Bucks Are Going In Style
CLEVELAND – The Milwaukee Bucks resemble a finely tuned Mercedes as they cruise uncontested toward the Central Division crown. Detroit is making a bid for respectability and the others are in upheaval.
The Bucks have enjoyed at least a 14-game lead on the division in recent weeks. They are playing like a team destined for greatness come May. Coach Don Nelson is confident and the players are super confidant.
“We’re playing as well as ever,” said Nelson: I’ve been telling the players this could be our year. Now they are starting to think that way. They are beginning to believe in themselves.”
Marques Johnson, the acknowledged superstar forward, said matter
of factly, “Nellie has been doing a good job in making us believe we can
win it all this year.”
“Anything short of a championship in our minds will be a wasted year.”
After the Bucks’ 10-game winning streak, the Chicago Bulls were so frustrated they fired Coach Jerry Sloan, probably the most popular player ever to wear the Bulls’ red and black, but nearly always suspect as a coach.
After assistant Phil Johnson coached one game, General Manager
Rod Thorn took over the bench duties for the rest of this season. Thorn’s
first game was against Dallas.
Sloan’s position was in jeopardy last season, but a closing rush put the
Bulls into the playoffs and saved his job. No such good fortune this time around.
When Chicago dropped its 13th game in 17 and 9th of 10, Sloan got the axe. The
Bulls were haunted for weeks with rumors of dissension, accusations and counter
accusations.
Sloan, the Bull’s first pick in the expansion draft of 1966, is the first and only Chicago player to have his number retired. He still has two and a half years to go on his contract at $125,000 per season.
The Bulls are on a slide, but the Pistons, who had the poorest record in the Eastern Conference last season, are on the rise.
General Manager Jack McCloskey and Coach Scotty Robertson, who are building through the draft, deviated somewhat when they gave up a No. 1 draft choice this year and a second rounder next year along with Phil Hubbard and Paul Mokeski to Cleveland for Kenny Carr and Bill Laimbeer.
As of February 18, the Pistons were in second place in the division with a legitimate shot at post-season play. McCloskey sees Carr, a power forward with limited discipline, and Laimbeer, a plodding backup center, as pluses this season as well as down the road.
“We want to be more physical,” said McCloskey, “and we got two very physical players. Carr and Laimbeer had more than 1,500 rebounds last season. That’s more than we can get out of the draft.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers, the most inept club in the NBA, obtained forward Cliff Robinson along with Hubbard and Mokeski on February 16, the final day of trading.
The Cavs, since Ted Stepien took over ownership in June 1980, have changed the roster completely. Not one player remains from the club of a little more than a year ago. In fact, point guard Geoff Huston, who was obtained February 7, 1981, from Dallas, has the longest stint in wine and gold. The team now averages 26 games per player in a Cavs uniform
Stepien may have a problem with Robinson, who will be a free agent at the end of the season. It’s been learned the 21-year-old will be asking for around $700,000 per season. Incidently [sic], that’s the precise amount Stepien is paying center James Edwards and forward Scott Wedman.
After an embarrassing loss to Milwaukee on Valentines Day, Stepien was quoted as saying that Bill Musselman was the best coach he ever had. He also said the media fired Musselman.
Current Cavs Coach Chuck Daly wasn’t too thrilled at these comments, but as usual, he didn’t reply publicly.
A day later, Stepien publicly apologized to his coach. They had a meeting and now, Daly looks secure through this season and possibly next winter, too.
Daly is on a three-year contract for $480,000, but a month ago Stepien tried to oust him. The owner relented and said Daly will remain through this season.
There will be no player changes at Indiana, but the Pacers would like to see some Indianapolis people step forward and make a legitimate bid for the club. Californian Sam Nassi is looking to unload the club.
Atlanta is another club in the doldrums. The Hawks snapped an eight-game losing streak at San Diego February 16, but will have trouble until power forward Danny Roundfield gets over his pulled thigh muscle.
Through the bad times there still has been some encouraging news, like the play of seven-foot center Wayne (Tree) Rollins. He averaged 13 rebounds during a six-game stretch.
Except for Milwaukee, the Central is the Rodney Dangerfield Division, which isn’t getting much respect. The Bucks are the only team in the division playing better than .500 basketball.
This article by Bill Nichols appeared in The
Sporting News, March 6, 1982.
Reproduced with permission of the author.