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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1997)
P agi B3 1 he P ortland O bserver • M ay 14, 1997 Dunleavy gets Trail Blazers job Mike Dunleavy was hired Tues day as coach o f the Portland Trail B la z e rs, T he A sso c ia te d P ress learned. The Blazers scheduled a news conference to make a m ajor an nouncement. A source close to the situation confirmed 55that Dunleavy would be introduced as the team ’s coach at that time. Dunleavy has a 208-284 record in six seasons as a head coach in the NBA, two successful seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers followed by four losing seasons with the Milwau kee Bucks. In his first season as a head coach, 1990-91, he directed the Lak ers to the NBA Finals. The Columbian newspaper in V ancouver, W ash., reported that Dunleavy signed a five-year deal but said the salary was not known. D unleavy reportedly was en route to Portland with Blazers’ presi dent Bob Whitsitt from Bellevue, Wash., where the two had met M on day. Dunleavy told The Oregonian Monday night that he had yet to be offered the job but was optimistic. “W e’ve talked a lot, and about a lot o f things, and 1 feel things have gone pretty well,” Dunleavy said. “W e’ll meet again in the morning and take it from there. Hopefully, w e’ll be coming to a conclusion.” Dunleavy was cautious in his remarks Monday. “Obviously, I can’t help but feel this is the best job in the league, and I’d love to get it,” he said. “I don’t want to put words in their mouths, though, or shoot m yself in the foot. But I think things have gone well. 1 think w e’re on the same wavelength.” Dunleavy said W hitsitt told him he was the first candidate to be inter viewed as the Blazers seek a replace ment for P.J. Carlesimo, who was fired last week after three winning seasons. Dunleavy said he loves the young talent on the Blazers’ roster. “ I love the team, no question about that,” Dunleavy said. “I ’m fa miliar with a lot o f their players. I look forward, if I get the job, to meeting with them quickly and get ting started with them, trying to get everyone on the same page.” Dunleavy said he would have no problem coaching the fast-paced, trapping, pressure-defense style that Whitsitt wants the team to play. “To be a running team, you've got to be able to defend and rebound, and I think they have the ability to do that,” he said. “Certainly they are one o f the bigger teams in the league, and they have a terrific point guard in Kenny Anderson, who can push the ball.” Dunleavy said the Blazers could use more outside shooting but they do have the ability to play in the open court. “Arvydas Sabonis is great for the running game from the stand point o f his outlet passes,” Dunleavy said. “He might be the smartest big man in the game He understands how to trigger the break.” Dunleavy said the Blazers’ ros ter gives great flexibility. “You can play with a large lineup, or a smaller lineup, or a quicker lineup,” he said. “ 1 think it’s a team with the ability to press. Stacey Augmon is a defensive stopper. You can use Rasheed Wallace at center if you want to go with speed and quick ness. I was pretty impressed with Jermaine O ’Neal the times I saw him. I liked his athletic ability, and he seemed to have a good feel for the game.” Mike Dunleavy, former Milwaukee coach was named Tuesday to coach the Blazers. Malone express puts Utah past the Lakers Karl M alone scored 32 points, including six o f U tah’s nine in over time, and grabbed 20 rebounds as the Jazz beat the Los Angeles Lakers 98-93 M onday night to reach the W estern Conference finals for the fourth time in six years. John Stockton added 24 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, who won the best-of-7 series 4-1. Utah will play the w inner o f the H ouston-Se attle series in the W estern finals. M alone, expected to win the league ’ s MVP award, put Utah ahead to stay 91-89 by making two free throws with 4:24 left in overtime. He also hit a pair o f jum pers in the extra period as the Jazz outscored the Lakers 9-4. “They gave us all we wanted tonight, all we could handle,” Malone said. “The most important thing was we won the game. W e’re just happy we got to that next level.” It was a bruising contest. Lak ers forward Robert Horry was ejected in the third quarter after taking a swing at U tah’s Jeff Homacek, and Los Angeles center Shaquille O ’Neal fouled out with 1:47 left in regula tion. Nick Van Exel led the Lakers with 26 points, while O ’Neal had 23 points and 13 rebounds. Stockton’s driving layup with 39.1 seconds left in regulation tied it Karl Malone at 89. After both teams missed po tential go-ahead shots, the Lakers had a chance to win it in the closing seconds. But rookie Kobe Bryant shot an airball over Bryon Russell from 17 feet away just before the horn sounded, sending the game to overtime. U tah’s next opponent will be Seattle or Houston, which leads the Sonics 3-1 in their best-of-7 series. “We have a tough series com ing up no matter who it is,” said Stockton, who was 11-o f-13 from the field. “T hat’ll be our proving ground.” Malone, who was 9-for-21 from the field and 14-for-18 from the line. Bird goes home to coach Indiana Larry B ird’s Hoosier roots were showing. Perhaps the m ost celebrated player ever to come out o f basket ball-m ad Indiana, Bird returned to M arket Square Arena Monday as the coach o f the Indiana Pacers, a match 19 years in the making. “The Pacers passed me up in the draff in 1 9 7 8 .1 never thought I’d be here,” Bird told a news conference on the floor o f the arena, the home o f the Pacers. “Now I’m here. I want to do w hatever I can to make them proud.” Once a shy Hoosier country boy, the self-styled “Hick from French Lick,” Bird is certain to fill the dow n town arena by virtue o f his name alone. M aking a winner out o f the Pacers is far less certain, especially since it’s his first job as a coach and h e’s going to get a huge amount o f attention. “I don’t like being in the public eye, but I want my team to succeed,” Bird said. “O f course I’m young and I’ 11 make mistakes... I know it’s com pletely different. It’s tough, but it’s something I want to do. “I crave winning. W hether I’m going to be a great coach or not, I don’t know that. But I think I will.” Bird, a 12-time NBA All-Star with the Boston Celtics, retired as a player in 1992 because o f chronic back problems. He said he never missed playing and never seriously thought about coaching until about two years ago. Bird said he was asked to coach the Pacers in 1993, before Larry Brown was hired, but turned them down. He didn’t have to be asked again. “This is my home state.... Every kid from Indiana watched the team in the ABA. W atching the Pacers, being from Indiana, you get caught up with it. “I felt if I didn’t take the oppor tunity now, this might be my last opportunity,” the 40-year-old Bird said. “I’ve always been very com petitive. If you want to compete in the NBA you have to play or coach. I’m too old to play, and the only other option is to coach.” Bird, who reportedly will be paid $4 million to $4.5 million per year, said he would probably begin search ing for a coaching staff next week and begin immediately to contact each o f the Pacers players. “I feel they can compete. If we can make a few moves and get a little better defense and get the ball and run, w e’re going to improve right away. You don’t have to do a lot. O f course, you have to have the talent, and I feel we have the talent.” Pacers president Donnie Walsh said he wasn’t concerned about Bird’s lack o f coaching experience. “There’s been a lot o f specula tion why we want Larry. We want Larry back because we know h e’s going to help us win ball games,” P.J. offered Celtics GM job P.J. Carlesimo, fired as head coach o f the Portland Trail Blazers last Thursday, reportedly has been offered the job o f general manager o f the Boston Celtics. According to the New York Post, new Celtics president and coach Rick Pitino offered Carlesimo the GM position after it was declined by Larry Bird, who was named the head coach o f the Indiana Pacers. Carlesimo was said to be a candidate for the coaching job at Kentucky, which opted for G eorgia’s Tubby Smith. This Advertising Space has been re se t \ eil lo r y o n . Call 2X8-0033 The Post added that Carlesimo is not a serious contender for NBA coaching vacancies in Golden State, Vancouver, and Denver. ALL YEAR YARD WORK Complete yard cleanup Trimming and Lawn Mowing Free Estimate: 656-4391 3pm to 8pm opened the overtime with a pair of free throws and a corner jum per that gave the Jazz a 93-89 lead with 3:20 remaining. The Lakers didn’t score in over time until Elden Campbell made two free throws with 2:08 left to cut U tah’s lead to 93-91. After Stockton made one o f two from the line, Bryant - who shot two more airballs in overtime - hit a driving shot to pull the Lakers within 94-93 with 1:43 left. But M alone’s short jum per put the Jazz up 96-93, and the Jazz held the Lakers scoreless the rest o f the way. U tah’s final points came on a pair o f free throws by Russell with 3.4 seconds remaining. The Lakers, who trailed 66-61 entering the fourth quarter, took an 87-84 lead on O ’N eal’s dunk with 2:03 left in regulation. But he fouled out a short time later when he hacked Malone, who then made one o f two free throws. Russell, who finished with 22 points, tied it at 87 with 1:13 rem ain ing with a double-clutch, off-bal ance shot. Jerome Kersey’s layup put the Lakers up by two with 58.3 seconds left, but Stockton tied it again with his driving layup. Malone missed a jum per with 14 seconds remaining, and team mate Greg Ostertag lost the rebound. “TALL Oaks Walsh said, adding that when Bird finished coaching he would move to the Pacers’ front office. “ If you look at his career in high school and college and the NBA and the records o f teams before he got there and after he came, you can see he’s had a substantial impact wher ever he’s gone.” Bird was a Celtics special assis tant — mainly scouting — for the five years since a bad back forced his retirement. Walsh approached him after Brown hinted he might not be back. “I think we recruited each other,” Walsh said. “Once he made up bis mind to coach and wanted to come to Indiana, I didn’t go after anybody else.” Brown left the Pacers with two years remaining on his contract and joined the Philadelphia 76ers. Bird helped the Celtics get Rick Pitino from Kentucky but said he had no desire to coach in Boston himself. 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