Tidbits

[Chris Littlefield <chrisl@mjr.com>]

Hey folks,

	Anyone who went to the rookie/free agent camp at Brandeis this
summer remembers Keith Closs.  He was the 7-3, 200 lb, jump-shooting
shotblocker.  He did real well but did not go to Atlanta because he had a
previous commitment to play for the Lakers in the Fila Summer Pro League.
Frankly, he brings many of the same thing to the table that Travis Knight
does.  But he could've come much cheaper...

	Here's the article:



Lakers have big hole to fill

LONG BEACH, Calif. - When Travis Knight cleaned out his locker and headed
for Boston two weeks ago, the Los Angeles
Lakers were left with a big hole on their roster - a 7-foot hole.

The Lakers want a backup to Shaquille O'Neal, and Keith Closs, Paul Rogers
and Seth Sundberg want the job.

At the FILA Summer Pro League, all three were on the Lakers'
invitation-only squad, all aiming to make good first impressions.

Closs, a lanky 7-3 center out of Central Connecticut, seems the
front-runner. Through six games, he has averaged 12.5 points,
6.5 rebounds and five blocks.

With his fluid movement, Closs easily beats opponents and his deft
shot-blocking enables him to stay in the game without getting
into foul trouble.

''I feel my strengths are my quick feet and being able to run my man up and
down the floor every night,'' Closs said. ''I also
think I have a good touch from the outside. I'm able to grasp everything
quickly, I'm very attentive and I show a willingness to
learn.''

Lakers assistant coach Larry Drew will be among those deciding who is
invited to fall camp.

''All three of them are very good big men, but I think right now Keith has
shown, maybe, to be a little better than the other guys,''
he said. ''He's really played well in the summer league.''

The Lakers' main concern with Closs is his strength. He weighs only 212
pounds. Rogers and Sundberg have no such problems.
Rogers, the 54th pick in this year's draft, is 7-0 and 238 pounds; Sundberg
is 7-1 and 265 pounds.

Rogers averaged 15 points and 6.3 rebounds during his senior year at
Gonzaga. He fractured his right foot during the fourth game
of the season and missed the rest of the year. He considers himself more a
power forward, although he can play center.

''I think I run the floor well, I'm pretty mobile and I think I can face up
and play face basketball,'' Rogers said. ''I'm also a good
team player, I like to pass. I just want to win, really.''

Through five summer league games, he has averaged nine points and four
rebounds.

''Paul, I think, has proven he's capable because he has the size, he has
the strength and he knows how to play the game,'' Drew
said. ''He's really proven to be a good pickup for us.''

Sundberg, struggling in summer league play, is more of a throwback to the
prototype NBA center who can bang inside. He uses
his bulk to maneuver inside.

''My back to the basket is probably my strongest point,'' Sundberg said.
''I know I'm not playing my best basketball right now
so that's kind of disappointing. But I'm just going to keep playing hard
and hopefully coach will give me a shot and I'll be able to
prove to him that I'm a good player.''

Sundberg averaged 7.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and two blocks during his senior
year at Hawaii before a lacerated spleen sidelined
him during the team's stretch run. He has averaged 2.2 points, four
rebounds and one block in six summer league games.

But there's a lot of summer league left before play shifts to Utah on Aug. 3.

''Seth hasn't been getting a lot of minutes so it's really hard to make a
decision on him,'' Drew said. ''He is a big, strong guy
who hasn't been getting as many minutes as Keith, but I think he's also
capable.''

Like the 7-0, 235-pound Knight, the player who wins the job will be asked
to take up space, filling in occasionally for O'Neal or
power forward Elden Campbell.

Knight got his big chance when he was moved from benchwarmer to starting
power forward after O'Neal was injured and
Campbell became the center.

''We're really looking for a big guy that does the little things,'' Drew
said. ''A guy that can set picks, a guy that can run the floor,
a guy that can pretty much control his territory.''

Knight did just that and look what it got him - a seven-year, $22 million
contract with the Celtics.