McHale Survived Fitch and Lived to Tell About It

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Preseason

Last year wasn't much fun for Kevin McHale. First, Bill Fitch said McHale would starve if he had to play center in the NBA, then Harry Mangurian accused McHale of breaking a handshake contract agreement. The center-forward experienced a disappointing playoff when the Celtics were gunned down in Milwaukee, then had his name dragged through muddy free-agent waters for half the summer.

Fans responding to a newspaper poll recommended that the Celtics let McHale go, while cartoonists and columnists depicted McHale and his agent (John Sandquist) as the greediest duo since Johnny Carson's last two wives. It got so bad that there were times when you forgot what makes McHale so special. You forgot about his unstoppable turnaround jumper, his ability to swat shots into the seats, and all the other advantages of a 25-year-old, 6-foot-10 guy who can embarrass most NBA forwards.

Things started to change after the playoff embarrassment. First, McHale's wife, Lynn, gave birth to a baby daughter, Kristyn. Then Fitch quit. Buoyed by the Nixonian resignation of his longtime nemesis, McHale retreated to his friendly hometown of Hibbing, Minn., for the summer. There he was spared the scuffle for his services, waged by New York and Boston. Finally, in late July, the Celtics made him one of the highest-paid players in NBA history - $1 million per year for four years.

A whopping contract is usually accompanied by some heavy baggage in the form of fan demands and teammate resentment. Therefore, it was no surprise when starting center Robert Parish made McHale's pact the focus of his holdout at the start of the 1983 preseason. (On the positive side, Parish's holdout probably served to get the fans off McHale's case.) McHale has responded to the new pressures perfectly. He kept his mouth shut about Parish and the money, while playing the way a million-dollar man should
play.

In eight preseason games, McHale shot 61 percent (62 for 101) and averaged 19.4 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in playing 30 minutes a game. It's obvious the Celtics plan to bring Greg Kite along slowly, which means McHale is the backup center. He started the first four games while Parish was holding out. Until Kite is ready, McHale will be the center any time Parish is out of the game. When both are on the court, McHale will resume beating up on small forwards.

"I feel real comfortable in the middle," he says. "A lot of it depends on who you're playing against, but at certain times, it's easier than forward. One of the reasons I didn't play well in the middle last year was that, under Bill, the center was basically a relay man - passing to the forward to draw the center away." He credits coach K. C. Jones' new offense. "I'm getting up a better shot now," McHale says, "because there's more room to shoot. I'm getting the ball inside now more than in the past. They've been looking for me low and passing it to me while I'm down low."

Blackboard diagrams aren't the only difference in McHale's game. For the first time in a while, he appears to be having fun. He says the absence of Fitch "has helped a great deal. Bill did a lot of good things for me when I first came into the league, but it got to a point where if you missed a shot, he wouldn't go back to you. Plus, I never felt I responded real well to verbal abuse. Bill would get upset just to try to motivate you." Having the contract set is another relief. "I'm glad it's over and it does make things easier," he admits.

With no Fitch, no money hassles and Jones' new offense, McHale didn't have any complaints until yesterday, when he crashed to the floor with a bruised hip during practice at Hellenic College. He went down after a boney jolt from Parish's hip and spent the rest of the session on ice. It would be newsworthy if the injury forced McHale to miss the Celtics' season opener against the Pistons in Pontiac, Mich., tomorrow night. He has not missed a regular-season or playoff game since coming into the league three years ago. The streak stands at 246, or 282 counting playoff action.

As expected, the Celtics yesterday placed rookie center-forward Winfred King on the injured reserve list. They are obliged to pay King for as long as he's injured, which will probably be all season. King will be scheduled for shoulder surgery soon . . . Celtics assistant general manager Jan Volk was honored at last night's "Salute to the Celtics" New England Sports Lodge B'nai B'rith dinner in Framingham.