Tisdale traded to Kings
By Staff Reports
Feb 20, 1989
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Pacers announced
today that Tulsa resident Wayman Tisdale has been traded
to the Sacramento Kings for guard Randy Wittman and veteran
center-forward LaSalle Thompson.
As part of the deal, the Pacers will send a future second-round
pick to Sacramento, probably in 1990 or 1991.
Veteran guard John Long was waived to make room for the
additional player on the National Basketball Association
team's roster.
General manager Donnie Walsh said the reason for the trade
was "chemistry. We have good individual players, but it
just wasn't working."
"Along with this we are trying to build a style of play,"
Walsh said. "We felt it was a good trade because Thompson
is a good rebounder, and even though he has played center,
we felt he can be a power forward or a backup center.
"Wittman can come in and do a productive job coming off
the bench for Reggie Miller. He can help us win games, and
that's what we're here for - to win games, and not build
stats."
The Pacers are 11-38 and have lost 10 consecutive games.
Kings coach Jerry Reynolds said he likes Tisdale, the former
University of Oklahoma and Washington High School star who
was the Pacers' first-round draft pick in 1985.
"We need to make a move for a consistent post-up player
and Wayman Tisdale would fit that bill extremely well,"
Reynolds said. "Any player who was the second player in
the draft is the kind you would want if you're building."
"My reaction is a little mixed, but hey, I knew it was
coming," Tisdale told The Indianapolis Star. "I knew something
was going to happen and I feel this is for the best.
"There's a little sadness because I've grown attached to
a lot of people here. I'm sure everybody understands these
things happen. When you're not winning, you have to do something.
I'm not bitter at anyone. It's just something that had to
happen."
Wittman starred as a high-school player in Indianapolis
and as a collegian at Indiana University.
Tisdale, a 6-foot-7 former Olympian, has averaged 15 points
per game in his career on 51 percent shooting, and this
year was averaging 16 points a game with 6.5 rebounds.
Tisdale, the Pacers' sixth man, publicly demanded more playing
time or a trade last week. When Herb Williams was sidelined
with a lower leg injury, Tisdale started the last three
games, averaging 40 minutes, 17 points and 14 rebounds per
game.
"I'm not saying I wanted to get traded or anything like
that, but I wanted my situation to be different," Tisdale
said. "If I was going to be on a team that was 11-38, I
didn't want to come off the bench."
Sacramento is 14-35 heading into tonight's home game against
the Los Angeles Lakers.
