The NBA / Sam McManis : Players Prefer Not to Hear the Holiday Cheers

Professional basketball on Christmas Day is a holiday television tradition that doesn’t seem to go away. So last spring, when the National Basketball Assn. Players’ Assn. sought to abolish the league’s custom of playing games on Christmas while negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, they were not exactly optimistic.

Besides, the players’ desire to be with their families on Christmas ranked fairly low on the union’s wish list, well behind unlimited free agency and the elimination of the collegiate draft.

Not surprisingly, the league would not budge on the Christmas policy, purely for monetary reasons. The NBA’s network and cable television contracts call for games on Christmas.

“We talked about doing something about it,� said Charles Grantham, executive director of the players’ union. “But we really couldn’t do anything about it. It was a combination of the TV interests and maximizing the gross revenue.

“We realized that the players wanted to spend time at home on holidays. And we did try to limit the number of games and at least get some concessions.�

The most notable concession was that only games on national television, either network or cable, will be played. Also, teams are not allowed to practice on Christmas, and teams that play on the road the day after cannot travel on Christmas.

“We’ve always wanted to eliminate Christmas games,� Grantham said. “At least now, we’ve made some advancements.�

Three seasons ago, Boston forward Kevin McHale so strongly opposed playing at New York on Christmas afternoon that he did not travel with the rest of the Celtics on Christmas Eve. McHale showed up a few hours before game-time and was fined by the league.

No one on the Lakers, who played at Utah, or the Washington Bullets, who played at Philadelphia, on Christmas staged a similar protest. But the Lakers weren’t exactly happy with traveling on Christmas Eve, playing the next day and then traveling to Phoenix for Monday night’s game.

“Why not just give everybody in the league 2 days off?� asked Coach Pat Riley, rhetorically.

A.C. Green, who wants to be a minister after his playing days, said he had no religious objections to playing on Christmas.

“Obviously, you’d rather be home,� Green said. “But I guess it’s part of being in pro basketball. I think It would be a great idea if (the NBA Players’ Assn.) could do something about it. Everybody should be able to enjoy Christmas with their family, and we should be included.

“There’s no need to complain or cry. I mean, I don’t want to practice on my birthday either.�

Maybe Jack Ramsay got out just in time.

In the month since Ramsay resigned as coach of the Indiana Pacers, the team finally won a few games. But the Pacers still are in bad shape; in fact, dissension on the team has escalated since Ramsay’s departure.

Indiana began last week with a blowout loss to the New York Knicks, upsetting Pacer forward Chuck Person.

“Guys think, ‘We’re in this league. No one’s going to take my place,’ � Person said. “That’s bull, and I refuse to play on a team with a bunch of losers. If people don’t want to win, I can’t take it. Guys have accepted defeat.

“It was a . . . joke. They embarrassed us. They stuffed that stuff down our throats and rubbed it in.�

Added Herb Williams: “We didn’t even play decent. Nothing we did was right. I have to question our attitude.�

The next day, Pacer reserve guard Scott Skiles quit, saying that he could not handle the losing. Skiles said he hadn’t slept well in weeks. After talking with Donnie Walsh, the general manager, Skiles rejoined the team.

Then, on Friday, it was reported that interim Coach George Irvine will likely be replaced before the end of the season. The Pacers are 5-11 since Ramsay resigned.

A published report said Walsh has intensified efforts to find a new coach, the leading candidates reportedly being Charlotte assistant coach Ed Badger or Denver assistant Alan Bristow.

Sam Bowie’s annual comeback attempt is under way in Portland, and no one is more cautiously optimistic than Bowie.

The Trail Blazers’ center, whose career has been stunted and just about ended by a repeatedly fractured bone in his leg, said he hopes to return to action sometime in January.

He also has kept his injury in perspective.

“There are going to be a lot of stories written about me, saying, ‘Can you believe the adversity that guy has overcome,’ � Bowie said. “But I really don’t feel like I’ve been through any adversity. Adversity is when you go to the hospital and see an 8-year-old with a leg amputated.�

New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson is having an off season compared to his rookie-of-the-year performance last season. His assist average is down to 8.4 per game, a contrast to his 10.6 average last season.

Speculation is that Jackson’s failed attempt at contract renegotiation after his excellent rookie season is affecting his play. Jackson refused a 5-season, $7.5-million offer because 30% of the money would be deferred.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bitter at what’s going on,� Jackson said. “It’s hit me pretty hard. It’s shown me the other side to this, the business side, and I feel angry that Knick management has tried to make me look selfish to Knick fans. But it doesn’t stop me from working hard, doing what I have to do.�

The career of Derek Smith, the Clippers’ leading scorer during the 1984-85 season, has reached its nadir in Sacramento.

Smith, who hasn’t been the same since a knee injury early in the 1985-86 season, not only has lost his starting spot with the Kings but did not play at all last Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs and played only sparingly last Friday against the Lakers.

Smith has heard abusive fans in Sacramento since the Kings traded for him in 1986 in a deal that gave the Clippers a first-round draft pick last June, which turned out to be Charles Smith.

In his last 4 games, before Monday night, Smith had averaged 4.7 points and 13.5 minutes.

It has been a steady decline for Smith, who was considered one of the league’s fastest rising off-guards 3 seasons ago.

Smith said his knee injury is the reason for his problems.

“It’s taken me from All-Star consideration to an also-ran,� Smith said. “I’m not free of pain at all. It’s always there. I’ve seen a lot of specialists. It’s been a frustrating 2 1/2 years. I’ve been on the end of the bench before (at Golden State), but it’s tough after you’ve been on the top (with the Clippers).

“I guess I better get used to it. Each night, I reflect on my career from the bench, and I think I can still be the same player I was before. I guess I’m no different than a boxer past his prime. I keep banging away and hope I can make a comeback.�