Get ready for Round Two of Michael Jordan vs. Julius Erving.
The Bulls try for a split of their two-game Eastern trip Friday night when they face Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The last time the old and new superstars of pro basketball met, Erving scored 21 points to Jordan`s 14 in a 114-102 Philadelphia victory Dec. 15 at the Stadium. Bulls` coach Kevin Loughery expects Jordan to excel in the rematch.
”That`s one of the greatest things about him,” said Loughery.
”Whenever he has a bad game against a team, he`ll make sure to come back twice as hard the next time. It`s his competitive nature.”
Atlanta found that out. After holding Jordan to 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting Dec. 29 in a 104-101 Hawks` victory, Jordan responded with 45 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds in the Bulls` 117-104 triumph last Saturday.
The 76ers are coming off a rousing 122-104 victory over arch-rival Boston Wednesday night. Moses Malone had 38 points and a season-high 24 rebounds while the Philadelphia defense limited Larry Bird to 16 points. The 76ers hit 31 of 32 free throws, including their first 27.
— Dailey report: Bulls` general manager Rod Thorn indicated there are no current plans to trade Quintin Dailey, but he left some question about the future of the controversial guard.
”We`re not actively looking for a trade . . . as of right now,” said Thorn, adding that Dailey would only be traded for a player of equal value.
”Certain teams are interested because he is such a good scorer. But any continuation of his unpredictable behavior will hurt him around the league.” Thorn attributed Dailey`s recent criticism of the Bulls` coaches and management to ”getting frustrated” with his own game. ”He was frustrated because his playing time was getting cut down. He`s got his weight down (from 202 to 192) and has started to shoot the ball well in the last two games.”
— Timely draft: The Bulls` biggest needs in the draft are at center and power forward. Thorn reports those are the two deepest positions among available college talent. Georgetown`s Pat Ewing will be gone when the Bulls select, so Thorn is concentrating on centers like SMU`s Jon Koncak (7 feet), Arkansas` Joe Kleine (6-11), Indiana`s Uwe Blab (7-2), Santa Clara`s Nick Vanos (7-2) and the possibility of Creighton junior Benoit Benjamin`s (7-1)
coming out early. There is also Ohio State junior Brad Sellers (7-1). A power forward possibility is Xavier McDaniel (6-7) of Wichita State, the nation`s No. 2 rebounder.
— Home and away: After the Kansas City Kings lost in the Stadium Tuesday, ex-Bull Reggie Theus forgot himself and began walking off the court toward the Chicago locker room. ”Yeah, it was funny,” Theus said. ”I just shook one of the Bulls` hands and went back the other way.”
