May 16, 1990 The Portland Observer Page 7
T he L ocker R o o m
Caldwell Jones: The Last Go Around
By Ullysses Tucker Jr.
Caldwell Jones of the San Antonio
Spurs says that he is ready to get on with
another life, one outside of the National
Basketball Association. Jones is part of
a dying breed, players who played in
the old American Basketball Associa
tion, and a legend in his own right
Jones has seen plenty of basketball
since he started his career with the San
Diego Conquistadors in 1973. When
tie mentions players he played against
L ittle
Jones is quick to point out that his
brother Oliver was a big influence on
the “ brothers” because he was the first
to leave the family farm and go to
college. Oliver’s enrollment at Albany
5 late College established a family pipe
line that placed a Jones in the pivot for
18 straight years.
Standing 6-foot-ll and 225 lbs.,
Caldwell has never been known as a
great scorer. In fact, his highest NBA
scoring average is 12.7 (Philadelphia,
1979) and his career average is only 6.2
points per game.
“ He gives you so much more than
scoring,” said Spurs Coach Larry Brown.
“ Caldwell gives you experience, lead
ership, stability, and things that don’t
show up in the slat sheet. He’s been
great for our young players and for the
organization.”
If Caldwell Jones is to leave behind
a legacy in the NBA, it will be becasue
of his outstanding shot blocking and
rebounding skills. Jones was a member
of the All-NBA Defensive Team (1981
6 1982 Philadelphia) and ranks fourth
in total NBA games played (1,299). He
Caldwell Jones
and with, names like Connie Hawkins,
Julius Erving, Lloyd Free, Rick Barry,
George Gervin, Roger Brown, Moses
Malone, Mel Daniels, and a host of
others come to mind. Moses Malone is
the last player, after Jones retires at the
end of the playoffs, with ABA experi
ence in the NBA. “ I ’ve seen them all,”
he said with a smile.
A native of McGehee, Arkansas, Jones
is one of four brothers (Wilbert, Major,
and Charles) with NBA credentials.
also ranks third in blocked shots (4,317)
and eighth in rebounding (7,663). Jones
has played in Philadelphia, Chicago,
Houston and Portland.
“ I’ve had a great time playing bas
ketball,” saidJones. “ I have no regrets
about anything.”
When questions about what his ex
act career plans are, Jones was not
reallyc clear, but he says that he has
several options. All he wants to do now
is concentrate on eliminating the Port
land Trail Blazers from the playoffs.
Ironically, Jones served as a backup
center for Portland last season and signed
as a free agent with San Antonio last
summer.
Jones, who has played in three NBA
Finals without a victory, would like to
go out victorious. The Spurs have a tal
ented young team with David Robin
son, Willie Anderson, Rod Strickland,
David Wingate, and Terry Cummings,
certainly has a good shot at the title.
“ This would definitely have to be the
year,” he said. “ We have a very good
group of guys and one of the best coaches
in the league. I like our chances.”
What advice would you offer a young
player like David Robinson, consider
ing what you have learned and seen
throughout your basketball career?
“ I would and I have, tell him to just
relax and let things come to him,” said
Jones. “ He is a great player already
and David is going to get better. All he
has to do is just be patient, work hard,
and everything will come his way. He
has a great future in this league...”
Many were surprised that Jones de
cided to retire after this season as he is
in excellent shape and has no history of
injuries. He attributes his physical sta
bility to his participation in softball
during the off season.
“ I love softball,” he said. “ I’ve
been playing competitive baseball or
softball for as long as I can remember.
As far as retiring is concerned, I just
want to go out like I came into the
league, very quietly...”
P eninsula P ark
L eague T eam of the W eek :
T railblazers
Row 1 - Lamont Walker, George Davis, Dennis Nathan, Timmy Cheeks, Derrick Bell, Gary
McClendon, Dan Grinder; Row 2 - Larry Porter, Alan Bell, Ricky Cabine, Nate Chandler, David
Jackson, Donald Green Jr., Deon Dorn, Byron Hammick, Matt Todd, Coach
Pierce Wins Miller Lite
NBA Sixth Man Award
Cummings: “Make A Joyful Noise
Unto The Lord....”
by Ullysses Tucker Jr.
Photo by Veronica Green
Psalms 100 in the Holy Bible sug
gest that saints “ make a joyful noise
unto the Lord,” Terry Cummings of the
San Antonio Spurs takes it literally and
practice what he preaches.
An ordained Pentecostal minister/
evangelist of the fundamental Church
of God in Christ, he is an excellent
musician and well respected basketball
player. He plays synthesizer, saxo-
rebounds in game four. For a great
majority of the games, Cummings has
been matched up against Buck W il
liams. He has a lot of respect for Buck’s
style of play and aggression on the bas
ketball court. Buck has respect for
Cummings also.
“ Terry is a very physical player
too,” said Williams, who is averaging
9.6 rebounds and 15.4 points per game.
“ He’scompetitive like myself and he’s
not afraid to hold his ground. You have
* * r • * < a *
-photo by Veronica Green
T erry C um m ins grabs a rebound away from M ark B ryant of Portland
phone, and piano. Cummings also plays to concentrate on him all the time be
cause he can beat you shooting, with his
against the likes of Karl Malone, Char
rebounding, and he can pass the ball.
les Barkley, Kevin McHale, and Port
Terry
is a good all-around player.”
land’s Buck Williams fora living in the
An NBA All-Star in 1985 and 1989
National Basketball Association. Music,
with the Milwaukie Bucks, Cummings
writing poetry and preaching comes
has
played in at least 2,500 minutes in
natural for “ T C ” (as he is called by his
every
NBA season. As Rookie of the
friends). Though he is a gifted athlete,
Year
in
1983 (San Diego Clippers), he
Terry has been working hard towards
was
the
first
rookie since Karccm Abdul-
one of his innermost dreams, an NBA
Jabbar
to
lead
his team in scoring and
Title. “ People say that we arc a couple
rebounding.
He
has missed only 25 out
of years away from a title, but I want
of
631
games
in
his NBA career with
one this year,” he said.
Milwaukee
and
San
Antonio. Cum
Against the Trail Blazers in the sec
mings
has
fouled
out
only
5 times in his
ond round of the NBA playoffs, Cum
mings is averaging 24.6 points, 9.6 re career.
Cummings was shocked, at first, when
bounds, and shooting.567 from the field.
He has a game high 35 points and 11 the Milwaukice Bucks traded him south
last May. Milwaukee was pertect tor
him, considering that he was a Chicago
native and popular in the community.
After the shock of the trade went away
and the reality set in, Cummings real
ized that San Antonio has a potential
powerhouse with David Robinson to
build around. “ It made the trade real
easy to accept,” he said.
Coach Larry Brown of the Spurs
called Cummings one of the most disci
plined athletes he has ever coached and
had the opportunity to be around.
“ Terry is a good athlete and human
being,” said Brown. “ He’s involved in
church, his community, and he’s a family
man. Every team needs a guy like him
and he is good for the young guys.
Guys like Terry and Caldwell make my
job as a coach very easy. Both are good
leaders on and off the court.”
Cummings gives the credit to his
parents for the discipline and spiritu
ally. He said that they (John and Berda)
were good role models and very sup
portive. Cummings is the fifth of 13
children. His parents used reason and
logic to teach their children right from
wrong instead o f force.
“ I learned from my parents that it’s
better to talk than to chastise,” he said.
“ I talk to my sons (Robert Tyrell, 8,
and Sean, 3) as much as possible... they
don’t want me to just nod my head and
say, 'T h a t’s right or that’s good.’ They
want me to explain.” Cummings has
been married to his high school sweet
heart for ten years this summer (Von-
nie). He met her at Carver high school
in Chicago.
When questioned about Portland’s
aggressive offensive rebounding and
whether or not they respect the Spurs,
Cummings said that they should.
“ They’ve been more aggressive in
some situations than we have, but I
think they respect us,” he said. “ W e’ve
played them real tough on the road and
at home. During the regular season, we
won just as many games and we played
them tough then. It’s been a good series
so far.”
An All-American at DePaul Univer
sity, Cummings hopes to produce a
contemporary gospel album one day.
He enjoys listening to James Cleve
land, The Winans, Commission, and
Amy Grant. Cummings recently re
leased his first music (gospel) video.
“ I like different kinds of music,” he
said.
Should the Spurs outlast the Blazers
in the NBA playoffs, not only will Terry
and his congregation make a “ joyful
noise unto the Lord,” the entire city
will.
Ricky Pierce
David Robinson skys for a slam--photo by Veronica Green
Ricky Pierce of the Milwaukee
Bucks, who led his team and all NBA
reserves in scoring th is season with a
career high 23.0 ppg average, was
named the winner ot the 1990 Miller
Lite NBA Sixth Man Award for
outstanding contributions by a non
starter.
Pierce received 77 of a possible 92
votes from a nationwide panel of sports
writers and broadcasters. Indiana's
Detlef Schrempf received eight votes
to finish second in the balloting.
This marks the second time in his
eight-year NBA career-he also won in
1987-that Pierce, who averaged 29.0
minutes off the bench in the 59 games
he played in, has won the Sixth Man
Award. Boston's Kevin McHale is the
only other player to receive the award
twice since its inception in 1983.
NBA To Help Fight Child Abuse
The National Basketball Assoc
iation, in an effort to bring attention to
the growing problem of child abuse in
the United States, donated all 40 of its
network television promotional spots
during the first weekend of the NBA
Playoffs for special public service
announcem ents addressing
the
problem.
The spots are sponsored by the
National Committee for the Prevention
of Child Abus. (NCPCA). They aired
three times during each of the four
NBA Playoff broadcasts on CBS and
four times on each of the seven Turner
Network Television (TNT) cablecasts
during the last weekend in April, which
is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The spots, created as a public
service by the New York ad agency of
Follis and Verdi, will continue to air
throughout the NBA Playoffs in May
and June. They feature appearances by
NBA players Bill Cartwright of the
Chicago Bulls, Buck Williams of the
Portland Trail Blazers and Mark Eaton
of the Utah Jazz.
Reports of child abuse rose 10% in
this country last year, the largest
increase in that statistic since 1985,
according to a recent NCPCA survey.
A total of 2.4 million reports of child
abuse and neglect were recorded by the
country's child welfare system in 1989,
^Experience te a c h e th /o o ls?
and he is a g r e a t one th a t
w ill not learn by it.
Bill Cartwright
and there were 2,237 child abuse-
related deaths recorded in that year
alone.
"We're very grateful that the NBA
has made such an unprecedented
donation with its athletes and its
television time to help heighten
awareness for the fight against child
abuse," said Dr. Anne Cohn, NCPCA
Executive Director. "The NCPCA
believes that child abuse can be
prevented, and that public education is
the first and most important step.”
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