European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 6, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse $ the stars and stripes sports Friday november 6,1992nba tips off new season tonight by Bill Barnard fir i ishm that won 51 regular season Gams hit took the Chicago bulls to by str game m the Eastern conference Ernie flak. Quot the new York kicks certain a Titi b Tot of of season rebuilding to Erk Rolando Blackman Doc Rivers att Rookie Hubert Davis in the Back rom. Quot diff Charles Smith and Tony i a Miheli m the front court. Bui when the time comes that coach rat tit key needs Points Down the stretch the Iron he will go to will be the teams a adm scorer in each of the last seven seasons Ratnik swing. A a Don t see much of a change in my toe a said swing 30, who begins is so doth Aba season tonight night when the Kocics travel to a site. A a in a still ties tto took shots score and rebound. Host Etc item Mitty More balance a lot of a Zcot Toi Ayers inn and that should prove to the be Ofui in the Long ran. A everyone is committed to working Bari making contributions wherever tiny can. But that does no to necessarily is at i toys disposal perhaps towing Wili no ii Umbi Awe m be a dominant Nayeri Orfe a Nicks to win. Last season m a Tod the team in scoring 24.0re inuit Imp 11.2shot blocking 2.9 and minutes Pax game 364. A with this group in should take some o tto Hurden from him a Riley said. A we d Idee to gel More balance in that tto opposition would t know where the tall was Bui ritzy still expects the a Nicks style to to getting the Ball inside especially to a we n going to stay with it because it s a strength for us a Riley said. A the perimeter players Are going to have to work off in other openers Friday night it will be Minnesota at Boston new Jersey at Philadelphia Miami at Orlando the los an be tos lakers at the los Angeles clippers was Mitun at Charlotte Chicago at Stoveland Milwaukee at Detroit Golden smut at Utah san Antonio at sacrament and Seattle is. Houston at Tokyo. Four teams will be at Home when they play their first games saturday night Utah at Dallas san Antonio at Denver Detroit at Indiana and the clippers at Pim sex. Portland will be the last team to make its debut when it entertains Denver on sunday night. Riven previously played eight years in Atia Nii with Dominique Wilkins who missed 41 games with a Tom Achilles ten us Las season. Wilkins whose career scoring average is 26.2, is Back to Start Aguir for the Hawks who made a last ditch Deal on tuesday when they acquired Point guard cookie Blaylock from new Jersey in Exchange for Rumeal Rob most. When the kicks need Points Patrick Ewing will again answer the Call. A in Atlanta we had 10 plays for Dominique Wilkins but Here there Are Only two for Pat a said Rivers acquired by the kicks from the clippers. A but hell still be the Center of the offence. He knows it his teammates know it. And we aim to without magic Johnson last season the lakers faced tight Competition in their own territory when the clippers made the playoffs for the first time and the lakers barely made it on the final Day of the regular season. The lakers hoped to regain control of the City with Johnson a return but his re retirement on monday figures to make the two teams even again. A we can to be considered in the same class we were before a lakers general manager Jerry West said. A a we re unsure we done to know what we a i done to think this makes us totally a rebuilding team but some things Are obvious Rookie coach Randy Pfund said. A when you lose a superstar and a player that s your Leader that creates a Little different expectation than we started with this year. The lakers who in 1991-92 had their worst season 43-39 in 16 years again will have to Start Sedale Threatt at Point guard instead of Johnson. Tony Smith is expected to be Threatt s backup with Pfund also High on rookies Duane Cooper and Anthony Peeler. Quot i want to see Peeler and Cooper very soon backing up sedate Quot Pfund said a they be been looking Good at die lakers older players include Byron Scott James worthy and Sam Perkins All 31, and James Edwards 36. Other veterans include Center Vlade Divac and . Green. Another team Likely to open its season without a key player is the Charlotte hornets who Are still hoping holdout Alonso mourning the no. 2 pick in the 1992 draft will Lead them to their first playoff berth. But even without mourning and his expected Impact on rebounding and shot blocking the hornets nearly made the playoffs last season behind their top draft picks of the past two Yean Kendall Gill and Larry Johnson. A they Are two Guys that we look to Lead us and we feel with the addition of Alonzo and the role players we feel Good about our team Quot coach Allan Bristow said. Johnson a holdout who signed just prior to the Start of last season turned in a Rookie of the year performance. He averaged 19.2 Points twice scoring As Many As 34. A the s much More comfortable but not in the sense that he a going to relax a Bristow said. A i think at the last part of last year he Felt comfortable with his teammates and with the Gill who made the 1991 All Rookie team and averaged 20.5 Points last season said he and Johnson have to be the hornets leaders. A Twete the go to Guys a Gill said. A if we done to nobody else will i done to Seattle coach Georee Karl who was coaching in Spain at this time last year opens this season with the supersonics in Tokyo against the rockets. The two teams also play in Japan on saturday night. A a it a a dream a Karl said. A a year ago i was in Spain thinking i d never coach again in the Aba. Now in a not Only coaching in the Aba but in a coaching a team i think is capable of moving up the Karl who replaced inc. Jones coached the sonics to a 27-15 regular season finish and then took them to an upset Victory Over Golden state in a first round playoff series. They lost to Utah in the second says he quit because of others fears nov York apr a Cut on his Arm n a exhibition game in Chapel Hill tast week made magic Johnson Reaton now difficult it would be to play in Tut Aba Niit carrying the aids virus. A Yin. Know you could see the fear Eipur people k faces Quot Johnson said in a a Brunt time live Quot interview with Chris Wallace thai a id air tonight on an of calf Geti. A did he Bandage it All b r Al bandaged up is ii All right its no taking Quot you know that whole tiling a Joi sur re rec from the los Angeles Kcf to is nov when to tested positive Tor Haht came out of retirement n top Emne then retired again on i moan Tenret Days Aiter the exhibition pane a Cape Hil. Jon Sor Suic hit com Cirr and the fear after that game made him decide to quit and he told his wife a i did no to have fun last night because i was thinking about this Cut and this Bandage. I said that 1 just done to need it you done to need it and meanwhile Well just go on have fun and enjoy our lives. And i can do my work continue to do my work outside of primetime live originally taped an interview with Johnson on oct. 24, before his second retirement and Wallace flew to los Angeles on tuesday to update it. Johnson said in the interview that he was a helped out Quot of the league by his fellow players including Karl May Utah jazz who played with Johnson on the . Team that won an olympic Gold medal at Barcelona. Still he holds no bitterness he told Wallace. A a in a upset but in a not bitter Quot he said. A a in a not a bitter Type of Guy i done to hold grudges. I done to sit Here and think that Doggone Karl Malone a however he said a you do subject yourself to not having fun and not having a Good time because of what uneducated people think and feel so every City you be got to answer these same questions Over and Over Johnson repeated his comments in an interview with columnist Mike Lupica of the new York daily news. A a in a not mad at anybody. In a really not a Johnson said in a column published wednesday. A if in a anything in a disappointed. Disappointed aut the last few weeks its just How much work in be still got to do with the Way people look at the thing. In a going to have to do a better pc educating people about this Johnson said his sadness Over the Siti action extended beyond his own feeling to a the players who feel the Way they d or people who Arentt in the Aba we feel the Way they do about people Wii the virus or the disease. I m sad Beau people Haven to educated the Selvi enough. A i think the Money a going to Kee coming in. I think we re going to find Way to lick this thing. But Between Hei and there attitude s the whole thing. A if there a one big Job i got now it changing Peoples attitudes. I got to d better there. If they feel this Way Abri me they feel this Way about
