Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 27, 1993 TAG: 9310270176
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
In fact, they are the same pants. Under his Los Angeles Lakers game trunks, the former North Carolina star wears the same blue practice shorts he did during his days at the Dean Dome.
"It's sort of a tradition," Lynch said Tuesday night before the Lakers' 105-104 preseason victory over the Washington Bullets at the sold-out Charleston Civic Center. "A lot of Carolina players who went to the NBA before me, guys like Hubert Davis and Rick Fox, still wear them.
"It's more a Carolina pride thing. For me, it's a confidence thing, and when you're a rookie in this league, you need confidence. James did it once, too."
That's James Worthy, Lynch's fellow UNC alum, Lakers teammate and fellow backup at small forward. A recent NBA retiree named Michael also wore blue under his Bullish red.
So, maybe there's something to this short story. Lynch may have been a surprise pick at No. 12 in the first round of the June draft, but the Lakers insist they weren't gambling on a player whose college career was quietly stellar.
"Like most North Carolina players, George knows how to play the game," said Jerry West, the Lakers' general manager. "Defensively, he's better than most rookies. He's shown us he's agile enough to go out and play people up front if he has to.
"To me, his ballhandling has been the one pleasant surprise. We picked George where we did because of our free-agent situation. We wanted to have our bases covered. We also thought he was a player who would last 10 years in this league, based on his background and ability."
An NBA career that begins with a five-year, $9.2 million contract and then a first week of training camp in Honolulu can only be so difficult, but Lynch admits his first days as a pro "have been trying. There's a lot to learn. It's like being a freshman in college, only more difficult.
"It's like starting all over again."
That is different from starting, which Lynch did his last three seasons at Carolina, finishing as the first Roanoker to play in the Final Four and win an NCAA championship. He and former Duke star Christian Laettner may be the only players in ACC history with 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 assists and 200 steals, but that won't get him minutes now.
Just Tuesday afternoon before he was given a close-to-home start, second-year Lakers coach Randy Pfund told Lynch he'd like to see more rebounding from the 6-foot-7 1/2, 223-pounder from the small forward spot. Lynch, 23, also will play more power forward in the last 10 days before the club's Nov. 5 opener against Phoenix.
Lynch's skill around the hoop was sought because the rebuilding Lakers expected to lose forward A.C. Green to free agency - which they did, to the Western Conference champion Phoenix Barkleys.
If the Lakers' preseason plans evolve as expected, Pfund is expected to start Doug Christie at small forward, with Worthy as the backup, in front of Lynch, who is also playing behind Elden Campbell at power forward.
Lynch has averaged 6.5 points, 3 rebounds and 16 minutes in the Lakers' first four preseason games. The opportunity couldn't be better for a distinctly blue-collar player with perhaps the NBA's most glamourous franchise.
The Lakers are coming off a 39-43 year, their first season below .500 since 1975-76. Then, they started to Kareem opponents. Pfund is building a younger team that plans to run more in a tough Pacific Division.
"Everything is tough in the NBA," Lynch said. "It's all one-on-one, and that makes it much tougher. People always said I was physical under the basket, but there's much more contact here than I expected."
Lynch said he never pictured himself in an NBA uniform back when he helped Patrick Henry High School win the 1988 Virginia Group AAA state championship. His vision is more focused now.
"After a couple of years at North Carolina, I thought I might be able to play up here. I'm just learning again, and I'm trying to do it with and against the best players in the world.
"I was on a state championship team in high school. I was on a national championship team in college. There's one more championship for me to play for, and that's my next goal.
"My opinion is if you're in the NBA and you don't have that goal, then you shouldn't be in the league."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB