THE NBA: 1995-96 : Expanding the Border : With This Team, the Grizzlies’ Growl Is Worse Than Their Bite

Starting Friday, citizens of Vancouver face the reality that Benoit Benjamin is one of their own.

Not only that, he is running rings around the Grizzlies’ alleged foundation of the future, lottery pick Bryant Reeves, the No. 6 selection overall who didn’t make it through the first exhibition game before being berated by some fans.

Management has already asked them to be patient with Reeves, blessed with a shooting touch, a 7-foot body and a big heart but few other attributes. His coach at Oklahoma State, Eddie Sutton, went to Vancouver for a clinic a few weeks ago and reminded the locals that Reeves never was supposed to be the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon or Shaquille O’Neal. By now, the fans wonder if it’s asking too much for the next Bill Laimbeer.

There are few reasons for optimism. Gerald Wilkins, counted on for a big chunk of the offense, continues to rehabilitate after missing the exhibition schedule and almost every practice before and after because of a bulging disk in his back.

That was the same exhibition schedule in which the Grizzlies averaged 79 points the first four games and failed to shoot better than 40% from the field in any of them. Former Laker Antonio Harvey set the tone by missing two dunks in the same quarter.

Brian Winters, a Lenny Wilkens protege, heads into his first head-coaching gig with a cigarette, blindfold and the envy only of unemployed colleagues. He has a respectable starting backcourt of Greg Anthony and Blue Edwards and can bring Byron Scott off the bench, but there is little else after that.

Benjamin and Reeves at center.

Kenny Gattison, returning from a career-threatening back injury last season with Charlotte, starting at power forward, with Anthony Avent, acquired Wednesday from Orlando, and Harvey the backups.

Chris King, the former Seattle SuperSonic, at small forward.

“I haven’t set any numbers,” Winters said when asked how many games this group can win. “I think that’s unfair to the players and myself. I would either set it too high or too low. My goals would kind of be general goals. The first is to play hard and be competitive each night.”

The second is to win.

“You have to try and win as many games as you can,” he said. “If you don’t put out the right team on the floor or the players that can help you win the most games, my players will know that and I will lose my credibility as a coach.

“The minute I just try to play players to play them and not win games, I think I do a disservice to the players I coach and I do a disservice to my own career. However, I do also realize part of the job that we have is to try and develop some young players as we go and I will try to find some times in games to do that.”

He’s making no promises. He’s off the hook some, with Reeves and maybe second-round pick Lawrence Moten from Syracuse the only players who should worry about mortgage rates.

At least the scene is new--the NBA in Canada. So is the building, 20,004-seat General Motors Place. Reeves is 22.

Winters?

He’s 43 going on 60.

* WESTERN CONFERENCE: The Rockets have won two championships in a row, but if the Suns can remain injury-free, they might be the team to watch. C6

* ROUNDUP: When season opens, it will probably be without regular referees. . . . Mourning rumors continue. . . . Tarpley status up in the air. C7