HT: 7-3 | WT: 292 | AGE: 35 |YR: 6
CAREER PTS: 13.6 | REB: 8.3
By Dr. Jack Ramsay
Special to ESPN.com
Arvydas Sabonis stepped on Scottie Pippen's foot Tuesday night and reaggravated his knee
injury. Fortunately for the Blazers, the X-rays showed no damage, and it looks like he may
return to the lineup in a few days.
Sabonis is invaluable to Portland because he is the only
legitimate center the Blazers have. When they use Dale Davis, Shawn Kemp and even
Rasheed Wallace in the middle, it's not adequate against teams with good big men.
Sabonis has some unique unique skills. He can shoot 3-pointers. He is not an erratic shooter; he's a pretty steady threat from long range and must be guarded. He can't jump
anymore and is slow-footed, which don't sound like good credentials for a
center. But Sabonis is so big and takes up so much space inside that he's
actually a defensive asset against teams that don't have a big quick man.
Shaquille O'Neal is the only center who outplays Sabonis consistently. But they
even need him against Shaq. Sabonis can score inside, can block shots --
even though he's not a leaper -- and is a good passer from the post.
Sabonis missed the first eight games, and the Blazers missed him early on. They got off to a slow start, losing three of their first four games. The Blazers can't afford to miss him much more this season.
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HT: 6-10 | WT: 240 | AGE: 30 | YR: 9
CAREER PTS: 16.2 | REB: 8.6
By Fred Carter
Special to ESPN.com
Tom Gugliotta brings so much to the table for the Phoenix Suns. He can play the power forward and the three position. At times he can even fill in at backup center. He is a very versatile player. Like Arvydas Sabonis, Gugliotta is a good passer. The difference is Gugs can handle the ball on the floor. He can dribble the ball, he can dribble-drive and he can create a shot for himself or someone else.
Away from the offensive end, Gugliotta can steal the ball as well. He fills all the boxes. He can make the jumpshot and post up. What he brings to the floor is impressive.
When I was the coach of the Sixers putting together our draft, I interviewed Tom and part of his value to his team shined through in that session. He's personable and an extremely hard-working guy. When you can have that kind of quality individual with the talent of Tom Gugliotta he is extremely valuable to his franchise. I think he's a very good player.
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