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Sabonis in foul mood after close loss to Yugoslavia
Arvydas Sabonis cares.
The 7-foot-3 center takes his basketball -- at least his international
play -- very seriously.
Sabonis, who has said he wants to play for the Trail Blazers next season,
was in tears after the Lithuanian national team's loss to Yugoslavia in
Sunday's bizarre European Championships final.
The Lithuanians blasted the officiating during and after the game at
Athens, Greece.
Sabonis fouled out with five minutes left. With two minutes to go and
Yugoslavia ahead by four points, American referee George Toliver called
a controversial charging foul against Lithuania. Sabonis reportedly
made a lewd gesture at Toliver, an action that brought the former
Spanish League star his second technical foul.
The Lithuanians abruptly went to their bench and almost refused to go
back out on the court. Sabonis later indicated he would have been
willing to pay any fine the team would have incurred. But the
Lithuanians eventually chose to finish the game.
By finishing in the tournament's top four, Lithuania qualified for the
1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The Games will keep Sabonis very busy between
his freshman and sophomore NBA seasons. He certainly will want to give
the Olympics maximum effort and enthusiasm, perhaps even more than he
did in Barcelona in 1992.
Can Sabonis muster the same energy and emotion five times a year against
the Los Angeles Clippers, let alone 82 times an NBA season? And how will
he get along with NBA referees?
The European Championships apparently weren't the first place Sabonis
has had conflicts with international officials. Just wait until he tries
to match colorful words with NBA veteran Joe Crawford, or challenges
some young hotshot referee such as Steve Javie.
- Film at 11
The Blazers, by the way, said they didn't send anyone to Athens to watch
Sabonis.
"He's a draft pick we have the rights to, so there's no reason we needed
to be there," general manager Bob Whitsitt said. "If he were a free
agent, it would be different. We probably never would have left Europe."
They are getting videos of the games, however.
- A free agent
Brad Greenberg, who will not be retained by the Blazers, is passing out
resumes -- and keeping quiet about his relationship with Whitsitt.
"I'm going to pursue other opportunities in the NBA," Greenberg said. "I
prefer not to make any other comments."
Greenberg, who left the club on Friday when Whitsitt showed him the door,
had been with the Blazers for seven seasons. Theoretically, as vice
president of player personnel, Greenberg was second in command to
Whitsitt on the basketball side of operations. But that's a little like
saying Zan Tabak was second to Hakeem Olajuwon among Houston Rockets
centers.
Greenberg said he was thankful "just to be a part of a fine organization
and to have had a hand in helping put together some excellent teams. I
have a lot of great memories of the players that I got to know, and the
coaches, and the people in the office."
Later this summer, senior scouting consultant Bucky Buckwalter also is
expected to leave the Blazers.
- Trent tidbits
The Blazers had planned to bring draft-day acquisition Gary Trent to
Portland for a press conference this week, but the NBA lockout made that
impossible. . . . The 6-foot-7 Trent was a 68.7 percent free-throw
shooter at Ohio University. He made only 64.2 percent last season,
though. . . . The Blazers said Trent can bench press 400 pounds. Trent
said that isn't true; he hasn't gotten above 375. That won't make him
any less popular with Mick Smith, the Blazers' strength and conditioning
coach. . . . Trent was one of 14 players taken in the 29-player first
round who could wind up playing power forward in the NBA.
- No trade talk -- for now
Blazers officials say that for now they have no plans to seek a trade
with Minnesota for Kevin Garnett when the lockout ends. The Timberwolves
will be trying to unload Isaiah Rider. . . . The 19-year-old Garnett was
the only high draft pick to address reporters as "sir" and "ma'am" in
Toronto last week. . . . "Be patient with us; this is part of the
program," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said after taking Garnett with
the No. 5 pick. "This is a very young person but a person who, with the
assistance of others, can lead us to our desired goal of being a very
good team."
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