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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1983)
Page 10 Portland Observer, October 19,1963 Sport Talk by Ron Sykes Sports Editor The N B A .. .Today Pacific Division Outlook This it io remind you that around the corner lurk* the beginning o f the 1983-84 N B A »eaxon And here’» the Otwerver preview: I. Lo» Angeles Lakers— This should hardly come as a surprise to anyone. The Lakers are clearly the dominant team o f the West. And could very well be the most dom i nant team in all of the N B A And, no, I haven’t forgotten the past NB A champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers beat a Laker team that was injury-riddled. W ith a healthy Bob M cAdoo and James W orthy you would have seen a different Laker team and probably a different N B A champoion. Where you lose the versatility of a M cAdoo and W orthy it’s like trying to pole vault over M t. Everest. The Lakers were hurt on the boards in the champion ship series and that shouldn’ t hap pen this year. The Lakers are a set team with minimal charges You don’t argue with success or change w hat’s been working for you. But two changes will definitely strength en coach Pat Riley's squad. Point guard N orm Nixon, who enjoyed a roller-coaster season last year, was sent to San Diego for back up center. Swen Naler and the draft rights to first round pick. No. 3 overall, Byron Scott out o f Arizona State. Nater, a strong rebounder, will spell Kareem while Scott should team up with Magic Johnson in the Laker back court. Curt Rambis, for reasons unknown here, will probab ly continue to start in the front court. But it’s hard to imagine W orthy being held o ff very much longer. W ith W orthy and the relentless jam all Wilkes on the run the Laker fast break is awesome and poetic. Both. 2. Portland Trailblazers— This pick will undoubetedly raise more than a few eyebrows. N o, Portland did not pick up a strong center as promised. Yes, they don’ t only have one rookie that is expected to play. And. no, they haven’ t yet signed M r Clyde Drexler to a contract. And, yes, they did finish behind both Phoenix and Seattle last year. Then why are they expected to achieve such a lofty perch this sea son? I t ’s one healthy Kermit Wash ington. Washington, 32. 6-8 and 235 pounds, is healed and ready. And that means that Portland will not be dominated inside by too many NBA clubs. Kenny Carr is coming o ff a treacherous season where he chipped in 12 points and 7.5 re bounds a gamm o ff the bench. Washington's presence should help C arr. Kenny will now be able to de vote more attention to his scoring, something that he can do well. Then there's the tenacious one. Calvin Natt. N att. 20.4, is the cog in the wheel that Portland depends most heavily on. At 6-6 and 225 pounds. N atl is a small forward who thinks he's a power forward. And therein lies the key toi Calvin's success. He can muscle and hang inside, then step outside and knock down the 20-foot jumper. Natt is a splendid scorer and a fearless rebounder Portland’s back court is set with Captain Jim Paxson and the two dynamo point guards secong year man Pat Lever and D ar nell Valentine. ” ln Fat and Darnell we have the two best point guards in the league," exclaimed Jack Ramsay. Valentine and Lever will continue their bid for the starting position, both are capable and their friendly but hot rivalry is a plus for the team Expect Kermit Washington to sustain the flow while on the court. A healthy Washington will not be bothered by the year's absence, but will only pound the boards harder. The added depth up front will help this Blazer team tremendously. 3. Phoenix Suns— Phoenix didn’t help its back court by giving away Dennis Johnson. No matter what they tell you about Johnson’s inabil ity to get along, the man can play the game Kyle Macy, at 6-3, is not the player DJ is. Macy, a fine shoot er. lacks the speed and defensive ability to be a starter in the NB A. Hock Shop Buy, Sell or Trade Anything of value 5600 N E Union 287 5330 i « emorial I, - Kermit’s final effort: Kermit Washington made a valiant try to return to the Blazer lineup after re tirement last year due to Injuries. In Monday night’s game with Houston, he played 14 minutes Phoenix will suffer with Macy on the court. I t ’s reported that free agent Paul Westphal will step into D J’s place. Another mistake if true Westphal is merely a shooter, and at age 32 has lost a step he could ill a f ford to lose. Maurice Lucas and Larry Nance are the mainstays of this Denver team and anywhere they go will have to be on the backs of these two. In two years Nance has emerged as a premier player. In fact his mer curial improvement has shocked the entire N B A world. James Edwards and Alvan Adams will continue to share the load at center where both are terribly inadequate. 4. San Diego Clippers— So go Bill W alton, so go the Clippers. Not en tirely true. Coach Jim l.ynam, first year coach from Portland, is care fully putting together a team. L.y nam is a stern tactician and a teach er out o f the Jack Ramsay school San Diego is strong enough at center where W alton and Jerome White- head will guard the painted area Rookie Terry Cummings, 23.7 and I0.6, returns at power forward Cummings had some heart prob lems at the end of last season that he has apparently overcome. Despite his problems the 6-9, 228-pound Cummings was at the top of last year’s rookie class. The acquisition on ex-Laker Norm Nixon at point and shooting guard can only en- I nee a troubled back court in San Diego. The back court now boasts the likes of Craig Hodges, Lionel Hollins and possibly M ark Radford And with Nixon, that, too, should be adequate. W alton, still, will only play in games that are not consecutive. O ttm Cif ■tÜ'J ’eUm . hom e« « A """n ' and acorad 2 pointa. Waahington aaid Tuesday that hia previous injuries stand In the way of a re turn to hit basketball caraar (Photo Dan Longl 5. Seattle Super Sonics— The Son- ics are a team in transition. Only the transition is on the down rather than the up side. First bad thing to hap pen was the drug problem of one super guard David Thompson. Then a trouble Lonnie Shelton, their best power forward, was sent to Siberia, or was that Cleveland, or are they one in the same And if that wasn't enough had to happen they went out and drafted Jon Sandvold in the first round and most experts believe he could have been had in round four. The arrival of Tom Chambers from San Diego should help. The Sonics are terribly weak in the back court. Freddie Brown, 35. is not the player he once was. but then who is at that advanced age? It should be a long, cold winter in Se attle. 6. Golden State W arriors— The Warriors finished a lackluster 30-52 last season and should not do any better this time Sure they had a to tal of 238 missed player games due to injury, but that figure is mislead ing The team obviously lacks tal ent. So far they've done little to sign their No. I draft choice, a player they didn't really need in Purdue's, 6 I0, Russell Cross Joe Barry Car- roll is a fixture in the middle, Cross is loo good to be happy backing up Maybe a trade is in the works. G o l den Stale needs help at every posi tion, but least of all at center O B Hill, president of C C S. b Aaeocietea. presents swards for their contributions to the growth and survival of Bieck end minority enterprises to Lillie Welker. Special Control Coordination. State Dept. of General Services: Dave Wilson. Purchasing Agent. Dept. of General Services: Multnomah County Commissioner Gladys McCoy. (Photo: Richard J. Brown! Jamaica asks Garvey pardon The government o f Jamaica has asked President Ronald Reagan to grant a full pardon to Marcus G a r vey. Garvey, a Jamaican, was de ported from the U .S. in I927 after serving a prison term for "m a il fra u d ." Garvey, who advocated enterprise and solidarity, had a following of millions in the U.S. Prime Minister Edward Seaga asked vice-president Booth for the pardon during a ceremony in M on lego Bay commemorating National Heroes Day. He said Garvey was convicted in the U .S. "during a campaign o f persecution against h im ." " I t cannot benefit the memory o f this great man whom the world ac knowledges as the father of Black nationalism, for which he is univer sally honored, that the record of his life continues to be tainted with this stain of dishonor," Seaga said. Kaiser rededicates complex P O R T L A N D . O « — Bess Kaiser Medical Center, 5055 N Greeley Ave., Portland, marked thecomple lion of a two-phase, J I5 million dol lar remodeling and renovation with a "Rededication to Excellence" cer emony on Sunday, October I6 ai 2 p m M ayor Francis J. Ivancie pro claimed the day "Bess Kaiser Medi cal Center D a y ." Renovation allowed for the addi lion o f computerized technology that did not exist when the hospital was built. A C T9800 scanner was the first to be delivered in Portland of a new generation of sophisticated imaging machine, capable of pro viding multiple, clearer pictures in only seconds. An angiography suite allows catheterization of heart and blood vessels to be performed on site. The expanded radiololgy de partment includes new ultrasound equipment for obstetrics and radiol ogy, as well as traditional X-ray equipment. The emergency department was remodeled and expanded, incorpor ating cardiac and respiratory moni toring equipment along with addi tional exam rooms One of the busi est in Oregon, the emergency de partment treated 33,476 patients in I982. An additional 29,723 patients who sought care after-hours were treated in the urgent care clinic. The neonatal intensive care unit was expanded and a progressive nursery installed, so that infants re ceive the level o f care they need ac cording to their conditions. The N IC U is one o f four in Oregon that share in caring for distressed new horns from other hospitals through out Oregon and Southwest Wash THE BEEPER PEOPLE. 713 S.W. 12th Street Call 224-BEEP for a free demonstration. ington. Money to go. The economy is lip. ( >ur interest rates are down. And now is the best tune in years to go aliead and borrow the money for the major purchase you may have postponed. Put pleasure back in your drm ng with a new car. 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