Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 19, 1993

Call them the unpredictably predictable Lakers. . . .

They fall to the Bucks at Milwaukee, and surprise the Bulls at Chicago two nights later. They beat the Portland Trail Blazers at the Forum and get clobbered by the Houston Rockets there three days later. . . .

But the bottom line--the won-loss record--is just about where it should be at 19-16. . . .

What we appear to have here is an average NBA team--not real bad and not real good, but somewhere in the middle. . . .

The magic is long gone, and if he keeps this up, Sedale Threatt’s 16.1-point average will be the lowest ever to lead the Lakers. . . .

“We’d like to go from winning two out of four to winning three out of four,” said Coach Randy Pfund after a 110-90 loss to Houston that was a dreary as the weather outside on Martin Luther King Day. “The trouble is, like about 20 other teams in this league, we haven’t been consistent.” . . .

Have there ever been more quality centers in the NBA than now? David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal, Brad Daugherty and Alonzo Mourning head the list. . . .

On the same Saturday night that Michael Jordan scored 64 points during the Chicago Bulls’ defeat by the Orlando Magic, Robinson scored 52 points, collected 14 rebounds, and blocked seven shots during the San Antonio Spurs’ victory over the Charlotte Hornets. . . .

Skeptics keep waiting, waiting and waiting for the novelty of San Antonio Coach John Lucas to wear off. . . .

The next NBA draft might not be so weak, after all. If Jimmy Jackson and Doug Christie sit out the rest of the season, they will be eligible. Among undergraduates expected to declare are Anfernee Hardaway of Memphis State, Chris Webber of Michigan, and Jamal Mashburn of Kentucky. . . .

Until Virginia loses its first game, it should be ranked higher than seventh in the Associated Press poll. . . .

Defending NCAA champion Stanford drew the first sellout crowd ever at Maples Pavilion for a women’s basketball game last week when the Cardinal defeated California before 7,500. . . .

I thought Pete Stoyanovich of the Miami Dolphins, not Steve Christie of the Buffalo Bills, would be the high scorer in the AFC championship game. . . .

Buffalo linebacker Darryl Talley has been called the most underrated player in the NFL so many times that he might be overrated. . . .

The Rams can show they are serious about improving by going after free agent Reggie White. . . .

At the City Times football awards breakfast Sunday, Mike Garrett, USC’s associate athletic director, praised the coaching ability of Loyola High’s Steve Grady. In 1965, Grady was a backup to Heisman Trophy winner Garrett at USC. . . .

When Tyrell Biggs, 32, can’t beat late replacement Mike Hunter, it is time for him to hang up the gloves. . . .

Michael Nunn will make the first defense of his World Boxing Assn. super-middleweight championship against Victor Cordoba Jan. 30 at Memphis on Showtime. Nunn won the title from Cordoba on a controversial decision Sept. 12 in Las Vegas. . . .

George Foreman can’t fight as well as heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe, but Foreman’s HBO commercials are better. . . .

Promoter Bob Arum has signed contracts from Foreman and Tommy Morrison for an April 16 pay-per-view bout. Foreman is guaranteed $6 million, Morrison $1 million, and both will receive percentages of the TV receipts. . . .

L.A. and Chicago fight figure Mickey (Soldier) Farr, 92, will be honored at a luncheon Wednesday at the Friars Club. . . .

The quality of the Southland thoroughbred racing circuit is illustrated by the Eclipse Award balloting. A.P. Indy and Best Pal are among the three horse-of-the-year finalists; Eddie Delahoussaye, Kent Desormeaux and Chris McCarron are the jockey finalists, and Neil Drysdale, Bobby Frankel, and Ron McAnally are the trainer finalists. . . .

Anders Jarryd, who was ranked No. 151 in the world when he upset Boris Becker in the Australian Open, once was considered on a par with fellow Swede Stefan Edberg. . . .

On his way to his first Wimbledon championship in 1985, Becker defeated Jarryd in the semifinals. . . .

The Baltimore Orioles have become the fifth major league team to ban smoking in their stadium. . . .

It’s good to see Jack McKeon, who built the San Diego Padres’ only pennant winner, back in baseball as a consultant to the Cincinnati Reds. . . .

The Toronto Blue Jays, who usually select wisely, will have eight choices in the first three rounds of the draft in June. . . .

Unofficial, long-range weather forecast: It will be dry, comfortable and beautiful Jan. 31 in Southern California. It always is when a football game is televised nationally from the Rose Bowl.