Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 26, 1990 TAG: 9004260078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Long
You would have to say Reid has come up short if you sized up his pro debut. That's no knock on the former University of North Carolina star from Virginia Beach, though. At 6 feet 9, 255 pounds, Reid has played out of position as the Hornets' center.
"It's been frustrating sometimes, but I understand the situation," Reid said during the last week of the NBA regular season. "I'm really a power forward playing center. It's tough enough trying to make the transition to playing in a league where you have the greatest players in the world. When you're trying to shoot over 7-footers all of the time, that makes it more difficult."
Reid has taken a pounding, but he hasn't been intimidated. In his second NBA game, he lost a front tooth. He has been fined $1,000 twice by the NBA for his role in scuffles. After playing against the likes of Patrick Ewing, rookie David Robinson, Kevin Duckworth and Robert Parish, battling 6-10 Moses Malone seems a lot easier. But for Reid, Akeem Olajuwon is no dream.
"It's very important that I've gone out and established that I'm not going to get pushed around," said Reid, who left college after his junior season and became the fifth pick in the 1989 draft. "Not that you want to get into fights. You just want to go out and show people you won't be pushed around.
"Everybody tries to see what you're made of when you're a rookie. I was told that, and it was true. I'd like to play power forward, but we have Armon Gilliam there, and we both have to play. I understand that. I'd like to play power forward, and I hope we can draft a center, but as long as I'm playing I'm happy."
San Antonio's Robinson is a lock for NBA rookie of the year. But Reid has been one of the league's more productive first-year men. Among rookies, only Robinson has more rebounds than Reid. Only Robinson, Miami's Glen Rice and Golden State's duo of Tim Hardaway and Sarunas Marciulionis - "Lithuanian Lightning" - have outscored Reid. The Hornets' lone rookie averaged 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.
"One reason I've made good progress this season is I've gotten the chance to play," said Reid, who averaged 34 minutes per game. "A lot of other rookies haven't had the opportunity I have. I could have easily gone to Chicago [as the sixth pick] instead of Stacey King.
"The Bulls' record is much better, but Stacey hasn't gotten the chance to play like I have here. That's just going to make me a better player.
"And I still feel pretty good. I haven't `hit the wall' or anything like that. Three or four weeks ago, Gene [Littles, the Hornets' coach] took a few of my minutes and that little bit of a breather really helped me."
It is Reid's opinion that he is a better rebounder than most observers expected. Offensively, his contribution hasn't been what it might have been because of his position. When Charlotte acquired Gilliam from Phoenix in mid-December, the power forward's offensive game cut into Reid's point production.
"I've always thought I was a good offensive player," Reid said. "But I wasn't in the offense a whole lot this year. Some games, I've taken only five or six shots. A lot of the time, my role has been to lift out the other centers to open the middle for the offense. I haven't been in the offense as much as I'd like, but the time will come for that.
"I'm the new guy here. We had scorers already - like Rex Chapman, Dell Curry and Kelly Tripucka - and then we added Armon. They didn't need me to score, and scoring was tougher where I was playing. It's much easier scoring from the four-spot [power forward] than the five."
Littles said it is important that Reid not psych himself out of playing the pivot, because - unless the Hornets can draft a center - it is likely he will play there again next season.
"The thing about J.R. is that at 6-9, he's quicker than 6-11 guys, and he's more talented than a lot of the centers in this league," Littles said. "He spends too much time thinking other guys are too big for him, and then he gets frustrated. The bigger centers do give him problems. He can't post up on them. But he's still learning the game."
Littles said Reid can become an NBA star, and that he has exceeded the Hornets' expectations. Teammates agree.
"J.R. is maturing, and he's going to have to mature a little more," said Charlotte playmaker Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues. "He still has to totally realize what he can get away with in this league and what he can't. He can definitely be one of the top players in this league in future years, but J.R. has got to realize that he's got to work on his game in the summer and just not take it off."
Off the floor, Reid's difficulty has been driving. He has seven traffic violations in North Carolina in three years, state Division of Motor Vehicles officials have said. On April 2, Reid's driving privilege was suspended for 60 days for violating his probation by driving recklessly. Reid has been convicted four times for speeding and once for reckless driving since August 1987.
His basketball record is much more positive.
Robinson, the former Navy All-American, was Reid's teammate during the 1988 Olympics. He sees a "new" player as a pro opponent.
"J.R. is a lot different player, much different than he was," Robinson said. "He shoots the jumper well, and he always has been good at using pump fakes and getting the ball around the basket and scoring in there. I can just tell the difference from the experience and the minutes he's gotten out here.
"Center's a tough spot in this league, and he's done a pretty creditable job in there for a 6-9 player."
Reid's goal as a rookie was to prosper and learn with a second-year team he knew was going to lose big. Littles said Reid can play center in the NBA, and he likely will make the NBA's all-rookie team.
"I just wanted to prove I could come in and play in this league," Reid said. "I wanted to improve from the start to the end, and my defense and rebounding have improved.
"I'm disappointed with my shooting [44 percent]. I'm not shooting as well as I know I can. The players in this league are tough, and it wears on you during the season. There are no breaks, no breathers like in college ball. Every night is tough, whether the guy you're playing against is 7-1 or 6-9."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB