Page B2
June 16,1999
Phil Jackson Afire«» to
Become Lakers Coach
T he saga o f Phil Ja ck so n ’s
return to the N B A is apparently
com ing to a close.
The N ew Y ork Post is report­
ing that Lakers ow ner Jerry Buss
has tentatively agreed w ith Jack-
son on a four-year deal worth just
over $6 m illion per season.
The Post said the deal w ill not
be formally signed until Jackson
returns from his vacation in Alaska.
Jackson has a scheduled appear­
an c e w ith fo rm e r N ew Y ork
K nicks team m ate Bill Bradley in
Los A ngeles on W ednesday.
“W e’re not going to deny the fact
that w e’ve talked to Phil Jackson
about coaching the Lakers next sea­
son,” Los Angeles general manager
Jerry West said in a prepared state­
ment this afternoon. “W ith the suc­
cess he’s had in the NBA, h e’s defi­
nitely an attractive candidate. How­
ever, w e’re exploring several possi­
bilities with different individuals and
no decision has been made yet.”
Peter V ecsey, w ho w rote the
article in the Post, told ESPN Ra­
dio 1000 in C hicago this m orning
that Lakers stars Shaquille O ’Neal
and Kobe Bryant w ent to bat for
the form er coach o f the six-tim e
N BA cham pion C hicago Bulls.
Vecsey said thatO ’Neal indicated
he might decide to exercise an opt-
out clause in his contract and become
a free agent, while Bryant added he
might seek to join a different team
when he becomes a free agent shou Id
Jackson not be the choice.
A source close to the Lakers told
ESPN to expect a major announce­
ment on Wednesday or Thursday.
W ith the Lakers, Jackson would
be only the coach.
Surin Runs Season’s
Fastest 1 0 0
C anadian Bruny S u n n ran the
fastest 100 m eters o f the year Sun­
day at the N urem berg Track Festi­
val after D onovan B ailey failed to
qualify for the final.
Surin won in 9.92 after break­
ing out o f the blocks first and
leading all the way.
“1 thought 1 could run a fast time,
but that fast? 1 m surprised," saidSurin.
Bailey, the w orld record holder
at 9.84 and 1996 O lym pic gold
medalist, was tim ed in 10.51 sec­
onds and elim inated in a prelim i­
nary heat after finishing third.
Golf-Duval Bums Hand but
Says Will Play in Open
David Duval, the w orld’s num ­
ber one ranked golfer, burned his
right hand on a hot teapot and may
miss a few practice rounds but
aims to be ready to to tee offThurs-
day in the U.S. O pen, The N ew
Y ork Tim es reported.
The newspaper in a Saturday
report said Duval sustained second-
degree bum s on his right thumb and
forefinger Friday when, he picked
up a hot teapot at his Florida home
“I certainly can’tplayforacouple
o f days,” he said in a telephone
interview, “but I’ve got to aim to be
ready to play on Thursday.”
D uval’s agent Charley Moore
said the golfer suffered a blister ‘ ‘the
size o f a dim e” on his thumb and
another blister on his forefinger.
“W e got it treated right away, and
the doctor said there would be no
permanent damage," Moore added.
T he four-day O pen w ill be
played at P inehurst Resort and
C ountry C lub in Pinehurst, North
Knicks Take Long, Strange
Trip to NBA Finals
“1 talked with Larry this morn­
ing, and he was coherent and very
p o sitiv e an d e n c o u ra g e d ,”
Hunsicker said. “He was kind o f
joking around, but he said the last
couple o f days he had severe head­
aches and that was unusual for him. ’
D ierk er to ld H u n sic k er he
didn’ t remember anything after the
second inning o f Sunday s game.
D ierker d idn’t even recall Derek
B ell’s sixth-inning grand slam,
w hich put the A stros ahead 4-1.
"Larry said he was sorry he messed
the grand slam,” Hunsicker said.
H unsicker described S unday’s
collapse as a grand mal seizure, a
condition that can be associated
B \ C hris B ernvcca
S ports T kkkr
New Jersey- The buzzersounded and
Jeff Van Gundy ran onto the court. He
found Allan Houston and the twoshared
a long hug, accomplishment and relief
spreading wide smiles across their faces.
T h e N ew Y o rk K n ick s w ere
headed to the N BA Finals, ending a
year-long trek that so m any tim es
had seem ed impossible.
“A lot o f things that w e ’ve been
through this year have m ade us stron­
ger,” H ouston said. “ M y m other
alw ays said w hat d o esn ’t kill you
m akes you stronger.”
“ I haven’t seem him quite that
happy before,” center C hris D udley
w ith epilepsy.
It’s uncertain how long Dierker
will be away from the team. Matt
Galante, Houston’sbenchcoach, was
appointed interim manager Sunday.
said o f his coach.
The jo urney had been a tough
one, m arked by questionable trades,
debilitating injuries, public dem o­
tions and private m eetings. M istrust
ran ram p an t am ong p la y ers and
coaches, coaches and m anagem ent,
m anagem ent and ow nership.
O n more than one occasion, the
Knicks were no more than a shot or two
from the end o f their season. Now they
have a shot at an NBA championship.
“ It’s all about results in this busi­
ness,” V an G undy said. “W hen you
get great results, I think everybody
Late Eagle Lifts Tryba to
Rain-Delayed St. Jude Title
Ted Tryba eagled the 16th hole
and shot a 5-under-par 66 today to
w in the rain-delayed St. Jude C las­
sic by two shots over Tim Herron
and Tom Lehman.
Tryba pulled away from a clus­
ter o f contenders with his eagle on
the 528-yard, par-5 hole. His sec­
ond shot was a 4-iron from 234
yards that stopped about 8 feet from
the hole. He then sank the putt to
get to 19-under, where he finished
for a four-round total o f 265.
“This w as a nice one to w in,”
T ryba said. “T o not back in, to
shoot a 66 and go out and grab it.
It feels great.”
Herron, w ho started the day one
stroke o ff the lead, birdied the 16th,
then saw Tryba eagle the hole and
knew his w ork w as cut out.
“I knew I had to get m aybe a
little m o re a g g r e s s iv e ,” sa id
H erron, w ho shot a 68.
It w as T ry b a ’s second career
PGA T our victory. H is first w as
the 1995 A nheuser-B usch G o lf
Classic. H e tied for second at this
year’s N issan O pen on the strength
o f a third-round 61 that included
a bogey on the final hole.
Tryba injured his ribs in March
while repairing an irrigation system
at his home and missed three o f the
nextfourcuts. He finished 74th at last
week’s Memorial Tournament, but
said the hot, humid weather in Mem­
phis loosened the ribs, making it
easier to swing freely.
shares in it equally.”
Although Van Gundy will not dis­
cuss it, his share is abit more equal than
others. By reaching the NBA Finals,
he triggered an option in his contract
New York Knicks, Latrell Sprewell
NBA Finals May Give
San Antonio New
Arena, New Identity
B y
KELLEY SHANNON
© T he A ssociated P ress
San Antonio Spur, Tim Duncan
SAN A N TO N IO (A P) - W inning
the N BA Finals w ould be m ore than
a basketball trium ph for the San A n­
tonio Spurs.
It would mean long-sought national
recognition for the city. It might even
m ean a new arena for the franchise.
Players and coaches say th ey ’ve
got an opportunity to do som ething
special for fans in a city often o ver­
looked in the sports world.
“It’sjust a thrill to be able to give this
to them. Icouldn’tbehappierforthem ,”
said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
H o m e fo r th e S p u rs is th e
A lam o d o m e, a fo o tb all stad iu m
w here seats are plentiful and tickets
are cheap by league standards. Spurs
executives w ould like to m ove into a
sm aller, m ore profitable facility as
soon as possible.
D efeatin g the N ew Y o rk K n ick s
in the ch am p io n sh ip series u lti­
m ately co uld help the S purs - the
o n ly m a jo r league sp o rts team in
to w n - gain sup p o rt for a new ta x ­
p ay e r-fu n d ed arena.
PEOPLE EXPOSED TO SECONDHAND SMOKE AT WORK
ARE 34% MORE LIKELY TO GET LUNG CANCER
— ----------------------------
f ft
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C arolina.
Astros' Dierker Will Have
Brain Surfiery
H ouston A stros m anager Larry
D ierker w ill have brain surgery to
rem ove a b lood vessel m ass that
caused his seizure during a gam e
at the A strodom e.
D ierker, 52, w ill have the sur
~ery T uesday at M ethodist Hospi-
jl A stros general m anager G erry
lunsicker said M onday.
D ierker w as taken there after
,e collapsed and shook violentl
lu rin g th e e ig h th in n in g ol
Sunday’s gam e against the San
Jiego P adres. T ests concluded
here w as no tum or, ju st the blood
iessel m ass, H unsicker said
for $3.5 million for next season. Not
bad for a guy whose team was mud­
dling along at .500 two months ago
while his boss was secretly meeting
with a prospective replacement.
Perhaps his share should be more
equal. It was Van Gundy who had to
incorporate two new players that forced
him to change his team ’s style. It was
Van Gundy who had to find a way to
compensate when key players went
down with injuries. Itw as Van Gundy
who had to face the media every day
and explain the team ’s shortcomings.
And as it always is in the NBA, it was
Van Gundy whose jo b was on the line.
“They rallied around him,” Madison
SquareGardenpresidentDaveChecketts
said “It’s one o f the great stories ever in
sports. That’s how I feel about i t
“T his is a team that cam e together
in spite o f adversity, injuries, diffi­
culties, uncertainties and they clearly
decided they w anted to w in this se­
ries and played together like no team
I’ve ever been around, and I’v e been
in the league 15 years.”
O n Wednesday, the Knicks meet the
San Antonio Spurs, who are h o t healthy
and heavily favored to win the NBA
title. Most observers feel that this is
where the improbable run finally will
end. In feet there will be nearly 30,000
in the Alamodome and the only ones
who think the visitors have a chance will
be the 12 guys wearing orange and blue.
“ Y ou guys buried us, covered us,
started shoveling dirt on us,” Ew ing
said. “W e still believe in ourselves.”
ANOYOU
THOUGHT
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