Are Trail Blazers in Too Deep?

Things are tough all over, or

$89.7 million doesn’t buy what it used to: So much for the hype about the Portland Trail Blazers, who looked so imposing, until the games started.

Back in the summer, when they added Shawn Kemp and Dale Davis, one general manager called them “Noah’s Ark--they have two of everything.”

And they did: two starting-caliber point guards in Damon Stoudamire and Greg Anthony, two good shooting guards in Steve Smith and Bonzi Wells, Scottie Pippen, who could play forward or either backcourt spot; three power forwards who are, or were, all-star caliber--Kemp, Davis, Rasheed Wallace--and could also back up Arvydas Sabonis at center.

Think of it this way: With Will Perdue, Antonio Harvey, Sabonis and the power forwards, that was 36 times--72 free throws’ worth--they could foul Shaquille O’Neal!

Of course, the bill was monumental. The payroll is $89.7 million and could trigger $34 million more in luxury taxes, bringing the total tab to $124 million-- $11 million more than the New York Yankees’ payroll for 25 players.

Of course, this is no problem for the Trail Blazers, since their owner, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, ranks second on the Forbes 500 to school chum Bill Gates.

Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, this isn’t the worst of their problems.

Kemp showed up looking like the Hindenburg. Pippen, 35, who’s signed for two more years after this--for

$38 million--averaged 6.4 points in the first 10 games.

The Lakers beat them at home on opening night when it became clear that, although Davis might have been able to get by as a center in the East, as far as Shaq was concerned, he was an hors d’oeuvre. The Phoenix Suns routed the Trail Blazers by 26 in the second game. It was the 10th game before Portland finally beat a team--Toronto at 4-3--with a winning record.

In the best of times, the Trail Blazers are a juggling act, based on everyone’s ability to sacrifice shots, points and minutes. And these aren’t the best of times.

“The attitude in the locker room has to be, ‘We’re about winning,’ ” says Pippen. “It can’t be about anybody’s individual accolades, because coming from this team, it’s not going to happen. . . .

“I mean, it’s always a little tricky. It’s something that you have to sell. It’s not like everybody in here doesn’t feel like they can’t score 15-20 points. . . . But it’s just not going to happen that way and we’ve got to accept our role and realize that we’re here to win.”

It’s harder for others. The engaging, heart-on-his-sleeve Stoudamire, a hometown favorite, was so hurt by suggestions that $11.3 million is pricey for his 10-12 points a game, he almost asked to be traded.

“I thought about it long and hard,” he says. “But you know what, though? If I leave here, why was I even here? I was like, ‘Man, I want to stay here and be a part of this and we’re going to win it.’ Because, every year we supposedly get better and you know, hey, maybe this year is the year!”

That was before their current trip. After a loss at previously winless Atlanta, Pippen, Mr. Team Spirit, growled about sitting in crunch time. Meanwhile, Stoudamire was upset to learn he wasn’t among the 24 West guards on the all-star ballot.

“I’m more shocked than disappointed,” he said. “Maybe it’s time for me to start showing them that I need to be on there.”

That’s all Coach Mike Dunleavy needs. In his three-plus seasons, the Trail Blazers have thrived with his deep-rotation, short-minutes strategy, which brings to bear all that depth but stresses out all those egos.

Dunleavy distinguished himself as a rookie coach, taking the Lakers on a surprise trip to the ’91 finals. Nine years later, his defensive game plan in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals shackled Shaq, almost to the end.

Not that Allen and General Manager Trader Bob Whitsitt may think back that far if the struggle continues. They fired their previous coach, P.J. Carlesimo, after a 49-win season.

That was when the payroll was a modest $50 million or so. Even for Microsoft billionaires, $124 mil is a lot to pay if it doesn’t buy happiness, fast.

FACES AND FIGURES

Consumer survey: Charlotte owner Ray Woolridge, trying to browbeat city fathers into helping him put up a new arena by musing about moving, concedes the Hornets, who filled 23,000-seat Charlotte Arena and led the NBA in attendance for their first seven seasons, have problems. Last season, the average was 17,874 and in the playoffs, 13,355. “When you’re in a business, you go to your customers to find out what they want and will they use your product?” said Woolridge, ace marketer. “Do they like your product? What’s wrong with your product?” . . . Does he mean besides all the complaining, underachieving and driving/drinking incidents? Last week, Hornet Coach Paul Silas acknowledged that co-captain Derrick Coleman, who missed the preseason while getting his heart medication adjusted and now weighs 285 pounds, is out of shape. Said Coleman, “If you’re going to take a month off, you wouldn’t be in good shape, either.” He’ll have some more time off; the team put him on the injured list so he can work himself back into shape. . . . The previous Hornet coach, Dave Cowens, started 1-7 with Golden State but says he’s happier than he was when he was a Hornet coach-of-the-year candidate. “No one was ever happy there, even when we were winning,” Cowens said.

That’s our Vlade (cont.): Sacramento’s Vlade Divac, on the “soft” rap on European players: “If you look at Peja [Stojakovic], he’s a true NBA player. If you look at me back in ’89 [as a Laker rookie], I was kind of typical European--likes to play basketball, doesn’t want the physical. But over the years, you learn how to do that too, so I know how to play that. Peja already does that because he’s a physical guy. [Sarunas] Marciulionis, he was a physical guy too. People just spread rumors. They always told about how Europeans don’t play defense, they’re just shooting. But it’s not true. Maybe it’s true for me but not for Peja.”

Boy, is this “Joe Smith recruiting war” getting old. Teams lined up because he’s the last near-starting-caliber big man available for a $2.25-million exception. Smith has posted lower scoring averages the last four seasons, from a high of 18.7 to 9.9, and is passing up $3.9 million from a contender, Miami, in part because Pat Riley works his players so hard. . . . Not another one: Left at the altar again, although he would have been the high bidder at $5.5 million, Bull General Manager Jerry Krause said it was because Smith wanted to play power forward and they have Elton Brand. At least that’s what Krause heard, since he never actually got to talk to Smith. “All we could do was sit there and wait and see if we could talk to him,” Krause said. “When I found out what his reason was, there wasn’t much we could do about it. Joe changed phone numbers. He changed his beeper number. His teammates at Minnesota couldn’t get him. Joe kind of withdrew.”

Wrong decision, the Jerome Moiso watch: The former Bruin, who left after his sophomore year and went to Boston as the 11th pick in the draft, has played 33 minutes, averaging 0.8 points and just went on the injured list with a suspicious-looking sprained ankle. Said Celtic Coach Rick Pitino, transparent as usual: “He’s a big-time talent who I believe has tremendous potential but right now it’s not the worst thing in the world coming down with this injury.” . . . Totally clueless, the JaRon Rush watch: Rush, who wasn’t drafted after coming out as a sophomore, failed tryouts with the Celtics and Heat and is now a Kansas City Knight in the fledgling American Basketball Assn.

It won’t be long now: After a Nov. 6 loss at Orlando, SuperSonic Coach Paul Westphal told his players--who were complaining about him when they thought he couldn’t hear, reportedly led by Vin Baker--he’d resign if they wanted him to. “If the team’s not going to listen, then you get someone they’ll listen to,” Westphal said. The players backed away from telling him “take a hike” to his face, but can still be depended on to think of a way to get the word out. . . . Milwaukee’s George Karl, bouncing off the walls again as his Bucks, who are soft as snow, even if none of them are from Europe, struggle: “Am I despondent? Yeah. But it’s still my job and I’m excited about trying to figure it out.”