Friday, October 31,1986/The Battalion/Page 15
BA commences season
ith nine-game schedule
The Philadel
phia 76ers and
Washington Bul
lets will put drasti-
A ■ cally changed
v teams on the floor
® when the NBA
\ opens its 41st sea-
son tonight with
nine games.
^ The 76ers, who
traded Moses Ma-
r 1 \ S lone, Terry Cat-
W ledge and the first
pick in the 1986
Idraii, entertain the Indiana Pacers
and their new coach, Jack Ramsay,
while the Bullets travel to Boston,
where the Celtics open defense of
the NBA title they won in June.
|,;fAmong the new faces for Phila
delphia and Coach Matt Guokas are
Jeff Ruland, Roy Hinson, Cliff Rob
inson and Tim McCormick, who join
Charles Barkley on the front line.
Guard Andrew Toney, back from
last season’s injuries, will team with
holdovers Julius Erving, Maurice
Cheeks and Sedale Threatt in the
backcourt.
“I haven’t come to Philadelphia to
make people forget Moses Malone,”
the 6-foot-11 Ruland said. “I’m here
to do a job and help the 76ers win.
That’s all I care about.
“I know people will compare us.
That’s OK. Moses is a great player,
but I consider myself a great player,
too. Coach Guokas prefers a more
up-tempo style of play and that is
how this year’s team is put together,
which suits me fine.”
Other openers Friday night pair
New York at New Jersey, Milwaukee
at Detroit, Utah at Dallas, San Anto
nio at Denver, Golden State at Phoe
nix, the Los Angeles Clippers at Sac
ramento, and Seattle at Portland.
Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers
are at Houston for a nationally tele
vised game.
On draft day last June, Malone
was traded to the Bullets, along with
Catledge and a couple of future No.
1 draft picks for Ruland and Robin-
The 76ers were gambling that
Ruland, who played only 67 games
the past two seasons, could become a
durable player again.
Ruland, who is averaging 18.7
points and 10.8 rebounds for his
five-year career, promises that the
injuries are behind him.
A slimmed-down Malone prom
ises revenge on the 76ers, who first
play the Bullets on Christmas Day.
purs to open against Nuggets
ith rookie head coach aboard
rs jotin
nd we 1
| DENVER (AP) — San Anto-
nio’s Bob Weiss makes his NBA
head coaching debut against the
||)enver Nuggets tonight, hoping
'|jo improve the Spurs’ sixth-place
Binish last year in the Midwest Di
vision.
Weiss, who was an assistant un
der Dick Motta at Dallas, plans to
inject a passing game offense into
| the Spurs, a la Motta.
“We have not announced any
toals because that could be a bit
langerous,” Weiss said. “I don’t
like goals that are too low because
they might create a low self-image
bv the team, and goals that are
too high sometimes can destroy a
team’s confidence.”
Weiss said, “The Spurs are
coming off perhaps one of their
lowest points in club history.”
There will be some new faces
on the roster.
The Spurs, who were demo
lished in three straight games by
the Los Angeles Lakers in last
year’s playoffs, obtained veteran
forward Mychal Thompson from
Portland for Steve Johnson.
In the process, the Spurs ob
tained the rights to 6-10, 245-
pound rookie Larry Krystkowiak,
who was drafted in the second
round by Chicago.
These two players give the
Spurs some more inside bulk to
go with holdovers Artis Gilmore
and David Greenwood. The
other forward job goes to leading
scorer Mike Mitchell.
If guard Johnny Moore can bo
unce back from his bout with a
rare desert fever, the Spurs will
have a dynamic backcourt duo
because Alvin Robertson was a
starter in the All-Star game.
Robertson was named the
NBA’s Defensive Player of the
Year.
Rookie guard Johnny Dawkins
of Duke is expected to create
some exciting moments for
Spurs’ fans.
Yea
p has i
ill lean
IWay advances in Seiko Championship
■UCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Bob
Twav advanced easily, but Tom
Watson was upset Thursday in the
first round of the Seiko Tucson
Match Play Championship.
Tv ay, already assured of PGA
Player of the Year honors, moved
closer to the money-winning title
with his 68-75 victory over Brett Up
per in the final official event on the
10-month PGA Tour.
Watson, who disqualified himself
for an inadvertent breach of the
rules last week in San Antonio, was
ousted by David Edwards 66-72.
Tway now needs only a win over
Steve Pate in Friday’s second round
to clinch the money-winning title.
BUDWEISER®*KING OF BEERS®*ANHEUSER-BUSCH. INC.«ST. LOUIS
itteei ! |
^ Call Battalion Classified 845-2611
TANK MCNAMARA* by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds
Mavericks pin hopes on Tarpiey;
open season against Jazz tonight
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mav
ericks open the 1986 NBA season at
home against the Utah Jazz Friday
night with high hopes for a higher
finish in the Midwest Division be
cause of rookie Roy Tarpiey of
Michigan.
Tarpiey, a first-round draft
choice, was impressive during the
preseason at power forward.
Mavericks’ Coach Dick Motta says
“I may have to change my policy
about rookies.”
Historically, Motta has been slow
to work rookies into his lineup and
doesn’t depend on them a lot.
However, the 7-foot Tarpiey gives
the Mavericks much-needed bulk
under the basket, and he has dis
played an excellent shooting touch.
“We have some interesting possi
bilities with him in the lineup,” said
Motta, who could field a front line of
Tarpiey, 7-2 James Donaldson and
6-9 Sam Perkins.
Another rookie who could help is
fourth-round draft pick Myron
Jackson, a 6-3 guard from Arkansas-
Little Rock, who had a good training
camp.
Guard A1 Wood, obtained in an
off-season trade, is expected to give
the Mavs, the second-highest scoring
team in the NBA, even more offen
sive punch.
Mark Aguirre, who averaged 22
points per game, and All-NBA Ro
lando Blackman, who averaged 21
points, return for the Mavs, who fin
ished third in the Midwest with a 44-
38 record.
The Mavs are a fast-breaking
team.
“Winning now is related to how
many easy baskets you get,” Motta
says, “so we’ll continue to work on
pushing the ball up without throw
ing it away. With Donaldson’s im
proved outlet passing and Harper’s
improved judgment on the break,
we can score.”
Motta says “This year we will also
place more emphasis on defense.”
The Mavs also need to play better
at home. They were only 26-15 last
year despite averaging 16,904 fans
in Reunion Arena.
Rockets cut Ehlo to reach 12-player roster
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston
Rockets placed 7-foot-4 forward
Ralph Sampson on the injured list
and cut veteran reserve guard Craig
Ehlo Thursday to reach the NBA’s
12-player roster limit.
Sampson, who suffered a
sprained ankle during the exhibition
season, must sit out at least five
games, meaning he will miss Satur
day’s season opener in The Summit
against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The earliest that Sampson could
return would be for the Rockets’
game at Dallas Nov. 12.
Ehlo was a
third-round
draft pick
from Wash
ington State
in 1983. He
averaged 2.7
points in 36
games last
season.
Four
Rockets have made the team that
were not a part of last year’s Western
Conference championship team.
They are first-round draft choice
Buck Johnson of Alabama, second-
round pick Dave Feitl of Texas-El
Paso, fourth-round pick Conner
Henry of California Santa Barbara
and free agent Richard Anderson.
The Rockets earlier traded Gran
ville Waiters and cut Hank McDow
ell, both members of last year’s title
team.
Houston also will open the season
with guard Robert Reid hobbled by a
knee injury.
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