i
Opener displays Portland talents
Sports Talk
by Ron Sykes. Sports Editor
by Ron Sykes. Sports Editor
NBA Pacific Division Preview
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Seattle Supersonics
3. Phoenix Suns
4. Oolden State Warriors
3. Portland Trailblazers
6. San Diego Clippers
1. Los Angeles Lakers— W hy did
the Lakers fa il to repeat as N B A
champions? A knee injury to Magic
Johnson, lack o f a rebounding pow
er fo rw ard , and internal bickering
w ith in the o rg a n iza tio n ; they be
came the 12th consecutive N B A
cham pion to b ite the dust. M itc h
Kupchak, obtained from Washing
ton in the free agent d ra ft, should
become the rebounding strong fo r
ward th a t's needed. T h at is i f his
chronic back problems are alleviat
ed. Jamaal Wikes (22.6) and Abdul-
Jabbar (26.2 ppg) are solid. M ark
Lansberger and Michael Cooper are
proben back-up players. The back
court is strong w ith Johnson and
Norm Nixon. That is if Nixon's in
flated ego will allow him to play sec
ond fid d le to the incom parab le
Johnson. The Lakers have the
bench, the too ls, and, o f course,
A d d u l-J a b b a r. M ic h ig a n 's M ik e
M cG ee should add scoring to the
Laker back court,
2. S eattle Supersonics— The
Supersonics sook a ride on the NBA
ro lle r coaster that went dow n,
down, down. They dropped from 54
wins last year to a dism al 34 in
80/81 season. You don’ t have to be
an Einstein to figure that th a t’s a
tw enty w in decline. Just as they
wen, dow n, so w ill they rebound.
The difference will be Gus Williams,
who sat out last year in a contract
hassle, and power forw ard Lonnie
Sh elton , a broken w rist. G e ttin g
Shelton back will give front line that
added punch.
James Bailey, 6-9, performed ad
m irab ly in L o n n ie's stead, but he
lacked the consistency so badly
needed last year. Another year can
only help the massive James D o n
aldson. The 7-2 center from Wash
ington State was q uite impressive
last year in his N B A debut.
The Sonics drafted Utah's Danny
Uranes and he’ s heir app aren t to
small forward John Johnson's job.
W ith Bill H anzlik, Donaldson, W in
nie Johnson, W ally Wacker and A r-
mond H ill, W ilk in ’ s bench should
be among the N B A ’s best.
R o okie M a rk R a d fo rd should
have an outside chance o f making
the team. Radford is a smooth ball
handler and good shooter.
3. P h o e n ix Suns— T he Suns
switched a ll-s ta r fo rw a rd W a lte r
Davis to gurad and inerted 6-10 Jeff
Cook at forward to get a bigger line
up. The ju ry is still out on whether
it’s working or not. An extra year at
guard should help Davis. The new
bigger lineup provided help in one
area, rebounding, that was badly
needed. The Suns appear strong in
every area except at Center. W ith a
legitimate pivot man they could win
it all. A lv in Adams at 6-9 is a fine
outside shooter that would operate
better from the power forward slot.
Dennis Johnson is one o f the N B A ’s
premier guards— he will bolster the
weak defense. But neither Dennis
nor W alter is a legitimate playmaker
and that hurts. The Suns didn’t sign
a top rookie, so all the help will have
to come from their veterans. Back
up help will again come from Joel
K ra m e r, Rich K elley and A lv in
Scot,.
4. Golden State— This club could
really be the spoiler. They have the
horses to finish as high as second.
One o f the best stories in the N B A a
year ago was the resurgence o f Ber
nard King. King and rookie surprise
Larry Smith (third in the N B A in re
bounds 12.1) fo rm a great fro n t
line.
C ap tain L lo yd Free is awesome
and if Coach A llies can find a way
to keep Joe Barry Carrol out o f foul
trouble the W arriors will challenge
L .A . fo r the lead. T h e y ’ re that
good.
5. Portland Trailblazers— The od
d ity o f this year’ s N B A d ra ft was
P o rtla n d ’ s selection o f a p a ir o f
guards, J e ff Lam p o f V irginia and
D arnell Valentine o f Kansas. This
improved an area that was already
considered the best on the team. Jim
Paxson (17.1 pga), K elvin Ransey
and Billy Ray Bates make up a for-
m id d a b le back c o u rt. Bates and
Ransey are awesome.
T he real key is tw o -fo ld : I f the
rugged Kermit Washington and the
equally tough C a lv in N a tt can re
m ain healthy. L am p , d ra fte d as a
small fo rw ard , w ill not help in the
front court. A t 6-6 and 193 pounds
he is far too fragile and shows abso
lute disdain for mixing it up inside.
A t this point it’s hard to imagine
how C oach Jack Ramsay could
think o f Lam p as a replacement for
N att. I f M ychal Thompson decides
to play center, and if he really wants
to play, then the Blazer outlook will
be much brighter.
I f K u n n e rt’ s knee holds up, i f
Bobby Gross responds to surgery, if
Bates receives m ore playing tim e,
Portland could be good. But there
are too m any " i f s " to predict a
bona-fide title slot.
6. San D iego C lip p e rs — W ith
nothing to report. This is the N B A ’s
sorriest franchise. They shall inherit
the cellar.
For Robert Parrish, the talented
center for the 1981 W o rld C h a m
pion Boston C eltics, the trade last
year from Golden State was a wel
come change o f pace and it brought
out abilities in him that had become
stagnant.
" I t had nothing to do with the or
g a n iz a tio n ,’ * said the seven-foot
Parrish. " W e had a couple o f play
ers who were going through changes
in their personal life and it affected
the attitude o f the entire team. I lost
a little motivation in the process, so
did a few others but I hung in there
and played."
U ltim ately Parrish was traded to
the Celtics by Golden State for two
1980 first round draft choices which
turned out to be Joe Barry C arroll
and L arry " M r . M e a n " Sm ith o f
A lc o rn A & M . W hen questioned
about playing for the greatest bas
k etb all in h is to ry , P arrish only
smiled and made the following com
ment.
" It's
b e a u tifu l,"
he said.
" T h e re ’ s lots o f trad itio n and this
team and the tow n have plenty o f
pride. W in n in g the cham pionship
last year was a great feeling also be
cause it was my first year in Boston
and I had my best year as a player.
Red A u erb ach and C oach Fitch
have been pleasant to work with and
they have brought some things out
o f me that have always been there."
Last year Parrish was named to
the A II-N .B .A squad as well as be
ing selected to participate in his first
N .B .A . A ll-S ta r game which he
called one o f the greatest thrills he
has ever experienced.
H o w would you rate your team
this season?
" I think we are far better than we
were last season even though our
play against Portland was not an in
dication o f th a t," said the graduate
o f Centenary College in Louisiana.
" W e have some excellent personnel
in The Bird M an , Cornbread M a x
well, Kevin M c H a le , T in y , and so
on and I think we are going to be
right there in the thick o f things
when it comes down to the money
and the rin g ."
In five N .B .A . seasons, Parrish
FORD
1313 N .E . 122nd A va.
I f you ‘ve been waiting f o r the right time
to buy a new or used car or truck—
This is your chancel
Portland vs. Boston, P ortland
M em orial C oliseum , October 18,
1981.
Mychal Thompson won the open
ing tip and the stage was set. A t
11:44 o f the first period Thompson
drilled a 17-foot ju m p er from the
left o f the lane and for all practical
purposes the game was over. Some
one forgot to tell the Blazers that
their opponents were the world
champion Boston Celtics and also
neglected to tell the boys dressed in
white that this was the seventh game
o f the N B A Cham pionship. On de
fense he stuck to the Bird like white
on rice and on offense he blew past
the Bird like a monsoon in October.
Sure the Celtics were probably tired
after playing three straight road
games, but on this night rested or
tired they would have been no
match for the fired-up Portlanders.
C alvin had help on the boards
from the 6-10 M ichael H arper who
quivered 13 boards in a strong ef
fo rt. B illy Ray Bate shows contin
ued improvement, rookie sensation
Darnell Valentine is just that. H e ’ll
fit well in the Blazer scheme. Kelvin
Ramsey o f f a sensational rookie
year, where he was picked on the
first string all-rookie team is in full
stride and very impressive. Only sec
ond-year guard Jim Paxson appears
slow, but then Jim m y has never
been known fo r his speed. Which
brings up another irony. One has to
wonder how Paxson can still play so
many more minutes than the color
ful Bates. Just what does Paxson
have on Bates;
Paxson has two things on B illy.
One, he’ s a year younger, and you
know the other one. This is still
Portland, Oregon, and the M C will
still draw 12,666, and you see what 1
mean. A n yw ay, the Blazers will
Boston’s Maxwell attempts a block on Billy Ray during Blazer
uta of the highly touted Celtics.
(Photo: Jeff Spencer)
complete their pre-season schedule
this week with games against Kansas
C ity Thursday night in St. Joseph,
M o ., and against Seattle Saturday
night in Spokane. The return o f
Steve Johnson will highlight the pre
season wind-up in C o rfh llis this
Sunday night.
Jack Ramsay decided to keep 7-2
Peter Gudmundsson over the exper
ienced 6-11 Tom Barker and this re
porter is still wondering why.
Gudmundsson has as much chance
in the N B A as actor G ary Coleman
would have trying to play Center for
the L A Lakers.
In seven minutes o f action Peter
less Seattle M ariners the man has
dom inated the position. Russell
probably is the better fielder. But
M ilb o u rn e deserves the edge be
cause in October he’s really losing it
all. Milbourne the winner.
W e give the edge to the iron man,
Steve Garvey. Garvey hits for both
power and average and is an excel
lent fielder. The Yanks platoon Bob
Watson and Dave Revering. Garvey
clearly the winner here.
Second baa.
Both W illie Randolph and Davey
Lapes area all star perform ers.
Both, however, struggled through
sub-par years. Both are excellent
fielders and can turn the double
play. Randolph is younger, Lopes is
still hurting. (T h e edge here to the
younger Randolph.)
I
Larry M ilbourne has been simply
sensational Acquired from the hap
ROBERT PARRISH
A u to • Life • Fire
C om m ercial .Truck
M o n th ly Payments
Rita H. Janklns
Reggie Jackson, it is October isn’t
it, against the w orld. Reggie,
Reggie, Reggie.
Third base
Graig Nettles is among the best at
his position. A nd i f he can refrain
from fighting with Reggie Jackson
should remain so for a few more
years.
Ron Ce is just returning to the
Dogger lineup a fte r suffering a
broken arm. Nettles by a landslide.
Catcher
3714 N. Williams
Pnrtland. Orwyon 97227
(#031 249 2#M
Please call "Pepper" on the Hotline at 266-1771.
You have a friend in the businessl
i rii i i > 'ww oí M ai ili" itisi i" il’ w * ' 4 ’
Mirtei Island WA
ir
•
Rick Cerone o f the Yankees and
Mice Sciosa o f L .A . are both good,
young catchers. W e like the power
o f Sciosa.
Left f i.ld
Pitching
Dave W in fie ld and Dusty Baker
Both teams have fine starters. No
team in baseball can match the
Yankee bull-pen. When the New
Yorkers enter the seventh or eighth
inning with a lead it’s curtains time
for the opposition. W e see a final
game series with N . Y. the winner.
— pick ’em.
Cantor field
The Dodgers platoon at this posi
D id y o u k n o w . . .
The University o f C olorado's top
punter, A rt Woods, is Black. T h at’s
a rarity in high school, college and
pro football.
U S C ’s Tony Scayton, the starting
center, is Black and that is as rare in
college football as an August snow
is in Los Angeles.
That the top college prospect in
the State o f O regon is Jackson
H ig h ’ s Steve Jackson, a man o f
co lo r, who is never m entioned by
the local m edia. Jackson is
averaging over 6 yards per c arry.
The 5-11, 185 pound senior is also
the State’s top sprinter.
That there’ s never been a Black
judge on any level o f professional
boxing. A n d th a t’ s a travesty in
its e lf. A n d even sadder that the
b ig g ie s - Sugar Ray L eo n ard ,
M uham m ad A li, Larry Holmes, et
a l--h av e never dem anded a Black
judge.
T h at
K areem
A b d u l-J a b a r
reported to the Laker training camp
weighing a rock solid 250 pounds.
That a masochist: The getting o f
pleasure fro m being d o m in ated,
mistreated or hurt in some way —
and also a season ticket holder to
University o f Oregon football.
SOLE DESIGN OF PORTLAND
5600 NE Union
c t tO t'
Portland. OR.
0° V
Tai. 287 0 6 9 3 ^ save UPTO f 15 00/RliR
z
That Wake Forest has a 5-11 and
245 pound receiving back. Ron Neal
is his name and making yards is his
game. " H e looks like Fats Domino
and runs like H arvey G la n c e ,”
beams hs coach.
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er. But Gudmundsson is Gud
mundsson and this is still Portland,
Oregon. A n d it proves that in the
N B A those guys are w orth their
weight in gold. Portland w ill start
the regular season w ith three
straight games at the M C , on Octo
ber 30 against Phoenix, on Novem
ber 1 against Seattle and on Novem
ber 3 against Los Angeles. And
there are still tickets available for all
three.
tion, while the Yanks have been go
ing with Jerry M um phrey. I ’ ll take
the duo o f Ken Laundreaux and
Pedro Guerro o f the Dodgers.
First Baa.
has scored 5,801 points, grabbed
3 ,69 9 rebounds, and blocked 217
shots. Parrish says that he is looking
forward to this season because the
system is no longer new to him.
" I feel m ore c o m fo rta b le this
year than I did last year.” he said.
" I have more freedom around the
basket now and that w ill help me
since we have a good passing team .”
showed many things. He showed he
couldn’t run, shoot, jum p or think.
H e made one good pass that was
dropped out o f bounds for a turnov
World Series: The way we see it
M atchup fo r the 1981 W o rld Se
ries and who w ill w in. W e see the
Yankees in a cakew alk. The power
and ability to score runs will be the
decider and all the places appear on
the New York side.
Parrish applauds Celtics
by Ullysses Tucker, Jr.
Portland Observer, October 22,1961 Page 9
Chicago reciprocates
Lisa Jarvis, a ju n io r at N o rth
Park College, is a member o f the
varsity volleyball team, coached by
John H jc lm . Lisa is listed on the
roster as an outside hitter. She is the
daughter o f Dolores Jarvis and at
tended Wilson High School. North
Park College sent Portland Michael
H arper and Portland has sent Lisa
in return.
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