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Sabonis gives Thumbs Up to Blazers' Revamped Roster.

by Steve Brandon | The Oregonian | Oct 8, 1999

If Paul Allen had a dollar for every time this has been said, he might not need his Microsoft stock: The Trail Blazers would have won at least a couple of NBA championships if Arvydas Sabonis had been here with Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams. Now Sabonis is on a Blazers team that includes Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire, Brian Grant, Rasheed Wallace, Detlef Schrempf and a few other former or future NBA starters. Are some championships in the Blazers' immediate future? "Everything is possible with this team," Sabonis said Thursday, the third day of the team's six-day training camp. A few years ago, Sabonis said he dreamed about playing with Michael Jordan. Although that dream probably never will become reality, Sabonis seems happy to be playing with Pippen, Jordan's best teammate on six championship teams in Chicago. "Scottie Pippen, any team would like to have him," Sabonis said. Also new to the starting lineup is Smith, who could face Sabonis if the United States and Lithuania meet in the 2000 Olympics. And one of the Blazers' new reserves is Detlef Schrempf, a member of Germany's 1992 Olympic team. "The change is for the good," Sabonis said of the Blazers' off- season additions. "These are big-name players with a lot of experience. We have many good players, and now it depends how quickly we come together and get comfortable on the court." Sabonis, who has two years remaining on his Blazers contract, looks the same as he has since he came to Portland in 1995, nine years after the franchise drafted him. "I do not change," he said. Sabonis professes not to work hard during the off-season, but every year he returns to the Blazers in decent shape. He runs slower than everyone else, of course, but he has not been taking it easy in the team's tortuous running drills. He has made some big defensive plays during scrimmages and passes the ball as well as any center. "I love him," said Joe Kleine, the 37-year-old backup center who joined the Blazers on Wednesday. "I didn't like playing against him, but I love watching him pass." After almost every practice, Pippen has mentioned how much he likes playing with Sabonis. Sabonis averaged 2.38 assists per game last season. If this team runs much half-court offense, that figure should go up. "There are many more people to make points," he said. The Blazers are talking about a slight reduction in playing time for Sabonis, 34. He averaged 32.0 minutes per game two seasons ago but might be closer to the 23.8 he averaged as a rookie in 1995-96, when he primarily played the second and fourth quarters. Sabonis has made it through four NBA seasons, however, without a serious injury. He has played in 291 of 322 games. He has missed seven games because of back spasms or back strain, 11 games with a swollen calf, six games with a bruised hip, two games with a sore ankle, two games with a bruised quadriceps, and one game each with a sore knee, sprained hand and viral infection. "He is very important to this team," said Schrempf, who has been playing mostly against Sabonis in camp scrimmages between the first and second units. "He understands that against certain teams he will have to play more than against others. "I hope I get to play a little bit with him. That would be fun." Notes: Kleine worked with the first string Thursday, coming in when Sabonis needed a break. Jermaine O'Neal jumped center for the second team. . . . Kleine, on why he signed with the Blazers: "First of all, it's a million dollars, and that's a ton of money. Then you get to play here -- a great city, everything is first class. You kind of want to punch yourself at night and check to see if you got five lottery numbers or something." . . . Tim Grover, personal trainer to Jordan, Pippen and dozens of other NBA players, has been at camp, keeping an eye on Pippen and discussing whether he will be here on a regular basis. You can reach Steve Brandon at 503-221-8166 or by e- mail at stevebrandon@news.oregonian.com Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.