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LYON21.htm
The Philadelphia Inquirer Sports
Saturday, June 21, 1997
New administration gets off to fast start with first trade
[INLINE]
The 76ers have made a trade, and all by itself this qualifies as news.
That it also looks like a good trade is something of a bonus.
For this is one trade more than the previous regime made during its
entire tenure, and if ever a franchise needs a thorough overhauling
and cannot afford inertia it is this one.
So the new administration has hit the ground running and has announced
its intentions, and the brisk pace is promising. The first swap of the
Larry Brown-Billy King era appears to offer several advantages:
* The acquisition of Dino Radja from Boston furnishes sorely needed
size, and of all that the Sixers have lacked, size has been the most
obvious and most glaring.
* The shipping off of Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage opens up
a roster spot on a team that is desperate for bodies.
* Radja is a hedge against Derrick Coleman, whose attitude appears to
be regressing even further, if that is possible.
* If Coleman decides to play, then the Sixers have two sizable bodies
available, two people to rebound, thus enabling the Sixers to use the
three-guard set that holds Brown, their new coach, in such thrall.
* Radja also provides the Sixers with more options in next week's
draft. They are no longer virtually forced to go for a big man.
Indeed, Brown never hesitated yesterday in listing his preference for
whom the Sixers might take with the No. 2 pick.
In order, he cited: Colorado's Chauncey Billups, Texas Tech's Tony
Battie and Utah's Keith Van Horn. Notice that is not in alphabetical
order.
Reading Brown, you envision Billups as the point guard, with Allen
Iverson the off-guard and Jerry Stackhouse playing a lot of small
forward.
This would free Iverson from so much ballhandling, and so much ball
dominating. The rest of the team might then be encouraged to actually
run a play instead of standing and watching.
Moving Stackhouse, a natural slasher, to a position less dependent on
outside shooting should automatically improve his confidence and
enhance his comfort zone. And yes, Brown reaffirmed, the Sixers want
to keep Stackhouse, all trade rumors to the contrary.
Radja is a legitimate 6-foot-11. He has touch and versatility. He is
only 30. This is the red flag: He hasn't played a full season in the
last two years.
``Neither has our big guy,'' said Brown, wryly.
Radja had arthroscopic knee surgery in January (called ``a clean-up'')
and never returned to the lineup, but King, the Sixers' vice president
of basketball administration, said he had been told Radja was healthy
enough.
Hmmmm. Were the Celtics running a game? Are they running one now?
Radja must be examined by the Sixers' medical people, and the trade
won't happen if he fails.
The Sixers do lose something in the deal, and that is a couple of
class people. Cage is simply a shot player, but a nicer gentleman
never occupied a locker room. And Weatherspoon always has been a
personal favorite of mine for his honest, earnest labor and for the
admirable way he endured. He never allowed all that losing to affect
his performance or his attitude.
But he didn't ``fit'' here and probably will profit from a change. It
is worth noting that Brown said he polled all of the Sixers and
Weatherspoon was their favorite.
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Coleman problem looms large
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He didn't mention who was the least favorite, but you could tell who
was Brown's least favorite. When Coleman's name was brought up,
Brown's voice lost its soft edge and his pupils dilated. Normally a
reserved man who speaks easily, Brown had to pause and search and sift
through his anger to find the words he wanted.
Finally he settled on ``taken aback.''
That was how he described his reaction to his conversation with
Coleman right after Brown had been named coach on May 5.
``He told me he didn't want to be here and he didn't think we had
players who would ever win,'' Brown said.
As Brown talked, it became apparent that the Coleman situation has
deteriorated beyond intolerable. It was written here a few weeks ago
that the Sixers were so anxious to be rid of Coleman that they would
even take the extreme measure of paying him for not playing.
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Take our big man, please
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Well, yesterday Brown made it official: The Sixers would, in effect,
be willing to give Coleman away. All they ask is that you take his
contract. They don't want another player; they don't want a draft
pick.
``If someone were to just take his contract, that's value in my
mind,'' Brown said.
Coleman has been shopped around the league, not only with the Sixers'
knowledge but with their urging. Still, no serious offers.
``He doesn't want to be here, and no one wants him,'' said Brown,
glumly.
What a pathetic state of affairs.
What is encouraging is that the new Sixers administration already has
acted before the draft. Actually, that it has acted at all is a
departure. At least there will be more than wringing of hands.
It is failure to allow losing to become an epidemic. But it is
unforgivable failure to do nothing to remedy it.
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Saturday, June 21, 1997