From: jamesd@techbook.com (James Deibele)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Re: Portland offers Mario Elie big pay increase
Date: 12 Aug 92 04:05:50 GMT
Article-I.D.: techbook.1992Aug12.040550.15982
Organization: TECHbooks of Beaverton Oregon - Public Access Unix

chrisda@atlantis.CS.ORST.EDU (David Christensen) writes:

>I like it a lot.  The times I've seen Elie, he seems to be a real hustle-type
>player who defends well and gets a good share of rebounds for his size.  I like
>him backing up Drexler.

Yup.

>I wonder if this means the Blazers' #1 pick, Dave Johnson of Syracuse will be
>left unsigned.  Johnson apparently feels he should have been drafted higher 
>than he was and would like to be paid like the top-15 picks.  Also, he 
>refused to accept an insurance policy so he could play in summer league.

After Walter Berry and the way the Blazers were spurned by Petrovic and
Ainge, I think the Blazers would be really careful about tying up major
bucks in somebody like Johnson, who hasn't shown he can play in the NBA.
The Oregonian had him going to the Sonics and the Blazers picking up
Christie, which is the exact opposite of what happened.

But with a pure shooter in Murray and a slasher in Elie, it's hard to
see where Johnson can fit it.

>      Certain                  Probable              Don't Know
>      -------                  --------              ----------
>PG:   Porter, Strickland       Robert Pack
>SG:   Drexler                  Mario Elie            Dave Johnson, L.Strothers
>SF:   Kersey, Tracy Murray
>PF:   Williams, C.Robinson     Mark Bryant           Marcus Kennedy
>C:    Duckworth                Reggie Smith?         Wayne Cooper

>Strothers is supposedly a big-time scorer who spent his Rookie year injured.

That's "injured".  I was surprised that nobody objected, although at
least a couple of the injuries seemed legitimate.  But he seemed to take
an awful long time recuperating ...

Bryant is no Buck Williams.  He has a hard time getting the ball in the
basket, even when shooting from 3' and in.  But he's physical enough to 
bang with Malone and Barkley, and I think that's going to be important 
this year.  Robinson doesn't have the strength to contend with those two, 
and in a series, I think Buck would start to wear down without someone
to take some of the pounding.

I don't see what Pack brings to the table.  He didn't have an outside
shot, and didn't demonstrate that he could run the offense.  Two point
guards and a shooting guard who got the most assists last year seems
like plenty of ball control to me.

>Cooper is, I think, an unrestricted free agent but getting old and rarely 
>plays. Reggie Smith was #2 pick this year.  Can rebound, but he's raw 
>offensively.  Kennedy was drafted a year ago and put up big numbers in 
>Europe somewhere.  He's big (6-6, 250) and can move.

I don't think the lack of scoring is going to hurt Smith that much.  The
Blazers are going to need somebody to get the ball off the glass so that
Strickland can lead Elie and Robinson on the break.  If he can be the
4th man in, or Bryant can, the way Williams benefits from the 4-on-3's
so much, he should be fine.

Didn't see Kennedy, although his numbers and attitude are both supposed
to be good ...

>finals.  And probably Portland will play Chicago again in the NBA Finals.

Ditto.

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