Jordan Upset Bulls Didn't Sign Davis

Michael Jordan, who has suffered silently in the Chicago Bulls' quest for the NBA title, lashed out the team's management upon learning that Portland had made a trade with Denver for guard Walter Davis.

Jordan is upset the Bulls didn't sign Davis to a free-agent contract during the offseason or work out a trade with the Nuggets to bring him to Chi-town.

``I can't understand it, Jerry Krause (Bulls' general manager) will have to explain it to you guys (the media),'' Jordan said. ``If I were GM, we wouldn't be in this position, we'd be a better team.''

Jordan feels the Bulls have not done enough to close the talent gap with other Eastern Conference teams, but Bulls' owner Jerry Reinsdorf defended Krause.

``First let me say, Michael Jordan is undoubtedly the greatest player who ever lived . . . but he's still a player, and players, quite frankly, don't know a great deal about coaching,'' Reinsdorf said. ``And they don't know a whole lot about what it takes to make a deal.

``He wants to win, he's frustrated, so I can understand it. If Michael knew what we had tried to accomplish, and the pitfalls and problems we ran into, he probably wouldn't feel as frustrated.''

ALL OR NOTHING

-- Houston's Vernon Maxwell is an all or nothing kind of scorer. He scored 51 points against Cleveland a week ago last night, including 30 points in the final period of the Rockets' 103-97 victory.

Maxwell is only the fourth player in league history to score 30 points or more in a quarter. The others were: George Gervin (33), David Thompson (32) and Wilt Chamberlain (31).

However, in the Rockets' next game, against San Antonio Tuesday, he failed to score in the first half (he missed his first 10 shots) and finished the game with four points on two of 16 shooting from the floor.

AIR GOLF

-- When the Bulls played in Miami earlier this week, Jordan played a round of golf at a Miami Beach course with Heat part-owner Billy Cunningham and PGA Tour star Raymond Floyd.

Jordan, who had an 82, said he would not want to be traded to the Heat despite the many fine courses in the area and region's year-round warm weather.

``I don't know if I could ever play down here,'' he said. ``I would never play basketball, I'd golf every day. I don't need the golf bug, so I'd need to get away from this area.''

SMELL OF SUCCESS

-- The Denver Nuggets' recent four-game winning streak has earned them the nickname of Jugger-nuggets with the Denver media. In one of the victories, the Nuggets handed Milwaukee only its second loss on the Bucks' home court.

Paul Westhead, embattled Nugget coach who said his team probably is playing over its head and will return to its losing ways soon, is savoring the moment.

``How long can it last? Fresh-cut flowers lose their smell after a brief time,'' he said, ``but they're sure beautiful while you have them.''

In case you didn't know, Westhead is a man of letters. He taught an English literature course while coaching at Loyola Marymount.

HARRIS FOR THE DEFENSE

-- Milwaukee Coach Del Harris was ejected from the Bucks' loss to the Nuggets after he went onto the court to protest the lack of a call for his team and got tangled up with Nugget guard Michael Adams when the 5-foot-8 Adams brought the ball upcourt.

Adams, who was knocked down in the encounter, said the incident was an accident and was not mad at Harris.

``He wasn't trying to hurt me, he probably just didn't see me,'' Adams said. ``He was out there fighting for his team. When the whistle blew, I thought the ref was calling a charge on me.''

Westhead thought the officials blew the call.

It was a ``great block by Del, I thought it was a charge,'' cracked Westhead.

NBA officials said Harris will be fined $250 for the double-technical he was given.

DRESSING MR. BILL

-- Rod Thorn, NBA vice president of operations, has asked Bulls' center Bill Cartwright to wear elbow pads because Cartwright's elbows have injured several players this season - including Houston's Akeem Olajuwon, Milwaukee's Jack Sikma and Orlando's Greg Kite.

The request was not an order and Cartwright told Thorn he'll consider it, but has no immediate plans to wear the equipment because they would interfere with his playing style (or lack thereof).

``Do you see me wearing any wrist bands?'' Cartwright asked. ``Any head bands, earrings or gold chains? I'm just a natural man. I've never worn any pads and I don't intend to now. I would not feel comfortable in them.''

But Thorn issued a warning to the former Knick, who was known as Mr. Bill to the rabid New York faithful.

``The blows to the face cannot continue,'' Thorn said. ``He has not been fined as of this time, but whether (the injuries) were on purpose or not, that is too many blows to the face.''

THOMAS INJURY

-- Surgery revealed Isiah Thomas' wrist injury was more serious than his doctors first suspected. Dr. Kirk Watson of Hartford, Conn., who performed the operation, said Thomas will have to miss at least 15 weeks and may not be available for the playoffs.

Watson said it's 50-50 Thomas ever will regain full use of right wrist, which has pained the all-star since he injured it last April.

Thomas, who has gone on an extended vacation to Hawaii with his wife, Lynn, had planned to finish the season without an operation. But teammates Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer and Mark Aguirre talked him into having surgery. Watson wished they'd convinced Thomas sooner.

``I really wish Isiah had come in to have this done six months earlier,'' said Watson. ``If so, I'd be a lot more optimistic. He has sustained extensive ligament damage and also substantial cartilage damage, which greatly increases the prospects of eventual arthritis setting in.

``I have performed hundreds of these operations before, but this was one of the worst I've seen.''

The Pistons signed John Long to a 10-day contract to fill Thomas' spot on the roster. Long didn't play last season after spending eight campaigns with the Pistons.

BIRD PRACTICING

-- Boston's Larry Bird, who has been sidelined by a painful back for several weeks, began practicing last week. No date has been set for Bird's return to action, but he has not ruled out playing in the upcoming NBA All-Star game.

``I'm pretty excited about (practicing), but the thing is, you have to take it one day at a time,'' he said. ``I feel better right now than when the season began.''

John Peoples covers the NBA and Seattle SuperSonics for The Times. Some of the information was obtained from reporters around the country.