Should The Celtics Go After Bison Dele ? Sam Smith Says He's Available

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

Charlotte Observer
Posted at 5:21 p.m. EST                       
Saturday, November 28, 1998
  

Bison Dele, a.k.a. Brian
Williams, may be on trading
block when lockout ends

          By SAM SMITH
        Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO -- The Bulls wanted to
keep Brian Williams in his
pre-Bison days, but were unable
to under the existing
salary-cap rules. Maybe they
can replace one wacky forward
with another.

The word out of Detroit is that
once the lockout ends, the
Pistons may attempt to deal
Bison Dele, nee Williams.

Whatever the new rules are, the
Pistons will be among the teams
with the most money available
under the salary cap, and they
want to re-sign Jerry
Stackhouse and add two free
agents.

That would rule out a big-money
free agent such as Scottie
Pippen or Tom Gugliotta. So the
talk is the Pistons may make a
run at Christian Laettner, who
is rehabilitating an Achilles'
tendon injury that might
substantially reduce his value.
The thinking is that Laettner,
never very speedy, has good
range and can spread the floor
for Grant Hill and Stackhouse.
The Pistons also are said to be
serious about signing former
76er Derrick Coleman, who is
from Detroit.

Coleman, while missing almost
50 games with injuries the last
two seasons, still averaged
about 18 points and 10 rebounds
a game. And with $5 million
already in the bank from a
76ers buyout, he is not
expected to be too demanding.

What could stop the plan is new
Pistons assistant coach Gar
Heard, who was in Philadelphia
with Coleman last season. Heard
knows Coleman wasn't exactly
cooperative all the time. And
it's unlikely Coleman could
play with Dele. Last season,
when Dele was Williams, Coleman
came into the Pistons' locker
room after a game and slapped
him in the face.

For various reasons, the
Pistons aren't sure they want
to pay Dele the $41 he has left
on his contract.

Lockout follies: If you are a
Bulls fan, you might want to
root for no NBA season in
1998-99, because there might
not be a team more unprepared
for a season than the Bulls.

The Bulls and Clippers are the
only teams without an official
head coach, although the Bulls
are leaning to Tim Floyd and
the Clippers to Jim Brewer. The
Bulls have the fewest players
under contract (four) of any
team in the league. And because
Michael Jordan refuses to say
whether he'll play, the front
office cannot plan for what
team it will have. Plus few
Bulls players work out together
or even see each other, while
some teams, like the Pacers,
are having daily workouts
involving 10 or more players.

``We don't have the coaches
pushing us,'' Pacers forward
Antonio Davis said. ``We're
pushing ourselves. We
apparently have more players
living in the area in the
off-season than other teams.''

Center Rik Smits, a free agent,
has been working out with the
Pacers almost daily, making
other coaches jealous.

Said Knicks coach Jeff Van
Gundy: ``They have 11, 12 guys
working together. That team
definitely will have a jump
because they are more
committed. They're going about
it the right way. For our team,
I haven't heard those
reports.''

The Jazz also has a significant
number of players involved in
regular workouts, but Karl
Malone isn't one of them.

Games people play: Still no
definitive word on the players'
exhibition game that was being
planned for Saturday in Las
Vegas. One Las Vegas arena
manager said he has been asked
to provide his building to the
players rent-free to assist
them while they're out of work.

Meanwhile, Chicago native Tim
Hardaway has organized an
exhibition game for Friday to
benefit the Ft. Lauderdale
Children's Cancer Caring
Center. Hardaway expects Miami
Heat teammates P.J. Brown,
Jamal Mashburn and Voshon
Lenard to play, along with Glen
Rice, Isaac Austin, Mitch
Richmond, Michael Finley, Allan
Houston, Michael Curry and
David Wesley.

Said Hardaway: ``Everybody's
starving here in Miami to see
some basketball. And guys want
to play in front of somebody.''

Kenny Smith says he's putting
together a game in Dallas the
following day and expects to
have Shaquille O'Neal, Juwan
Howard, Anfernee Hardaway and
Stephon Marbury involved.

Quick hits: Former Bull Orlando
Woolridge, recently named coach
of the WNBA's Los Angeles
Sparks, joins former Bulls
assistant Jim Cleamons
(Condors) and former
Celtics/Sonics coach K.C. Jones
(New England Blizzard) as
coaches of women's pro teams. .
. . Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, working
on a $1 million deal, was sent
home from Turkey after a week.
. . . Robert Horry, clearly not
optimistic about a labor
settlement, registered for
spring classes to finish his
degree at Alabama.

. . . Dallas has released Mark
Aguirre from his personnel job.
. . . Warriors insiders say the
team's top priority, even
before dumping Latrell
Sprewell, is to re-sign former
Bull Jason Caffey. Coach P.J.
Carlesimo visited Caffey before
the lockout went into effect
and told him the Warriors are
looking at him as a team
leader. . . . With Charlie Ward
possibly leaving as a free
agent and the team trying to
dump Chris Childs, the Knicks
are expected to sign 6-4 guard
Oded Kattash from Israel. Said
Nets center Jayson Williams,
who has practiced with Kattash:
``He's got a street game. Most
guys come from overseas and
want to be a straight-up
shooter. This guy can cross
over, go through his legs,
create his own shot.'' . . .

X X X

(c) 1998, Chicago Tribune.

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AP-NY-11-28-98 1711EST