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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1978)
Page 16 THE BATTALION THURSDAY. AUGUST 31. 1978 Webster center of attention forKnick s United Press International NEW YORK The race isn't al ways to the swift. Sometimes, the runnerup gets lucky and winds up the w inner by delimit, which is how the New York knicks finally cor nered the kind of center they vo been trying to sign for years in 7-foot-1 Marvin Webster. He didn t come cheap, costing S3 million over five years, hut in the current market tor basketball players, that’s a relative bargain. At least the Knieks think so, and they re the ones shelling out the ■ money. Only three years in pro ball, the 26-year-old W ebster already is re garded one of the better defensive centers in the NBA. Last season, he was a workhorse for the Seattle SuperSonics, dominating the boards in the final championship series even though the Washington Bullets eventually won the title. At the 1 conclusion of those play oils, W'ebster became a free agent. With Larry Eleisher, head of the NBA Players Association, represent ing him. Webster began listening to the offers. Ultimately, it came down to only two teams, the SuperSonics and the Knieks. DolIaiYwise, their offers were comparable and that being the case, Webster had no dif ficulty making his decision. He would stay w ith Seattle. Eleisher informed. the Sonics of Webster s decision and last Thurs day morning lie called Mike Burke, President of the Knieks, and told him the same thing. I UNIVERSITY REFRIGERATORS FREE PICK-UP & DELIVERY 846-8350 rxK -XkJ MANOR EAST MALL Texas at Villa Maria M-F 10-8:30 Sat. 10-6 779-6718 Jifpfnamlta Eddie Dominguez ’66 Joe Arciniega '74 If you want the real thing, not frozen or canned . . . We call ft "Mexican Food Supreme.” Dallas location; 3071 Northwest Hwy 352-8570 Battalion Classifieds Call $45-2611 But then something happened. The “understanding’ Webster and Eleisher had, or thought they had, with the SuperSonics turned into a misunderstanding. None of the parties involved eared to he specific about what caused the breach between Webster and the Sonics. Eleisher turned hack to the Knieks. He called Burke back Friday and told him something had happened in the negotiations with the Sonics that Webster didn’t like. "Is your offer still on the table?’’ Eleisher asked Burke. “Yes,” said Burke. Whereupon, Eleisher and the Knieks’ attorneys negotiated all last weekend and Webster finally signed with the New Yorkers Monday night. At Tuesday’s news conference in Madison Square Garden, where Webster posed with Knieks’ Coach Willis Reed, he said he decided to sign with the Knieks because “‘they offered the truth.” The Sonics, Webster elaborated under questioning, had “reneged on a promise. “ My decision wasn’t based on money at all, although I consider myself a good ballplayer and feel I should be paid that way,” he added. Among those present Tuesday were Sonny Werblin, president of Madison Square Garden; Knieks’ General Manager Eddie Donovan and Knick players Bob McAdoo, Spencer Haywood, Jim McMillian and Toby Knight. Werblin confirmed Webster would be the highest paid player on the team and said the Knieks had not yet decided on the terms of compensation to Seattle. If the two teams can’t agree on those terms, Larry O’Brien, the NBA Commis sioner, will have to step in and de cide. “We asked the commissioner what he intended to do and he said he would decide after we signed Marvin,” Werblin said. “I imagine the commissioner will he fair. I don’t think he will break up the Knickerbockers. Haywood, one of the Knieks’ for wards, looked absolutely delighted with the addition of Webster, and admitted he was. “Eve played nine pro seasons, but never with a center,” he said. 1 mean a big center like Marvin. 1 need to be in a championship atmo sphere and his coming here gives us that kind of atmosphere When Webster graduated from Morgan State, the Atlanta Hawks had the NBA draft rights to him as well as to David Thompson. The Hawks didn’t have the money to sign either one and gave the Knieks permission to talk with \U feeling they could possilA enough for him to sis'll Thom, Meanwhile, Webster had] negotiating with Denver, wkjj then in the ABA. I remember calling 1^ home at the time and lie tell, was on his way to the airportj Denver, said Donovan. The Knieks missed getting! ter the first time, hut landtj the second time around. They felt very good aboutn it they did it bv default. , f J&-<, ' A V. - ■fv. lili#- ■■ ■ OUR NEW PLASTIC DOTTLE MAKES TWO LITERS LIGHTER The only woy to moke Dr Pepper's great toste easier to pick up on, is to moke the bottle easier to pick up. So that's exactly whot we did. With a new non-returnable plastic bottle that's a whole lot lighter than a gloss bottle. Shatterproof, too. Whot's more, our new bottle hos o special neck grip which also mokes Dr Pepper easier to pick up. Easier to pour. All in all, whot could be better? You get our new, lighter two-liter bottle. And inside, 67.6 ounces of our great tasting original soft drink. So, be o Pepper. Drink Dr Pepper in the new plastic bottle. Dr Pepper® and Pepper ": are regisrered Trademarks of rhe Dr Pepper Company, Dallas, Texas 1978. iser l le sai ectio illnu :ent. n me it firs — Ti pr T< fri M Pi