Page 8 Portland Observar M ay 8. 1980
Pacific
Power
How quickly they forget to
By his own admission (D J’s), he is
remember in last year's p la y o ff
not a shooter. In the middle o f last
series that Dennis Johnson, Sonic
season’s title run, he said, “ I just try
guard, was given all this praise as
to play good " D ” and rebound,
the deliverer, the man that made the
because I know the scoring on this
big plays, enabling Seattle to over
team will take care o f itself.” For
come the rough house Washington
doing this Johnson was rewarded
Bullcis. Well, just one year later and
with a big $400,000 a year contract.
after losing 4-1 to the Los Angeles
Observers now believe this was
Lakers all this has changed.
the beginning o f the end for D.J.
Remember last year Lenny
and the Sonics. Trying to justify the
Wilkens was being hailed as the
big raise D .J.’ s shooting fell from a
NBA coach o f the year, though he
tepid 43 percent to a lowely 40 per
d id n ’ t win it, most follow ers o f
cent. It should be noted that at the
NBA basketball considered Lenny
same time Johnson’s shooting per
as the rightful Coach o f the Year.
centage was fa llin g , his scoring
Well, after after only one year, and
average was rising. This causes
a 4-1 series loss to the Lakers this,
problems. ,
too, has changed. Art Shiel, Seattle
D.J. has always been the master
Post Intelligencer, reports the
o f inside scoring, but many believe
fo llo w in g : "S o what do vou do
that his raise in salary led the young
about Dennis Johnson?” That’s the
man to believe he had to do it all,
big question that pecks at Sonic
score outside as well.
coaches Lenny W ilkens and I.es
It is not the simple matter o f a few
Habegger as they begin a summer
bad shots, Shiel writes, because
longer than expected.
On the surface, some may ask, every player in the league joins D.J.
"W hy do anything?’ Is he not the in that in e v ita b ility . Johnson’ s
greenery is sym ptom atic o f the
most talented guard in the NBA?
No, not it Hoffer’s defination of Sonic’ s most significant problem:
true talent is proper. I f talent is the erasion ot Sonic discipline as
more than the a b ility to solo espoused by Wilkens.
Wilkens, remember him o f last
through three delenders for a layin,
year?
Well, forget that and listen to
or score a three-point field goal.
some
o
f the knocks he’s now taking
This season D.J. reportedly turned a
good deal o f his talent to the latter alter losing.
Last year there was dynasty talk,
items. Success was limited.
now there’s rumors
on
------------^ U U i l o
V f I O quarrels
C J II
the floor, etc. Wilkens is now called
prominent player (D .J.) reverts to
a weak leader, he lacks a strong
selfishness, the impact is greatei
leader’s hand. More than one Sonic than a simple bad shot. Almost im-
player confided this past season that
perceptably it snowballs. The open
the Seattle team was one o f the
forward or center who doesn’t get
loosest in the NBA, both on and o ff
the ball is distracted for a moment
the court. The lattitude given the
and gets caught in transition. It
players was enormous. The practice
happens a second and third time and
sessions were described by some as
fru s tra tio n grows. There is no
inettective to r the teaching o f
fo u rth tim e, because he doesn’ t
rookies and the im p ro vin g o f
want to make the effort to get open
second-line players.
because he doesn’t feel he w ill see
Remember last year when the
the ball. The guard has no choice
Sonics were supposed to have the
but to pump the 20 footer. Three
league’ s strongest bench. Well, what
losses later, Shiel reports, Wilkens
a difference a year makes. Here’s
sat on his three guards to get the ball
how John Engstrom, another Seat
inside, which they did almost too
tle writer sees it. "N early every good
well. Also inside was Kareen Abdul-
club in the NBA has at least one
Jabbar. End o f some season.
reserve about whom it is said, "he
Those o f you who were glued to
w ould start on most other ball
the T.V. show in Los Angeles bet
c lu b s ." Engstrom doesn’ t th in k
ween the Eastern Conference
Seattle has that boosting power.
Cham pions, P hiladelphia vs the
And if what help would have been
Wes ern Conference Champions,
the presence o f Calvin Natt, a player
Lakers, missed one whole o f a super
widely admired around the league
Jr. featherweight title fight between
who could have been Seattle’s in the
Leo Randolph, ex Olym pic Gold
dratt? Which also caused the Sonic
M edalist and cham pion Ricardo
chief scout to resign when Seattle
Cordona. Randolph won in a 15th
opted fo r Vinnie Johnson, when
round TKO to become the th ird
Natt was their premier choice from
1976 Gold Medalist to win a pro
the beginning.
title. Sugar Ray Leonard and Leon
Now back to D .J. and more
Spinks
preceded
Randolph.
knocks. Remember on D.J. these
A nother O lym pian fig h tin g his
knocks came only after he walked
second pro fight was Davey A rm
through the door o f Fort Knox.
strong. Davey was an easy winner
One w rite r -------✓
says, "W ” h * « e w « n j V one
Z 1 IV
~ over
’ ~* —
Edmnndo Arrellano.
Mychal Thompson: Ready to play ball
u r k t f r Jr,
!r
By ¿///I'.vvpv
UHysses T Tucker,
For Mychal Thompson, the 6’9
forw ard-center o f the P ortland
I railblazers, i t ’ s been a very d if
ficult time for him to watch his team
lose, struggle, and scrape to make
the N.B. A. play-offs.
This past summer he drove for a
layup while working out with the
Bahamian N ational Basketball
I cam. He broke his left leg and has
been out o f action since then.
Thompson was expected to be back
by the play-offs, but the specialist in
Switzerland told him that he’ d be
wise to sit out the entire year.
E arlier in the season, several
publications around the nation
reported that Thompson may have
possibly broke his leg playing foot
ball on the beach with friends. He
denied the reports. The Blazer
management supported his claims.
In any event, the only action the
m ulti-talented athlete has had is
with the swimming team, the weight
room, and with the many exercises
he performs to get back in shape.
Mychal has developed a strong up
per body in the process.
Although Mychal misses playing
basketball, he has learned a great
deal about himself, life, and the
sport he loves so much. “ By me not
playing basketball this year, I ’ ve
had time to think about things that I
would have norm ally neglected,”
said Thompson.
••I’ “ m I ’ m realizing that there
_________________
are more
things in life than basketball. Being
away from the game has helped me
to think about what I want to do
with myself after basketball. I ’ m
starting to look into some business
ventures, and making some invest
ments that w ill pay o ff in the
future.”
In 1978 Thom pson, from the
University o f Minnesota, was the
number one d ra ft choice in the
United States. Like the majority of
athletes in the National Basketball
A ssociation, Thompson played
basketball four seasons, but did not
complete his degree requirements in
four years.
“ One day, I ’d like to go back and
fin is h ," he said seriously. " I
majored in business last time, but
this time I would probably get into
something along the lines o f what
you do (rad io-tele vision com
m unications).” Thompson is one
year away from a college degree.
Last season, Thompson averaged
14.7 points a game, hauled in 604
rebounds fo r a 8.3 average, was
second in offensive rebounds with
198, shot a strong .490 from the
field and led the club in blocked
shots with 134. These figures and his
overall play earned him honors on
the N.B.A. All-Rookie team.
The Blazers should have an ex
cellent fro n tlin e next year w ith
Thompson’ s return, the addition o f
Calvin N att, and Kerm it "C h a ir-
"
Citizen
o f the Week
Nearly every night of the week finds Edna Robertson at com
munity meetings facilitating citizen participation in the decision
making process.
A native of Birmingham, Ms. Robertson came to Oregon in
1957. She joined the Model Cities Agency staff in 1970 as a
citizen planning coordinator and soon became Coordinator of
Citizen Participation. Her role was to organize and coordinate
citizen groups, com m unity meetings, and forum s, neigh
borhood associations, advisory committees, public relations and
information and referral. The Model Cities Citizen Participation
and its neighborhood organization became the model for the
City s Office of Neighborhood Organizations and the Neigh
borhood Associations.
When Model Cities was terminated Ms. Robertson was tran
sitioned to the City of Portland as Coordinator of the Northeast
District. She works for nine neighborhood associations.
Aside from her employment, which allows her the public con
tact she enjoys, Ms. Robertson is and has been involved in a
number of community organizations including the Community
Coalition for School Integration, the Black United Front, the
NAACP. She served on the boards of PMSC, the Albina Action
Center, the Multnomah County Northeast Quadrant, the Albina
Health Center, the Multnomah School Advisory Committee,
and he North YMCA board. She organized the Black Concerned
Parents. She is a board member of the National Health Con
sumers Conference and a member of the National Citizens Par
ticipation Conference.
She has three children: Synetta Morris, a bank employee;
Terry Lynn Robertson, a Wilson senior who will attend OSU
next year; Felicia Robertson, a fifth grader at Maplewood.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Pacific
Power
MYCHAL THOMPSON
man of the Boards” Washington.
"C an you believe that I ’ ve never
played with either Calvin or Ker
m it?” Mychal asked. " I ’m really
looking forward to teaming up with
them next, as well as the rest o f the
team. We should be very strong on
the boards. When you control the
boards, you control the game. I love
to rebound. I like that over scoring
points.”
Thom pson’ s advice to the
younger athlete, even though he did
not graduate, is to have an
education to back you up just in
case you fa il to make the
professional ranks. Don’ t wait until
you get hurt like me to put your life
in perspective. Do it sooner.”
„ N O W TRY
WEIGHT WATCHERS
more wcceuful then th<
Wo, <h<rt
- e ve he'ced more people lose more pounds Ihon
IM PORTANT NOTICE:
Northeast Portland
Maranatha Church
1222 N.E. Skidmore
Sat. 9:30a.m.
North Portland
Carpenters Hall
2225 N. Lombard St.
Mond. 7:00 p.m.
Thurs. 9:30a m.
Emanuel Hospital
2801 N. Gantenbein
Emanuel East, Rm. 2001
(Nursing Home)
Thurs. 7:00p.m.
cj no BfcFORE M AY l9,h and Your weekly dues will be
$4 (jo for as long as you maintain membership.* Weekly
rate tor new members and rejoining members w ill
become $4.50 beginning May 19th. Registration fee
remains unchanged at $6.00.
For information call COLLECT Portland (503) 297-1021,
Weekdays - 8:30 - 5:30
* Offer good only in Franchise * 083.
SHOP
• Interested in a pert-time job?
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Unique pan-time jobs with the Internal Revenue Service providir
ax
assistance to the public by phone. Work week varies from 0 to 40
irs
depending on workload, primarily December through A pril each
ar.
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receive first consideration. A total o f two years public contact experience
and/or college required plus passing a written test. Obtain application
forms and test schedule for C ONTACT REPRESENTATIVE TEST
from the Federal Job In fo rm a tio n Center. 1220 S.W. Third Ave
Portland. OR 97204. Phone 221-3141.
IR S la an Equal Opportunity Employar
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