NBA Notes : Last Season’s Trade Is Key to This Year’s Success for Cavs, Suns

On Feb. 25, 1988, Cleveland traded Kevin Johnson, Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, 1988 first- and second-round draft choices and a 1989 second-round pick to Phoenix for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a 1988 second-round draft choice.

And you know what? The Cavaliers and Suns would do it again in a minute. Given the chance, the general managers would shake hands, smile for the cameras and spout the old cliche about this being a deal that would benefit both clubs.

They’d be absolutely right, too. Ten months after completing their big deal, Cleveland and Phoenix have developed into two of the league’s biggest surprises, teams playing far beyond their preseason expectations.

Cleveland, with Nance providing a major presence inside, has the best record in the NBA, 20-5. But Phoenix is an even greater surprise. Less than two years after an unfortunate drug scandal rocked the franchise to its foundation, the Suns are challenging the Los Angeles Lakers for the top spot in the Pacific Division.

“I think it’s a surprise to all of us,” Eddie Johnson, the Suns’ high-scoring sixth man, said.

Employing a roster that has been almost fully reconstructed over the last 18 months, Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons has Phoenix playing some of the best ball in the West. Before losing in Detroit Wednesday night, the Suns had a four-game winning streak and were within a game of the Lakers.

Kevin Johnson, an unproven rookie at the time of the trade, has blossomed into one of the league’s top point guards in Fitzsimmons’ fast-paced attack. He is third in the league in assists (11 per game) behind Magic Johnson and John Stockton.

West, who is among the shot-blocking leaders, and Corbin give the Suns a vital defensive lift off the bench. Rookie Dan Majerle guarded the opposition’s top backcourt scorer, but mononucleosis has sidelined him for three months.

Second-year forward Armon Gilliam is an emerging force at power forward. And Tom Chambers, who signed a five-year, $9 million deal the day he became an unrestricted free agent, is leading the team in scoring (23.3) and rebounding (8.0).

“Cotton’s personality has brought us together quicker than anyone expected,” Phoenix assistant coach Paul Westphal said. “We have a lot of scoring and, really, an absence of egos.”

That might come as a surprise to observers in Seattle, where Chambers earned a reputation as a selfish, divisive malcontent.

“I think Tom has always been misunderstood,” Westphal said. “It seems it’s been open season on him, but all I know is the guy wants to win, and I’ve never seen him do anything but play hard.”

“The guy can flat-out play,” Eddie Johnson said. “And he creates problems for other teams because he’s 6-10 and runs the floor like a guard.”

The Suns can flat-out score. They are third in the league in scoring (117.1) behind Denver and the New York Knicks. They’re also 12-2 at home, and the big question now is whether they can sustain it on the road. Their current East Coast trip should give some indication.

“This trip will be good for us,” Eddie Johnson said. “It’ll tell us a lot about how good we are.... In the Pacific, everbody talks about the Lakers first and everybody else trying to catch them. But our sights are on first place. That’s the only way to approach it.”

According to league sources, the Boston Celtics were indeed considering trading veteran forward Kevin McHale to Dallas, but talks never advanced beyond the exploratory stages. Such a deal is no longer being discussed.

The Mavericks apparently were willing to send Sam Perkins and Detlef Schrempf to Boston for McHale, but the Celtics also wanted to raid Dallas’ supply of future No. 1 picks. The Mavericks have Washington’s first-round pick in 1990 and Indiana’s No. 1 in either 1990 or 1991.

There was also a rumor that venerable Celtics President Red Auerbach had intervened at one point and scuttled a McHale deal.

At any rate, Bostonians have become increasingly critical of McHale’s play. Though he is scoring at his usual rate (22.6 points per game), his defensive effort has been languid at best. He no longer shows much enthusiam for blocking shots or retreating on defense. His passing from the low post, never what you would call exemplary, has been even worse than usual.

So, while it’s surprising to learn that McHale is being shopped, it’s even more surprising to find that a lot of Celtics fans wouldn’t be that disturbed by a trade.

It’s looking more and more as if San Antonio’s Larry Brown will experience the first losing season of his 17-year head coaching career. The Spurs are 7-19 and have lost 11 of their last 12 games. And Brown is placing the blame squarely on himself.

“I feel bad for the guys,” Brown said Tuesday, “because I don’t think I’ve done a real good job of letting them know what I want done. ... (Losing) is no fun, but the worst part of it is, I think I could do a better job of putting our players in a position to be successful.”

Position, of course, is one of his big problems. Brown’s starting lineup basically includes three guards (Johnny Dawkins, Alvin Robertson, Willie Anderson) and two power forwards (Frank Brickowski and Greg Anderson). He has no legitimate center or small forward, which makes it difficult to score in crucial half-court situations late in games.

“One thing I’ve found in this league,” Brown said, “is in the last four to six minutes of a game, good teams have two or three guys they can go to. ... We haven’t established that here, and it’s going to take some time.”

Incidentally, Brown is still suffering from the recurring headaches and ringing in his ears that have troubled him since shortly after Kansas won the NCAA title last spring. He said doctors gave him a jaw brace designed to prevent him from grinding his teeth, but it hasn’t helped.

“Maybe if we go on about a 10-game winning streak, I’ll be OK,” Brown said.

Furthermore: Boston’s Larry Bird, out until at least April after foot surgery, recently said he might defend his three-point shooting title on All-Star Saturday in Houston on Feb. 11.