It has not been easy for Bulls` first-round draft choice Will Perdue to earn respect this season, being thrown around like a rag doll in practice by Bill Cartwright and sitting on the bench during games like an expensive toy.
”Will Vanderbilt,” is what some of his teammates called him, referring not only to his university, but to the fact he didn`t yet deserve to have a name like a rugged Big 10 university.
But Monday afternoon at the Stadium, as the Bulls won their third straight, 102-98 over the Portland Trail Blazers, the 7-foot, 240-pound Perdue could have made a boilermaker proud with his effort during his longest stint of the year.
For with Portland having cut a 13-point Bulls` lead to 6 early in the fourth quarter, Craig Hodges, who played a season-low three minutes Sunday, hit a three-pointer. Then Perdue slammed on the run after a pass from Hodges, scored inside on a feed from Brad Sellers and grabbed three defensive rebounds to help the Bulls (30-20) back to a 14-point lead. That was enough to hold off a late Portland rally.
”Will played well,” said Bill Cartwright, who missed the game with a sore calf but who hopes to play at Charlotte Wednesday. ”He boarded well and looked good out there.”
Those words probably were a relief to Perdue, who began to wonder if he`d ever get a good look after sitting out 19 of the last 26 games before Cartwright was injured Thursday.
”At times it`s been disappointing, but I didn`t play much my first two years at college, either,” said Perdue, who averaged 7.5 minutes a game as a freshman and sophomore and sat out a year in between as a redshirt.
”But I feel my future`s here. Some guys, like (Miami`s) Rony Seikaly have gotten to learn by playing. I`m learning by watching.”
Perdue was picked 11th in the first round, but had played the fewest minutes of any top choice-and fewer than a dozen second-rounders-befo re Sunday.
”I know when Bill`s ready to play, he`ll go back in there,” Perdue said. ”And Dave (Corzine) is playing well off the bench. But this is kind of a stepping stone, something for me to build on.
”I`ve felt the times I was in there I did pretty well. I just really haven`t had a chance. The last two games, but I`ve gotten some quality minutes.”
For basketball players, ”quality minutes” means when the game remains undecided. Sunday in Milwaukee Perdue picked up 4 rebounds in 6 minutes. Monday he established career highs with 9 points and 15 minutes, including 4 points and 3 rebounds in the fourth quarter.
That doesn`t look like much compared with Michael Jordan, who despite the flu led both teams with 33 points, including 12 points and 3 rebounds in the fourth quarter. But Perdue previously wasn`t even being compared with Barbara Jordan.
While Perdue seems to be finding his way, the Trail Blazers may be becoming a lost cause.
The Trail Blazers (25-24) fired their coach Saturday, were without their best player, Clyde Drexler (broken nose), and were also missing Kiki Vandeweghe, who didn`t even make the trip because the team is about to trade him.
As a result, former Bulls` second-round draft choice Adrian Branch started. He shot 3 for 15 from the field, which combined with Jerome Kersey`s 5 for 21 gave those two starters a nice 22 percent shooting afternoon.
”There are things missing with this club,” acknowledged Harvey`s Kevin Duckworth, ”but we`ll come around.”
They tried early in the third quarter, pulling within three behind Sam Bowie, who led Portland with 19 off the bench. But Horace Grant scored on a tip-in and layup on a pass from Sam Vincent, and Vincent hit a jumper to get the Bulls ahead by eight. Portland got within four only in the last 20 seconds.
”Things are starting to go our way as a team,” said Perdue, who also appears to be heading in the right direction.
