Jim Paxson Misses Out in This Numbers Game

Guard John Paxson of the Chicago Bulls has been taking his shots at the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA finals, both on and off the court.

Paxson has criticized the Trail Blazers for not retiring the number of his brother, Jim, a two-time All-Star during his eight years in Portland. Jim Paxson was the first Trail Blazer to score 10,000 points. Only one player has equaled that feat for the team, Clyde Drexler.

No matter. It doesn’t sound as if Paxson’s number is going to be hanging in the Memorial Coliseum, based on the comments of Harry Glickman, the club’s president.

As a matter of fact, Glickman would prefer fewer numbers up there.

“There has been some pressure to retire the numbers of Lionel Hollins and Bobby Gross from the (1977) championship team, but I think we’ve retired too many already,” Glickman said.

“I think we overdid it. We got emotional. . . . We should have been more discerning. In retrospect, only two absolutely, legitimately should be retired--(Geoff) Petrie and (Bill) Walton.”

The dispute began when John Paxson told the Oregonian. “I’m obviously biased, but what does it take anyway? Why isn’t Jim up there?”

Now he knows.

Trivia time: There are seven retired numbers on a banner hanging in Memorial Coliseum. Among them are Petrie’s No. 45 and Walton’s 32. Name the other five individuals and give yourself a bonus point for each corresponding number you can add.

Lair Jordan: If Michael Jordan needs a rekindling of his spirit after his Bulls lost Game 4 of the NBA finals at Portland on Wednesday night, he doesn’t have to go far.

At Nike headquarters in nearby Beaverton, Ore., there is a special section devoted to Jordan, complete with his statue and pictures honoring his ties with the company.

“It’s weird to walk through your room,” Jordan said. “It’s a great tribute to you, the work you’ve done for your company and the work you’ve done for the game of basketball. I don’t go there often, but if I ever need an ego trip, it’s a good place to go.”

Trivia answer: Dave Twardzik, 13; Larry Steele, 15; Maurice Lucas, 20; Lloyd Neal, 36, and, here’s the tricky one, a No. 1 for former owner Larry Weinberg.

Dream Team: Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser is not a big fan of the basketball team the United States will be sending to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. To him, it’s a classic case of overkill.

He writes: “This is who we’re going to put on the floor: Magic Johnson at point guard, Michael Jordan at shooting guard, Patrick Ewing at center, Karl Malone at big forward, and Chris Mullin or Charles Barkley at small forward.

“How do you think Finland matches up with that?

“They play a lot of zone in international basketball, a perfect opportunity for Larry Bird. Who have they got in, say, Paraguay who will say to his coach, ‘Put me in, Hoss. I can stop Bird.’ ?”

Add Dream Team: Kornheiser has two ideas what a dream-team game might look like. It could be, he writes:

“1--A collection of Rodin sculptures that you can view as if they were on exhibit. Maybe they’ll simply stand in the middle of the court, and Bob Costas will conduct a walking tour around them.

2--The Globetrotters, since they’re certainly not playing any real games. I guess we’ll see John Stockton tuck the ball under the Burmese center’s shirt, or Barkley throwing what looks like a bucket of water at the ref--only it turns out to be confetti.”

Quotebook: Jordan on where he figures among the elite in NBA history: “My opinion about the greatest basketball player ever is that there isn’t one. When I retire, I’d like to be called one of the greatest. That could mean one out of a hundred.”