Go on, admit it. You have been wrong all along about the communist menace. Now that you have seen it up close, it doesn`t appear so frightening. Dan Quayle hasn`t been so bad, has he? And Pia Zadora. She really does have some talent, right?
Well, you have recoiled in fear hearing his name these last few years. And you wondered all the time if he would do something silly. But you look around and you have to admit it: Bill Cartwright has talent, and the Bulls sorely need him.
”He`s probably the link that binds us together in the middle,” says Bulls coach Phil Jackson. ”He gives us defense and rebounding and is good offensively.”
And as the Bulls prepare to meet the Los Angeles Clippers in the Stadium Friday in hopes of breaking a two-game losing streak, they`re realizing the importance of the not-often-graceful Cartwright to their goals and dreams.
Cartwright is playing well, and perhaps moving better than he has in years.
”I don`t think I`ve ever seen him move this well since he`s been with the Bulls,” said Jackson. ”I don`t think he`s ever been this pain-free, not having to ice (his knees) constantly.”
And it has showed on the court, where Cartwright has been the Bulls`
leading rebounder this season at 7.2 per game (his most since he was traded to the Bulls before the 1988-89 season), despite playing less than 28 minutes per game. He`s averaging just 9.8 points per game but has been averaging just above eight shots per game and shooting 51 percent from the field.
His importance has been dramatically demonstrated both in how he has played defense and how little his backups have done.
Backup center Will Perdue`s minutes have been shrinking steadily, down to an average of six in the last three games. He has scored a total of 10 points in the last six games.
Jackson had been using Stacey King in a small-center rotation behind Cartwright at times, but he, too, according to Jackson, hasn`t been producing and has played 20 minutes or more in just two of the last 11 games and twice has been held scoreless in that period.
The true measure of Cartwright is not how much he scores-although he should get more shots-but how well he plays defense, preventing other centers from overrunning the Bulls.
In the first 20 games of the season, opposing starting centers have averaged a combined 10.1 points per game against the Bulls. And in 16 of those 20 games, the starting center for the opponent has scored below his average against the Bulls.
Patrick Ewing had a quiet 23 last week, Kevin Duckworth had 12 in Portland`s victory here Saturday, Phoenix`s Mark West scored five and three, Brad Daugherty had 16 after coming off three 30-plus games in his last four, Robert Parish scored eight, J.R. Reid was held to eight, Mike Gminski to four and Benoit Benjamin to 10.
”I thought I`d be using him 26 or 28 minutes, but I`ve felt more comfortable using him 30 or 32 lately,” said Jackson. ”We need him out there to play defense and to hold our team together in the middle and he knows how to do that.”
But whether he could was a concern for the Bulls. Cartwright crashed toward the end of last season`s playoffs, a victim of painful knee problems that he kept quiet.
”With him, it was always, `I`m OK, I can play,` ” said Jackson. ”He believes in being on the court.”
But Cartwright was in severe pain and in the offseason had knee surgery. At 33, he has made a remarkable recovery.
”My legs and knees are good,” says Cartwright, in his 12th season, making him the 17th most senior player in the league. ”I`ve been able to be more active than last year, springier as far as getting up and down and reacting to the ball better. It`s good to know I can do some things, make a move and get there. Before, I thought I could, but I couldn`t. Now I`m sure I can get there.”
One big reason, he says, is his weight training program with Bulls strength coach Al Vermeil.
”I`ve been able to maintain better this season,” says Cartwright. ”I`m lifting with Al, which is progressive throughout the season, which I couldn`t do last season.
”I could not strenghten my legs and they progressively got worse. I feel now that if I can continue to lift during the season and stay where I am physically and maybe even get a little strength, I`ll have the advantage over people at the end of the year, which is what I didn`t last season.”
And, perhaps, also have the last word on some of those doubters.
