Pitino and Fernsten Comfortable with Knicks

1983-84 Boston Celtics  

Record 43-15 3/1/1984 

The New York Knicks have a little Boston flavor these days. Ex-Celtics center-forward Eric Fernsten is toiling for the orange and blue, and one of his coaches is Rick Pitino, head coach at Boston University last season. 

"Eric's been doing an outstanding job for us the past two games," Pitino said. "He's moved ahead of Len Elmore as our main backup power forward. He'll probably be playing 15-16 minutes a game as long as he keeps playing like this." Fernsten averaged 12.6 minutes in his first 15 games with the Knicks.

 His services have been needed more since starting forward Truck Robinson sprained his right ankle. Last night was his first Boston Garden appearance since the spring of 1982. Fernsten still hasn't resolved his grievance with the Celtics. 

He was the last player cut from the 1982-83 Celtics and claims he had a hernia at the time. The grievance is more than a year and a half old and Fernsten is a little perturbed with Larry Fleischer, executive director of the NBA Players Assn. "He said he'd set an arbitration date last Monday, but I never heard from him," said Fernsten. 

"He's been dragging his feet. He's been signing people and there's been arbitration for David Thompson and Micheal Ray Richardson." Fernsten isn't about to give up the battle. "I feel there was a mis- interpretation of the rules and there was miscommunication within management," he said. "I've still not burned any bridges in this. 

I've been the good guy." Pitino, meanwhile, is comfortable in his role as Hubie Brown's assistant and thinks the Knicks have a good shot at their goal of 48 victories. "We feel like we're in a fight with Philly for second place," said Pitino. "We have a good schedule the rest of the way. If not for injuries, I think we'd have the kind of consistency we've been looking for." Pitino on Bernard King, who went into last night's game averaging 33.6 points while shooting 59 percent: 

"He's almost been a phenom. Working in Boston, I thought I saw the incredible in Larry Bird, but this has been something else. In our offense, everybody knows when we go to him, and he gets triple-teamed and he still gets his shot off. And he only takes high- percentage shots." Pitino will be in Boston tonight to scout college talent in the Boston University-Northeastern game.