The Golden State Warriors, looking toward the future, traded 7-7 center Manute Bol to the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday for the club's top pick in the 1991 draft.
The move, coach Don Nelson said, was made in the hope of shoring up the club's center position in future drafts."Manute will always be one of my favorite players and best friends," Nelson said. "He is responsible for more wins than any reserve in the NBA. He is a defensive force to be reckoned with.
"However, we have to get more solid at our center position. We have been given the opportunity to help us work towards achieving our goal of building a championship-caliber team. We also felt the trade would benefit Manute."
Originally drafted by Washington, Bol came to the Warriors in June 1988 in exchange for center Dave Feitl. Nelson wanted Bol because he felt more than any player in the NBA, the gentle giant's defensive presence forced teams to change their offenses.
The strategy worked well until Bol was forced to play more than the designed 10 minutes a game because of injuries to the club's other big men. The extra playing time wore the rail-thin Bol down and lessened his effectiveness.