All-Stars Set Mark For Pain

Looking at the bright side, it’s already a record-setting All-Star game.

Five all-stars - Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing - will miss Sunday’s game in Cleveland because of injuries, breaking the old record of three set in 1962.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Utah’s John Stockton. “Any time guys get injured it detracts from the game, whether it’s this game or any regular-season game. But there’s not a lot you can do about it, either.

“I think people look forward to seeing Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, and to have them hurt will disappoint some folks. But the other side of it is you get to see some other guys in this game, and that may be every bit as exciting.”

The absence of O’Neal, Mourning and Ewing means that only two true centers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo, will be playing.

“We’re going to go the 6-foot-5 and under route. I might just start Joe Dumars at center,” Eastern Conference coach Doug Collins said.

Call them the Faulty Fivesome, but don’t call them the Five Fakers. None of the healthy all-stars seemed to doubt that the injuries were legitimate.

The replacements for injured players in the Western Conference are Detlef Schrempf, Kevin Garnett and Chris Gatling. The Eastern Conference replacements are Chris Webber and Dumars.

Jordan leads Fab 50 no-shows

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, skipped their historic first gathering Friday, as did his buddy Charles Barkley.

The consensus among those who showed up was that His Airness and Sir Charles were on the links, trying to determine who’s the greater golfer.

“They’re probably playing golf right now as we speak,” said Billy Cunningham, who coached Barkley at Philadelphia.

There was no proof, but Jordan and Barkley had been expected to skip Friday’s All-Star events and hit the links in Las Vegas. Barkley said last week that he wouldn’t attend the meeting of the NBA greats.

“Let me put it this way: I’m not going to be there,” Barkley said. “A couple of the 50 greatest won’t be there Friday.

“I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday. Can’t they let me have my one day off per season?”

Being fashionably late to All-Star weekend has become a Jordan and Barkley tradition. They skipped media day in San Antonio last year and paid $10,000 fines.

Jordan and Barkley weren’t the only no-shows; they were just the only expected ones. Among those not seen at the meeting with the media were Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lenny Wilkens, Bill Walton, George Gervin, Dave Bing, Shaquille O’Neal and Hal Greer.

Nelson trims some fat

Don Nelson took over as general manager of the Dallas Mavericks on Friday and immediately got rid of a player, overweight and unhappy center Oliver Miller.

Nelson, the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history, has feuded publicly with such players as Chris Webber and Patrick Ewing. As his first act, he placed Miller on waivers.

“I read where Miller said he doesn’t care anymore and I don’t want people like that around,” Nelson said. “I don’t want anybody on my basketball team who doesn’t care.”

Miller, a 6-foot-9 center, signed a one-year contract on Oct. 17 and averaged 4.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 42 games. The Mavs will pay the rest of his $225,000 salary.

Iverson unhappy at kids’ table

Brash, talented and undaunted, Allen Iverson knows he deserves to be at All-Star Weekend. He just thinks he’s in the wrong game.

Iverson, who left college early to become the No. 1 pick last summer, says he should be in the main event rather than the rookie game.

“Definitely,” he said. “I don’t feel it has anything to do with being a rookie or anything like that,” he said. “I thought they went by performance.”