Articles!

                       Shoot! Shooting guards keep
                   on disappearing

                    Anderson traded, Person missing,
                   Langdon under repair. Now, Sura
                   sidelined

                   BY CHRIS TOMASSON
                   Beacon Journal staff writer

                   It wasn't long ago that the Cavaliers were
                   Shooting Guards R Us.

                   The Cavs last summer had shooting guards
                   Derek Anderson, Wesley Person, Bob Sura and
                   Trajan Langdon. They were joined by general
                   manager and ex-shooting guard Jim Paxson and
                   head coach and ex-shooting guard Randy
                   Wittman.

                   As the Cavs head into tonight's game at Detroit,
                   they probably could use either Paxson or
                   Wittman in uniform.

                   Anderson has been traded to the Clippers.
                   Langdon was ruled out for the season yesterday
                   after undergoing knee surgery. Person is having
                   a brutal season, although he is coming off a fine
                   game in Tuesday's 112-108 win over
                   Washington.

                   The only consistent shooting guard the Cavs
                   have had this season is Bob Sura, averaging
                   15.5 points. But Sura has fallen victim to the
                   Sports Illustrated page 66 jinx. After being
                   profiled in the magazine this week, he likely
                   will sit out tonight and tomorrow at home
                   against Atlanta with a sprained right big toe.

                   ``I'm very doubtful,'' said Sura, who was
                   inadvertently kicked in the toe Tuesday by
                   Wizards guard Richard Hamilton. ``It's
                   something like a turf toe injury. . . . I'm in a lot
                   of pain. I've played in a lot of pain before, but
                   I'm not going to be able to be effective if I'm out
                   there.''

                   So the Cavs will turn to Person, shooting 40.8
                   percent, and Cedric Henderson, shooting 38.3
                   percent. Henderson normally is a small forward
                   who can't shoot.

                   Person, if the Cavs are lucky, will be able to hit
                   some jumpers, but he figures to have a tough
                   time on defense against Jerry Stackhouse.
                   Henderson is a much better defender, but the
                   Pistons will back off on him when he has the
                   ball.

                   ``It's tough,'' forward Shawn Kemp said. ``Every
                   time we get a win and get pumped up, then we
                   have adversity.

                   ``Bobby probably won't play, but maybe that
                   will give Wesley a chance to be aggressive like
                   the last game. We need to get him some shots
                   and get him back on track. But we'll definitely
                   miss Bobby.''

                   Person's game against Washington was a gem.
                   He shot 6-of-7 and scored 15 points. He drilled
                   three key 3-pointers in the fourth period.

                   Before that game, Person had strictly been fool's
                   gold. He had gone 17 straight games without
                   scoring in double figures, and he missed 17
                   straight 3-pointers at one point during that
                   stretch. He entered the Washington game in a
                   9-of-47 shooting slump.

                   ``This is an opportunity for me to play and be a
                   factor,'' said Person, who lost his starting job
                   this season and is averaging a career-low 7.9
                   points.

                   ``I have to be positive like I was (Tuesday). I've
                   been fighting myself mentally to get back into it.''

                   Langdon, a rookie from Duke, won't be able to
                   get back into it until next season, which is not a
                   surprise since he hasn't played since Nov. 23.

                   Langdon is not projected to be able to engage in
                   basketball activity for six months.

                   Arthroscopic surgery was performed
                   Wednesday by Lakers team doctor Steve
                   Lombardo to correct a defect in the articulating
                   cartilage in Langdon's right knee. The surgery
                   was similar to the one Lombardo performed on
                   Langdon's left knee in 1995-96, when he missed
                   the entire season at Duke.

                   ``What they did was more extensive than what
                   they had anticipated,'' Paxson said. ``But we're
                   pretty optimistic that by training camp things
                   will be fine.''

                   Langdon played in only 10 games, averaging 4.9
                   points and shooting 37.5 percent. That's
                   obviously not a lot of time to evaluate Langdon,
                   but he certainly didn't show what many believe a
                   player drafted No. 11 should.

                   ``We wanted to get another shooter,'' said
                   Paxson, who has been second-guessed for
                   bypassing Corey Maggette, James Posey and
                   several other more highly rated players in the
                   draft.

                   ``It's kind of tough to compare a guy who's not
                   playing with guys who are playing, but that's
                   how I get judged and evaluated. Two or three
                   years down the road, if Trajan becomes a player
                   who contributes to the team, everybody will say
                   it's a solid pick.

                   ``If it doesn't, then that happens. But I think it's
                   too early in the process to make a judgment.''

                   Regardless, the Cavs will have another lottery
                   pick if they don't make the playoffs. They always
                   can draft another shooting guard.

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