Hansen Predicts King Turnaround

Call Bobby Hansen courageous. Call him a fool. Either way, Hansen is willing to predict a major turnaround for the Sacramento Kings right now.

“I think we can win half our games and get to the playoffs this season,” he said. “I like to set goals for myself. I think that’s a reasonable one.”

If the Kings win 41 of their 82 games, it would be their best showing in eight years, an 18-game improvement over last season.

Hansen’s prediction has little chance of coming true. The club lacks an impact player such as David Robinson, who is capable of leading an overnight reformation.

But Hansen doesn’t mind taking courageous stands. He has built an unlikely NBA career on his eagerness to defend territory that others would abandon.

Hansen, 29, was a third-round draft pick who entered the NBA in 1983 with nothing more than a prayer for success. Now, after seven seasons with the Utah Jazz, he remains a productive member of the NBA fraternity, helping the Kings rebuild their club.

“I’ve always been an underdog,” Hansen said. “I wasn’t supposed to make it in the league, because I was a third-round pick. They don’t even have a third round anymore.”

Hansen built his reputation with defense. NBA defense has traditionally required more desire than skill, more hunger than talent. Hansen had desire. And he was hungry.

“I got into the league playing defense and stayed in the league playing defense,” he said. “I’ll always play defense.”

Several of Utah’s most memorable basketball moments featured Hansen playing defense. The big guard harassed Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988, pushing them to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals before falling.

“Everyone said we didn’t have a chance, and we probably didn’t,” Hansen said. “We were just five guys--we had no depth--but we played hard and took it to them.”

In the 1986 playoffs, Hansen impressed many NBA coaches with his defensive effort against Rolando Blackman and the Dallas Mavericks. Among the coaches nodding approval was Dick Motta, Blackman’s boss at the time.

“All I’ve ever tried to do is hold the other guy under his scoring average,” Hansen said. “After the Dallas series, people realized I could play.”

Despite his devotion to defense, Hansen has nurtured a desire to contribute offensively since his college days at Iowa. He has never confused himself with Michael Jordan. But he would like to score a little.

Utah’s failure to provide even a single play for Hansen led to frustration. Last season, Hansen started wishing the Jazz would trade him.

“You like to get a little positive input, but there really wasn’t much,” he said. “You would think they could have run at least one play for me, but it was zero. There was nothing. All I did was set picks and play defense. It got a little stale.”

Hansen knew Utah’s offense was designed to get the ball to Karl Malone--”They had to feed the big dog,” he said--but also realized that reliance on Malone was a major vulnerability.

“We had only one guy to go to, and everyone knew it,” Hansen said. “That’s why we always got knocked out of the playoffs.”

In June, Hansen became a partial solution to the problem. When the Jazz decided to add a weapon by acquiring Jeff Malone, the chief scorer from the Bullets, a three-way deal was arranged.

Hansen and Jazz center Eric Leckner moved to Sacramento. Kings center Pervis Ellison went to Washington. The Malone population doubled in the Jazz locker room.

Now Hansen is revitalized. He enjoys working with Motta and watching the young Kings come together. He considers himself a tutor and a leader. He’s also pleased that Motta granted him the freedom to launch an occasional jumper.

“Hansen can hit his shot when he’s open,” Motta said. “I want him to shoot it.”

Hansen displayed no caution when he talked about the Kings’ chances. Encouraged by the club’s mixture of youth and experience, he wouldn’t be moved from his 41-win goal.

“It’s inevitable that we’ll lose games,” he said. “But the other teams will know they’ve been in a battle when they walk off the floor. And if we can get the seventh or eighth playoff spot, who knows? Anything can happen.”