Stoudamire Shipped Out; Coach Quits
In a day of major upheaval for the Toronto Raptors, star guard Damon Stoudamire was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and coach Darrell Walker resigned Friday.
Stoudamire was dealt away in a six-player trade that brought another headache to the Raptors. Kenny Anderson, acquired from the Blazers along with Gary Trent and rookie Alvin Williams, was adamant that he would not play for Toronto.
Walker, who had coached the Raptors since the start of the 1995-96 season, was replaced on an interim basis by Butch Carter.
“I just thought that if they were going to trade Damon, they were going in a different direction than I wanted to,” Walker said. “I don’t mind coaching an expansion team, but I wanted to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I don’t see any light.”
The two major changes came just one day after the Raptors were sold to the company that owns the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The NBA franchise’s third season also has included the departure of general manager Isiah Thomas in December after a failed bid to purchase the team.
Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers were sent to Portland along with Stoudamire. In addition to Anderson, Trent and Alvin Williams, Toronto will receive two first-round picks - Portland’s own 1998 pick and New York’s 1998 lottery-protected pick (unless it is a lottery pick).
The Blazers were believed to have agreed to pay a substantial portion - if not all - of the remaining five years of Anderson’s contract worth $38 million.
The Trail Blazers beat out the New York Knicks in the final bidding for Stoudamire, who was the subject of numerous proposed deals - including at least two that fell through in the final stages.
Mavs break through
Michael Finley hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Dallas Mavericks snapped a 22-game road losing streak by defeating the Indiana Pacers 85-82 in double overtime Friday night.
Finley, who scored 32 points, snapped an 0-for-8 slump from the field before hitting the game-winning shot.
Earlier, the teams set records for scoring futility as Indiana built a 34-24 halftime lead. That tied the NBA record for fewest points scored in a half, set on Jan. 15, 1955, when Syracuse played Fort Wayne at Buffalo, N.Y.
In other games
Isaiah Rider returned from a one-game suspension to score 25 points as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Houston Rockets 105-81 despite being short three players because of the trade with Toronto.
Rider, who was suspended for leaving the bench during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, was booed early. The jeers quickly turned to cheers as Rider scored 14 points in the first half. The Blazers never trailed and led by as many as 27 points.
At Orlando, Fla., Allan Houston scored 23 points and Larry Johnson had 19 to lead the New York Knicks to a 99-83 victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Magic got just two points in 24 minutes from hobbling All-Star guard Penny Hardaway, who has been the subject of trade talks with several teams this week.
At East Rutherford, N.J., what was left of the Raptors after trading star point guard Damon Stoudamire wasn’t much, and the New Jersey Nets had no problem beating Toronto 130-115.
Michael Jordan’s 15-foot jumper at the buzzer lifted Chicago to a 112-110 win over the Atlanta Hawks, salvaging the Bulls after they squandered a 23-point lead in Chicago.
At Los Angeles, Antoine Walker had 28 points, including a tie-breaking free throw with 16.1 seconds left, as the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Clippers 97-96 despite going the final 4:53 without a field goal.
Mitch Richmond matched his season high with 35 points and the Sacramento Kings registered a rare road victory, defeating the Golden State Warriors 109-92 in Oakland. It was the fifth time in 11 games that Richmond has scored 30 or more points.