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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 27, 1997)
• <f *4* Page A 6 • b fk-uu& <*• J 1 1.' . / • < * • ■BiMnMBhiniHddWBMat AUG. 27, 1997 (Tlje Portland (O hsriw r---------------------------------------------- Grant brings Blazers youth; Robinson bid farewell teams that made the NBA Finals in he Portland Trail Blazers, 1990 and 1992. hoping another set of young, athletic legs will carry them past the Robinson, who had spent his en tire eight-year NBA career in Port first round of the playoffs, signed land, averaged 15.1 points and 4.0 free agent forward Brian Grant to a rebounds last season - his lowest seven-year, $63 million contract on numbers in five years. Robinson Saturday. The Blazers also re-signed cen was seeking $5 million to $6 mil ter Chris Dudley to a one-year deal. lion a year, but poor performances To clear salary-cap room, the during the playoffs the past few Blazers renounced their rights to years dropped his stock. veteran forward Clifford Robinson Portland has been knocked out of and guards Runieal R obinson, the playoffs in the first round each Mitchell Butlerand Marcus Brown. of the past five years. Grant said the Grant, who played only 24 games Blazers should be contenders in the last season because of a shoulder Western Conference despite their injury, turned down a seven-year, lack of experience. $48 million deal from the Kings. “I don’t even want to say how G rant’s contract, which makes good they could be," Grant said. him the highest paid player on the "T hey’re a hungry team and I’m definitely proud to be a part of that.” team, also includes an opt-out clause after the third year, agent Mark Grant, 25, joins a team that now Bartelstein said. has only two players over the age of 30 - Sabonis and Dudley, both 32. The 6- foot-9 Grant was the eighth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft. N ew B lazers co ach M ike His best season was 1995-96 as he Dunleavy, who had previously met averaged 14.4 points and 7.0 re Grant only once - at the NBA rookie bounds while the Kings made the A ll-S ta r G am e in 1995 when playoffs for the first tune since the Dunleavy coached the Bucks - said franchise moved from Kansas City he and Whitsitt felt Grant was the to Sacramento in 1985-86. best free agent available. Grant said he had received a "He really makes things happen more lucrative offer from another on the basketball court," Dunleavy team, but chose Portland because said. owner Paul Allen and president Bob “H e’ll be an integral par, of the Whitsitt showed a strong com m it Blazers’ foundation o f young and ment to winning. athletic players for many years to Grant also likes the potential of come.” the Blazers’ younger players. Grant could start at small for ’ When you have people like ward for the Blazers, or at power Rasheed Wallace, Kenny Ander forw ard beside W allace, who son, Arvydas Sabonis, J.R. Rider emerged as a star in his second pro and young people like Jermaine season last year. O ’Neal you can grow along with “That kid’s gonna be an All-Star. for the next seven or 10 years, you I definitely want to play alongside really can’t pass up an opportunity him wherever I can,” Grant said. like that,” Grant said. Grant averaged 10.5 points, 5.9 Dudley averaged 3.9 points and rebounds, 1.2 assists and just over 7.3 rebounds last season and then one blocked shot per game last sea decided to opt out of the final three son. During his three years in Sacra years of his contract. There had mento, he averaged 13.4 points and been speculation in recent days that 7 .1 rebounds. the Trail Blazers would re-sign He averaged 14.7 points and 9.2 Dudley, then trade him to an East boards in four years at Xavier. H e’s ern Conference team. sixth on the Musketeers’ career scor In renouncing Clifford Robinson, ing list (1 ,1 79)and third in rebound the Blazers lost their last link to the ing (1,080). T Brian Grant, the Blazers' most recent addition, in his old Sacramento Kings uniform. (Photo by Michael Halle) f i.in liff Robinson, who spent eight years with the Port land Trail Blazers before being re nounced Saturday, did not waste any time finding a new team, sign ing a one-year, $1 million deal Monday with the Phoenix Suns. The 30-year-old Robinson aver aged 15.1 points per game for the Trail Blazers after leading the club in scoring in each o f the two previ ous seasons. He was renounced with three others when the Blazers signed free-agent forward Brian Grant. C NBA’s chief calls it quits at 44 hicago Bulls center Robert P arish , w ho w on three cham pionships with the Boston Celtics and appeared in more NBA games than any other player, has decided to retire after winning an other title with the Chicago Bulls last season. C COME SEE THE BEEPER MAN AT Kids N’ Tennis Place Music Galore & Galore Paging P acer A ctivation S pecial W e Buy Used Pager» & Cell Phone» ids N ’ Tennis of Portland, Oregon took second place JÓ i 1 in the Team Tennis Competition at 1 this year's AAU National Junior Olympics. This week long event ran from Aug. 4th - 9th and was held at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The KN’T players w ere rep resen tin g the USTA s Pacific Northwest Section and competed in the 18 & Under Non-Ranked Division. Thirteen teams were divided into two pools with K N 'T going unde feated in their pool and finishing with a 5-0 record. KN’T beat teams from New Jer sey, Florida, Indiana, North Caro lina, and Texas, to qualify for the Gold Medal Match against defend ing champion Hawaii Pacific. Hawaii winner of FLIGHT #1 (CONGRATULATIONS S it, VER M E D A L IST with a 5 - 1 record only lost was to Pictured from left to right: Coach Ed Song, Asst. Coach John Paik. Antony Derkach, Joe Dang, Jana PAYDTA o f New Jersey. Jusupovic, Keara Duke-Johnson, Lisa Bessman, Bill Phanthongphay, Coach Don Johnson; knelling and Hawaii used its experience to holding USTA Junior Team Tennis Banner, Marxus Phanthongphay and Koren Paik. beat KN’T 4 - 1, with “Kids” losing tw o tie -b re a k ers in the G irls have a medal. Maybe next time.” time that KN’T has represented the The only returning player from Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Jana Coach John Paik was also a team Pacific Northwest Section at this Na that team was Keara Duke-Johnson. Jusupovic was one of three players member at Iowa. “To get so close tional Event. In 1995 the team trav She clearly remembered watch to finish the competition unde as a player and not to win a medal eled to Des Moines, Iowa and Drake ing the Medalist receive their awards feated. was a unpleasant experience. Al University to compete in the 14 & from the Tournament Director. “Our Jana was described by KN’T though I was too old to compete mission was incomplete, we knew Under Competition. Coach Johnson, as "the team ’s sta this time. I’m glad that I choose to Kids N ’ Tennis finished in fourth that we could compete with these bilizer, we got to the point where help coach this team, this is awe teams. place and vowed to do better if they we knew that she would win all of some." got another opportunity. I f not for a few mistakes, we could her matches " This was the second K 3213 NE Marlin Luther Km$fr. Blvd. Portland Or 97212 Mon-Sun (am-7:30pm Si Habla Eipanol 503-288#180 F ree F ree F ree F ree F ree F ree F ree U plift T he C ommunity !! 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