Hamish Knox

sports@op.douglas.bc.ca

Addressing the state of the Grizz

 

Since we are just past the midway point
of the NBA season, I would like to give
my take on our wonderful Grizzlies.

First let us look at the positive things
this season has brought to Vancouver.
The Grizz only won 15 games last year,
and at their current pace may reach the
uncharted waters of the 20 win season.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim is fifth in the
league in scoring and is carrying this
team on most nights.

Antonio Daniels is showing tremen-
dous poise for a rookie, and should be
an all-star for years to come.

Otis Thorpe’s toughness and rebound-
ing has helped on the inside, a place
where the Grizzlies frequently got beat
up last year.

Blue Edwards routinely comes off the
bench in the fourth quarter and
proceeds to salvage a win for the team.

If Kobe Bryant was enjoying his
sophomore year in college (which he
should be) Blue would win the NBA’s
“Sixth Man” award.

lay has been down

Pete Chilcutt is another excellent
surprise for the Grizzlies. He gives solid
minutes every night and frequently
outplays the “cornerstone” of the
franchise, Bryant Reeves.

As well, the Grizzlies are not mired in
trade rumours for their biggest gate
attraction (a la our Canadian brethren),
they have not had a player physically
attack a coach and they have not
sustained an injury to a key player
(unless you count Anthony Peeler).

Now for the bad news. Shareef, while
putting up huge numbers offensively,
has been awful on the defensive end
(witness 32 points by Joe Smith, 24 by
Kobe Bryant). As well, he is averaging
almost one technical foul per game and
constantly throws temper tantrums on
the court.

In a way he reminds me of a young
Shawn Kemp; throwing down a
thunderous dunk at one end and then
turning around and walking back on
defence. Correct me if I’m wrong, but in
high school and college if you walked
back on defence, that usually got you a

opinions@op.douglas.bc.ca

 

MS Cow Rano

 

spot next to the coach—therefore, if you
ran back on defence at every other level
why stop now!??!

Finally, Bryant “Big Country” Reeves.
Drafted to be the “cornerstone” of the
franchise and making ten million dollars
this year, he is averaging 13.5 points
per game (forget that 41 point outing
against Boston, most of their players
aren't even 6'10”). I have also heard him
being soundly booed when he subs in
for Otis Thorpe or Shareef Abdur-
Rahim.

The biggest telling point of Reeves’
decline has been his absence from the
floor during the last three to five
minutes of the game (when the real stars
shine). Who is in for Reeves during
those precious last minutes? Pete
Chilcutt; a backup forward who is
getting the crunch time minutes. This is
not a good situation for the Grizzlies,
who drafted Reeves to be their crunch
time center.

It has been an up and down year for
the third year NBA franchise; however;
things are looking a lot brighter.

ee
Play has been up...

 

 

Play has been totally grizzly

on ~ coor

 
  
   
 

Teri Walter

 

irst of all, although things in

foreign countries are different,

this does not mean they don't
have everything!!! I am saying this
because of my and other exchange
students’ travel experiences with what we
were told to bring, and what we thought
to bring, abroad.

When I went on this exchange to
Hungary I knew that I was going to be
entering into a different lifestyle, and I
knew there were some adaptations to be
made. Simply put, I would have to
change name brands of toothpaste,
shampoo, types of foods, and almost
everything else to the “European Way.”

I was told to bring only the essentials,
what I couldn't live without. I was told I
would find equivalents for the rest, not

~. Sau f
“haare:*"*
iy

; ‘Debrecen Clul-
_Napo

exactly the same, but close enough. This
was useful information, as then I
wouldn't overpack with useless items.

Now, Debra and Jessica (exchange
students from DC this year) were told
much the opposite, or given less
information. They pretty much brought
a pharmacy and then some. No joke,
let’s just say that Deb didn’t realize that
toothpaste explodes at high altitudes,
and it is not fun to clean toothpaste out
of all your clothes. Not that they didn’t
think that Hungarians also have to floss
their teeth, but they were told to bring
as much as they could.

Like in all countries, certain things are
expensive, and others are cheap! Views
on what is a good price all depend on
what you buy, and how much money
you have to buy it with. Any starving
student can get along in any country, as

David Tam photos

long as they budget!

I figured out the costs of coming back
to Hungary for a year to graduate, or
going back to Vancouver at UBC for
about two more years (if I could get the
right courses). Logic showed that
coming back to Budapest was the way to
go, not to mention it is an experience of
lifetime and I would have more fun.

The Canadian dollar goes a long way,
especially if you sell it to your friends
here. Kidding!!!’ However, they are all
interested in Canada and love any type
of souvenir! Our money is worth more
over here, therefore when something costs
a reasonable price here for the HUF
(Hungarian Forints), it is peanuts in real
Canadian money. I can go out on 2000
HUF ($14.00 Canadian) for dinner and
hit a club and drink beers all night. This
just can’t be done back home, and trust
me I cringe at the idea of paying a cover
charge in Canada now!

Just know that the changes in lifestyle
vary, and that although we are in a
different country and around a different
population, life is still so much the same.
You just have to be able to work with
change and know that life is therefore
similar around the world. @&

 

 

The Other Press January 28 1998 7