When the Bulls arrive in Cleveland on Tuesday, they’d better check their programs because none of the Cavaliers’ starters was with the team last season.
The one who’ll be watched the most, of course, will be Shawn Kemp, who came over in the big three-way deal with Seattle and Milwaukee and got himself the approximately $100 million contract he couldn’t get from the SuperSonics.
“What (the contract) does is give you the comfort level when you are out there on the court to know you are one of the best,” said Kemp, who’s averaging 25 points and 9.5 rebounds and is a co-captain with Danny Ferry.
“That means a lot to me. I want to continue to show what I’m worth. I think my best asset is making guys better. Once I’m on the court, I’m able to make guys better and make them see the game the way I see it. I’ve always tried to be a leader. The one thing you don’t want to do is say you want to be a leader with your mouth. You want to be a leader by setting an example. I came (to Cleveland) as a man-child. What this proves is I am a man.”
But while the attention will be on Kemp, the big surprise may be center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the 7-foot-3-inch Lithuanian from the same hometown as Portland’s Arvydas Sabonis. Ilgauskas opened the season with a 16-point, 16-rebound performance against Hakeem Olajuwon, added 13 points and nine rebouds against Tim Duncan and David Robinson and is averaging 8.8 points and 6.8 rebounds. He’s teamed with Vitaly Potapenko, so the Cavaliers may be set at center for the next decade.
“He’s fundamentally solid,” said former Cavs center Brad Daugherty of Ilgauskas, who missed all of last season with a broken foot. “He has a chance to be a super asset to the team.”
Talk is cheap: They all said the right things.
Charles Barkley acknowledged Olajuwon was “the man” on the Houston Rockets.
“I think everyone knows Dream is the man on this team,” Barkley said. “But it’s a big deal for me if we stick together and not (air) our personal business publicly.”
Olajuwon admitted he shouldn’t have allowed his emotions to spill into public after Friday night’s loss to Portland when he complained about not getting enough shots down the stretch. He was supported by Clyde Drexler.
“You can say, `Is there a better way to do it privately?’ ” Olajuwon said. “Yes. But there is no regret (about what I said).”
Friday’s postgame explosion, during which Barkley accused Olajuwon of being “selfish” and “a big baby,” may have revealed fissures that could split apart the Rockets inasmuch as Barkley and Drexler will be free agents after this season.
It came after Barkley had left the team for almost a week on the eve of the season, going into a pout and threatening to retire, and Olajuwon condemning Barkley’s behavior in a bar altercation that led to his arrest.
“The premise of Charles being Charles is not right,” said Olajuwon, who refused to defend Barkley’s behavior no matter the motivation. “It’s about mutual respect for the individual. I don’t like that premise of Charles being Charles and letting him get away with everything. A bodyguard, extra protection is good. But that’s not going to stop the problem. The problem is making a wise decision at the right time.”
Though Barkley denies it, there’s some feeling that he may doubt the commitment of Olajuwon and Drexler because they already have earned championship rings. And conversely, the two Rocket stars are said to wonder whether a team can win a championship with the unpredictable, often disruptive Barkley. No team has yet, and the Rockets, one of the few teams this season with no major changes or injuries, have gotten off poorly. They’re leading the league in turnovers, their opponents are shooting better than they are and they rank in the bottom half in rebounding and point differential.
Perhaps issues with Barkley only increase, as occurred in Phoenix after his first honeymoon season.
“It may even bring us closer,” coach Rudy Tomjanovich said hopefully about the latest dispute.
That remains to be seen.
Slow start: The Pistons are stumbling badly and are the lowest-scoring team in the league. Moreover, with Brian Williams instead of Otis Thorpe, the Pistons are last in the league in rebounding, 28th in assists and 27th in blocks. And, worse, star Grant Hill already is complaining privately about being tired from overuse. . . . 76ers coach Larry Brown on systems: “This stuff you can’t win with a passing game is not true. Players win. If you have great players, you can win doing anything. I don’t want to rain on anybody’s parade, but I’ve looked at the triple post over and over again, and it didn’t look nearly as good when Michael Jordan didn’t play.” . . . Larry Bird on his future in coaching: “I can’t see myself doing this forever. I will take it one year at a time.” Reminded that he signed a three-year deal with the Pacers, Bird corrected himself: “OK, three years at a time.”
Growing up: The Wizards haven’t been winning much so far. But Chris Webber, tortured by Karl Malone when Webber was with Golden State, had 26 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks and twice fouled Malone hard from behind in a Wizards’ victory last week.
Said Webber: “I’m really not in love with him, if you want to know the truth. Sometimes he likes to frustrate you, get young guys out of their games. I’m not going to let him get to me (anymore).”
Webber also has been candid this season about his expectations for the Wizards (nee Bullets).
“Let’s not hide it. We should be out front we want to win 50 games,” he said. “I want to be a winner. This is the first time I’ve been healthy. I want to get over the hump in my life and win.”
But as the Wizards come into Chicago on Wednesday, they’re a sub-.500 team again, and perhaps a name change to “Underachievers” would have been more appropriate.
Over the hill? It may not be that Dennis Rodman has lost interest or his mind. It may just be that Rodman has lost his ability. Despite grabbing 12 rebounds in Saturday’s victory over New Jersey, Rodman has reached double figures in rebounding in only three of the Bulls’ six games this season. That comes after Rodman was in double figures in just two of the six games in last season’s Finals. In his last 25 games, Rodman has reached double figures in rebounding 10 times. . . . Toronto General Manager Isiah Thomas remains an iconoclast. Thomas eliminated the pregame layup drill, one of basketball’s oldest traditions, for his Raptors. Said guard Doug Christie: “We’re a running team, and we use pressure defense more than most in the NBA. We need a drill that gets us ready right at the beginning instead of a few minutes into the game.”
Perhaps a 100-yard dash?
