European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 3, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 22 the stars and stripes thursday november 3,19b8 Aba preview the new kids on the Aba Block. Charlotte and Miami b Tom Foreman or. A sports Wilder Charlotte . The Aba is coming to acc country and fans in his basketball crazy area feet As if Santa has brought Ihm an extra present. The mood is an air of excitement now that it s coming closer an outpouring of support and warm feeling said Carl sch car general manager of the Charlotte hornets. In s like Christmas eve. It s a very exciting time for those or us who have been in the business a Long time. To Sec How this town has embraced the hornets is really the hornets along with the Miami heat Are the new kids on the Aba Block Elliis season. When the league first started talking about expansion Charlotte was t Given much of a Chance. One writer said the Only franchise the City could attract would have Golden Arches in front or it. Part of the reason was the feeling thai inc Atlantic coast conference one of the Elile College basketball conferences had a monopoly on the area. But entrepreneur George Shinn did t give up. He pleaded his Case urged the City to Back him and sold season lintels even before the Aba met to consider his the Spring of 1987, the Aba Board of governors placed Charlotte among its tour expansion selections and Chariot leans bought 15.000 season tickets for a 23,000-Scai Arena that officially opened in August. Opening night is Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. So far 12 games arc at or near sellout level especially games with the Chicago bulls and former University of North Carolina Star Michael Jordan. Hornets officials arc aware however that fans in inc area arc used to Good basketball. I m sure at some Point they will want to see some improvement . Who was also general manager of the Carolina cougars of the old Ameri can basketball association. We re trying to set our expectations at a realistic the firs year May be even harder than anticipated for the hornets particularly because the Center they chose in the expansion draft is inexperienced and the team did not pick a Center in the regular Aba draft. I doubt if there Are going to be a lot of Quality big people because big people Are in such Short Supply and there s just very few people coming. Out of col lege said coach Dick Hartr who came to the learn after serving As an assistant at Detroit and Indiana. In s certainly much belter to be a balanced team where if you have to be Strong in one area it s belter to be Strong underneath and Lack the shooting out Side but since we Don t have that we re going to have to Lake advantage of what we do for now Charlotte s game is built on inc perimeter and on the wings. Hartr had hoped to work with former Cleve land Cavalier Dell Curry As a shooting guard but a broken left wrist will keep him out of action until next year. Kelly Tripucka traded to the hornets from Utah in the expansion draft phase is looking to put the spark Back into a seven year career that hit a Wall fast sea son while with the jazz. Veteran Robert Reid obtained from Houston in a Trade has a Good outside touch and with Tripucka brings nearly 20 years of playing experience to the hornets. Both can switch Between the Forward and guard spots Kurt Rambis came to the hornets in july having watched his playing time diminish during his last two seasons with the los Angeles lakers. Though not a scorer Rambis is a rebounded and Hart or will need a rebounded for an inside game lacking one key ingredient. Eight s a Veteran Earl Curcione and Rookie Ian Rowsom will help with the inside game. We Hope they will be a very positive influence for us. Certainly through the Early part they have been that Hartr said. In the backcourt Hartr has Lakin Long looks at Michael Holton and Rickey Green. Chosen from Portland in the expansion draft Holton has averaged just 5.9 Points per game in stints with Phoe Nix Chicago and the Trail blazers. By Steven wine a sports writer Miami like any new team the Miami heat will be Long on enthusiasm and Short on Talent and probably Victo team May not be Overly gifted but they la be scrapping All the Way said Stu Inman player personnel director Tor the Aba expansion least. It should be fun to watch that kind of Pilch might not sell Many tickets but thai won t be a problem this year the heal have already sold 12,500 season tickets for its 15,008-scat Arena. A sellout will be on hand for sat urday s opener against the los Angeles clippers and learn officials expect a full House for every game. We can t feel anything else but fantastic Inman said with an expansion team you go through two or three very difficult years and what kind of Atten dance slippage there la be in year iwo or three i Don t know. But i think Miami is ready for the whether the is ready for the Aba is another matter. Rookies arc Likely to make up half Fth final 12-Man Rosier. Our nine-through-12 people Are probably As Good or belter than anybody else in the league coach Ron role slain said. It s one through eight where you have the unfortunately those Are the Guys who spend most of the time on the court our goal inc first season will be to improve each time we step on the court and to develop Young players Rothstein said. The most important thing to keep in mind when starting an expansion team is to be Rothstein 45, is getting his first shot Al a Bead Job in the pros. He was an assistant coach at Atlanta and. Then at Detroit where his defensive wizardry helped the pistons reach the Aba finals last season. Ronnie is ready to Start emerging a Avery effective head coach Inman said. He s prepared he knows the league he s a Bright Guy he s driven he s a no nonsense Guy he s a Good Rothwin s starting lineup is Likely to include two Rookie first round draft choices Rony Seikaly of Syracuse and Kevin Edwards of Mcpaul. The 6-11 Sei Kaly who will play Forward and Center has a five year $4 million contract an lots of potential. Rony has a Bright Aba future Roth Slem said. He s a hard worker who runs the court jumps Well and blocks shots and he s a very Good scorer the heals Best known veterans Are guards Jon Sundvold and Pearl washing Ion and Forward Billy Thompson. The Ros Ier is also Likely to include such players As Grant Long Hansi Gnad and John Shasky who can Best be described As. Scrappy. There is a saying in the Aba which i believe is True thai if you get 10 to 12 Guys to bust it every night out you re going to steal some games Inman said. Inman has experienced the trials and tribulations of an expansion learn before. He was a scout player personnel director general manager and coach for the Portland who won the Aba title seven Yean after their creation. The heat from office also includes part owner Billy Cunningham a member of the Hall of Fame and a former coach of the Philadelphia 7fierssnd managing partner Lewis Schaffel former executive with the new Orleans jazz Atlanta Hawks and new Jersey nets. As the roster suggests Rol Stcin Inman Cunningham and Schaffl put the first heal squad together with a Long term payoff in mind. Its definitely a commitment to youth Inman said. We want 10 go with people who we can project 9ver a tour or five year period and i believe we have that. We re going to have five or six such people and that s 3 remarkable Slaty the heat will open its Aba history in the Midwest division of the Western conference with the Houston rockets Dallas Mavericks san Antonio spurs Utah jazz and Denver nuggets As Divi Sion rivals the Charlotte hornets open in the Atlantic division of the Eastern conference. The Minnesota Timber wolves and the Orlando magic will join the league next season. _. According to Aba figures inc average Aba expansion team wins is games in its first season. The Best first year expansion record belongs to the 1966-67 Chi Cago bulls who won 33 games. Atlanta in Aba finals with Nique Moses Theus Bye Shearer a sports writer Atlanta it s not often a team rolling along with 50 or More victories three years running feels a need to change its starting lineup. A. That s exactly what the Atlanta Hawks have done hoping inc addition of two Veteran scorers Moses Malone and Reggie Theus will Jet them Over a Hump that has seen them dispatched from the Aba playoffs in the second round in each of the lost three seasons. The additions give Atlanta two More scorers to go with one of the Best in the league Dominique Wil kens coming off a season in which he averaged 30,7 Points per game. before has this franchise put together a string of three 50-win seasons coach Mike Fratello said. With a season of peaks and valleys behind us we Wen into Ian season s playoffs As heavy underdogs yet we Defeated Milwaukee and took the Boston cel tics to the limit. Now we must take another significant step toward our goal of moving to the next level the Hawks Are counting on Malone signed to a three year contract As a free agent to provide scoring in inc Center spot one occupied m the past by tree Rollins a standout defender who Seldom scored seeking an outside scoring threat the Hawks sent Randy Wittman to the Sacramento Kings for Theus., Malone averaged 20,3 per game for the Washington bullets last year and has a 23.6 average for 12 seasons. Theus scored at a 21.6 clip for the Kings last year lifting his 10-year scoring average to 18 8 Fralc Llo is convinced the Hawks will need the additional scoring just to be competitive in the Central division from top to Bol Tom inc toughest in the Aba " v v ,-.-.-.-.we arc not the Only team that has tried to improve Over the of season and an already Tough Central Divi Sion has become even More competitive Fraielli said. We will have to improve once again this season to remain among he top teams in the five of the six Central teams made the playoffs last year and All six of them could make it this year. The race for the division title should be Between the Hawks and inc Detroit pistons who battled to the wire last year before idling the championship series to the los Angeles lakers. / -. \ Malone Theus and Wilkins will join Glenn Rivers and Kevin Willis in the Atlanta starting lineup. Rivers the play maker averaged a 2 Points last year and Willis who will miss uie first Highl to. 10 weeks of the season with a broken Bone in his left foot averaged 11.6. ". ,-.iv". X Many people have focused on our starting five As being the key to our season Fralc Llo one of Bur Strong Points this year will again be the Hawks have John Battle and Spud Webb the 5 foot-7 spark plug As backups in. The backcourt ant inc. Carr and Cliff Levin Sion at inc Forward spots and Jonko Neak at Center. " of your second unit is As Strong As Many in the league Fratello said. They will definitely be a key for us -. ,. Fratello Calls Malone one of the dominant players of our time. He adds a dimension to our team that we have not had the Hawks won the Central division title iwo years ago and tied Chicago for second place last season four games behind the pistons. V most preseason forecasts anticipate a Battle this time Between the Hawks and pistons who were second behind Atlanta in 1987. The other four division Mem Bers will be in the figh for the playoffs Chicago Indiana Milwaukee and Cleveland Indiana was the Only Central team to miss last year s playoffs and ii was barely edged out of the final play off spot by the new York kicks third in the Atlantic division last year. We feel we arc in a position to take that next step Fratello said of the Hawks. "1 think we convinced ourselves that we Are very close to our goal and with added Effort we can Chal Lenge for an Aba championship he added. The Central division will be a tougher division once again with Detroit being the Cream of the crop ii is time for us to make our statement thai we can inert the Challenge of the
