Dunleavy Returns to Milwaukee After Tough Two Years in LA

INGLEWOOD, Calif.--The Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA's glamour team that lost players to illness and injury, lost their coach today when Mike Dunleavy resigned to return to the Milwaukee Bucks, this time as head coach.

Dunleavy, a former player and assistant coach for the Bucks, spent two emotional seasons guiding the Lakers. During that time, Magic Johnson retired because he contracted the AIDS virus, and several other stars were injured as the Lakers barely made the playoffs. They lost in the first round to Portland.

In his first season after replacing Pat Riley, Dunleavy led the Lakers to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers confirmed Dunleavy's departure yesterday, and the Bucks later confirmed his hiring.

"The Milwaukee Bucks have reached an agreement with Mike Dunleavy, which will provide his services as head coach for the next eight years," said Scott Johnson, assistant publicity director for the Bucks.

Dunleavy was an assistant with the Bucks for three seasons until he left in June 1990 to become Lakers coach.

He had been rumored to be a candidate to return to the Bucks since the departure of Del Harris as vice president of basketball operations April 7 and the firing of Frank Hamblen as Bucks coach April 23. Milwaukee was 31-51 last season.

The Milwaukee Sentinel reported that the Bucks are believed to be paying the Lakers at least one draft choice and cash for the rights to Dunleavy.

Dunleavy said last month he expected to return as Lakers coach, but said he had deep feelings for Milwaukee and the Bucks' organization.

A possible factor in favor of Dunleavy returning to Milwaukee is the feelings of his wife Emily, whom a source said did not like the lifestyle in Los Angeles and greatly preferred living and raising their sons in Milwaukee.

Another Larry Making It Big: A quiet, 30-something forward named Larry is playing a key role in the Boston-Cleveland playoff series.

The surprise is that it's Larry Nance, not Larry Bird, who in unassuming fashion is responsible for a lot of excitement in the series that's tied 2-2 going into tonight's game at Richfield Coliseum.

"I don't listen to talk shows and I don't get the paper," said Nance, who had 32 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 49 minutes of a 114-112 overtime victory Sunday at Boston. "I learned that when I played in Phoenix.

The 33-year-old Nance, a 10-year NBA veteran who played for the Suns before coming to Cleveland in 1988, is shooting 59.7 percent in the series and averaging 22.3 points.

Nance was 13 for 16 from the floor in Sunday's game at Boston Garden, while the 35-year-old Bird returned from back problems to score 2 points on 1-for-5 shooting in 17 minutes.

Blazers Blazing Scoring Trail: Portland takes a 3-1 lead into its home game against Phoenix tonght.

The two teams played the highest-scoring playoff game in NBA history on Monday night, with the Trail Blazers winning 153-151 in double overtime.

"They're in the grave, but there's no dirt on them yet," Danny Ainge said of the Suns.

"We're a team that, with our backs against the wall, we really play up to par," Suns forward Dan Majerle said.

The Blazers, 7-0 in playoffs after taking a 2-1 lead, have a 3-1 margin going back to Portland, where they are 37-8 this season.

Portland's 153 points matched the thirdhighest total ever in a playoff game, four short of the 157 scored by the Celtics against New York two years ago.

A Medal for the Glide?: A gold medal around his neck would mean more the Clyde Drexler than even an NBA title. Not that the latest member of the U.S. Olympic team is looking past the playoffs.

"There would be nothing better than to win an NBA championship and then go to Barcelona and win the gold medal," said Drexler, the star guard of the Portland Trail Blazers who, along with Duke's Christian Laettner--the only college player--was added to the U.S. Olympic team on yesterday.

Drexler, who passed on that chance in 1984 by leaving Houston as a junior to turn pro in '83, and Laettner were the final two players selected for the first U.S. Olympic squad to feature NBA players. Laettner, who led Duke to the last two national titles, has verbally committed to playing at Barcelona. Drexler, whose Trail Blazers stand one victory from the Western Conference finals, accepted his invitation Monday.

"I was told right before the game yesterday and I was pretty happy," said the 6-foot-6 guard who averaged 25 points and 6.7 assists a game this season.

The 10 NBA players named last year are Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin and David Robinson.

Fitch Bids Goodbye to Nets: Bill Fitch resigned as coach of the New Jersey Nets today, less than two weeks after leading the squabbling club to its first playoff berth since 1986.

"It was my decision," Fitch said in a statement read by Nets spokesman John Mertz during a telephone conference call.

Fitch, who will remain with the club as a consultant, had a year left on his contract, but his decision to step down as coach came as no surprise. His status has been in question since December, when there were reports that former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano would replace him.

Fitch later had public run-ins on the bench with Derrick Coleman, Chris Morris and Drazen Petrovic in the closing weeks of the season and during the playoffs.

In each case, the player declined to go into the game when ordered to by Fitch.

The Nets owners met after the team was eliminated by Cleveland in the opening round of the playoffs and reportedly decided the coaching change was necessary.