Daily News from New York, New York • 144

32 IIW 1 i mi f- 7J "msmm" Johnson garners By FILIP BONDY Ills points By HARVEY ARATON A scoring guard to replace Ray Williams is what the Knicks craved, so coach Ilubie Brown suggested John Long. Director of operations Dave DeBusschere said: "How about Jim Paxson?" Reality brought Butch Carter. -5 What we know about Mr. Carter is that he's played for one perennial winner, Indiana University, and one pathetic loser, -the Indiana Pacers, with one stop in between at the end of the Los Angeles Lakers bench. Be- -fore Carter even put on his Knick practice jersey, he wanted to make one thing perfectly clear: he is not to be confused with Michael Jordan.

"I DONT consider myself the most talented player in the world," he said. Then he s1 EVlcHale and hearty point guard for two years, until Isiah Thomas arrived. Carter took one look at Isiah, told himself he was the former point guard and moved off the ball, averaging 11.1. Says Brown: "The guy played point guard for Bobby Knight; he must know how to play the game." Drafted on the second round by the Lakers, Carter didn't get serious minutes until 1982 83, his third pro season and second in Indiana. "THAT'S WHERE I'd say I made the transition to a scorer.

I worked with George Irvine (now the Pacers head coach) on my shooting and especially on taking people one-on-one. In college, we didn't do any of that. We came off screens for the jumper. "Now I'm at the point where I feel comfortable if I'm asked to go one-on-one. Sure, some guys make it tough, like the Michael Coopers.

"But hey, we only have to play LA twice." Another stat Hubie liked was Carter's 128 steals last year one more than Walker's Knick rookie record. "I tell you what's going to be nice is playing with Darrell," Carter said. "We may be able to get a little competition to see who comes up with the most thefts." Is Carter himself a steal? All Knick fingers are crossed. Celtic forward Kevin McHale beats Jazz Thurl Bailey to rebound during Hall of Fame exhibition game Tuesday night in Springfield, Mass. Jazz won, 105-104.

m.v i. uu "'iwi'. muiif iauwj, ji uv-m Albert King is due out of the hospital today after further tests on his back. He will not play in the Nets' opener tomorrow night at the Meadowlands against Atlanta or in their game Saturday night in Richfield, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. "He can't do anything physical at first," Stan Albeck said.

"It'll be like he's starting all over." Foots Walker's inflamed knee will be examined today by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kim Sloan. Walker is on the injured list and must miss the team's first five games. Mike Wilson has his roster spot for the time being, although free agent Kelvin Ransey is expected to reclaim it in the future. The Nets play nine of their first 14 games on the road.

Filip Bondy It was not a roster battle that would shape or shake the Nets: George Johnson versus Steve Hayes for the third center -spot and the opportunity to sit on the bench for 40 minutes per game. Through three weeks of practice and five exhibition games, the two journeymen looked equally ineffectual. Hayes demonstrated little mobility and even less grace. Johnson was hamstrung by minor injuries to his knee and elbow. Then on Tuesday, it was mercifully over.

"There wasn't really much to choose between them," admitted coach Stan Albeck. "But we decided to go with the veteran." SO JOHNSON, 35 years old and a former starter under Albeck at San Antonio, stuck. And yesterday, as he was being fitted by an athletic wear representative for a variety of outfits, Johnson said he was satisfied about his official return to the league after a year's absence. "It's definitely different this time around," Johnson said. "I'm going for the third center role, and I know I'll have limited playing time.

That won't be easy. When you're sitting there and watching the game being played, you always think you can go out there and fix up the situation." If Johnson is lucky, Albeck's preseason scheme to play Darryl Dawkins at power forward next to Mike Gminski for several minutes per game will work out. That would leave more playing time for Johnson as reserve center. But in the past, Daw-kins' foul problems have prevented such a pairing with Gminski, and there is no reason to believe that matters will change. "IN ANY CASE, it feels good," Johnson said.

"There were times" last year that I thought the NBA was behind me. I thought about going to Italy, but they were worried about my age over there and never gave me a great offer." Johnson sat but last season waiting for a guaranteed contract that never came. He has lived in New Jersey since his last stint with the Nets in 1977-1980, and jumped at the chance this season to try out for the local team as a free agent Johnson brings two unique playing qualities back to the league. He is a superb shotblocker with a career average of 2.5 blocks per game, and he is the last of the under-handed free throw shooters a skill he learned from Rick Barry while playing at Golden iik 1976. AP in a four-round light heavyweight bout, Josephine Abercrombie, president of the Houston Boxing Associa- tion, said Tuesday.

The HBA is a group formed in 1983 to develop and train boxers at its own conditioning facilities. Abercrombie said the HBA has six other fighters under contract Kronk Gymnasium, where Tate learned the boxing game, was set to sign Tate last month, but the fighter said, "I decided not to rush into it We felt Houston is the best place for me to be. "I lost my first five fights as an amateur and I cried. In 1984 I haven't lost a fight. In boxing, it's up to you.

You have to give 100 percent to be world champion. I love the sport so much, I give 100 percent" Details and length of his contract were not revealed. He said he'. will earn. about 40,000 For hli first' fighT' paused and added, "I do consider myself a scorer.

I don't want to play the point. Those guys have to work too hard." If Carter can score, say, the same 13.4 ppg he produced in Indiana last season. Brown may even want to shake DeBusschere's hand for a job well done. The Knicks gave up almost nothing (a second-round draft pick) to get Carter, who makes almost nothing ($130,000, non-guaranteed). Says Carter, in trying to explain the deal: "I don't think Pacers wanted me competing for minutes with Vera Fleming, who can really play." For now.

Carter is the second-unit scoring guard, teaming in backcourt with DarreH Walker, but it is not unthinkable that he could eventually make the varsity. Starter Trent Tucker's preseason has been, at best, mediocre. If Tucker doesn't improve, and Carter is, as some suspect, better than his young career suggests. Brown might be left no choice. -g Three times Carter has scored 40-plus points in the NBA.

Late last season, he jj- helped the Pacers beat the 8 Knicks with 26. He is a 26-j year-old, 6-5, 195-pound jump shooter who describes his range as: "Way out there." Last season's 13.4 scoring average on 487e shooting was Carter's best since high school, so the Knicks are hoping Carter is not only just getting comfortable but that he'll be even more productive with a better team, At Indiana, where Carter with Mike Woodson, Ray Tolbert and Landon Turner, he was Bobby Knight's troit, won 129 fights, including a decision over Canada's Shawn O'Sullivan for the gold, and lost 19 in an eight-year amateur career. Puc-cirelli of Pittsburgh has a pro reecord of 13-3-1. A tentative agreement also has been reached for Yugoslavia's Anton Josipo-vic, the 178-pound Olympic gold medal winner, to fight on the same card against opponent to be named later Associated Press Olympic gold medal winner Frank Tate has signed a contract with the Houston Boxing Association and will make his professional boxing debut Dec. 7 at The Summit in Houston against Mike Puc-cirelli in a scheduled six-round middleweight bout Tate, 20, the 156 pound Olympic champion from De f-nifTn 1 nf i ii h-TI -h85-" inf -ny Knicks got down to 13 active players yesterday by waiving rookie guards Curtis Green (third-round pick) and Jersey Shore League find Clinton Wheeler: After rookie Tony Simms tore up kneejast Saturday, he went on injured reserve, a league rule.

If decision is made not to disable Bill Cartwright, then one of three rookie frontliners Ron Cavenall, Eddie Wilkins, Ken Bannister will have to go. Truck Robinson to resume practice today after missing week with bursitis in knees. Dave DeBusschere waiver jst for backup center help. i 'Harvey-Araton.