The NBA : This Stockton Needs Assist to Draw Attention

Celebrities in Salt Lake City, as part of an ice show promotion, were asked which of the Seven Dwarfs they identified with.

“Bashful,” answered guard John Stockton of the Utah Jazz. “Because that’s how I am. I’m not necessarily real comfortable in a roomful of strangers.”

But put Stockton in an arena full of basketball fans, and it obviously doesn’t bother him in the least, even if most of those fans might think the only Stockton in the National Basketball Assn. is the announcer, Dick. And only the most devoted of the NBA’s camp followers would be able to tell you where Stockton went to school (Gonzaga) and how he came to the Jazz (the 16th player taken on the first round of the 1984 draft).

It is becoming increasingly difficult, however, to remain ignorant of the 6-foot 1-inch, 175-pound guard, no matter how bashful he may be, because his on-court achievements are screaming for attention.

Stockton, who started only two games last season and didn’t replace Rickey Green in the starting lineup until after the Jazz had been shocked by the Clippers in the fourth game of this season, is the NBA’s leader in assists, almost an average of one assist a game ahead of the Lakers’ Magic Johnson.

Stockton is on line to become the third player in NBA history to record more than 1,000 assists in one season, and could become the first player to finish in the top 10 in assists, steals and field goal percentage. With 17 games left, Stockton has 823 assists, an average of 12.7 a game. In 27 games this season, he has had 15 or more assists, 3 times with 20 or more. Last week against the Denver Nuggets, he had 24 points and 20 assists, the first 20-20 game of his career.

His scoring has picked up, too: He’s averaging 16.8 points in his last 25 games and has shot 50% or better in each of his last 17 games, making 120 of 179 shots for a percentage of .670. He’s third in the league in steals, averaging 2.78 a game, and is fourth in field goal percentage at 57.7%, behind three big men: Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Charles Barkley.

Teammate Marc Iavaroni, who played with Maurice Cheeks in Philadelphia and Johnny Moore in San Antonio, said of Stockton: “He’s playing better than either of those guys. It’s unbelievable the amount of energy he has out there. He’s been playing on another level the last four months.”

Don’t call that level Magic, though, Stockton says.

“Magic’s ability goes beyond assists,” he said. “Sure, it’s fun to think of this as some kind of battle between Magic and me, but if you asked him, he probably doesn’t give a second thought to it.”

Magic, however, never has gone over 1,000 assists in his career, even though he has led the league in assists in four of the last five seasons. His best total was last season, when he had a club record 977.

Should Stockton go over 1,000, he would join the company of Kevin Porter (1,099 with the Detroit Pistons in 1978-79) and Isiah Thomas (1,134, Detroit, 1983-84).

Utah publicist Bill Kreifeldt tells this illuminating story about Stockton: Two days after the Jazz had drafted him, Gonzaga athletic director Dan Fitzgerald called the team, requesting some videotapes. Stockton wanted to study Utah’s offense and defense, and find out where the Jazz scorers liked to get the ball.

Warring wives of Seattle, continued: Bob Whitsitt, the president of the SuperSonics, said that neither Bobbie Jo Lister, wife of center Alton, nor Monique Ellis, wife of guard Dale, would be barred from the Seattle Coliseum after their brawl earlier this month.

“The wives are welcome in the building,” Whitsitt said. “We feel confident that the situation has been resolved. Based on conversations we’ve had with both parties involved, they feel bad, and they know it was an embarrassment for the team and the league.”

No criminal charges will be filed, although Doug Whalley, King County city attorney for the criminal division, had a suggestion: “I did recommend that they trade Mrs. Ellis to Denver.”

Add SuperSonics: While the intrafamily squabbling hasn’t helped, the real reason behind their recent slide is the injury to Xavier McDaniel, who hyper-extended his knee on Jan. 15. He has not led Seattle in scoring in its last 21 games; before the injury, he was top scorer 14 times in 32 games. Seattle is 12-17 since McDaniel’s injury.

Wild Kingdom: Karl Malone, Utah’s all-star forward, has a pet python named Nikki (“he’s the color of my bedspread”), a Rottweiler named Jasmine, an eel named Maggie, some fish and a lobster named Pete. He wants a tiger cub, but a county ordinance prohibits it. After being ejected from a game last week against Denver, resulting in an automatic $250 fine, Malone said he couldn’t afford a new aquarium for Pete. So a local radio disc jockey organized a lobsterthon to help Malone out. Total donations in a week: $5.61.