Bulls guard Steve Kerr, leading the league in three-point shooting, is participating in his first three-point shooting contest Saturday. But he says he doesn’t lack experience.
“I never have been much interested in the All-Star Game,” said Kerr, “but I always watched the three-point contest on TV and watched guys I know like Mark Price and Craig Ehlo, Craig Hodges-who was a teammate of mine in Phoenix-and B.J. (Armstrong), and I always thought I could get out there and compete with them.
“Now, I’m not predicting victory. This is no Jimmy Johnson thing, but I may have one edge. I can use the money ($20,000 for the winner) a lot more than those other guys.”
Phenom in making: Toni Kukoc joins fellow Croatian Dino Radja of Boston on Doug Collins’ “Phenoms” squad in the inaugural rookie game Saturday.
“It’s a good start to my NBA career,” Kukoc said of being invited. “My career goal is to become an All-Star, and if I did that, that would be great. The game will be fun. It’s not like a championship or something. This is a good opportunity, and no doubt I’m happy I came to the NBA. It was the best choice, but next year I’m going to be much better.”
Oh, Canada: NBA Commissioner David Stern indicated Vancouver will join Toronto as new expansion franchises for the 1995-96 season and that Toronto would be the site of the 1995 collegiate draft-assuming there is one-after Indianapolis this year.
Stern also announced Golden State and Charlotte will play exhibition games in Europe next October, and Houston, Seattle, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio will have a four-team exhibition tournament next fall in Mexico City, where the NBA wants to add a team by the end of the decade.
Stern danced around embarrassing questions concerning the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose owners, as the All-Star festivities are all around, are threatening to move because of a big debt on the new arena they want the city to pay for. Stern admitted New Orleans, San Diego, Nashville, St. Louis and Tampa are trying to get the team, but the league would try to get the Wolves to stay.
Stern also said the league has no objections to the Washington Bullets’ plans to change the team’s name.
Snow business: The NBA was hiring a charter Friday for Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, Chris Webber, Latrell Sprewell and Dana Barros, who couldn’t get here because of bad weather in the East.
