figure at least two automatic Western Conference nods to Shaq and Tim Duncan. If a third center is added to the Western roster, which is not a requirement, Shawn Bradley could get as much consideration as Reeves). As a matter of perspective, consider some of the free-agent contracts signed last summer by big men, when Dikembe Mutumbo received an average of $11.2 million over five years, Antonio Davis an average of $5.6 million over seven or even Ervin Johnson an average of $2.1 million over seven. Of the Grizzlies' staggering package to Reeves, a Central Division executive said, "They've pushed the bar way up. No one understands that one.'' Just as confounding is the Celtics' seven-year commitment to Knight. "Same thing,'' the executive said. True, the collective bargaining agreement allowed a maximum contract length of seven years. But it isn't mandatory. If Rick Pitino truly is to turn around the Celtics, if Antoine Walker, Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer are to reach their destinies, is Travis Knight qualified to play a leading role in that presentation? Two marginal big men in the greater scheme. Two staggering contracts, one in size, the other in length. But, actually, nothing too unusual here ... just continued fascination that bigger is better. Shopping centers More centers of attraction: Lorenzo Williams is being shopped by the Bullets. The trouble for teams seeking backup centers is that Williams has six years left on a seven-year contract ... Warriors free-agent center Andrew DeClercq apparently has attracted the interest of the Bulls, who have a $1 million cap exemption at their disposal. DeClercq likely was pushed out of the Warriors' free-agent plans with their drafting of Colgate center Adonal Foyle ... New Jersey still has an interest in Pacers center Rik Smits, with Jayson Williams ever available from the Nets roster. Around the league Once considered a sure thing, a trade of Chris Mullin from the Warriors now is anything but. Golden State, in fact, is preparing an extension for the veteran small forward. Mullin had been mentioned as an option for the Pacers' void at small forward ... Point guard Howard Eisley, the Jazz reserve who is a free agent, is said to be seeking a three-year package averaging $1.2 million ... Among the hottest players on the tryout-camp circuit is point guard Elmer Bennett, who soon could be in line for some guaranteed money. Bennett, a second-round pick by the Hawks in '92, has split his career between the CBA and several brief NBA tryouts ... Among the most shocking developments of the off-season may have been the fact that Toronto forward Carlos Rogers opted out of a contract that had six years and $11.2 million remaining. Ladies and gentlemen, meet this year's Oliver Miller ... Michael Cage, on joining the Nets, Derrick Coleman's former team, as a means of escaping Coleman in Philadelphia, "If I were to say that Derrick Coleman's presence on that team was the ideal situation, you know, no, I'm not going to patronize you guys like that. I think that understanding him as a player, as an individual and what's making him the way he is, was a challenge for me.'' ... With all the confusion about the salary cap, a clarification is needed about the salary minimum-salaried players from last season can receive when re-signing with teams over the cap. The figure actually is $326,750, a 20-percent raise above the '97-98 NBA veteran's minimum of $272,250.

nba.45 nba.news, 11 Jul 97

Mr. Williams goes to Washington? There have been discussions between the New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards regarding a trade for Nets center Jayson Williams, according to the Washington Post. Williams, who averaged 13.5 rebounds per game last season and had his season cut short after he underwent thumb surgery, has been candid about his desire to play alongside forwards Chris Webber and Juwan Howard. Williams' agent, Sal Difazio, recently said that Williams would have "no qualms about Washington. It's on the East Coast, which is where he wants to be. Pssst ... Earlier this week Indiana Pacers guard Jalen Rose was detained at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport after allegedly spitting gum at a Northwest Airlines female worker. "I think it got a little blown out of proportion," Rose said. "There were apologies made both ways." Spike Lee filmed a scene from his movie "He Got Game" starring Denzel Washington at halftime at the New York Liberty game Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

nba.46 nba.news, 12 Jul 97

Sixers sign rookies Tim Thomas, Parker PHILADELPHIA -- Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker have signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, two weeks after they were taken in the NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets then sent to Philadelphia in a multi-player deal. "I'm happy to be in Philadelphia, near my family and friends," Thomas said in a statement Thursday. "I'm happy to be part of the Sixers organization, and I'm happy to be playing for a great coach in Larry Brown. I can't wait for the season to start." The team announced the three-year deal Thursday after Thomas passed his physical. The 6-foot-9 Thomas, 20, averaged 16.9 points and six rebounds in 32 games as a freshman at Villanova last season, when he was the Big East Conference rookie of the year. Parker, the 21st selection overall, signed with the 76ers on Friday, a day after Thomas. The 76ers did not disclose contract terms. The Philadelphia Daily News reported Friday that both players had three-year contracts, with Thomas making $5,569,200 and Parker getting $2,601,480. The 76ers got both players plus Jim Jackson and Eric Montross June 27 in exchange for the rights to No. 2 selection Keith Van Horn, Michael Cage, Lucious Harris and Don MacLean. Parker, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard from Bradley, was the 1995-96 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. In his senior year, he averaged 16.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21 games. He finished his college career at Bradley in the school's top 10 in scoring, assists, steals and blocked shots. Parker, known for his shooting skills and range, sank 195 career 3-pointers at Bradley, second best in school history. Both he and Thomas fit with coach Larry Brown's desire for adaptability in his players, according to Billy King, the 76ers vice president for basketball administration. "Larry Brown doesn't look for guys at specific positions, he looks for versatility," King said. "If he likes a guy, he likes him as a player with overall skills."

nba.47 nba.news, 12 Jul 97

Bird vs. Pitino fails to materialize MARIETTA, Ga. (Jul 11, 1997 - 22:21 EDT) -- The anxiously anticipated Larry Bird vs. Rick Pitino coaching matchup will have to wait another day. Bird, coming off a successful NBA coaching debut with the Indiana Pacers the previous night, came up short Friday night, losing to Pitino's Boston Celtics, the team he helped carry to three NBA championships. For the second night in a row, Pitino was a no-show. The new Celtics coach remained in Boston trying to iron out the details of a deal for center Dino Radja, which would free up $2.8 million in salary money for Boston. The Celtics, coached by assistant Jim O'Brien, were led by Eric Williams, who had 20 points to help beat Bird's Pacers 101-73 in the Atlanta Summer Shootout, a mini-tournament of four mostly rookie teams that ends Saturday. In the second game, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks 77-75 on a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer by Carl Thomas, who finished with 10 points. Reggie Geary led the Cavaliers with 17 points. Atlanta's first-round draft pick, Ed Gray, led the Hawks with 12 points. Boston's first-round draft pick, Ron Mercer, added 13 points, hitting 3-of-10 from the field. Mark Pope, like Mercer a former player under Pitino at Kentucky, led Indiana with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Austin Croshere, the Pacers' first-round draft pick, was held out of Thursday night's 88-75 victory over Atlanta with a hamstring injury but played 24 minutes Friday and scored four points. "I didn't shoot as well as I normally can, but I did a great job of going to the hole and getting to the free throw line," said Mercer, who was 7-of-8 on free throws. "The more I play, the more comfortable I'll get," said Mercer, the sixth player chosen in last month's draft. Although the opposition was the Celtics, a team he led for 13 seasons, Bird said the game was nothing special. "Not at all. My career is over in Boston. It'll be fun to go back to Boston and play them during the regular season, but other than that, it didn't enter my mind at all," he said. "It's not about me and Rick. It's about me and the Indiana Pacers. I could care less what the Boston Celtics do now," Bird said. For the second straight night, Bird sat on the bench and coached, a rarity nowadays in these summer games. He drew loud cheers from the capacity crowd of 2,300 at the Life University campus in suburban Atlanta. Celtics general manager Chris Wallace said Pitino is expected to join the team for Saturday's game against the Hawks, but was still involved in negotiations involving Radja and a possible deal with a Greek team. Six first-round draft choices are here, five sidelined Thursday night with injuries. Only Mercer played, scoring 10 points in Boston's 85-75 loss to Cleveland. Croshere and Gray played Friday despite injuries, but the other three did not. Chauncey Billups of Boston and Brevin Knight of Cleveland were out with ankle injuries. Derek Anderson of the Cavaliers is still in rehabilitation for a knee injury he suffered last season at Kentucky.

nba.48 nba.news, 12 Jul 97

Agents says he gave more than Camby is admitting to AMHERST, Mass. -- The saga continues for the University of Massachusetts and former basketball player Marcus Camby. John Lounsbury, the agent who admitted giving gifts to the former Minuteman, now a forward for the Toronto Raptors, says the entire story is yet to unfold. Lounsbury told The Associated Press Thursday that he gave the former Umass All-American more than the $2,000 Camby has admitted receiving and said there is a chance university officials knew about the scandal long before it became public. "It puzzles me why they omitted my relationship with him during his entire sophomore year and prior to his sophomore year," he said. "I acknowledge I'm not a victim, but there's a lot of other people who should be bearing the brunt of this," he said. But he refused to say who. In perhaps his most extensive interview since the scandal broke, he added, "I didn't steal. I didn't break the law." Released earlier Thursday to The Associated Press, a report on the campus investigation detailed a series of suspicions and questions raised over more than a year about Camby's contacts with agents. However, the report insists that campus officials ultimately had no way of knowing Camby was taking the gifts. It said Camby admitted taking $2,000 from Lounsbury in the summer of 1995. But it also said Camby secretly gave Lounsbury $28,000 to save him from loan sharks demanding repayment of money that Lounsbury said he borrowed for Camby. But Camby also told investigators he never saw that money. Lounsbury, from Torrington, Conn., said Thursday he gave Camby more than $2,000, but refused to say how much. He also suggested that the loan shark story contains elements of fantasy. University officials on Thursday strongly defended their past efforts to block improper contacts with athletes. "We have gone well above and beyond what other schools are doing. That's what's so frustrating to us," athletic spokesman Bill Strickland said. UMass has been embarrassed and discouraged by the scandal, which first became public in June 1996. The NCAA has ruled that Camby was ineligible to play for the school in the NCAA's 1996 tournament because he accepted gifts that ruined his amateur status. The sports governing body stripped the university of its only Final Four finish and ordered repayment of $151,000 in tournament revenue, which Camby agreed to give back to the university as a gift. The investigators, who took eight months to complete their work, found that: David Glover, then assistant athletic director, asked Camby about a gold-colored pendant he wore and questioned two of Camby's friends about how they managed to travel to Atlanta for the NCAA tournament. However, he wasn't able to uncover the truth. Camby once told Glover of someone trying to pass him a "goodie bag" of gifts on campus, and Glover escorted the person from the building. In February 1995, rumors about improper agent contacts with player Lou Roe and Camby prompted the NCAA to question them and coach John Calipari, then the UMass coach and now coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. But the investigation found no wrongdoing. Glover and another campus sports staffer were working together at a company licensed by the campus to sell UMass basketball T-shirts, but the investigators found no conflict of interest. Jeffrey O'Malley, who supervises NCAA compliance for the campus, said Thursday that Glover asked about the jewelry and travel because "any time he sees anything that may or may not be a problem, he has a duty to ask about it." He said such efforts are evidence that the university was trying hard to shield its athletes from violations. The 16-page campus report was released after a Freedom of Information request by The Associated Press. However, campus officials said they released it only after gaining permission from Camby, now playing for the NBA's Toronto Raptors, and the other students named in it.

nba.49 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

Report says Scott may sit out season for Magic ORLANDO, Fla. (Jul 13, 1997 - 00:21 EDT) -- Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott said Saturday that he's frustrated over what he perceives as low pay and may sit out the final year of his contract, according to a broadcast report. Scott has one year left on his contract with the Magic, which will pay him about $3 million. Scott told WCPX-TV in Orlando on Saturday that he's tired of being paid less than players he thinks don't measure up to him. The station said Scott wants to sign with another team, perhaps Los Angeles or Atlanta. Scott declined to talk about an incident Friday at Sterling, Va., during what was to have been camp for youngsters. The bizarre videotaped episode, broadcast Saturday on WFTV-TV in Orlando, shows Scott telling a group of kids that he would retire from the NBA if he didn't get what he felt he deserved. "Don't ask me for autographs, ask me about the rage that exists inside me," Scott said, according to the station. WCPX said organizers canceled the camp after Scott's episode and refunded parents' money. Scott said he was unhappy with the Magic for a number of reasons, including their pressure on him to lose weight. He claims weight loss is responsible for some of his injuries during his seven-year career, the station said. When reports of the incident first surfaced Friday night, Orlando Magic spokesman Alex Martins said he hadn't heard about it. He didn't immediately return a call Saturday.

nba.52 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

Paperwork for Trail Blazers O'Neal lost for almost two weeks COLUMBIA, S.C. (Jul 12, 1997 - 12:45 EDT) -- NBA teenager Jermaine O'Neal's disorderly conduct ticket was lost for about two weeks and turned up within hours after the Richland County Sheriff's Department said it wanted it found, a newspaper reported. O'Neal, who missed a Magistrate's Court hearing on July 3, was sentenced Thursday to a 15-day suspended sentence and given 100 hours of community service. He and a friend, Thomas Simons Jr., were arrested June 14, for cursing at officers outside the Columbia Mall. Also, The (Columbia) State said was released to go home Saturday night before his bail hearing on a directive by the county's chief magistrate. At the time, police said O'Neal was not released until Sunday morning. Chief Magistrate Walter Jones said his decision to let O'Neal go home early wasn't special treatment. The basketball player was arrested on a minor charge and he posed no threat to the community, Jones said. Jones said early release is not used often, but it is available for magistrates in certain cases. Eau Claire High School's George Glymph, O'Neal's basketball coach, said Saturday he appealed for O'Neal's early release. "I'm not really sure what time he got out," Glymph said. "This is a minor offense. It's all over and we need to let it alone." The paperwork for O'Neal, Simons and five other defendants was discovered June 30 at the main county courthouse. The documents included the originals of the tickets wrote at the arrest. Without the originals, Magistrate William T. Smith could have dismissed the charges. The missing tickets were questionable enough for Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Hubert Harrell to decide he'd ask for a State Law Enforcement Investigation into the documents. However, Al Eargle, the department's in-house attorney, said he never raised a SLED investigation when he called Jones with the concerns. Jones and other court officials say they don't know where the tickets were or who returned them. "Something strange did happen in this case," Central Court Administrator Sharon Turner said in the report. "It came back to a bond court in a plan brown envelope marked 'R.C. (Richland County) bond court.' " O'Neal's attorney, I.S. Leevy Johnson, said neither he nor O'Neal had any involvement in the missing tickets.

nba.50 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

Wizards re-sign Whitney WASHINGTON - The Washington Wizards Friday signed free-agent guard Chris Whitney. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "I am delighted that Chris has agreed to be a part of what I think is a prominent group of young, talented basketball players," said Wizards executive vice president and general manager Wes Unseld. "He brings stability to our backcourt and adds great presence to our basketball team." Appearing in all 82 games during the 1996-97 campaign, Whitney averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.2 apg, while ranking third on the team in three-point field goals (.356). The Wizards originally acquired Whitney on March 3, 1994, when he signed a 10-day contract, before signing for the remainder of the season.

nba.51 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

Cummings arrested for carrying gun at airport LOS ANGELES -- Terry Cummings, an NBA free agent, is out on bail and due for a court appearance July 31 after being arrested for allegedly trying to carry a loaded handgun into an airport boarding area. "He was going through the airport security checkpoint and a weapon was detected in his bag," said Stephanie Payne, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman, of the Thursday night incident. Airport police confiscated a loaded, 9mm automatic handgun before booking Cummings into the Van Nuys jail. Department of Airports spokeswoman Nancy Castles said she did not know the destination of the 6-foot-9 veteran, whose home is in San Antonio, Texas, or his reason for carrying a gun in his luggage. In the four-month period ending in March, airport police officers made an average of four arrests a month for weapons charges, although it is unclear how many of those involved people trying to board planes. Cummings, 36, played last season for the Seattle Supersonics.

nba.55 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

Return of a happy Warrior St. Jean OAKLAND (Jul 12, 1997 - 07:57 EDT) -- Garry St. Jean has always carried the tag of being too nice. Hardworking, sure. Well-qualified, no doubt. Knowledgeable, absolutely. But in the sometimes-cutthroat business of the NBA, a pleasant personality is sometimes perceived as a weakness. Going by the nickname of "Saint" would hardly change that image. Despite his animated sideline demeanor, St. Jean was regarded as too soft on his players with the Sacramento Kings, who fired him in March after a 4-1/2 year stint as their coach. Maybe that's part of the reason St. Jean was beaming Thursday when he was announced as the Golden State Warriors' new general manager. Not only had he returned to a part of the country he loves -- St. Jean was Don Nelson's assistant at Golden State for four years -- but he'd done it without compromising his nature. In fact, it worked to his advantage. In naming St. Jean their GM, the Warriors made it clear his people skills had plenty to do with their choice, almost as much as his basketball qualifications. For one, St. Jean will have to work closely with coach P.J. Carlesimo in an unusual and potentially awkward arrangement, with the latter having the final say in personnel decisions. "It's a little bit different from the mainstream, but that's no problem," said St. Jean, 47, who hasn't served in this capacity in his 17 years in the league. For two, the Warriors want both to drum up fan interest in a team that missed the playoffs the last three years. "We want to be a part of the total picture here in the Bay Area," Carlesimo said. "I know he's enormously qualified to bring that about. It's going to take a lot of reaching out on our part, making ourselves accessible when people ask us to do things." The first thing St. Jean will have to do is find a new director of player personnel. The club Thursday demoted Ed Gregory from that position to his previous role as director of scouting. His likely successor is a man who was considered for the GM job, Cavs director of player personnel Gary Fitzsimmons. The Warriors are trying to convince Fitzsimmons, who has spent 11 years in Cleveland and has a rocky relationship with coach Mike Fratello, to make the lateral move. As for player moves, both St. Jean and Carlesimo made it sound like nothing is imminent. Since neither was here last season, they intend to study the current roster before making any changes. It wouldn't be a shock if the Warriors fielded essentially the same team as last season come November. That would mean having Chris Mullin back for his 13th season as a Warrior, despite last season's trade request. Mullin and St. Jean grew very close during the latter's previous tour of duty in Oakland. "Chris Mullin is very special to me," St. Jean said. "He's had a tremendous career here. P.J. and I are both going to reach out to him." Although St. Jean reached out to the Warriors expressing an interest in returning a couple of months ago, it wasn't until after the June 25 draft that negotiations heated up. Carlesimo and St. Jean had known each other for years, but developed a closer bond during the recent talks. "His knowledge of the game, his ability to relate with players and other people set him apart," Carlesimo said. "The more we talked the more I felt we think similarly in a lot of areas." St. Jean had interviewed for the Vancouver Grizzlies coaching job and had serious conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about their GM opening. With a year's salary still owed him by the Kings, he also could have taken next season off. But, as a native of Chicopee, Mass., where the NBA balls are manufactured, and a graduate of Springfield College, located in the town that houses the Basketball Hall of Fame, he just couldn't stay away from the game. "It's in my blood," St. Jean said. "I just love it." Both Carlesimo and St. Jean indicated the club would like to bring back free agent forward Andrew DeClercq who has drawn some interest around the league after a strong showing toward the end of the season. He may price himself out of the Warriors' plans. ... Carlesimo said he may hire one of his three assistants in the next couple of days, and the name of former Lakers and Nuggets coach Paul Westhead keeps popping up. He and Carlesimo go way back to their days as college coaches in the Northeast. Ex-76ers coach Johnny Davis who served under Carlesimo in Portland, is also a possibility. ... Adonal Foyle the Warriors' top pick in the draft, attended the press conference.

nba.53 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

ATLANTA SUMMER SHOOTOUT: Celtics 107, Hawks 78; Cavaliers 86, Pacers 75 MARIETTA, Ga. (Jul 13, 1997 - 00:21 EDT) -- Rick Pitino says every day has been good since he returned to coaching in the NBA, and Saturday was no exception. "Every day has been great. There hasn't been a bad day yet," Pitino said after his Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 107-78 on Saturday in the final round of the Atlanta Summer Shootout, a three-day tournament of mostly rookie teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Larry Bird's Indiana Pacers 86-75 in the first game Saturday. Pitino, who became coach of the Celtics in May under a $42 million contract, missed the first two nights of the Shootout while in Boston negotiating a deal that could send center Dino Radja to Europe, which would free up $2.8 million in salary money for the Celtics. "Those negotiations could be over by Monday," said the former Kentucky coach, who previously coached the New York Knicks. "I was also involved in talks with other free agents. We have someone else representing us in the Radja deal today." Travis Williams scored 14 points in 28 minutes to pace Boston. Top draft choice Ron Mercer, who played for Pitino at Kentucky, played 27 minutes and had 12 points and four rebounds. Eric Murdock added 13 points and Eric Williams 12. The Hawks' top draft pick, Ed Gray of California, played 32 minutes and had 19 points, five rebounds and two assists. Another rookie, Chris Crawford from Marquette, also had 19 points. The Cavaliers' high scorer was Zydrunas Ilgauska with 18 points. Top draft pick Brevin Knight of Stanford played 22 minutes with six points, two rebounds and five assists. The Pacers were led by Darvin Ham and Chris Garner with 12 points each. Austin Croshere of Providence, Indiana's top pick, had seven points, three rebounds and one assist.

nba.54 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

NBA rookies, Bird learning the ropes MARIETTA, Ga. (Jul 12, 1997 - 12:51 EDT) -- Indiana's Austin Crochere was disappointed. Boston's Ron Mercer is certain he'll get better. Another No. 1 pick, Atlanta's Ed Gray, felt he lost the game for the Hawks in the closing seconds. The first-round NBA draft choices have something in common with another rookie -- Pacers coach Larry Bird. They have much to learn. The setting is the Atlanta Summer Shootout, four NBA teams made up mostly of first-year players taking part in a three-day mini-tournament that ends tonight with Bird's Pacers meeting the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener. Boston will face Atlanta in the nightcap. Friday night, Crochere, the 12th player chosen in the draft, made his pro debut after sitting out Thursday's opener because of a hamstring injury. The 6-foot-9 forward from Providence scored four points on 2-for-6 shooting in 24 minutes and didn't grab a rebound as the Pacers were pounded 101-73 by the Celtics, who were without new coach Rick Pitino for the second consecutive night. "I've got a lot of room for improvement," Crochere said. "I was not happy with the way I played. I've got to get used to the bigger size and quicker athletes. It's a big adjustment." Mercer, the Celtics' No. 1 pick and the sixth player chosen, did better. The 6-7 guard-forward from Kentucky scored 13 points, shooting 3-for-10 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line in 28 minutes. "The more I play, the more comfortable I'll get," Mercer said. "I felt a lot better than last night (10 points in 20 minutes) even though I didn't shoot well." In the second game, Carl Thomas hit a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 77-75 victory over the Hawks. Gray, who led the Hawks with 12 points in 23 minutes, hit a layup with 12 seconds left to tie it at 75, was fouled, but missed the free throw that would have given Atlanta the lead. "I guess I had a good debut, but we lost," said Gray, who missed Thursday's first game and is still recovering from a sprained left ankle. "I missed the last shot of the game for our team so I feel the blame for the loss. If I would have made that foul shot, it would have put more pressure on them and -- who knows?" Bird, the former Celtics great who agreed to a three-year contract worth a reported $3.5 to $4 million a year to coach the Pacers, was without three injured guards. The three healthy ones -- Walter Bond, Jalen Rose and Chris Garner -- contributed to Indiana's 24 turnovers. The Pacers played without guards Jo Jo English and Mike Penberth, sidelined by hamstring injuries, and Fred Hoiberg, who has a thigh injury. "Tonight was tough for us. We didn't have very many players who could play and they put a lot of pressure on us," Bird said. "To beat a press you need guys who can handle the ball. We should have brought some more players. "We just didn't do a lot of good things tonight. It didn't matter who we played. I don't think we could have beaten anybody." For the second night in a row, Pitino remained in Boston trying to work out final details of a deal for center Dino Radja, which would free up $2.8 million in salary money for Boston. That eliminated the Bird-Pitino coaching matchup, but Bird said it was nothing special even though the opposition was the Celtics, a team he led to three NBA championships in 13 seasons. "My career is over in Boston. It'll be fun to go back to Boston and play them during the regular season, but other than that, it didn't enter my mind at all," he said. "It's not about me and Rick. It's about me and the Indiana Pacers. I could care less what the Boston Celtics do now." Celtics general manager Chris Wallace said Pitino is expected to join the team for tonight's game against the Hawks.

nba.56 nba.news, 13 Jul 97

NBA turns its back on trouble NBA teams say they care about the character of the young men they acquire in drafts and trades. All 29 teams say they check on the backgrounds of tall talents from Tim Duncan to Shaquille O'Neal. But does it really matter to them as long as a player can score in the NBA or block shots? When Marcus Camby of the Toronto Raptors landed in hot water twice in the past year (costing UMass $151,000 and its 1996 Final Four appearance for accepting gifts and prostitutes from would-be agents, then getting community service for a marijuana charge), he was only one of seven of the top 18 players chosen in the 1996 draft to be involved in off-court trouble. Four incidents occurred prior to the '96 draft and three afterward: Allen Iverson of the 76ers served four months in 1993 for a bowling alley assault. Stephon Marbury of the Timberwolves was charged in 1997 family court that he failed to financially support his 22-month-old daughter. John Wallace of the Knicks was charged at Syracuse University in 1996 with disorderly conduct and failing to follow police instructions, then was charged with punching and choking his girlfriend this year, although she doesn't want to pursue the charges. Kerry Kittles of the Nets was suspended for three games at Villanova in 1995-96 for running up a $3,100 bill with unauthorized use of credit cards. Samaki Walker of the Mavericks used an athletic booster's cars and cash, and was partly responsible for Louisville getting probation. Jermaine O'Neal of the Trail Blazers was given community service for shouting at police in a North Carolina shopping mall this year. Many other players may get away with things because they are celebrities. Police in Indianapolis seem to have looked the other way in March when they stopped Pacers rookie Erick Dampier, who was allegedly driving 25 mph over the speed limit but was not given a ticket because, according to the officer, he was a "Pacer celebrity." And yet all or most NBA teams do background checks and some even use private investigators, says Brian McIntyre, the NBA's vice president and general manager of public relations (although one wonders how Dennis Rodman's past escaped the microscope of the Bulls' private eyes when he was acquired as a free agent two seasons ago). "They usually bring them in for workouts and try to find out what makes someone tick," McIntyre said. "When you're talking about someone who will be an integral part of a team for years to come, ideally you want to know more about him, what kind of character he has." McIntyre said the increasing influx of high school and younger college players into the NBA hasn't caused any major off-court problems, adding that stars such as Camby and Iverson are closely examined by the media. "People's warts are exploited a bit more now than they were a few years ago," he said. "When I was 18, 19, 20, I did a few things I wouldn't want to see in 24-point print (in a newspaper headline)." Of course, players' good points are exploited, too, and publicized on a much more frequent basis. Many players, too, have shown strong character just by surviving the tough streets of inner-city America. Camby, for one, grew up in a Hartford neighborhood infested with drug dealers. "Everyone has the right to make a mistake and to keep on living and ideally learn from those mistakes," McIntyre said. But did Camby, who on the heels of the UMass scandal was busted for dope possession? And did Wallace, who was ordered by a Syracuse judge to stay out of trouble, but then allegedly assaulted his girlfriend? Raptors general manager Isiah Thomas takes a different view. He says it's difficult for most players to bring their inner-city friends into a high-profile lifestyle. "You can't really divorce yourself from the inner city; that's where many of us came from," Thomas said. "However, it's just a matter of time until the player realizes it's difficult to try to bring other people into the world of entertainment and have them live by the same rules as you do." Noah Croom, assistant general manager of the Vancouver Grizzlies, says teams can forgive isolated incidents, but they are wary when a player has a series of cases. This spring, the Grizzlies brought in Cincinnati star Danny Fortson for an interview and discovered he had been charged with disorderly conduct in an incident involving police, but was acquitted. "We talked to his college coaches and got a full explanation," Croom said. "He is a very personable young man and works really hard. His value system is intact. ... We want to know whether or not (a draftee) will fit in with our players -- or fit in with our city." In this year's draft, Fortson was taken 10th by the Bucks, while Vancouver took Antonio Daniels of Bowling Green with the fourth pick. Some general managers, such as Thomas, have become known for giving problem players a second chance, but that can be trouble, Croom said. "A lot of teams think that once a player becomes part of their organization, they can change them, but I think that's a mistake. Sometimes they change, sometimes they don't." In 1996-97 with Colorado, Chauncey Billups, chosen third by the Celtics, pleaded guilty to stealing video rental coupons from a campus bookstore and was suspended for three games for his role in a telephone card scam. Maurice Taylor, taken 14th by the Clippers, has been accused of illegally accepting more than $100,000 from a Michigan athletic booster. God Shammgod, chosen in the second round by the Wizards, was suspended for one game at Providence for using a stolen credit card number and last year was charged with driving to endanger. Then an arrest warrant was issued when he failed to appear in court. The NBA has adjusted its rookie transition program, warning first-year players of the temptations and pitfalls of pro sports. "We're trying to find ways to reach some of the younger players," McIntyre said. "We have more frequent visits with them and the topics we talk to them about have changed."

nba.57 nba.news, 14 Jul 97

Clippers sign first-round pick Maurice Taylor LOS ANGELES (Jul 14, 1997 - 00:09 EDT) -- The Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday announced the signing of first-round draft pick Maurice Taylor. Details of the contract were not disclosed. Taylor, a 6-9 forward who left the University of Michigan after his junior year, was the 14th overall choice in last month's draft. He was a three-year starter for the Wolverines, averaging 12.9 points in 97 games. Taylor played power forward for the first 2Ż years of his collegiate career. He moved to small forward for the final nine games last season and flourished, averaging 16 points and 7.7 rebounds over the final seven contests and helping Michigan to the National Invitation Tournament championship. Taylor is expected to back to the power forward spot for the Clippers. "He's got a classic NBA power forward's body," said Elgin Baylor, the team's vice president of basketball operations. "Plus, he can run and jump and his shooting skills are very good." Taylor began working out with the team today and will play with the Clippers' summer league team on Monday.

nba.58 nba.news, 14 Jul 97

Rodman gets to be bad as he wants to be in wrestling ring DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jul 13, 1997 - 23:21 EDT) -- Chicago Bulls bad boy Dennis Rodman, who was suspended by the NBA for head-butting a referee and stomping a courtside photographer, put those moves to use Sunday in his debut as a professional wrestler. However, Rodman and his tag-team partner, Hulk Hogan, lost to Lex Luger and Giant, who stands 7-foot-4 and 450 pounds, in the World Championship Wrestling match. The 25-minute bout ended after Luger got Hogan in a "torture rack" submission hold above his head. "I'm very tired but I made it," Rodman said after the bout. When asked if he would do it again, he said, "Of course, of course." Rodman, wearing black pants, a black T-shirt and black bandana, impressed his opponents with leaps over Luger's head and a forearm to Luger's chest after he bounced off the ropes. He also arm-dragged Luger twice to the ground. "Too bad he lost the fight. Rodman is a quality opponent," Giant said. Donning black nail polish and glitter, rouge and stripes on his face, Rodman posed for pictures with Hogan before the match. "It ain't about being big or strong. It's about having it in the head," Rodman said. "I'm not one-dimensional." Unlike the NBA, the only rules were no biting, no eye-gouging and no throwing wrestlers past the first row of spectators. The match was being aired on pay-per-view television. "Rodman's going to be great," Hogan said before the match. "He has to make a real good show tonight because everyone is watching him." Rodman joins the Green Bay Packers' Reggie White as a professional athlete trying a second career of body slams and headlocks in the ring. Rodman should be able to hold his own because he's an excellent athlete, said Alan Sharp, a WCW spokesman. "He bumps and grinds with the biggest monsters in the NBA. Let's see what he can do with the boys in the WCW," Sharp said. Rodman has been training for the match since the Bulls won their fifth NBA championship in seven years last month. Hogan said he didn't expect Rodman to become a permanent face on the wrestling circuit but he wouldn't be averse to fighting with him again. "The bottom line is if he takes it to another level, I'll hold onto his pantyhose," Hogan said. "It's entertainment. That's what this is about."

nba.61 nba.news, 15 Jul 97

Magic GM calls Scott's tantrum 'unacceptable' ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dennis Scott, who threatened during a rambling speech at a Virginia summer camp to sit out next season, told the Orlando Magic on Monday he wants to honor the final year of a $9 million contract. With arms flailing and explicit rap music blaring from the back of a sports utility vehicle he backed onto a basketball court last week, Scott told a group of bewildered children that he might retire if the Magic "don't start treating me right." "Don't ask me for my autograph, because 28 years ago, I was broke. You ask for my autograph now because I've got millions of dollars. Do not ask me for my autograph. Ask me to explain the rage that exists inside of me," Scott said in a scene caught on videotape at his youth basketball camp in Sterling, Va. Magic general manager John Gabriel said he spoke with Scott by telephone on Monday and that Scott told him he wants to remains in Orlando. "I've only seen bits and pieces of the video. But what he said is unacceptable," Gabriel said. "He told me he felt it was something he needed to make a statement about. But this obviously wasn't the proper forum. "I'm concerned about my player. If he's having problems, or if he doesn't want to play here, or he's unhappy, I want to know about it. But I didn't hear any of those things from Dennis (on the phone)." Scott's speech was supposed to stress the virtues of clean living and striving for goals. Instead, he ranted about being underpaid and ended the talk abruptly, saying he had to go and visit a friend. "I'm putting on my concert for this camp," he said. "Now I'm going to take my show on the road." The camp for kids ranging in age from 9 to 17 was closed after the incident, which was filmed by an independent television station. Gabriel was still trying to sort through the situation. "This caught me off-guard. I need more facts before I make any kind of decision about if there would be any disciplinary action," Gabriel said. "I had no idea this was coming." Scott set a NBA record for 3-pointers with 267 during the 1995-96 season. But he missed 14 of the first 17 games because of a hamstring injury last season and averaged just 12.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 66 games. He is entering the final season of a three-year contract that will pay him $3 million in 1997-98.

nba.59 nba.news, 15 Jul 97

Nets reportedly near deal with Cassell EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New Jersey Nets reportedly are close to re-signing free-agent point guard Sam Cassell. The New York Post reported Monday that Cassell is "very close" to signing a six-year deal worth $21 million with the Nets, possibly as early as Monday. Cassell was originally seeking a multi-year deal worth about $4 million per season, while the Nets initially offered a five-year deal worth $17 million. It was believed Charlotte would make an offer for Cassell, but the Hornets instead opted for free agent David Wesley, who played last season with the Boston Celtics. The Nets acquired Cassell from the Dallas Mavericks in a blockuster nine-player deal Feb. 17. Cassell averaged 15.9 points and 5.0 assists in 61 games for the Mavericks and Nets last season. He immediately took over as the Nets' starting point guard after the trade and expressed a strong interest in re-signing with the team because he liked coach John Calipari's up-tempo offense.

nba.60 nba.news, 15 Jul 97

Jazz's offer reportedly music to Russell's ears SALT LAKE CITY -- Free-agent forward Bryon Russell, who helped the Utah Jazz to its first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, reportedly will re-sign with the team. Russell's agent, Sal DeFazio, told KFAN Radio, Utah's flagship station, that an announcement was "eminent and forthcoming" and that negotiations were "well in hand." The station was not able to reveal terms of the deal. Russell missed just one game in the regular season and averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field. He hit 41 percent of his shots from 3-point range. In Utah's 20-game playoff run, Russell contributed 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest while frequently drawing the most challenging defensive assignments, including Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls during the Finals. Russell and guards Jeff Hornacek and Howard Eisley are Utah's unsigned free agents.

nba.62 nba.news, 15 Jul 97

Sports writer sues Nets coach for ethnic remarks PATERSON, N.J. (Jul 14, 1997 - 23:51 EDT) -- A Mexican-American reporter who was called "a Mexican idiot" by New Jersey Nets coach John Calipari has filed a lawsuit against him and the NBA team seeking damages for the "extreme humiliation and emotional distress." Attorneys for Dan Garcia of The Star-Ledger of Newark filed the suit in state Superior Court on Monday. It does not ask for a specific amount in damages for the incident that took place on March 20 after a Nets practice. Houever, Kenneth McElwee, one of Garcia's attorneys, told the Star-Ledger that his research has revealed verdicts in excess of $5 million in cases "not as egregious as the facts in this case." The Nets called the lawsuit "an opportunistic ploy to extract money for absolutely no legal reason" in a statement issued Monday by spokesman John Mertz. The suit charges Calipari and the Nets with four counts, including infliction of emotional distress, assault and negligence. It asks for compensatory and punitive damages, as well as any other relief deemed proper. Calipari publicly apologized for his comments, maintaining it was an ill-advised attempt at humor. He was fined $25,000 by the NBA. Garcia, who has covered the Nets the past nine seasons for the Star-Ledger, was vacationing in Utah and was not immediately available for comment, Star-Ledger sports writer Moss Klein told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "This was Dan's decision," Kevin Whitmer, The Star-Ledger sports editor, said in his paper's Tuesday's editions. "It obviously means his assignment will change." The Nets confirmed they had been contacted by Garcia's attorneys. "In a letter to Michael Rowe, President of the New Jersey Nets, Mr. Garcia asked for $1 million as compensation for remarks made by John Calipari to Mr. Garcia last March," the Nets said in a statement. "We were surprised and disappointed to receive that letter since Michael Rowe, on behalf of the Nets organization, and Coach Calipari publicly apologized to Mr. Garcia and he accepted our apology. Mr. Garcia's threat of legal action is nothing more than an opportunistic ploy to extract money for absolutely no legal reason." The incident happened in a parking lot at Ramapo College in Mahwah after the Nets finished a practice there. Calipari was being interviewed by New York Post reporter Fred Kerber when he gestured toward Garcia, who was talking to Mertz about 30 yards away. Kerber reported that Calipari was complaining about media coverage and said "Mexican idiot," along with an expletive, loudly enough for Garcia to hear. Kerber said that started a scene that lasted for about 10 minutes, where Garcia said, "I don't appreciate any ethnic remarks," and Calipari responded, "You can't take a joke? If I've offended you, I apologize." Calipari also asked Garcia if he thought he was doing a good coaching job, to which Garcia apparently responded, "No, I think you're a 5-year-old coach." Kerber said the answer enraged Calipari, who said Garcia deserved to be punched for the comment. Calipari read a public apology four days later, saying, "I am sorry for the pain the remarks may have caused. I consider the matter closed." Garcia said at the time, "If he apologized, that's fine. He made a mistake. He's apologized to me. Let him go on with the team." The Nets later issued a statement, saying the organization "deplores any racial or ethnic remarks by any member of the organization or by anyone else."

nba.63 nba.news, 15 Jul 97

Arson blamed for fire at Miller's house FISHERS, Ind. -- A fire that destroyed a $2.9 million house owned by NBA star Reggie Miller was arson, investigators said Monday. Investigators say they have been searching for a vehicle that sped from the neighborhood the morning of the May 15 fire. Personal items missing from the home of the Indiana Pacers guard included a wedding ring, an expensive watch and basketball memorabilia, the Fishers Fire Department said. The items may have been destroyed by the fire or taken in a burglary. The ruins were searched by trained dogs, and debris collected over several days was tested by a private laboratory. The results confirmed the fire was set. No other details were immediately available. Investigators had no firm leads or suspects, Hamilton Sheriff's Sgt. Eddie Moore said. Miller and his wife, Marita, had been moving into the house, which was being renovated. They were not home when the fire broke out. Miller, appearing at a news conference Monday, thanked firefighters for their efforts to save the home. "It saddens and amazes me that anyone could do such an ugly and hateful thing," Miller said. "But I'm not going to let one bad apple ruin all the good will" from others in the community. Miller offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction, adding to $7,000 already offered. The home, just northeast of Indianapolis, was on six wooded acres, with a gazebo, basketball court and tennis court nearby. It featured six bedrooms, a library, walnut parquet floors and a garden room with a 30-foot ceiling. Lt. Chad Abel said a lack of fire hydrants in the neighborhood slowed firefighters' efforts to douse the flames. Firefighters had to pump water from a reservoir and used tanker trucks. New furnishings shipped from California and some rugs, valued between $200,000 and $400,000, were lost in the fire. Also destroyed were rugs several dealers had brought for the Millers to choose for the house and some clothing.

nba.64 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Cassell re-signs with Nets EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Free agent point guard Sam Cassell, looking for some stability after playing for four teams in the past year, re-signed with the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday. Contract terms were not announced, but the New York Post reported Monday that Cassell and the Nets were talking about a six-year deal worth $21 million. A year ago, Cassell was a member of the Houston Rockets. He was involved in three trades totaling 20 players, moving to Phoenix and Dallas before landing in New Jersey on Feb. 17 in a nine-player deal, the biggest in NBA history. "One thing I learned is anything can happen," said Cassell, 27. "I'll just prepare to stay in Jersey, win some games and go from here." Despite the instability, Cassell averaged 15.9 points and 5.0 assists in 61 games last season. He flourished with the Nets, averaging 19.3 points and 6.9 assists in 23 games before missing the final six contests with a pulled left hamstring. "I was very adamant about re-signing Sam Cassell," said Nets executive vice president and coach John Calipari. "He is a leader and makes things happen. He has coachability as far as his relationship to me. He has great talent, great courage on the basketball court." "My relationship with Cal is great," Cassell said. "He gives me the freedom to play my style of game." Cassell was considered the top free agent point guard available but admitted his bargaining power was hurt by the fact that most teams had very little salary cap room. The Charlotte Hornets, one of the few teams with significant cap room and in need of a point guard, spent their money on David Wesley. Cassell, who recently switched agents from Tony Dutt to Arn Tellem, originally was seeking a multi-year deal worth about $4 million per season. The Nets initially offered a five-year deal worth $17 million. "Hopefully we can start winning, because this losing thing is old for me," Cassell said. "Hopefully we can get this thing turned around and win some more games." Cassell was a 1993 first-round pick of the Houston Rockets and helped them win NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. He played another season with Houston before being traded to Phoenix with three others for Charles Barkley. In December, Cassell was dealt to Dallas in a six-player trade that sent Jason Kidd to the Suns. Two months later, he joined the Nets as part of a nine-player deal. Cassell has averaged 11.4 points and 4.4 assists in his NBA career. He returns as part of backcourt that also features Kendall Gill and promising youngster Kerry Kittles as the Nets hope to rebuild. "I think the backcourt is set," Calipari said. "We may still have some things to do, but at that point we'll be done and that will be our team for three to four years. It's just getting guys together and understanding."

nba.67 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Sixers re-sign Overton Philadelphia, PA (TSN) - The Philadelphia 76ers have re-signed veteran guard Doug Overton to an undisclosed contract. "We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Doug," stated Sixer GM Billy King. "Coach Brown always like to have a veteran player on the team who provides stability at the point guard position. Doug certainly gives us that." Overton played in 61 games during the 1996-97 season and averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 assists. The five-year veteran has also had stints with Washington and Denver.

nba.65 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

'Nique says arrivederci to NBA, heads to Italy MALIBU, Calif. -- Dominique Wilkins is heading back to Europe. The 37-year-old forward agreed to a two-year contract Tuesday with Teamsystem Bologna, Italy, the Kaufman Sports Management Group announced. Wilkins played last season with the San Antonio Spurs after leading Panathinaikos Athens of the Greek League to the European championship in 1996 -- his only career championship. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Wilkins returned to the NBA last season after only one year in Greece. He had spent 13 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, before going overseas. Known as the "Human Highlight Film" in his younger days, Wilkins is seventh on the NBA's career-scoring list with 26,534 points. He averaged 18.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 63 games with the Spurs. Despite his flashy personal success, Wilkins' teams never excelled in the playoffs. He made it to the postseason nine times, but his teams never even reached the NBA Finals. San Antonio failed to make this year's playoffs for the first time in seven years.

nba.66 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Grizzlies sign G Chris Robinson to two-year deal The Vancouver Grizzies re-signed free-agent guard Chris Robinson to a two-year contract today. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 23-year-old Robinson, selected by the Grizzlies as the 51st overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, averaged 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his rookie season with the club. "Chris has a lot of talent, youth and athleticism," Vancouver president and general manager Stu Jackson said. "His tremendous work ethic really paid off in his rookie year and his game has developed well. He'll play an important role in the Grizzlies' third season." The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Robinson went to Western Kentucky, where he averaged 16.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the 1995-96 season. Robinson, a native of Macon, Georgia, is currently playing with the Grizzlies' entry in the Fila Summer Pro League in Long Beach, California.

nba.71 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Kemp requests audience with Sonics owner SEATTLE -- Shawn Kemp is ready to talk -- but only to Seattle SuperSonics owner Barry Ackerley. Kemp, who has said he will never play for the Sonics again, now wants to speak to Ackerley about his trade demand. "We've tried to set up a meeting with Mr. Ackerley, and he hasn't returned our calls," Tony Dutt, Kemp's Houston-based agent, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "We're going to continue to try and have a meeting with Mr. Ackerley, because to sit and wait until October doesn't make sense for either side," Dutt said. "Shawn has asked for a trade and that's the only productive outcome of this situation." Kemp still has no desire to discuss the matter with Sonics president Wally Walker, coach George Karl or his teammates, Dutt said. "Ackerley knows the whole situation. I'm not going to diminish Wally's role. We have a good relationship with Wally. But nothing gets done until Mr. Ackerley says so," Dutt said. "Why wouldn't (Ackerley) want to talk to Shawn?" Walker, in Los Angeles for the team's summer-league competition, said Tuesday he has not talked to Kemp recently. "It's Barry's call, if he wants to get involved," Walker told The Seattle Times. Kemp, an All-Star power forward, has played eight seasons in Seattle but is unhappy with his contract, which has six more years to run. Kemp will be paid $3.3 million next season under the contract -- less than market value for a player of his caliber. He told ESPN last month that money is just part of his discontent and that playing with Seattle has become a "negative" experience. It was Ackerley who went to Kemp's hometown of Elkhart, Ind., last October to end the player's three-week holdout, and it is widely believed that the owner was also responsible for stopping a Kemp-for-Scottie Pippen trade on draft day in 1994. "It's not a vendetta to make everyone look bad. They have the leverage. We know that," Dutt said of the current situation. "Shawn's very aware of what he's doing. He doesn't like the options, but he knows them."

nba.69 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Jackson insulted by Bulls' contract offer CHICAGO -- Phil Jackson has rejected the Chicago Bulls' contract offer and team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is asking to meet privately with the coach who has led the team to five NBA championships in seven years. Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, said Tuesday the Bulls had made an "insulting" offer that did not reflect Jackson's worth. No more negotiations were scheduled for this week, Musburger said. PLENTY OF CASH FOR COACHES Here's a list of the highest paid NBA coaches. Numbers aren't official; they are based on published reports: Name Team Annual salary *Rick Pitino Boston $7 million *Larry Brown Philadelphia $5 million Chuck Daly Orlando $5 million Larry Bird Indiana $4 million Rudy Tomjanovich Houston $4 million *Pat Riley Miami $3 million *John Calipari New Jersey $3 million Phil Jackson Chicago $2.7 million (* Also fills front-office role for team) "They're not going to sign Phil Jackson for the amount they've put on the table," Musburger said. "We're significantly apart." The situation has grave implications for the Bulls for one tremendous reason -- free agent Michael Jordan says he will not return to the Bulls if Jackson is not the coach. In a vague statement, Reinsdorf said he had asked for a "direct meeting" with Jackson to tell him he would give him a one-year deal worth "more money than any NBA pure head coach," meaning a coach who is not also a general manager. "It is our fervent wish that this direct communication takes place so that we can work out an amicable agreement that honors Mr. Jackson, the Bulls organization and the fans of Chicago," Reinsdorf said. "Phil has told both (general manager) Jerry Krause and me that he wants to return to the Bulls and attempt to defend the world championship. We are making every effort to make that happen. "We believe the defense of our title is important enough to warrant more personal conversation between the principal figures in our organization." Musburger said Jackson, who made $2.7 million last year, wants a salary "equal to the amazing contribution Phil has made to this organization and a sum that reflects where coaching salaries are in the NBA." Musburger would not say exactly what the Bulls had offered or what Jackson is seeking. Newspaper reports have said Jackson is probably seeking between $4.3 million and $5.75 million next season. Although Jackson and the Bulls are at an impasse, the coach is not considering offers from other teams, Musburger said. "This negotiation is not about whether Phil Jackson is about to join the Bulls or join somebody else," Musburger said. "They have his undivided attention."

nba.68 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Extension keeps Flip in the T-Wolves' fold MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed coach and general manager Flip Saunders to a five-year contract extension. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Saunders, 42, coached the Timberwolves to their first-ever playoff appearance last season, his first full season as head coach. He has a 60-84 overall record. "We anticipate his leadership helping us build a championship team," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said of Saunders. Saunders, who joined the Timberwolves in May 1995 as general manager, became the Wolves' fifth head coach in December 1995, replacing Bill Blair. Before joining the Wolves, he coached for seven seasons in the Continental Basketball Association.

nba.70 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Raptors and Stoudamire far from reaching agreement TORONTO (Jul 15, 1997 - 10:39 EDT) -- Damon Stoudamire and Toronto Raptors general manager Isiah Thomas appear far apart on contract negotiations after their meeting Monday. The star NBA point guard and Thomas appear to be $36 million apart after the first day of negotiations for a long-term contract extension with the NBA franchise. Thomas and his assistant Glen Grunwald flew home Monday from Portland without getting a deal done. Neither side was willing to comment, but unnamed sources cited in the Toronto Sun said Thomas had offered about $8 or $9 million per year for six years, while Stoudamire wants about $15 million per year for six years. Stoudamire was the Raptors first draft pick ever, selected seventh overall out of Arizona in 1995. He went on to win rookie of the year honors, averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 assists per game. Last season, the 5-10 point guard again led the Raptors in scoring, averaging 20.2, and assists (8.8).

nba.72 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Magic forward Scott apologizes for outburst at summer camp ORLANDO, Fla. (Jul 15, 1997 - 22:45 EDT) -- Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott apologized Tuesday for an outburst before a group of children at a summer camp in Virginia, saying he overreacted to a question about whether he has used drugs. "At my own basketball camp, and in front of my 10-year-old (son) Ryan, I was asked whether I had engaged in drug use," Scott said in a statement released Tuesday through his agent, David Falk. "Naturally I was both shocked and embarrassed that I was questioned about drugs in front of my son. Admittedly, I overreacted. I have offered refunds to all campers to make up for any disruptions that occurred." Scott backed a sports utility vehicle onto a basketball court in Sterling, Va., and -- while explicit rap music blared from the rear -- threatened to sit out next season because, among other things, he's underpaid. Magic general manager John Gabriel said Monday that Scott's behavior and comments were unacceptable. He added that the player had not asked to be traded. "I asked him if he wanted to play for us and his answer was 'Yes, I want to stand behind my obligations and play,"' Gabriel said, relating a telephone conversation he had with Scott. But Scott, who is scheduled to earn $3 million in the final season of a three-year contract, told sportscaster Ryan Baker, of WCPX-TV in Orlando, in a telephone interview Monday that he is ready to move on. "You all want to talk about me and not respect me and talk about trades behind my back year in and year out, well I don't want to be here," Scott told Baker, with whom he co-hosted a weekly highlights show last season. "I'd rather go somewhere and play for a little bit of money where I feel wanted or sit out the whole year." Scott's summer camp was closed after last week's incident, and participants are being refunded the $200 registration fee. "I did it on purpose," Scott told Baker. "I planned all of this to wake everybody up. So play me or trade me." The Tampa Tribune, meanwhile, reported that Scott's days with the Magic could be numbered. "If we can do it, No. 3 (Scott's uniform number) is out of here," a source who requested anonymity told the newspaper. In his statement Tuesday, Scott said he is looking forward to the upcoming season. "I want to make it clear I'm drug-free and healthy. In fact, I'm in the best physical shape since I first put on a NBA uniform in 1990, and I expect to have a great season next year," the statement said. "I apologize to my family, and the Orlando Magic, for any embarrassment this incident may have caused."

nba.73 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Kentucky hosts tribute dinner for Pitino LEXINGTON, Ky. -- It was a farewell gala in his honor, but former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino said he wasn't going to say goodbye. "I've always said when you have a lot of friends, you never say goodbye. You just continually say hello because you always come back," said Pitino, who left Kentucky in May to become president and coach of the Boston Celtics. An estimated 350 people paid $150 each to attend Tuesday night's tribute dinner, with proceeds going to the Cawood Ledford Scholarship Fund, which assists former UK athletes who return to earn their degrees. "We all wish him well," said Ledford, who was the radio voice of the Wildcats during Pitino's first three seasons. "He's a person that I think needs a challenge. Certainly he's taking on one much like he faced when he came here to Kentucky eight years ago." Pitino took over a Kentucky program that was mired in NCAA probation. In eight seasons at Kentucky -- the first two under probation -- Pitino led the Wildcats to a 219-50 record and his teams made three Final Four appearances, winning the national championship in 1996. "I was here 39 years, and I will say in all honesty, the most fun three years were my last three years under Rick Pitino," said Ledford, who retired after the 1991-92 season. "He just made the whole thing a barrel of fun." Large photos highlighting Pitino's years at Kentucky were hanging throughout the reception tent, including the time he rode a motorcycle into Midnight Madness; the unveiling of the national championship banner in Rupp Arena; and his meeting President Clinton after winning the NCAA title. New Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, a former assistant to Pitino at Kentucky, said the tribute for his predecessor "was a great occasion. It's certainly very deserving of Rick Pitino and what he has accomplished here and the legacy he leaves here at the University of Kentucky and winning the national championship." Pitino said he looked forward to the challenge of rebuilding the Celtics but was upset with one thing. "I got the schedule the other day and the opening game is the Chicago Bulls, then the Magic, then the Knicks and then the Heat," he joked. "I wanted Morehead, Eastern (Kentucky) and some of those, but I didn't get it." Pitino was presented with the chair he sat in during the 1996 championship game. Kentucky also retired a jersey bearing his name and it will hang from the rafters at Rupp Arena.

nba.74 nba.news, 16 Jul 97

Mavericks' top draft pick gets acquainted DALLAS (Jul 15, 1997 - 03:04 EDT) -- Chris Anstey, the 7-foot Australian who was the Dallas Mavericks' first-round draft pick less than three weeks ago, was still recovering from jet lag Monday following a 26-hour weekend flight from Melbourne. That didn't stop the 22-year-old from practicing with his new teammates in a morning session of the Mavericks' offseason minicamp and then putting on a suit for his first U.S. news conference an hour later. "It's a very exciting time for me," said Anstey, who signed with the Mavericks last week. "I'd like to pick up as much as I can and use the next two weeks as a learning experience to learn the plays and get to know the players." Anstey, second-round pick Bubba Wells and a few of the Mavericks' younger veterans will compete in the NBA summer league in Long Beach, Calif. from July 16-27. Then, while the rest of the Mavericks' squad moves on to another summer tournament in Salt Lake City, Anstey will rejoin the South East Melbourne Magic of the Australian National Basketball League for the remainder of the season which ends in September. Later this summer, Anstey also will play for Australia in the Under-22 World Championships in Melbourne. Anstey, a youth tennis star until a growth spurt forced him to turn to basketball at age 17, said he will be back in Dallas in time for the start of training camp in early October. Mavericks general manager Don Nelson saw great potential in Anstey and swung a draft-day trade with the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights to the 18th overall pick. Nelson wants the Mavericks to play more of an up-tempo game and he has praised Anstey's speed and athleticism. "In two workouts, he's shown some athletic talent and the ability to run up and down the floor," Mavericks coach Jim Cleamons said. "And he's a little bit larger than what I thought. He's an intelligent player with an aptitude for the game. He's very willing and coachable. With those possibilities, I think the sky's the limit." Anstey, the first Australian drafted since Luc Longley in 1991, said he's been watching the NBA on television for years, and he knows he must improve his strength if he hopes to become a legitimate player at this level. "Obviously it's the best league in the world," Anstey said. "I've got to hit the weight room and get a lot stronger. And this is a quicker game with a 24-second clock instead of a 30. So I've got to make some adjustments."

nba.75 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Jazz re-signs Russell for 5 years, $20 million SALT LAKE CITY -- Bryon Russell, whose 3-point shooting and defense were a key to Utah's inaugural trip to the NBA Finals, on Wednesday signed a five-year contract with the Jazz. The deal reportedly is worth $20 million, including $3 million in its first year. That's roughly eight times what Russell made last season. Russell, a free agent who made $385,000 last season, said he received several offers for more money from other teams. "I see my spot on this team as a good one," he said at a news conference. "Here I know I have a nice tight role where I fit in." The 6-foot-7 forward led the Jazz in 3-point production, hitting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. He was 13th among the league's 3-point shooters. "Hard work is a good synonym for Bryon, and he's still working," general manager Tim Howells said. Russell, 26, averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds a game during Utah's club-record 64-18 regular season. He averaged 12.3 points a game during the playoffs, including 17 points in Utah's 90-86 Game 6 loss as Chicago won its fifth championship in seven years. "I'm just happy to see things come together, and I hope everyone on this team has the same desire I do to do better next year," Russell said. Considered the best of Utah's defenders, Russell drew the thankless task of guarding Michael Jordan during the title round. Utah has now re-signed three of its six free agents. Last week, reserves Antoine Carr and Shandon Anderson agreed to one- and two-year contracts, respectively. Russell said he conferred with Jazz All-Stars Karl Malone and John Stockton before making his decision. "They said they wanted me to stay," he said. "They said they didn't want to mold another 'three' man." Only one of last season's starters, Jeff Hornacek, remains unsigned. However, both the Jazz and the shooting guard expect to reach an agreement. Howard Eisley, Stockton's backup, and 12th-man Stephen Howard are Utah's other unsigned free agents.

nba.76 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Raptors lock up Christie with 7-year, $22 million extension TORONTO -- Doug Christie signed a seven-year contract worth more than $22 million with Toronto on Wednesday and the guard gave credit to the Raptors vice-president and soon-to-be owner Isiah Thomas for running the NBA franchise like a family. "Isiah understands," Christie said. "The way he runs things, you're not just in, you're all the way in." The 6-foot-6 Christie, who had one year left on his original contract, made $1.35 million last season when he improved his numbers in all defensive and offensive categories and was runner-up to Isaac Austin of Miami for the league's most improved player award. Christie averaged 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.48 steals, which was second-best in the NBA. He joined the Raptors midway through the 1995-96 season after seeing limited playing time with the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. Last year, he started 81 games for Toronto and formed one of the best young backcourts in the the NBA with point guard Damon Stoudamire. "Doug's a true leader, true professional, a gentleman and a player," Thomas said. "I can see Doug as a guy who can play in a championship game. There aren't a lot of players who can perform at that level mentally. The mental aspect is much more important than the physical." Christie's signing locks up a third major piece of Toronto's nucleus. Toronto re-signed free agent Walt Williams two weeks ago to a five-year $20 million deal, while rookie forward Marcus Camby is under contract through the 1998 season. Next up is Stoudamire. Thomas and his star player have already held preliminary contract extension talks, with Thomas offering in the neighborhood of $60 million over six years while Stoudamire is reported to be seeking more. Both sides hope to have a contract wrapped up in the next two weeks. "Everything I do is geared to winning a championship in Toronto," Thomas said. "I remember what I went through as a player and I wanted to give players respect first. "Loyalty goes both ways and I want this to be like player utopia. I want players to get what they deserve and Doug certainly deserves this."

nba.77 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Hornets sign Reid again four years after first departure CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jul 16, 1997 - 19:51 EDT) -- J.R. Reid signed with the Charlotte Hornets as a free agent on Wednesday, more than four years after the club traded away the player they once made a first-round pick. "This is weird," a smiling Reid said at a hastily arranged news conference at the Charlotte Coliseum. "I didn't know if this was a place I'd ever be at again." Reid, a former North Carolina star who played more than three seasons with the Hornets, is returning to the NBA after playing for one year in France. He averaged a team-leading 17.9 points and eight rebounds as PSG-Racing won the French league title. Reid, 29, said he signed a two-year deal with the Hornets, but he refused to release financial terms. The 6-foot-9 center-forward was traded by Charlotte during the 1992-93 season to San Antonio for forward Sidney Green and two draft picks. Reid was dealt to the New York Knicks in February 1996. The Knicks renounced their rights to Reid after the 1995-96 season. "J.R. is exactly the kind of complementary player we were looking to add to our roster," said Bob Bass, vice president of basketball operations. "I was with him in San Antonio and watched him mature over the years. He is still young, he's athletic and a real good fit into our system." His best year for the Hornets was his 1989-90 rookie year, when he averaged 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds while starting all 82 games. He played 230 games for Charlotte, averaging 10.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. In his first stint with the Hornets, Reid was a 260-pound center who had difficulty inside against bigger, taller players. This time around, he'll likely be called on to relieve power forward Anthony Mason, who led the team in rebounding and was second in scoring this past season, when Charlotte won a franchise-record 54 games under first-year coach Dave Cowens. "I think I can help these guys, and I'm looking forward to getting back here," Reid said. "I'm a much better jump shooter than when I was here before. I didn't shoot much at all outside the paint when I was here. I think my game's a little different now than it was when I first came here." Reid said he had spoken earlier in the day with Cowens, who was an assistant at San Antonio when Reid was with the Spurs. "He just said he needs a big body in there," Reid said. "I'm ready. It's exciting to be with a team that wants you."

nba.78 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Nuggets sign picks Fortson, Jackson; Battie close to signing DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets on Wednesday signed first-round draft picks Danny Fortson and Bobby Jackson and new coach Bill Hanzlik said he expects both players to contribute to the team's new up-tempo philosophy. The Nuggets would not discuss terms of the signings, but it is believed both players received the maximum terms allowable for first-round draft picks: three-year contracts with set salaries. Under those rules, Fortson, the 10th overall pick from Cincinnati, will be paid $1.95 million in the first year of a three-year deal worth $6.7 million. Jackson, the 23rd pick from Minnesota, will make $695,000 in the first year of his $2.4 million deal. Meanwhile, the Nuggets hope to sign the third of their first-round draft picks, Texas Tech center-forward Tony Battie, before the end of the week, according to vice president Allan Bristow. Battie was the fifth overall pick. Both Fortson and Jackson said they plan on working hard for Hanzlik. "I'm going to do what I'm asked to do and I'll do it well," said Fortson, who at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds has been compared to former Nuggets forward Calvin Natt. "We'll go out there and give it all we've got." Fortson was acquired with forwards Johnny Newman and Joe Wolf for center Ervin Johnson in a draft day deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson, drafted No. 23 by the Seattle SuperSonics and shipped to Denver in another draft day deal, said it was a relief to sign and start working out with the team. "I'm just happy to be here," the 6-1, 185-pounder said. "There were a lot of doubters out there who thought I didn't even belong in this league. "I'm going to go out there and play as hard as I can. If the coach wants me to go out there and fall on loose balls, then that's what I'm going to do." Hanzlik loved the players' attitudes. "What excites me is that they are willing to go to work already," he said. "So often we've had rookies run into problems -- whatever it might be -- and they don't get in and work right away. The coaching staff has been together with them already, and they are two great guys. They are willing to learn and I think we've already accomplished a few little things. "I think Bobby Jackson is going to be a great point guard. He's got toughness; he's got the ability to play some great defense; he can score with the ball; and in an up-tempo system, I think he's going to play." Hanzlik said Fortson needs to add bulk, but is already tough enough to compete in the NBA. "Danny Fortson can be an enforcer in this league. He's got the body; we've got to tone it up a little bit. He's got a few muscles on him. We want to make a few more on him," Hanzlik said. "We want to keep him as a power forward, maybe a center, maybe a small forward."

nba.79 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Dino done: Celtics waive Radja BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics, who could not trade injured forward Dino Radja, instead decided to waive him Wednesday, perhaps ending his NBA career. The Celtics traded the 30-year-old Radja to the Philadelphia 76ers last month, but the deal was nullified when Radja -- who missed 57 games last season with a knee injury -- failed a physical administered by the 76ers. Radja is scheduled to earn $5.3 million next season and the Celtics must pay that salary, which counts against Boston's salary cap unless Radja signs with another NBA team -- or goes back to play in Europe, where he was discovered 10 years ago. A native of Croatia, Radja did not want to play for the 76ers. But Mark Fleisher, Radja's agent, told WEEI Radio in Boston that his client wants to play for another NBA team or in Europe. That would create salary cap room for the Celtics, who are rumored to be pursuing free agent center Andrew DeClercq, who played for the Golden State Warriors last season. A household name in Europe and international play, Radja was selected by the Celtics in the second round of the 1989 draft. He did not join the team until four years later but averaged 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds in four seasons. On June 20, the Celtics traded Radja to the 76ers for forward Clarence Weatherspoon and center Michael Cage. But Radja was slow to report and just beat a deadline that would have negated the trade. He immediately underwent a physical, which Sixers doctors said he failed. Assuming the trade was voided, Philadelphia packaged Cage in an eight-player deal with the New Jersey Nets. That deal was held up as the Celtics asked the NBA to settle the matter. But before the NBA ruled, the Celtics withdrew their request and took back Radja, allowing the Sixers-Nets deal to go through. The proposed Sixers-Celtics deal involving Radja was the first voided trade since the 1995 swap between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, negated when center Victor Alexander failed a physical. The 6-11 Radja averaged 14 points and 8.4 rebounds in 25 games last season. He earned second-team All-Rookie honors in 1994 and had his best season in 1995-96, averaging 19.7 points and 9.8 boards in 53 games.

nba.80 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Warriors name Westhead assistant coach OAKLAND, Calif. (Jul 16, 1997 - 1997 EDT) -- Paul Westhead, former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets was hired Wednesday as an assistant coach by the Golden State Warriors. Westhead, who most recently coached on the collegiate level at George Mason, also has coached at LaSalle and Loyola Marymount. Westhead led the Lakers to the 1980 NBA title with a 50-18 regular-season record. Overall, he was 111-50 in three seasons with the Lakers from 1979-82. He joins new Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo. "I'm very happy to be back in the league, especially working P.J. and the Warriors," Westhead said. "P.J. and I have been basketball friends and associates for several years, and I've always had great respect for his coaching and equal respect for him as a person." Westhead coached the Bulls for the 1982-83 season, and was with the Nuggets from 1990-92. As an NBA coach, he has a 159-164 record. "Paul brings a unique blend of innovative basketball thinking, extensive NBA and collegiate head coaching experience, and the ability to teach and communicate effectively with today's great players," Carlesimo said in a prepared statement. "He has a work ethic and respect for the game that is contagious," he added. "Having a world championship head coach on our staff will be a tremendous resource for the Warriors."

nba.82 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Ackerly says he'll talk to Kemp -- if Kemp asks SEATTLE (Jul 16, 1997 - 19:45 EDT) -- Seattle SuperSonics owner Barry Ackerley said Wednesday he'd be happy to talk to Shawn Kemp if the disgruntled all-star forward asks for a meeting. Kemp has demanded to be traded, saying he would never play for the Sonics again. On Tuesday, his agent said Ackerley had not returned calls seeking a meeting. Ackerley, in turn, issued a statement saying Sonics president Wally Walker and other club representatives had been spurned in their requests for a meeting with Kemp. "That being said, if Shawn Kemp were to call me and request a meeting at a mutually convenient time, I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with him," the owner added. Agent Tony Dutt said Kemp had no interest in meeting with Walker, coach George Karl or his teammates. After eight NBA seasons, all with Seattle, Kemp is unhappy with his contract, which has six years to run and pays $3.3 million next season, well below his market value. He told ESPN last month that money is just part of his discontent and that playing with Seattle has become a "negative" experience. Last October, Ackerley went to Kemp's hometown of Elkhart, Ind., and persuaded him to end a three-week holdout. The owner also has been widely reported to have killed a Kemp-for-Scottie Pippen trade with Chicago on draft day in 1994.

nba.81 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Bucks select Weinhauer as new GM MILWAUKEE (Jul 16, 1997 - 19:09 EDT) -- Bob Weinhauer, who joined the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant to coach Chris Ford last August, was appointed the franchise's general manager Wednesday. Weinhauer, 58, replaces Mike Dunleavy, who resigned from the position at the end of last season -- a year after he stepped down as head coach but stayed on as general manager. Dunleavy has since been hired as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bucks, after a 33-49 finish last season, have failed to reach the playoffs for six seasons -- since the days when Del Harris, and before him, Don Nelson guided Milwaukee into postseason play 12 consecutive years. "We are confident he will provide us with the leadership and direction that will return the Bucks to playoff contention," Sen. Herb Kohl, the owner of the Bucks, said of Weinhauer. Before coming to Milwaukee, Weinhauer spent two seasons as vice president of basketball operations with the Houston Rockets. He also is a former coach of the University of Pennsylvania, which he took to the Final Four in 1979. The Bucks failed to improve under Dunleavy's leadership despite the emergence of All-Star forward Vin Baker and forward Glenn Robinson, the No. 1 pick of the 1994 draft. Baker and Robinson accounted for 44 percent of the team's scoring last season. Dunleavy, a former Bucks assistant coach, was named coach and general manager on May 12, 1992, after guiding the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals in 1991. "I'm elated about the opportunity," Weinhauer, who is in Los Angeles for the pro summer league, said in a statement. "One of the most important things we do right now is tie together this basketball team. "We need to make sure that everybody realizes their true potential not only as an individual but as a team in order to play the type of basketball that can make our fans in the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin extremely proud." Among other contenders for the general manager's job were former NBA and Marquette University star Glenn "Doc" Rivers, now a commentator with Turner Sports, and Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Wayne Embry, a former general manager of the Bucks. Rivers was said to be leaning toward a coaching job, and there were reports that the Cavs denied the Bucks permission to talk to Embry.

nba.83 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Bulls-Jackson negotiations appear to be at impasse CHICAGO (Jul 16, 1997 - 13:39 EDT) -- Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf says he wants to go one-on-one with coach Phil Jackson to make him the best-paid pure coach in the NBA. Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, recently turned down the latest Bulls offer from general manager Jerry Krause, and Reinsdorf reacted with a public statement Tuesday saying he "requested a direct meeting" with Jackson. "The matter is not going to be resolved between Jerry and Todd," Reinsdorf said later. "And quite simply, I want a meeting with Phil alone. He'll either communicate with me or he won't." No way, said Musburger. He said the one-on-one meeting Reinsdorf wants "will not happen." "I am not going to sit out in the hallway, as the chairman suggests, while he has at my client," Musburger said. The issue goes well beyond the job status of the coach who has led the team to five NBA championships in seven years. If the Bulls fail to sign Jackson, they could lose Michael Jordan, who says he will not return to the club if there's a change in the head coach. Reinsdorf and Musburger agree that money is the only issue blocking a settlement. "We are prepared to offer him more money than any other NBA pure head coach (one who is not also a general manager) on a single-season contract," Reinsdorf said in his statement. "Phil has told both Jerry Krause and me that he wants to return to the Bulls and attempt to defend the world championship. We are making every effort to make that happen," he said. But Musburger said the amount of money offered so far is "insulting." Reinsdorf said he spoke once by telephone over the weekend with Jackson, who is at his Montana vacation home. "All the other times, I get his (answering) machine," Reinsdorf said. "Now, with something as important to the organization and the city of Chicago as this, I want to speak to him alone. Not necessarily in Chicago, not necessarily in Montana, but somewhere soon one-on-one." "My wish," Reinsdorf said, "is to have one more conversation with Phil. Is that such a big deal?" Musburger said Jackson, who made $2.7 million last year, wants a salary "equal to the amazing contribution Phil has made to this organization and a sum that reflects where coaching salaries are in the NBA." Musburger would not say what the Bulls had offered or what Jackson is seeking. Newspaper reports have said Jackson probably wants between $4.3 million and $5.75 million next season. Although Jackson and the Bulls are at an impasse, the coach is not considering offers from other teams, Musburger said. "This negotiation is not about whether Phil Jackson is about to join the Bulls or join somebody else," Musburger said. "They have his undivided attention."

nba.84 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Abdul-Jabbar talks politics, religion and basketball during Israel visit KFAR SABA, Israel (Jul 16, 1997 - 17:09 EDT) -- Towering over their regular coaches, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar enthralled a group of Israeli youth in an on-court, hands-on workshop Wednesday. "Work at handling the ball without looking at it," the 7-foot-2-inch star told more than 50 boys and girls, passing the ball behind his back. "Soon it will become instinctive. ... The purpose is not to look good, but to do something on the court." The Muslim athlete's eight-day goodwill visit included a stop at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, and a meeting with Israel's chief rabbi. Abdul-Jabbar, 50, also attended prayers Friday at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque, where the preacher lashed out at the United States for failing to stop Jewish settlement expansion. In an interview with The Associated Press before he returned to Los Angeles, the former NBA star aimed for political balance. "I understood (the preacher) was making political statements," said Abdul-Jabbar, whose Arabic is only fair. When he saw the translated quotes, "I was surprised to see they were so vehement. But I understand (the Palestinians') passion because they are disenfranchised and, in many cases, abused by the establishment of the Israeli state," he said. Then he quickly added: "I don't think it was a conscious policy of the Israeli state, but it is a consequence of its existence. It's something that has to be dealt with. "That anger is real." Abdul-Jabbar's visit came amid a religious furor after an Israeli woman enraged Muslims by posting fliers in Hebron depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a pig. That touched off anger throughout the Muslim world and two weeks of rioting in Hebron. "I personally do not judge the nation of Israel by the actions and statements of rabid nationalists," said Abdul-Jabbar, his gray T-shirt still damp with sweat. "That type of rabid nationalism is not what I saw as the norm in Israel." He insisted that the problem was not religious but practical. "Israelis are involved in political conflict with Palestinians over political control of this land. It has nothing to do with religion," he said. Abdul-Jabbar said he found it natural to be in Israel, especially since he grew up in New York City. "I've been to too many kosher delis for this place to feel strange. ... I've been around Jewish people all my life," he said. Still, he said, he was disappointed to find what he termed termed "discrimination" against the 60,000-member community of black Ethiopian Jews in Israel. "This is the last place I thought that would happen," he said. Abdul-Jabbar said he was pleased that his visit with Israel's chief rabbi last week helped spread information on the black troops who served in World War II. The unusual meeting with Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau was arranged at the request of Abdul-Jabbar, whose family friend in 1945 helped liberate the concentration camp of Buchenwald, where the rabbi was held as a child. Abdul-Jabbar seemed most at home on the court, at a basketball camp in this Tel Aviv suburb. "Hey, watch the ball!" he called out to a 12-year-old. Another boy beamed after winning a restrained compliment on a successful shot. "He explains everything so well," said Sigi Shidler, 16, braces shining through his smile. Camp coach Yoram Kaufman said he was amazed at Abdul-Jabbar's patience and work ethic. "For the kids, every word out of his mouth is an education," Kaufman said, basketball tucked under his arm.

nba.85 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Seals exploring every avenue toward NBA rosters Shocked when he wasn't selected in the NBA draft, Tulsa guard Shea Seals didn't spend much time moping around. Since the June 25 draft, Seals has: Terminated the services of Advantage International and hired New York-based agent Larry Fox. Flew to California to work on his conditioning with a personal trainer. Played pick-up games that included several NBA veterans. Rejected an offer from the Atlanta Hawks to play in the four-team, Atlanta Shootout minicamp last week. Accepted an offer to play with the Los Angeles Lakers in the The Los Angeles Summer League, which started last Saturday and runs through July 25 at Long Beach State University. Scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in just 13 minutes in the Lakers' first game. "Shea took a day off after the draft to mourn a little bit. It was a little bit of a blow to his ego," Fox said in a telephone interview. "But after that, he got very serious." One year ago this month, Seals was considered a solid first-round prospect after he scored 20 points for the USA Under-22 Select Team in its 96-90 loss to the USA's Olympic Dream Team. But the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Seals' stock dropped dramatically, starting with TU's 65-59 loss to Clemson in the NCAA's Midwest Regional last March. Seals picked up three quick fouls, scored his first field goal with 19 seconds left in the game and finished with a season-low five points. Although Seals tied for the tournament scoring lead in the NBA's Desert Classic with a 15.3-point average, his shooting woes continued in the Phoenix camp and a similar workout in Chicago. Still, when Seals wasn't among the 58 players selected in the NBA's two-round draft, Fox said, "I was stunned. I can't explain it. I knew that he had fallen. But never in my wildest imagination did I think he would go undrafted." Fox said Seals got some bad advice when he accepted an invitation to play in the NABC All-Star Game. Seals was moved from shooting guard to point guard at the contest, which is part of the Final Four activities. "That game is usually for players who are not of Shea's caliber and magnitude," Fox said. "And when they made him play point guard, he was totally out of position, didn't look great and wasn't happy." Fox said Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Orlando, both Los Angeles teams and Minnesota called Seals the day after the draft. If Seals isn't invited to the Lakers' veterans camp after The L.A. Summer League, the Timberwolves have indicated they might want him for the NBA's second summer league next month, the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. "He's a super kid and deserves an opportunity," Fox said. "I'm glad to see that he's got the right attitude. And it looks like he's probably going to overcome the fact that he didn't get drafted." The 11-team L.A. Summer League features some other familiar names. Oklahoma State for ward Chianti Roberts is on a Milwaukee Bucks roster that also includes former Northwestern Oklahoma guard Gaylon Nickerson and Texas guard Reggie Freeman. Stacey King, the ex-Oklahoma center who picked up three championship rings with the Chicago Bulls, is on the Dallas Mavericks' roster, along with Oklahoma City University guard Walsh Jordan. "Every team has scouts there,"Fox said of the summer league, which is in its 28th season. "It's a great opportunity."

nba.86 nba.news, 17 Jul 97

Barkley's storied career one for the ages PHILADELPHIA -- There are times I'll begin to tell a Charles Barkley story and then wonder if I've told it before to the same group. This usually happens at sportswriter-type gatherings, when it seems that every story that comes to mind is a Barkley story. And when it seems there is a Barkley story to fit every occasion. There have been hundreds of athletes to cross my keyboard in more than 20 years of writing, but the four seasons I spent covering Barkley provided the sharpest memories and, yes, the best stories. "Bob, what would happen if I missed a practice?" Barkley asked me that one day, innocently enough, but he was definitely up to something. I told him the Sixers could fine him as much as $10,000 without submitting the case to league review. But, hey, what's the deal? "Well, there's this Japanese mattress company that wants me to fly to Tokyo and film a commercial and they want to pay me $100,000. The way I look at it, I'd be $90,000 ahead." Oh, great. If he went and got caught, this would be another 10 or 12 stories I didn't really want to have to chase around. Barkley could force you to write an extra 100 articles a year without really even trying. "Charles," I said. "It's the middle of the season. You can't fly to Tokyo and back in one day." "Yes, I can," Barkley said. "They got that International Date Line." It went like that a lot. Barkley would sort through outrageous ideas, discarding some, keeping others. He wanted to be a winner, but, stuck on dreadful Sixers teams, had to find other ways to amuse himself. In searching for entertainment and just being himself, Barkley became a character. He even became lovable, which is a good trick for a guy who (accidentally) spit on an 8-year-old girl once. Dave Coskey, whose first job in professional sports was as a publicist for the Sixers, had the best and most enduring line about Barkley. He said most athletes are jerks who want you to think they're good guys. Barkley is a good guy who wants you to think he's a jerk. Almost anyone who met up with Barkley enjoyed the experience. One guy who didn't was a bodybuilder tough who accosted Barkley on a Milwaukee street one late December night. Barkley smacked the guy on the nose and then took off his own shirt, shoes and socks to convince the tough's buddies that he was crazy. That got Barkley some notoriety and a night in jail (he was eventually found not guilty), but my favorite memory of that time came about a week later, when the Sixers were on the road in Denver. I was having a beer with a Nuggets beat writer in a bar near Larimer Square when Barkley came rolling in. The bar got real quiet. Everyone had either seen Barkley in handcuffs on television or read about his street altercation. What fresh mayhem did he have in mind this night? "Bartender," Barkley said, "drinks for this side of the bar." And he swept his hand toward a small, unoccupied corner. Then, waving his other arm across the multitudes, he announced, "And water for this side of the bar." Well, everyone laughed, and they kept laughing for the next several hours as Barkley worked the room, sipped light beers and made friends. It was as typical a night as any. Near the end of the evening, he came over and said, "Don't leave without me. I haven't done very well lately walking back to the hotel." He could be maddening, but never out of character. And as he aged, Barkley became more sure that he had something philosophical to offer others. His is the politics of common sense. Obey the law or pay the price. Work for a living if you want one. "Charles, the Republicans only take care of the rich," Barkley's grandmother chided him once, after Barkley admitted he voted for George Bush. "Well," Barkley said, "I'm rich." Yes, he is, and so is life when Barkley is around. We live in a time when real stars are becoming harder to find -- literally. They eat behind glass partitions in restaurants and shun the people who love them. But Barkley will always be out there. He'll be one of the few reminders that we're all in this together, even if some of us can rebound better than others. He'll remain a link to the time when athletes were just guys dodging work for a few years, but destined to join us on the factory line eventually. One of Barkley's favorite places in Philadelphia was a hamburger joint, and I mean just a joint. He'd walk in and for a few minutes, people would stare, their burgers hanging suspended in front of their open mouths. Then, the clock would start to tick again, the fans would turn and life would continue. Already, they were forming the words they would say at work the next day. ("Hey, guess who I had a burger with last night?") That's what Barkley has given us, aside from a bunch of great stories. He's made rare steak out of the commonplace burgers of our lives. Now, tell me the truth. Have I told those stories before?

nba.87 nba.news, 18 Jul 97

Magic sign free agent Strong ORLANDO, Fla. (Jul 17, 1997 - 1997 EDT) -- Free agent power forward Derek Strong re-signed with the Orlando Magic on Thursday. Because of salary cap restrictions, it was a one-year deal for $326,000. Strong was courted heavily by the Boston Celtics, but turned down a multiyear contract that would have averaged more than $2 million a season, according to his agent, Mike Carey. Instead, he opted to return to Orlando where he averaged career-highs of 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds last season. The 6-foot-8 backup forward was the only Magic player to appear in all 82 regular-season games. "I didn't want to be labeled a journeyman anymore, I wanted a place I could call home," said Strong, who has played for five teams in his six-year NBA career. "I felt like the fans in Orlando really wanted me here and that meant a lot to me." The Magic, who signed Strong last season for the league-minimum of $247,500, couldn't offer him more than $326,000 because of the salary cap. They could sign Strong again next summer to the average league salary, which is expected to be around $2.5 million. "I know it's a risk, but if you check the Magic history, they take care of the players who were underpaid," Strong said. "I've only got to tough it out for one more year. Then the Magic can take over from there." Strong averaged 12.2 points and 10 rebounds in the first-round playoff series against Miami. "Derek made himself very attractive to other teams so I'd say I'm very surprised we were able to get him back," Magic general manager John Gabriel said. "It says a lot for him that he would pass up a lot of money to come back here, but that's just the kind of guy he is."

nba.88 nba.news, 18 Jul 97

Radja heads back to Europe BOSTON (Jul 17, 1997 - 17:51 EDT) -- A journey filled with roadblocks is finally ending for Dino Radja and the Boston Celtics. He's headed for Greece, and they're back in the free-agent market. "This is what Dino wanted and it works out for the Celtics," Marc Fleisher, Radja's agent, said Thursday. Radja has signed with Panathinaikos AC, but another small obstacle remains. NBA teams have until July 26 to claim the high scorer off waivers, extremely unlikely because of his huge salary, balky left knee and weak defense. If he were claimed, the Celtics would have his entire $16.2 million salary over the next three years ($5.3 million next season) to spend on free agents. They have only about half that under an agreement in which they are giving Radja the rest in severance pay while allowing him to play in Greece. It wasn't supposed to be this tough to unload him. After all, the 6-foot-11 forward-center who led his team in scoring and rebounding in 1995-96 and averaged 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds in four seasons with Boston. But the Celtics, coming off their worst season and rebuilding with young players, were saddled with paying the 30-year-old for the next three seasons. So new coach Rick Pitino -- who didn't think Radja fit the new running, pressing system -- decided to trade him. But the deal with Philadelphia was nullified when Radja flunked his physical. Then Fleisher and the Celtics haggled over a severance arrangement. They finally agreed, but Fleisher said the league had problems regarding the salary cap. So contract language was changed and the deal went through. Now the Celtics reportedly have reached an agreement with 6-10 Andrew DeClercq, a free agent who spent the last two seasons with Golden State. They're also interested in free agent power forward Derek Strong, who played for Orlando last season. They would have preferred Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage, the forwards they obtained from Philadelphia on June 20. But Radja, who played just 25 games before knee surgery kept him on the bench the rest of last season, couldn't pass his physical. Boston thought Radja seemed healthy when team doctors checked him. So the Celtics filed a grievance with the NBA, then withdrew it when they apparently realized it would fail. "Rick was left in the dark a little bit because when he got here everybody told him Dino was fine," Fleisher said. "He later found out otherwise, not only because he had an extensive conversation with Philadelphia's doctors, but Dino saw another doctor in New York." Fleisher said Radja didn't tell the Celtics about that doctor because he didn't want to seem to be questioning Dr. Arnold Scheller, the team physician. Radja played in Yugoslavia and Italy before joining the Celtics in 1993 and doesn't mind returning to Europe. About two weeks ago, he signed a multiyear contract with Panathinaikos for more than $2 million a season. He already has passed his physical there, where the shorter schedule would be less of a burden. The deal was contingent on Fleisher and the Celtics working out the severance -- they agreed on an amount reportedly between $7 million and $8 million -- and the NBA approving it. That finally happened, and the Celtics waived Radja on Wednesday. "An NBA team could take him," Fleisher said. "I think they'd be crazy, in light of the total circumstances."

nba.89 nba.news, 18 Jul 97

Classy free-agent class of '98 steals thunder from '97 The free-agent class of '97 obviously is being viewed with a jaded eye by NBA executives. Simply put, not much has happened in the first three weeks at the market. Why? Much of the inactivity has to do with an eye toward the free-agent class of '98, the first time that an entire class of first-round draft picks can enter the market at the same time. Under terms of the new rookie salary scale, first-round picks, although signed to mandatory three-year guaranteed contracts, may begin to negotiate extensions during the offseason following their second seasons. That means players such as Golden State's Joe Smith, Denver's Antonio McDyess, Philadelphia's Jerry Stackhouse, Portland's Rasheed Wallace and Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, players at the top of the '95 draft, can address their futures immediately. What makes the status of '95 first-round picks so unique this offseason is that they can negotiate for unlimited amounts on their extensions. By contrast, all other players in the NBA can negotiate extensions for only a 20-percent boost if their teams are above the salary cap (thus the misery of veterans such as Shawn Kemp and Scottie Pippen). In other words, while most of the league is focusing on the fates of the more than 160 free agents who entered this summer's marketplace, the real fascination is with those who can become free agents in '98. Here's why: If players such as Smith and McDyess are not locked into extensions by Oct. 1, their teams face the possibilities of losing them without compensation next summer. What that means is that as Oct. 1 approaches, some 1995 first-round picks might be dealt in fire sales, with their teams unwilling to risk losing the players without compensation the following offseason. Several teams with significant salary-cap space (Cleveland for one) are holding off on this summer's spending to conserve space under the cap for the '98 offseason. However, if players such as Smith, McDyess and Garnett sign extensions this summer, those teams might immediately jump into this season's market, figuring there might not be as much reason to conserve cap flexibility. The latter scenario is what convinced the Nets to deal for rookie forward Keith Van Horn, even though it meant taking on the burdensome contracts of Don MacLean and Lucious Harris from the 76ers. New Jersey apparently came to the realization that the players they would have sought in '98 either might not be there or might have offered the familiar refrain of, "Why the heck would I want to play for the Nets?'' Of the coveted '95 first-round picks, only Vancouver's Bryant Reeves has already done an extension this summer and only Toronto's Damon Stoudamire has been vocal about plans to do so. Another possibility to re-up is Cleveland's Bobby Sura. Garnett might be quicker to extend his deal in Minnesota if not for the constant overt (and illegal) hints of interest from the Bulls. The real questions are the status of Smith and McDyess, who have been sending mixed signals. Last month, Smith said he would not re-up with the Warriors, but his agent then attempted to soften that stance. "People are running with something that really is too preliminary,'' new Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo said. Like Smith, McDyess has taken the tone of a player who just as soon would play elsewhere, with the Nuggets' immediate future every bit as bleak as the Warriors'. Like Golden State, which hired Carlesimo, the Nuggets hardly got a high-profile coach in the Chuck Daly, Rick Pitino or Larry Brown molds when they hired Bill Hanzlik. Yet Nuggets general manager Allan Bristow denies being told by agent Arn Tellem to move his client now or risk losing him as a free agent a year from now. "We're committed to Antonio," Bristow said, "and until we hear otherwise, we're not entertaining any trades. We're not even thinking about it. We're all waiting to build this team around Antonio.'' Just a little venting For now, we'll give Orlando forward Dennis Scott the benefit of the doubt, that he simply lost his cool while venting his outrage over having to play for $3 million next season. But what the heck was this guy thinking? An overweight, wayward-shooting albatross for the Magic last season, Scott would be fortunate in today's tight free-agent market to command even a $1 million exemption slot. In expressing his agitation over his meager $3 million for next season, Scott said, "I'm not going to be quiet any more. I'm not happy about the way I've been treated the last four years, and I wanted to let everybody know it." Not happy? Consider that Scott will earn $3 million next season. Kemp will earn $3.3 million in Seattle, Pippen $2.7 million in Chicago and Mitch Richmond about $3 million in Sacramento. Dennis Scott should have plenty to be thankful about. When his contract expires after next season, Scott will learn what crying poverty is all about. All for charity Clippers free-agent guard Malik Sealy, on the current series of charity exhibitions being staged by NBA players, which continue this weekend with games being sponsored by Alonzo Mourning in Miami and Penny Hardaway in Memphis, "The thing that is best is you don't have to worry about getting the calls, because they don't call anything.'' A game scheduled to be staged by Horace Grant in Orlando in August has been canceled.

nba.90 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Slovenia's Milic signs with Sixers PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers have signed second-round draft choice Marko Milic of Slovenia. He becomes the tiny Alpine republic's first player to join the NBA. The 20-year-old player, who joined Slovenia's top club (Smelt Olimpija) in 1994, signed a one-year contract for $250,000. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound guard averaged 14 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for Smelt Olimpija last season. He was the 34th overall selection in the recent NBA draft. Milic helped Olimpija to its biggest success in April, when it finished third in a EuroLeague competition behind Greece's Olympiakos and Spain's Barcelona. He joins first-round selections Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker among Philadelphia's signed draft choices.

nba.92 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Dr. J, Ice Man headline all-time ABA team INDIANAPOLIS -- Julius Erving and George Gervin head the all-time American Basketball Association team announced Thursday, as selected by a panel of 50 sports writers and former league officials. Former Indiana Pacers coach Bob "Slick" Leonard was voted the league's all-time coach in the balloting leading up to the ABA's 30-year reunion, which will be held next month in Indianapolis. Gervin and Erving were unanimous selections to the 30-member team, with Erving named the league's all-time most valuable player. Other unanimous selections to the team were Roger Brown, Louie Dampier, Dan Issel, Mel Daniels and Artis Gilmore. The other members of the team are Marvin Barnes, Zelmo Beaty, Darrel Carrier, Connie Hawkins, Jimmy Jones, Maurice Lucas, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Charlie Scott, David Thompson, Rick Barry, Ron Boone, Mack Calvin, Billy Cunningham, Donnie Freeman, Spencer Haywood, Warren Jabali, Freddie Lewis, Moses Malone, Doug Moe, Billy Paultz, James Silas and Willie Wise. A panel of voters made up of sports writers and broadcasters, former league executives, referees and team officials. The ABA will hold a reunion in Indianapolis Aug. 22-24.

nba.91 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Silas hired as Hornets assistant coach CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jul 18, 1997 - 13:45 EDT) -- Paul Silas was hired as an assistant coach today by the Charlotte Hornets, under head coach Dave Cowens, his teammate on the Boston Celtics in the 1970s. Silas, who has spent 28 seasons in the NBA as a player or coach going back to 1964, was an assistant coach at Phoenix the past two seasons. He also has been an assistant with New Jersey and New York and head coach of the then-San Diego Clippers from 1980-83. "Paul will be a tremendous addition to our coaching staff," Cowens said. "He is one of the most respected teachers of the fame, having played and coach under some great head coaches." Cowens and Silas played together on Boston's 1974 and 1976 NBA championship teams.

nba.93 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Abdul-Jabbar sued for alleged assault over parking space LOS ANGELES (Jul 18, 1997 - 16:33 EDT) - A West Los Angeles man has filed a civil suit in Santa Monica claiming he was attacked by former basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar outside a yoghurt shop in April. Jerry Cohen charges he was in a parking lot at the Big Chill yoghurt shop when Abdul-Jabbar approached him from behind and assaulted him after a misunderstanding over a parking space. Cohen's lawyer Larry Feldman said his client, who is five-foot-seven, was "scared out of his mind" when the seven-foot-one Abdul-Jabbar grabbed him from behind and screamed at him. The lawsuit claims Cohen was treated in hospital and continues to suffer from blurry vision, neck and back problems. "My client was scared out of his mind," Feldman said. "He's a little guy and he didn't know where this was coming from. In hindsight, he believes that Mr. Jabbar misunderstood when he was pointing to show he was waiting for a parking spot. "He certainly wasn't giving him the finger. He was trying to be courteous." Lawyer Barry West, who represents Abdul-Jabbar, said he wasn't aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment. Abdul-Jabbar, 50, led the Milwaukee and later the Los Angeles Lakers to six National basketball Association titles and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player six times.

nba.94 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Missing memorabilia All nine retired Duke basketball jerseys are missing from the Hall of Fame Room at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. Seems Dick Groat's No. 10, Christian Laettner's No. 32 and Grant Hill's No. 33 have been stolen, so athletic officials recently put the remaining six glass-framed jerseys in a secure spot. Sports information director Mike Cragg said Duke has no clues but hopes the bandits will return the jerseys soon. "Sometime in May we noticed Christian's jersey was missing, but sometimes things get shuffled around," Cragg said. "Then in June, we noticed Dick Groat's and Grant Hill's were missing, so we knew that wasn't the case. "We're trying to revamp security," Cragg said. This isn't the first time Duke has been bedeviled by pranksters or thiefs. In '93, a Kentucky student stole Laettner's jersey, which eventually wound up in a fraternity house at the University of Virginia, and several of Duke's Final Four trophies were taken but later found unharmed.

nba.95 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

NBA beat: Bulls play dangerous game The Bulls continue to play a dangerous game with Phil Jackson -- and, by extension, Michael Jordan. Jerry Reinsdorf's request to meet alone with Jackson to discuss a new contract is DOA, and while management continues to insist it wants Jackson to be the highest paid pure coach in the league, it still hasn't come up with an offer that tops Larry Bird's $4 million in Indiana, or George Karl's $3.5 million in Seattle. Nothing will happen with Jordan's negotiations until Jackson's are completed -- one way or another. Thorpe deal iced The league put the brakes on a potential Grizzlies-Pistons trade involving Otis Thorpe because of its rule against a team signing a free agent from another team and then trading him. That kept the Grizzlies from signing Chris Dudley and then dealing him to Detroit as part of a trade for Thorpe. Now the most likely way for Dudley to wind up with the Pistons is if the Trail Blazers re-sign Dudley and then move him. That's allowed under league rules. But Portland may well want to keep Dudley around because of concerns about Arvydas Sabonis' long-term physical health. If Detroit is going to make a serious run at Brian Williams, or any other free agent, it has to clear Thorpe's $5.8 million off its cap soon or face renouncing some of its own free agents. Exemptions put on hold Twenty-seven of the league's teams currently have their million-dollar salary cap exemptions available, but so far none have used them. And many won't for a long time this off-season. The feeling with many teams is there will be free-agent bargains in September as unsigned players get desperate to make a deal. That's not good news for players who were hoping to move. Pacers looking to deal The Pacers are still looking for a shooting small forward, and Cleveland's Chris Mills might fit the bill. Though he's a free agent, there's a chance of a potential deal where the Cavaliers re-sign him, then ship him to Indiana for Erick Dampier and Duane Ferrell. But Cleveland's not sure it wants to move Mills. The Cavaliers think they have two penetrating gems in first-rounders Brevin Knight and Derek Anderson -- along with Terrell Brandon -- and they want to make sure they have enough shooters to surround the guards with.

nba.96 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Geiger gets his mission from life experiences CLEARWATER, Fla. (Jul 18, 1997 - 10:04 EDT) -- It is very hard to wipe the smile off Matt Geiger's face. The kids who surround him almost are life itself for him. On this day at the Long Center, the former local high school star, now a center-forward with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, is putting the youngsters through their drills. Dozens of black-shirted kids in his basketball camp, many of them barely half the size of his 7-foot frame, work on footwork, posting up, shooting and the rest. Except for his height, the 27-year-old Geiger could be one of them. He plays five-on-five, one-on-one, and says he loses once in a while (it costs him a pair of sneakers each time). He hoists a 7-year-old onto his shoulders and invites him to dunk the ball. He is never so much at home as when he surrounds himself with children. "I've always wanted to do something, like this basketball camp, just to be around kids," he said. "Camps meant a lot to me when I was a kid. I learned a lot, got real focused, got the competitive fire to become what I am. "It's great that I have the opportunity, because of what I've become, to reach out to these kids, to be here every day and just enjoy them." The feeling is mutual. As a group of kids passes him during a break, they wave at him, one by one, call out "Hi, Matt," and go slow until he waves back. Often you will find him, without fanfare, among children in a hospital cancer ward. His visit is the residue of his twin brother Mark's successful 5 1/2-year battle against Hodgkin's disease. "When my brother was attacked, I felt I should get involved with it," Matt said. "Pretty soon I realized it was fun for me, too. It made me happy seeing how happy they were, and their families, just from me visiting them." Matt was a senior at Georgia Tech in 1991-92 when Mark was found to have Hodgkin's. With the chemotheraphy treatments came the usual aftereffects, including hair loss. Unbeknownst to Mark, Matt decided to give him a morale boost by shaving his head. "I think the first time I saw him was on television," Mark said. "I'm looking at the screen, and there he is, and it's like, "What the ?' It's hard to explain how it made me feel, that he would do something like that for me. I thought it was crazy. I mean, jeez, who would do that on purpose?" Matt's head has remained shaved, and it's part of him that helps kids he visits in cancer wards deal with their disease. Children especially can be embarrassed by losing their hair. A hat often becomes a required element in their daily ensemble. Then the kids get a look at Geiger. They look up to him, way up, to his bald head. Soon they're taking pictures together, and the kids feel quite normal. "By the time I leave," Geiger said, "they've got their hats off and (are) really feeling comfortable about not having hair." Mark Geiger is in remission, five years after the end of his chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He and Matt don't talk about Hodgkin's very often. Maybe after Mark's annual test, that's about it. "There's a chance it could come back, a chance of getting other things, like leukemia, because of the chemo and radiation," Mark said. "They say after 10 years, you're safe." He leaves the visits to hospitalized kids to Matt, who will play his sixth NBA season in 1997-98. "It's obvious he has much more of a chance to affect kids' lives," Mark said. "I walk into a hospital, the kids would just look at me, like, "Who is this guy?"' Mark, 5 inches shorter than his twin, is office manager for a title insurance company. He now has a full head of hair. "Kind of weird, no?" he said. For Matt, it has been a natural progression from giving his brother support to visiting hospitals, forming the Courageous Kids Foundation (a program in the works to reach cancer-afflicted children over the Internet), and staging a celebrity golf tournament to benefit the American Cancer Society. "Who thinks about (cancer) until it happens to somebody you know?" Matt said. "You hear about it, you see kids, but you don't think of it like a real thing until it affects somebody in your life. "People talk about how something like this puts things in perspective. I don't think there's a better word for it. You see life a little clearer, what's important. It's not going to matter a hundred years from now how much money you had in the bank. If you can affect a kid's life, your life has meant something."

nba.97 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Buffoonery of Bucks continues to baffle and bemuse (Jul 18, 1997 - 09:51 EDT) -- So the Milwaukee Bucks' nationwide search begins on 4th St. and ends on State. Either the country's shrinking or the franchise is near-sighted. Normally it doesn't take 11 weeks to find the guy seated at the next desk, but there may have been extenuating circumstances. At least you hope there were. You want to think the Bucks were trying to spring Wayne Embry from Cleveland until the last possible second. That they offered the ranch to him and half the herd to the Cavaliers, who were too wooden-headed to let him go. But you don't know. All you know is Bob Weinhauer is the team's new general manager, and it's hard to get excited about that. The Bucks themselves weren't exactly agog. They revealed the appointment in a one-page news release issued when the man himself was half a country away. Mike Dunleavy was on a golf course when his firing was announced, and Weinhauer was in California when the Bucks introduced him as Dunleavy's replacement. This organization likes to conduct its business in absentia. It plays a lot of its games that way, too. Weinhauer may develop into the greatest personnel executive since Genghis Khan sacked China. There is precedent for that kind of thing on this very team. Twenty years ago, the Bucks handed their future to a young assistant with a dreadful haircut and no coaching experience. Don Nelson left more than 550 victories and seven division championships later. Weinhauer isn't Nelson, and if he were, Herb Kohl never would have hired him. But now that he has the job, he deserves some time to prove he can do it. That doesn't mean you have to like how this came out. After six seasons of mingling with the roaches and the fruit jars in and around the National Basketball Association basement, the Bucks needed to do something dramatic. Instead they did something expedient. They might as well have named Weinhauer, because by the time they did, all the major decisions for next season were made, anyway. It takes control and cash to attract prime candidates, and you wonder how much of either was available in this case. Weinhauer had already declared Vin Baker, Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen off-limits to trade suitors, and he or somebody decided to sacrifice the draft rights to Danny Fortson for another stab at filling the Bucks' yawning hole in the middle. The Fortson deal has the aroma of the great Danny Schayes fiasco about it, but if it comes out right, Weinhauer will have made a great first step. If not, what do you have? A team committed to a failing nucleus busily stockpiling used centers. In other words, business as usual. The biggest difference will be that Weinhauer now ranks as Chris Ford's boss instead of the other way around. At least that's how it's supposed to look in the flow chart. But it's unlikely that anybody's forgotten who hired whom, which means the Bucks have things exactly backward. At a time when they need somebody forceful and empowered at the top calling the crucial shots, they may be going with a committee. You hate to keep bringing up the Green Bay Packers example, but it wasn't until they hired Ron Wolf and got out of his way that they got anywhere. Now Kohl's counting on Weinhauer to perform the same function, but probably not with the same power. "We are confident that he will provide us with the leadership and direction that will return the Bucks to playoff contention," Kohl said in the one-page news release. The senator has always had confidence. He's never had a successful general manager.

nba.98 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

Malo i o marketingu... :) Livin' large as Li'l Penny MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- He dreams about supermodel Tyra Banks, dabbles in painting, relishes pool parties and lives the life of luxury as the best friend of an NBA superstar. It sounds too good to be true, and it is. "Li'l Penny" Hardaway is a three-foot puppet, the 2-year-old creation of an advertising agency promoting the Nike basketball shoe model of Penny Hardaway of the Orlando Magic. Yet this puppet is no pauper. Li'l Penny not only has given Hardaway mass appeal but has boosted the career of comedian Chris Rock, whose voice pumps the puppet with its in-your-face personality. Li'l Penny has continued to make Hardaway's shoe Nike's most popular basketball footwear, even at the current $180 per pair. Penny, Li'l Penny and Rock will be in Penny's hometown of Memphis on Saturday for his third annual charity game in The Pyramid. Penny will play; Rock will coach one team and Li'l Penny will, well, he'll ... "He might be on my bench, he might be with Chris or we might just stick him at the scoring table," said Hardaway, a former University of Memphis All-American. "Everywhere I go, people ask me, 'Where's Li'l Penny?' " When Hardaway chose to sign with Nike over Converse before his rookie season in 1993-94, there was the promise he'd become the second Nike endorser to have a shoe named after him. The first was Michael Jordan and his Air Jordan line. "Converse originally offered more money, but we wanted to make sure Penny got national exposure with his own shoe as well as the creativity that Nike had shown," said Kevin Poston, one of Hardaway's agents. It took the ad agency of Weiden & Kennedy, creator of previous Nike campaigns for Jordan and David Robinson, almost a year to hit upon the Li'l Penny idea. The first Hardaway commercials had him dribbling through a basketball court full of sharks, demonstrating his ballhandling ability. The first Air Pennys with Hardaway's distinctive one cent symbol on the heel made its debut for the 1995-96 season, coinciding with the birth of Li'l Penny. In its planning stages, the Li'l Penny campaign drew mixed reviews. "People were dubious about it -- it definitely raised some eyebrows," said Stacy Wall, creative director for the New York office of Weiden & Kennedy. "We always thought that if we did it right, Li'l Penny could become Penny's Mars Blackmon (Jordan's best friend in his early Nike commercials.)" Wall, 30, a University of North Carolina advertising graduate, said Hardaway's quiet personality led him to think about devising a hip alter ego. Li'l Penny emerged from Wall's love of the puppet characters on The Muppets as well as the rapid-fire give-and-take of the barber shop characters in Eddie Murphy's movie "Coming to America." Murphy was the first choice for the voice of Li'l Penny but wanted too much money. Actor and comedian Damon Wayans was also discussed before the job went to Rock. As it has turned out, Rock is the heartbeat of Li'l Penny. "It was just a gig at first," said Rock, 30, considered one of the nation's hottest standup comics. "I thought it would be cute, sort of the 90's version of Michael Jordan and Mars Blackmon. But I keep doing it because I love it. "Big Penny gets all the dough, but Li'l Penny brings me good will. I love doing the voice for kids. They say, 'Do Li'l Penny,' and kids just freak out when I do it." Rock said he derived the Li'l Penny voice from a jail cell character in another Murphy movie, "Trading Places." "The voice just seems more fun than my real voice," Rock said. "It makes it seem like the puppet is really alive." So alive, in fact, that Hardaway said he had trouble getting through some of the first Li'l Penny commercials because Rock's voice and ad-libbed one-liners made him laugh. "I'm so used to seeing the doll in commercials that I think he's real," Poston said. "I have to keep telling myself, 'This is only a doll.' " Rock and Hardaway never work together in person. Rock does the audio of the voice; then it's shipped to wherever the commercials are filmed. Hardaway, acting with the puppet, responds to Rock's voice. It takes about three hours to film a commercial. "Chris is such a natural that I just go along with the flow," Hardaway said. "I wanted the commercials to be as natural as possible. I wanted to have dialogue that is everyday things people talk about. Chris and me just sort of ad-lib off each other." One of Wall's aims in creating the Li'l Penny commercials was to make them light and breezy with a slice-of-life atmosphere. "We'd previously done some Nike basketball spots with George Gervin and David Robinson talking in a barber shop," Wall said. "There was a natural sense of dialogue in those spots, and we wanted the same thing with Penny." Rock has been responsible for just about all of Li'l Penny's most memorable one-liners, such as "Can you do that for a brother?," "You can't guard me, the Secret Service can't guard me," and "I'm going in a tunnel, I can't hear you." "The amount of ad-libbing I do in Li'l Penny spots is rare in commercials," Rock said. "Other commercials are strict about sticking to a script." Wall said the Rock-Hardaway tandem is adaptable to just about any ideas. "Chris is one of the funniest people I've ever met and we give him a free rein to make lines even funnier," Wall said. "Penny understands what we're trying to do, and he always makes suggestions that improve the scripts." By Wall's count, there have been at least 15 Li'l Penny commercials, with the latest batch scheduled to be shot in August in Los Angeles. "I think if we kept throwing new commercials out there almost every week that people might get tired of them," Hardaway said. "I don't know how long we can keep doing them, maybe five more years or longer. Maybe as long as we keep coming up with something different." Li'l Penny Fever hasn't subsided -- it's getting stronger. A Li'l Penny talking doll with Rock's voice cracking one-liners is due in stores in time for Christmas. Also soon hitting bookstores, a Li'l Penny book called "Living Large, The World According to Li'l Penny Hardaway." So why the universal appeal and lasting power? "I expected Li'l Penny to be popular, but the publicity I've gotten from him the last two years has been crazy," said Hardaway, who used Li'l Penny's debut to jump from No. 16 in April 1995, to No. 1 in April 1996 in a Teenage Research Unlimited poll of the most popular pro athlete among teens. "Yet, the first time they showed me the Li'l Penny puppet, I laughed. I thought everybody would love it because America loves comedy. But when I found out Chris Rock would be the voice, I knew it would be a hit." So has the shoe itself. The 1998 Pennys will hit the market in November with the price tag dropping to $150. Hardaway said the new shoe will have a more traditional leather look. And what will Li'l Penny have to say about it? "I don't even know what we're going to do until I get to the set," Hardaway said. "The anticipation makes it even more exciting for me."

nba.99 nba.news, 19 Jul 97

A evo i detaljnog učinka igrača sa utakmica ljetne lige održane prošlog vikenda, kao i statistika još nekih egzibicionih mečeva odigranih u ovom periodu. ATLANTA SUMMER SHOOTOUT ACCUMS Indiana Pacers PLAYER MIN FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR A F S TO B PTS Mark Pope 29 4 6 1 1 5 7 2 2 4 1 6 2 2 0 14 Mark Pope 30 5 8 1 4 6 11 5 5 10 0 5 0 6 0 17 Mark Pope 23 2 5 0 2 2 2 3 2 5 1 5 0 4 1 6 TOTALS 82 11 19 2 7 13 20 10 9 19 2 16 2 12 1 37 Walter Bond 32 5 8 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 2 4 0 3 0 11 Walter Bond 37 5 9 4 6 0 0 0 3 3 1 6 0 1 0 14 Walter Bond 26 4 6 3 5 0 0 0 4 4 2 2 0 1 0 11 TOTALS 95 14 23 8 13 0 0 1 7 8 5 12 0 5 0 36 Darvin Ham 24 4 7 0 0 1 4 6 3 9 2 5 0 1 4 9 Darvin Hamm 29 4 5 0 0 3 3 1 2 3 1 4 0 1 1 11 Darvin Hamm 21 3 6 0 0 6 12 3 3 6 0 5 0 1 0 12 TOTALS 74 11 18 0 0 10 19 10 8 18 3 14 0 3 5 31 Jalen Rose 34 8 13 0 2 2 4 1 2 2 4 3 1 5 0 18 Jalen Rose 20 1 3 0 0 5 6 1 2 3 3 6 0 2 0 7 Jalen Rose 23 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 3 0 3 0 4 TOTALS 77 11 23 0 3 7 10 2 6 7 9 12 1 10 0 29 Erick Dampier 32 2 5 0 0 5 8 1 5 6 0 7 0 1 3 9 Erick Dampier 33 3 8 0 0 3 5 3 2 5 2 4 2 2 0 9 Erick Dampier 30 2 6 0 0 6 10 3 5 8 2 6 1 5 1 10 TOTALS 65 7 19 0 0 14 23 7 12 19 4 17 3 8 4 28 Chris Garner 25 3 6 0 0 2 4 0 3 3 1 5 2 0 0 8 Chris Garner 33 1 5 0 1 2 2 0 2 2 4 6 2 3 0 4 Chris Garner 39 5 10 1 2 1 2 0 1 1 6 4 0 3 0 12 TOTALS 97 9 21 1 3 5 8 0 6 6 11 16 2 6 0 24 Chris Jent 19 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 1 4 Chris Jent 30 3 10 0 2 1 2 1 0 1 2 6 0 5 0 7 Chris Jent 30 4 9 2 4 1 1 2 3 5 2 4 0 3 1 11 TOTALS 79 9 23 2 7 2 3 3 4 7 6 10 2 9 2 22 Austin Croshere DNP - Pulled Hamstring Austin Croshere 24 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 4 Austin Croshere 26 3 8 0 0 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 0 2 0 7 TOTALS 50 5 14 0 0 1 2 1 2 3 3 4 0 4 0 11 Alonzo Goldston 5 1 3 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 4 0 1 0 3 Alonzo Goldston 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 Alonzo Goldston 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 12 1 5 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 6 0 3 0 3 Etdrick Bohannon 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 Etdrick Bohannon DNP - Coach's Decision Etdrick Bohannon 19 0 2 0 0 2 2 1 2 3 0 7 0 0 0 2 TOTALS 24 1 3 0 0 2 2 1 2 3 0 8 0 0 1 4 Fred Hoiberg 22 3 5 0 2 2 3 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 0 8 Fred Hoiberg DNP - Coach's Decision Fred Hoiberg DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 22 3 5 0 2 2 3 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 0 8 Jo Jo English 9 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 Jo Jo English DNP - Coach's Decision Jo Jo English DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 9 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Mike Penberthy 4 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Mike Penberthy DNP - Coach's Decision Mike Penberthy DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 4 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Ronnie Henderson DNP - Coach's Decision Ronnie Henderson DNP - Coach's Decision Ronnie Henderson DNP - Coach's Decision Atlanta Hawks PLAYER MIN FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR A F S TO B PTS Ed Gray DNP - Coach's Decision Ed Gray 23 4 9 0 1 4 7 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 0 12 Ed Gray 32 6 15 0 0 7 8 1 4 5 2 3 2 4 0 19 TOTALS 55 10 23 0 1 11 15 1 4 5 3 5 3 6 0 31 Chris Crawford 14 1 5 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 Chris Crawford 20 3 6 0 0 4 4 1 2 3 0 3 0 0 2 10 Chris Crawford 31 7 13 1 2 4 6 0 1 1 0 3 2 5 0 19 TOTALS 65 11 22 1 2 8 10 2 4 6 0 7 2 6 2 31 Fred Vinson 37 5 10 0 2 5 5 1 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 15 Fred Vinson 19 4 9 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 Fred Vinson DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 56 9 19 0 3 5 7 1 0 1 1 3 0 1 0 23 Harold Ellis 41 3 12 0 0 3 4 5 2 7 1 5 5 2 0 9 Harold Ellis 24 4 5 0 0 0 3 4 2 6 0 2 4 1 1 8 Harold Ellis 8 2 3 0 1 0 2 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 4 TOTALS 73 9 20 0 1 3 9 11 4 15 1 8 9 5 1 21 Seldon Jefferson 35 2 7 1 4 5 8 0 0 0 5 5 0 3 0 10 Seldon Jefferson 28 2 8 1 3 6 8 2 4 6 2 3 0 4 0 11 Seldon Jefferson 23 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 3 0 0 TOTALS 86 4 16 2 8 11 16 2 4 6 9 11 1 10 0 21 Jared Prickett 12 2 4 0 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 6 Jared Prickett DNP - Coach's Decision Jared Prickett 19 5 7 1 1 2 2 2 3 5 1 3 1 2 0 12 TOTALS 31 7 11 1 1 4 4 4 3 7 1 5 1 3 0 18 David Crouse 11 2 3 0 0 1 4 0 2 2 0 2 1 1 0 5 David Crouse 23 3 3 0 0 0 2 1 3 4 0 2 0 1 0 6 David Crouse 25 2 3 0 0 2 2 0 5 5 1 2 1 0 0 6 TOTALS 59 7 9 0 0 3 8 1 10 11 1 6 2 2 0 17 Priest Lauderdale 35 7 11 0 0 3 4 1 6 7 6 3 0 1 3 17 Priest Lauderdale 36 4 7 0 0 1 2 0 5 5 1 5 0 5 1 9 Priest Lauderdale DNP - Strained Right Knee TOTALS 71 11 18 0 0 4 6 1 11 12 7 8 0 6 4 16 Ruben Garces 31 2 9 0 0 0 1 4 4 8 1 7 1 2 1 4 Ruben Garces 23 3 5 0 0 1 4 0 6 6 0 5 0 1 0 7 Ruben Garces 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 55 5 15 0 0 1 5 4 11 15 1 14 1 3 1 11 Alan Digbeu 5 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Alain Digbeu 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 Alain Digbeu 22 2 3 0 0 2 6 0 1 1 1 0 0 5 0 6 TOTALS 37 3 7 0 0 2 6 0 1 1 1 2 1 8 0 8 Brett Szabo 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 Brett Szabo 10 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 Brett Szabo 24 0 3 0 0 1 2 1 5 6 1 2 0 1 0 1 TOTALS 40 1 4 0 0 4 7 1 5 6 1 4 1 1 0 6 Antoine Hyman DNP - Coach's Decision Antoine Hyman 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 Antoine Hyman 16 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 3 0 0 2 6 TOTALS 20 3 5 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 5 1 0 3 6 Andre Wooldridge 13 0 0 0 0 3 4 1 1 2 1 4 0 4 0 3 Andre Woolridge DNP - Coach's Decision Andre Woolridge 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 TOTALS 20 0 2 0 0 3 4 1 1 2 2 4 0 5 0 3 Bryan Crabtree DNP - Coach's Decision Bryan Crabtree DNP - Coach's Decision Bryan Crabtree 13 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 TOTALS 13 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 Chris Collins DNP - Coach's Decision Chris Collins 20 0 5 0 2 1 1 0 2 2 2 2 0 1 0 1 Chris Collins 19 0 4 0 2 1 2 1 0 1 4 2 1 3 0 1 TOTALS 39 0 9 0 4 2 3 1 2 3 6 4 1 4 0 2 Billy Lewis DNP - Coach's Decision Billy Lewis DNP - Coach's Decision Billy Lewis DNP - Coach's Decision Brian Davis DNP - Coach's Decision Brian Davis DNP - Coach's Decision Brian Davis DNP - Coach's Decision Cleveland Cavaliers PLAYER MIN FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR A F S TO B PTS Zydrunas Ilgauska 27 6 1 0 0 1 3 4 6 10 0 3 0 4 3 13 Zydrunas Ilgauska 29 6 8 0 0 2 5 3 3 6 1 5 1 0 3 14 Zydrunas Ilgauska 33 7 14 0 0 4 6 4 6 10 1 5 0 0 3 18 TOTALS 89 19 23 0 0 7 14 11 15 26 2 13 1 4 9 45 Vitaly Potapenko 26 4 10 0 0 7 7 1 2 3 1 4 1 2 0 15 Vitaly Potapenko 34 3 10 0 0 2 4 5 4 9 0 6 1 2 0 8 Vitaly Potapenko 26 5 9 0 0 3 5 0 1 1 0 4 0 3 0 13 TOTALS 86 12 29 0 0 12 16 6 7 13 1 14 2 7 0 36 Carl Thomas 27 4 6 0 0 0 0 3 2 5 2 3 2 1 0 8 Carl Thomas 29 5 10 0 2 0 0 1 3 4 3 5 0 2 0 10 Carl Thomas 30 6 9 3 5 0 1 1 5 6 0 2 1 1 1 15 TOTALS 86 15 25 3 7 0 1 5 10 15 5 10 3 4 1 33 Shawnelle Scott 24 7 9 0 0 2 3 1 3 4 1 4 1 0 0 16 Shawnelle Scott 22 5 10 0 0 3 7 6 5 11 0 4 0 4 0 13 Shawnelle Scott 13 0 2 0 0 2 4 0 1 1 0 4 0 2 0 2 TOTALS 59 12 21 0 0 7 14 7 9 16 1 12 1 6 0 31 Cedric Henderson 20 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 5 2 2 1 6 Cedric Henderson 34 4 14 0 2 0 0 3 1 4 3 3 1 2 1 8 Cedric Henderson 33 4 12 1 1 2 4 0 3 3 0 3 2 3 0 11 TOTALS 87 11 34 1 3 2 4 3 6 9 5 11 5 7 2 25 Ron Riley 21 5 7 0 1 2 4 0 0 0 1 3 1 3 0 12 Ron Riley 16 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 1 2 0 4 Ron Riley 21 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 8 TOTALS 58 11 17 0 1 2 4 0 2 2 2 10 2 5 0 24 Reggie Geary 31 1 6 0 1 0 0 0 3 3 10 4 3 2 0 2 Reggie Geary 35 5 11 0 1 7 7 1 1 2 4 3 3 2 1 17 Reggie Geary 26 1 3 0 0 1 2 1 2 3 9 2 1 1 1 3 TOTALS 92 7 30 0 2 8 9 2 6 8 23 9 7 5 2 22 Dwayne Morton 26 2 6 0 0 2 2 2 3 5 2 2 1 1 0 6 Dwayne Morton 9 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 Dwayne Morton 24 2 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 0 4 0 1 0 4 TOTALS 59 4 10 0 0 3 4 3 7 10 2 7 1 2 0 11 Devin Davis 11 0 1 0 0 3 4 0 1 1 0 6 0 2 0 3 Devin Davis 6 0 3 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 Devin Davis 12 1 1 0 0 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 TOTALS 29 1 5 0 0 8 12 0 3 3 0 8 1 3 0 10 Brevin Knight DNP - Coach's Decision Brevin Knight DNP - Sprained Left Ankle Brevin Knight 22 1 2 0 0 4 4 0 2 2 5 5 2 2 0 6 TOTALS 22 1 2 0 0 4 4 0 2 2 5 5 2 2 0 6 Corey Crowder 17 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 5 0 2 Corey Crowder 13 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 Corey Crowder DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 30 1 2 0 0 1 3 0 1 1 1 5 2 6 0 3 Peter Aluma 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 Peter Alumna 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 Peter Alumna DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 13 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 5 0 0 0 2 Matt Tuck 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Matt Tuck 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 Mack Tuck DNP - Coach's Decision TOTALS 10 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 Derek Anderson DNP - Rehab Right Knee Derek Anderson DNP - Rehab Right Knee Derek Anderson DNP - Rehab Right Knee Boston Celtics PLAYER MIN FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR A F S TO B PTS Eric Willams 32 5 10 0 0 5 6 1 3 4 0 5 1 1 0 15 Eric Williams 29 7 10 0 0 6 8 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 20 Eric Williams 31 4 5 0 0 4 6 1 0 1 3 3 3 2 0 12 TOTALS 92 11 25 0 0 15 20 2 4 6 4 9 5 2 0 47 Eric Murdock 17 3 5 2 2 3 3 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 0 11 Eric Murdock 27 4 5 2 2 3 3 0 0 0 2 2 5 0 0 13 Eric Murdock 29 4 8 1 1 4 4 0 1 1 4 1 1 5 0 13 TOTALS 73 11 18 5 5 10 10 0 2 2 6 3 9 8 0 37 Ron Mercer 20 5 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 3 2 3 0 10 Ron Mercer 28 3 10 0 0 7 8 1 2 3 3 4 1 0 0 13 Ron Mercer 27 6 15 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 0 4 3 0 0 12 TOTALS 75 14 34 0 0 7 8 3 6 9 3 11 6 3 0 35 Travis Williams 18 2 3 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 9 Travis Williams 32 4 6 0 0 3 5 2 1 3 1 1 3 2 0 11 Travis Williams 28 6 7 0 0 2 2 2 4 6 2 4 2 1 0 14 TOTALS 78 12 16 0 0 10 12 4 5 9 3 6 5 4 0 33 Brent Scott 30 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 6 1 0 0 4 Brent Scott 21 3 5 0 0 6 8 1 6 7 0 6 0 2 0 12 Brent Scott 12 3 5 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 1 6 TOTALS 63 8 15 0 0 6 8 2 10 12 1 15 1 2 1 22 Greg Minor 27 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 Greg Minor 21 3 6 0 0 3 3 1 2 3 3 0 1 0 0 9 Greg Minor 24 4 9 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 10 TOTALS 72 7 17 0 0 5 5 2 4 6 3 2 3 1 0 19 Rumeal Robinson 16 2 3 0 1 2 4 0 1 1 2 2 2 6 0 6 Rumeal Robinson 21 3 5 0 1 6 11 0 3 3 2 4 2 1 0 12 Rumeal Robinson 19 4 9 1 2 2 3 0 3 3 2 3 1 2 0 1 TOTALS 56 9 17 1 4 10 18 0 7 7 6 9 5 9 0 19 Danya Abrams 16 0 4 0 0 4 4 1 1 2 0 5 0 0 0 4 Danya Abrams 7 1 2 0 0 5 6 2 2 4 0 4 0 1 0 7 Danya Abrams 23 1 3 0 0 6 8 0 1 1 1 3 1 3 0 8 TOTALS 46 2 9 0 0 15 18 3 4 7 1 12 1 4 0 19 Anthony Tucker 17 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 3 3 0 5 2 5 0 1 Anthony Tucker 16 2 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 4 0 2 0 4 Anthony Tucker 14 5 6 0 0 1 2 3 4 7 1 2 1 0 0 11 TOTALS 47 7 10 0 0 2 6 4 8 12 1 11 3 7 0 16 Dana Barros 30 5 11 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 2 2 0 14 Dana Barros DNP - Coach's Decision Dana Barros DNP - Sore Left Ankle TOTALS 30 5 11 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 0 1 2 2 0 14 Herman Alston 7 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 Herman Alston 16 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 Herman Alston 17 2 7 0 0 2 2 1 3 4 2 3 0 0 0 6 TOTALS 40 2 9 0 0 3 4 2 5 7 4 6 1 1 0 7 Lorenzo Coleman 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 Lorenzo Coleman 22 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 3 0 0 1 0 Lorenzo Coleman 16 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 5 0 2 1 4 TOTALS 48 2 5 0 0 0 0 2 6 8 0 10 0 2 3 4 Chauncey Billups DNP - Coach's Decision Chauncey Billups DNP - Coach's Decision Chauncey Billups DNP - Coach's Decision FILA SUMMER PRO LEAGUE DAY ONE Game # 2 - Vancouver 79 - Detroit 85 Detroit Pistons PLAYER S FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR F PTS A T B S MIN Randolph Childress 5 16 1 3 3 4 0 1 1 2 14 1 2 0 4 37:52 Torrey Mills 1 3 0 0 4 5 0 1 1 3 6 0 1 0 0 18:21 Litterial Green * 5 10 0 2 6 7 0 3 3 2 16 8 7 0 1 39:46 Charles O'Bannon * 5 11 0 3 2 3 5 3 8 2 12 0 4 1 0 38:40 Jerome Williams * 8 11 0 0 2 4 6 6 12 2 18 1 2 1 1 37:40 Theo Ratliff * 5 14 0 0 6 8 2 5 7 4 16 1 3 4 0 40:08 John Coker 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2:48 Ben Handlogten 1 3 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 12:29 William Cunningham 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 12:15 TOTALS 30 70 1 8 24 33 14 25 39 19 85 11 19 6 7 42.9% 12.5% 72.7% Vancouver Grizzlies PLAYER S FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR F PTS A T B S MIN Chucky Atkins * 7 13 0 2 0 0 1 1 2 3 14 5 2 0 0 32:51 Frankie King 4 5 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 2 10 3 5 0 3 16:56 James Scott * 1 8 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 0 2 18:50 Jerod Haase 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 5:29 Chris Robinson 5 10 1 2 2 2 0 2 2 3 13 3 0 0 2 33:18 David Booth * 4 10 0 2 0 0 3 2 5 4 8 3 1 0 2 16:52 Derrick Grimm 1 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 15:49 Shaun Igo 6 13 0 0 2 2 4 6 10 4 14 1 3 1 1 33:33 Alfred Grigsby * 2 5 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 5 5 0 0 1 0 18:38 Lee Wilson 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 5 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 7:39 Nate Huffman * 3 3 0 0 2 2 0 1 1 4 8 0 0 0 0 10:59 Unknown #21 0 6 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 28:31 Totals 34 83 2 9 9 10 14 24 38 35 79 18 15 3 11 41.0% 22.2% 90.0% Score by Period 1 2 3 4 Totals Detroit Pistons 22 17 24 22 85 Vancouver Grizzlies 20 17 25 17 79 Game # 3 - Dreamteam 96 - NBA Pros 135 Dreamteam PLAYER S FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR F PTS A T B S MIN Nikki McCray 1 9 0 1 4 4 0 1 1 3 6 1 3 0 1 20:10 Brooks Thompson * 3 12 2 8 2 2 0 1 1 3 10 2 2 0 1 28:28 Motohiro Obuchi * 2 5 0 0 3 4 2 2 4 3 7 1 1 0 3 25:55 Mitchell Butler * 6 18 0 1 4 7 4 4 8 3 16 0 2 0 1 32:54 Jerry Stackhouse * 5 16 0 2 6 6 5 6 11 5 16 2 4 2 0 22:36 Larry Spriggs 6 18 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 13 2 3 0 1 18:22 Shawn Jamison * 3 11 0 1 2 4 5 12 17 2 8 1 4 0 0 39:47 John Williams 4 8 0 0 2 2 0 4 4 4 10 1 2 1 1 17:53 Unknown # 40 1 6 0 0 0 1 1 8 9 2 2 1 1 0 0 23:00 Unknown # 33 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 3:38 Unknown # 34 1 1 0 0 2 2 2 3 5 0 4 1 0 0 0 7:32 TOTALS 34 110 3 16 25 32 19 43 62 26 96 12 22 3 8 30.9% 18.8% 78.1% NBA Pros PLAYER S FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR F PTS A T B S MIN Cedric Ceballos * 10 17 0 1 7 8 4 4 8 2 27 2 4 0 2 25:06 Duane Cooper 3 6 1 1 0 0 0 5 5 1 7 6 3 0 2 20:29 Khalid Reeves * 5 14 0 2 5 6 1 5 6 3 15 6 3 0 3 22:00 Berry Randle 4 13 0 0 2 2 1 1 2 0 10 4 0 1 1 20:53 Unknown # 05 4 12 1 1 1 2 4 4 8 1 10 0 0 0 0 21:28 Mark Carter * 7 11 0 0 1 1 1 5 6 6 15 0 0 1 0 23:31 Marlon Garnett * 3 6 0 1 4 7 1 3 4 0 10 1 0 0 3 22:08 Maurice Pullum 2 6 0 2 0 0 1 1 2 5 4 1 1 1 0 16:03 Cliff Rozier 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0 2 0 0 0 9:11 Amir May 5 9 0 0 1 1 2 5 7 5 11 1 2 1 0 20:02 Bo Outlaw * 4 4 0 0 2 2 1 6 7 2 10 1 0 5 0 24:03 Unknown # 55 6 10 0 0 4 6 2 2 4 3 16 0 0 0 3 15:21 TOTALS 53 111 2 8 27 35 18 44 62 31 135 24 13 9 14 47.7% 25.0% 77.1% Score by Period 1 2 3 4 Totals SPL Dreamteam 19 25 27 25 96 NBA Pros 29 31 43 32 135 Game # 4 - Team USA 94 - Lakers 111 Team USA PLAYER S FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR F PTS A T B S MIN Tyler Wheeler 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 6:04 Tyronn Lue 3 7 0 0 3 3 0 3 3 4 9 3 1 0 2 26:26 Chad Austin 4 7 0 0 4 6 1 0 1 1 12 2 1 0 0 31:03 Corey Brewer 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 2 0 1 10:12 Brian Cardinal * 3 7 0 0 3 6 2 3 5 4 9 0 2 0 1 22:54 Corey Carr 4 8 0 0 0 0 4 1 5 4 8 1 0 0 2 21:55 Mike Doleac 2 10 0 0 6 8 4 5 9 3 10 2 1 0 1 23:28 Evan Eschmeyer * 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 1 2 0 2 1 0 9:22 Pat Garrity 0 4 0 0 2 4 1 0 1 5 2 1 0 0 0 9:42 Sam Jacobson * 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 4 1 1 0 0 14:18 Mike Jones * 2 8 0 0 4 6 0 0 0 4 8 0 1 0 0 15:24 Brad Miller 5 6 0 0 5 7 6 3 9 1 15 1 1 0 0 14:03 Scott Padgett 2 6 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 4 5 2 2 0 0 21:26 Andrae Patterson 3 7 0 0 0 0 2 4 6 2 6 0 2 1 0 15:07 TOTALS 33 77 0 0 28 42 21 24 45 38 94 14 16 2 7 42.9% 0.0% 66.7% Los Angeles Lakers PLAYER S FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA OR DR TR F PTS A T B S MIN Shea Seals 2 6 1 1 8 10 3 2 5 1 13 1 3 0 0 13:49 Derek Fisher * 3 12 0 2 1 1 1 2 3 3 7 4 0 0 1 27:19 Alvin Sims 1 3 0 1 2 2 1 3 4 4 4 3 2 0 2 15:29 Kobe Bryant * 3 8 0 1 3 4 1 4 5 4 9 4 0 1 1 28:48 DeJuan Wheat 1 6 0 1 4 5 0 1 1 0 6 3 2 0 0 20:44 Jimmy King 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 6:55 Juaquin Hawkins 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 7:21 Ace Custis 3 6 0 0 3 4 2 5 7 3 9 0 2 0 1 17:45 Jason Sasser * 3 8 0 0 3 4 2 1 3 0 9 1 0 0 0 22:36 Jo Jo Garcia 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2:35 James Forrest * 7 9 0 0 6 8 2 6 8 3 20 1 0 1 1 25:23 Seth Sundberg 1 4 0 0 2 2 1 1 2 4 4 0 1 2 0 10:14 Paul Rogers * 6 6 0 0 5 7 2 3 5 3 17 1 0 2 0 24:55 Keith Closs 4 8 0 0 0 0 3 2 5 3 8 2 1 3 0 16:22 Totals 36 80 1 6 38 49 19 31 50 32 111 20 11 9 6 45.0% 16.7% 77.6% Score by Period 1 2 3 4 Totals Team USA 21 26 19 28 94 Los Angeles Lakers 34 27 27 23 111

nba.100 nba.news, 20 Jul 97

Da ne povjerujete, juče se u NBA ligi nije ništa dešavalo! :) Ako se ne varam, ovo je prvi put od novembra prošle godine da u toku čitavog jednog dana nije stigao nijedan novi izvještaj.

nba.101 stefan, 21 Jul 97 -> #100, nba.news

> Da ne povjerujete, juče se u NBA ligi nije ništa dešavalo! :) Ako se > ne varam, ovo je prvi put od novembra prošle godine da u toku čitavog > jednog dana nije stigao nijedan novi izvještaj. Konačno...:)