European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday january 14,1989oaturoay, the stars and stripes Page 23 they re Rushing to pick the 49ers san Francisco a common opponents of san Francisco and Cincinnati pick the 49ers to win the super bowl even though All four of those teams lost tothe bengals. The 49ers merely split the four games while the bengals scored victories Over the Phoenix cardinals los Angeles raiders Washington redskins and Sari Diego chargers. Still current or former assistant coaches from the four teams believe the 49ers will defeat Cincinnati jan22 in Miami. The bengals Are a Well balanced Strong football team said Dan Henning offensive assistant of the redskins. But the 49ers have looked As Good As i be seen anybody play this year. They beat what i thought were the two Best teams in the pfc the last two weeks Joe Montana is playing As Well As i be seen him playing the last four or five  the redskins lost to the bengals 20-17 in overtime in the final week of the regular season. Washington also lost to the 49ers 37-21 in a monday night game a candlestick Park. The chargers were Able to see the super bowl entries in successive weeks when they were bashed for a combined 10 touchdowns and 75 Points by the 49ersand bengals. I can t say it was a pleasant experience playing them in Back to Back weeks said chargers defensive coordinator Ron Lynn. I think any defensive coordinator would say he would like to be in the super bowl person pacing the Way by Hank Lowenkron Indianapolis a it has been one week since Dick Versace was named coach of the Indiana pacers and Chuck person s reaction has been dramatic 87 Points and a .648 shooting percentage in three victories. Indiana has a four game winning Streak after recording its first Road Victory in 16 starts this season in of All places Boston. When the pacers beat the celtics 127-108 wednesday night they ended a string of 18 straight losses that dated Back to april 2, 1978 on the Fame parquet floor. Per$9n has scored 28, 30 and 29 Points in victories Over the los Angeles clippers Detroit pistons and Boston since Versace arrived tossing in 35 of 54 shots to raise his average for the season to 20.1. In that same Span he has had 23 rebounds bringing his average to 7. Coach has put in some plays that allow me some different shooting opportunities person said. What he wants to do is make the other teams double team me so that there la be some open shots for the other Guys. If i can do that it makes our team that much  person openly frustrated with the de liberate offensive style of former coach Jack Ramsay has topped Indiana scor ing in six of the last eight games. More important than my Points is contributing to our defensive Effort he said. Everything now is concentrated t9\yard defense. We be got our Little transition defense rules and he Versace is constantly reminding us that that s the key to  person s recent performances have re minded fans of the former Auburn Star s play when he was in route to being selected the Aba s Rookie of the year in 1987, helping the franchise reach the playoffs for the first time since 1981. Person the no. 4 pick in the 1986 draft averaged 18.8 Points As a Rookie. But he was frequently criticized by team mates last season for his shot selection and talked about the need for a Trade when the season ended. But if he had his druthers he would be playing a differ ent  a High scoring super bowl contest is expected be cause the bengals Are no. 1 in the league in total of sense this season while the 49ers rank no. 2 in the same category. The chargers were whipped by the 49ers 48-10, the by the bengals 27-10. My gut reaction is the liners because of their defense said Lynn who is in the running for the chargers head coaching Job after Al Saunders recent firing. Also because of the experience Factor and be cause of the Guy they have pulling the trigger Montana. He s the key to their  the 49ers lost a 9-3 defensive struggle to the raiders last november. The bengals soundly beat the raiders45-21 in the fifth week of the season. But former raiders defensive coach Charlie Sumner picks the 49ers to beat the bengals. At the time we played Cincinnati i thought they were the Best team we had played said Sumner who was recently fired by the raiders. They re a Complete team. But i did t think their defense was As Good As the 49ers. They bengals play More of a gambling big play defense. The 49ers Are just coming on real Strong right now. The 49ers Are on a real  the bengals beat the cardinals 21-14, but Phoenix scored 24 Points in the second half to win a thrilling24-23 game against the 49ers. We played Cincy Early said Phoenix offensive coordinator Jim Shofner. We kind of self destructed in the game. Their defense did t seem nearly As Strong As the 49ers defense. Preparing for the 49ers defens Ewas much More difficult. We beat the 49ers, but Joe Montana did t play that Day. I be got a feeling the momentum is with the 49ers, especially with the Way Montana and Jerry Rice Are  clipped Manning til play basketball again Chuck person of hot Indiana. 28, 30, 29 Points the offence we re using now gives me More opportunities where i can put the Ball in the Hole and i be been getting it in there. But i have to give my team mates All the credit for having the Confidence in me he said. Versace disputes contentions he has geared the offence toward boosting per son s production. I be said that i admired the Talent on this team. I think i be just Given them a couple of Little things where we can exploit the Talent More. We re now finding ways for Chuck to take the Ball to the Basket and then if he s double teamed we want him to find the open Man said Versace who replaced interim coach George Irvine after nearly 2 /2 years As an assistant to Chuck Daly at Detroit. You would do us a disservice if you overflow the intention of the offence to say it s designed for Chuck said ver Sace. What we re doing is we re saying to Chuck we re going to expand your game so you can make yourself and other players More successful i be always said this team has a lot of Talent on it but the Talent was t playing  los Angeles a injured Danny Manning vows hell continue to play for the los Angeles clippers but is unsure hell be the multimillion Dollar Star Forward they anticipated. Ill play basketball again Manning promised wednesday night. I Don know at what level but i la play again. I know there s a Chance i will come Back and might not be the same player. But those Are the cards i was  the 22-year-old will undergo reconstructive surgery to repair a torn Ante rior cruciate Liga ment in his right Manning knee. Manning said he will have the operation As soon As he decides on a doctor. Recuperation after surgery could makeup to a year. He will come Back from this injury said or. Tony Daly the clippers team physician. Will he be 100 percent that s open to question. Maybe hell be at about 90 percent when he comes Back but 90 percent of Danny Manning is a lot better than 100 percent of most Aba  Manning s agent Ron Grinker said a Tendon will be taken from Manning s thigh to replace the torn ligament. Simi Lar operations were performed on Washington s Bernard King when he was with the new York kicks and the retired Milch Kupchak when he played for Tholos Angeles lakers. I have quite a bit of compassion for him Kupchak said. At first you think about his ordeal. Then you think about the clippers being Snake bitten  you really have got to want to come Back. This injury is very career threaten ing said Eddie Lee Wilkins of the kicks who suffered a similar injury. Wilkins rehabilitation took 1 l/2 years. The operation can last from one to two hours in a procedure that will attach the Tendon that will eventually replace the ligament. Every doctor we have spoken to is very optimistic Grinker said adding that five or six doctors across the coun try excluding Daly were being consid ered. Manning May even leave Southern California for the surgery and recupera Tion according to Grinker. There s no sense in crying and being upset because there is nothing 1 can do about it Manning said. It s something that happened and i can t go Back in time. I have to prepare for the future. The future for me is surgery and  Manning signed a guaranteed five year $10.5 million contract hours before the clippers Home opener. He said his holdout from training Camp did not con tribute to the injury. He Tore the vital ligament after a Layup during a game at Milwaukee on Jan. 4. He joins at least four other clippers including 1980 first round draft pick Michael Brooks who have suffered similar injuries. Although each of those players underwent surgery to repair the Liga ment their playing skills diminished after the operations. Daly said he recommended the sur Gery. Not to have the surgery would greatly hamper his athletic ability Daly said. His age is greatly in his favor but he still will lose some of the explosiveness in his right leg some of his quickness and his cutting  if he gets a Good tight repair and disciplines himself real hard during rehabilitation he should be Able to come Back in some form Kupchak said. The 6-foot-10 Manning was injured late in the first Quarter of the game at Milwaukee and heard a snap when he landed straight legged after executing the shot. He averaged 16.7 Points and 6.6 re Bounds in the five games before his injury emerging As one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the year. He was regarded As the foundation of the clippers future. An sports television College basketball Duke at Mary land 10 . Saturday Marshall at ten Nessee Chattanooga 1 . Sunday. Radio College basketball notre Dame at Urcla 8 30 . Saturday. Pro basketball Cleveland at Denver,3 30 . Sunday