Years Active: 1983 – 2000

Career Stats: 16.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.5 bpg, 48.4% FG, 70.6% FT

Accolades: 1983 Rookie of the Year, 2x All-Star (1985, 1989), All-NBA 2nd Team (1985), All-NBA 3rd Team (1989), All-Rookie 1st Team (1983)

The 1982 draft was a loaded class. Dominique Wilkins, James Worthy, Fat Lever, Clark Kellogg, Ricky Pierce and Sleepy Floyd are the highlight players, but the man who walked away with the Rookie of the Year crown was Terry Cummings. T.C. was a lithe combination of power and speed that initially toiled on the moribund San Diego Clippers.

Mercifully, he would be traded into the good graces of perennial powerhouse Milwaukee and when that situation began to go south, Cummings again would be bailed out with a trade to the San Antonio Spurs, sparking the greatest turnaround in NBA history until the 2008 Celtics.

Terry’s good fortune ran out soon after that as a devastating knee injury robbed him of his explosiveness. Nevertheless he soldiered on for another decade as a reserve forward. But when he was at his best, few in the NBA could match his presence, his grace, his strength.

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Yes, he truly is. Sing it, Lionel.

Yesterday Kris Humphries contributed 24 points, 18 rebounds and 5 assists in a surprising Nets victory over the Chicago Bulls. I know the Bulls were without Derrick Rose yet again, but every Nets victory is surprising unless it comes against Charlotte or Washington.

But leave the surprise at the door when it comes to Humphries. Over the last four games he’s averaged 18.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocks. And check this, he’s done it on 72.1% FG. Hell, he’s even hitting 78.6% of his free throws in this stretch.

Well, this could just be a very good hot streak for Mr. Hump, some might say. And it’s something worth pondering. Howevuh, this recent spate of production has come against the Bulls, Indiana, Memphis and San Antonio, all playoff caliber teams. They have their deficiencies, like Duncan being old, Z-Bo being hurt, and Carlos Boozer starting, but these aren’t also-rans.

But wait, if you haven’t noticed, Humphries has actually been balling the whole season. Last year he was a breakout darling averaging 10 points and 10.4 rebounds, but he’s been just as good this season::

Actually, he might be better in my estimation. He has garnered more minutes with Brook Lopez being out with a broken foot, but many a player has faltered when given more playing time. Humprhies has kept up the production while increasing the efficiency.

So why isn’t Hump getting the same kind of pub that say Danilo Gallinari (PER of 20) or Carmelo (20.2) or even (apparently controversial) all-star Roy Hibbert 18.5) are getting?

Oh… oh, that’s right. I totally forgot.

Well, umm… let’s see… at least he didn’t marry Nicole Richie.

Nevertheless, as NBA aficionados, I expect that we can totally overlook such sensationalist tabloid features and appreciate the work that Humprhies is doing in New Jersey. He’s one of only ten players right now putting up a double-double in points and rebounds. And with the return of the Brookie Monster today, I suspect Humprhies’ play will only get better. The aggregate numbers may not totally reflect it, but everyone’s better off playing alongside Lopez instead of Petro.

Internment camp in southeastern California - spaz_writer999 (flickr)

When prodded about the possibility that some teams in the young N.B.A. did not want a Japanese-American player so soon after World War II, [Wataru Misaka] has maintained that his demotion had more to do with his modest size.

“I’d like to go back and ask them,” Misaka said the other night, permitting himself that bit of skepticism.

Via “The Old Guard Welcomes the New Guard” 

That was the New York Times’ George Vecsey interviewing pioneering player Wataru “Wat” Misaka earlier this week on the Jeremy Lin story sweeping the country.

Misaka was the first non-white or “colored” (I hate that term) person to play in what is now the NBA back in the 1947-48 season. He was from Utah and of Japanese descent. The United States had always been wary and even overtly hostile to Asian immigrants when they began to arrive in the mid-1800s, but the trials of World War II, and the prejudices it allowed to flow freely, were perhaps the darkest times for Japanese-Americans.

Most on the Pacific coast of the United States were rounded up and detained in internment camps following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Until the war ended in September 1945, this was where the majority of Japanese-Americans lived. Internment camps. No trial, no accusation, just assumption of guilt and complicity with a foreign country many of these people were descended from but had never visited.

(Italian- and German-Americans were also given this treatment but not on the same vast scale as Japanese-Americans).

Amidst this climate of fear and dazed craziness, Misaka’s family was fortunate to escape such harsh treatment. Since they were Japanese-American, they were considered perhaps sympathetic to Japan’s plan to dominate the Pacific, but since  they lived in Utah, they were in no position to aid the enemy like they would have been had they lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles or Honolulu.

Wat was able to attend Weber State in Utah during the war. In fact, his connections at the university allowed a friend of his to be transfered from an internment camp in California to the Weber State campus. The university president, at Wat’s request, vouched that the young, interned man would be occupied and not get into mischief. A noble thing  to undertake, but think about that for a moment.

A young Japanese man never convicted of or tried for anything achieves his freedom only by having a voucher from a white, university president. Sadly, this kind of paternalism was commonplace and highly perfected in the Southern United States where African-Americans could be arrested on charges of “vagrancy” for not being employed, a practice that dated back to the 1870s. The road to be climbed by minorities in the United States then was a steep one.

And that included basketball.

Wat transfered to the University of Utah becoming a basketball standout. After the war,  Utah won the NIT tournament played in the bright lights of New York’s Madison Square Garden. Misaka rode the wave of the tournament victory to a contract to play for the New York Knickerbockers after his graduation. Misaka’s tenure lasted a full 3 games before being cut. In those days, a contract was not guaranteed, largely because the franchise, and even the league, was not guaranteed.

The Basketball Association of America (BAA), was a fledgling operation having only begun in 1946-47. It was largely the brainchild of NHL hockey owners looking to fill the seats in their arenas during off-days (hence the BAA’s initial members being in New York, Boston, Toronto, and other northeastern locales). Hockey had a largely white male, blue-collar clientèle and these owners kept that sensibility with their new basketball league, despite the vastly different demographics of basketball.

If Wat’s appearance with the Knicks was shocking, his quick exit wasn’t. At that time and continuing even into the late 1970s, an ethnic minority player of equal caliber (or even slightly superior caliber) would not be kept at the expense of a white player so that fans could “identify” with the team. Examining the team stats, Misaka’s play wasn’t that much worse (or better) than your average backup guard in 1947.

To that point, Leo Gottlieb was given 27 games that year to shoot a terrible (even for then) 20% from the field before being jettisoned. Stan Stutz played the entire season with a 21.8% shooting line. Misaka in very limited action shot 23%. But again, being average wasn’t going to cut it for minority players at that time and Misaka departed New York for his home in Utah to work as an engineer after those precious few 3 games.

As the BAA  scraped by in the Northeast, it began to poach the more established National Basketball League (NBL), which was based in the Midwest, for teams and players, eventually forcing a merger  in 1949 and thus the NBA was born.

While Japanese-Americans were being detained in California, a few ball clubs in the NBL began employing black players in 1942, five years before Jackie Robinson’s entrance to MLB and nearly a decade before Earl Lloyd debuted as the first black player in the BAA/NBA. The delay was no accident and sprung from the same forces that quickly spun Misaka out the league.

The BAA (and now NBA) owners were deathly afraid of using too many black players, figuring it would alienate fans and lead to the financial ruin of the league. So, by increments, black players joined, usually as bench players, and guarded another black player when they entered the game.  Finally, Maurice Stokes busted down the doors in 1956 winning Rookie of the Year.

Then came Bill Russell the following season. Then Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and so on. Still, in the early 1960s, there was the assumption among black players that teams had an unspoken quota that only 3 or 4 players per team could be black. When Al Attles, black, was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors, Woody Saulsdberry, also black and the 1958 Rookie of the Year, was shipped out almost immediately. The quota was apparently all too real.

Nevertheless, the dye had been cast with Stokes and Russell and we now have an NBA that is overwhelmingly black, and increasingly diverse with ever more foreign players. The silly prejudices of the past have died down, but like hope, it springs eternal.

Jeremy Lin’s ascendancy has brought a fresh new batch of insensitive and careless, if not blatantly racist, comments and actions.

If you spend far too much time on Twitter, like I do, then you have seen terribly insensitive jokes like “MSG in MSG” or Jason Whitlock’s unfortunate tweet. Finally, Floyd Mayweather skipped the jokes and blatantly declared Linsanity was taking hold only because of Lin’s ethnicity. Never mind the mind-boggling points and assists he was putting up for a PG making his first career starts.

For sure, Asian-Americans are rooting for Lin much like African-Americans rooted for Maurice Stokes back in the 1950s. The cheers aren’t so much for that particular person as it is for what that person’s achievements will mean. Stokes winning the 1956 Rookie of the Year meant black players as a whole were more likely to be judged on their individual merits. Lin’s current play means that future Asian players won’t be readily dismissed or given a half-hearted, cursory look.

Liberation from narrow-minded ideas over what can be successful had begun as coaches and teams went out in search of the next Maurice Stokes. Now they’ll go out in search of the next Jeremy Lin.

But there was no “next Maurice Stokes.” There was a Bill Russell, an Elgin Baylor, and even lesser players like Al Attles ready to contribute at a high level.

And there will be no “next Jeremy Lin.” But his success will help ensure that some Asian-American player in the future won’t be dismissed as Wataru Misaka was in the past.

Diving into the Jeremy Lin sensation that’s sweeping the nation, Hardwood Paroxysm’s Andrew Lynch provides 5 questions to the intellectually depraved Jared Dubin, Curtis Harris, Sean Highkin, Noam Schiller, and Amin Vafa.

Mykl Roventine (Flickr)

1. How does this Knicks team work when Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire return? Can they figure out how to fit in on Jeremy Lin’s team?

Jared Dubin: Predictably, I’m much less concerned about Amare’s return and his ability to fit in with Jeremy Lin than I am with Carmelo’s. Theoretically, Lin and Amar’e should be a perfect fit; the pick-and-roll big man finally finds his pick-and-roll point guard. However, Tyson Chandler has been the primary roll man in the Knicks’ P&R actions this year, while Amar’e has played the role of outlet man more often. Chandler has served as the primary roll man so far while Lin’s been the starter and that combination has created ample space for Jared Jeffries to shoot some wide open 15-18 footers. Imagine how much more deadly that kick out will be when it’s Amar’e lining up a jumper rather than Jeffries. And imagine how much more room Lin will have to drop the ball of the Chandler in the lane with Amar’e drawing defender out of the lane rather than Jeffries allowing them to sit in the paint and not worry about the jump shot.

Melo’s return legitimately has me nervous. I have no idea how he fits on a Jeremy Lin-led Knicks team. By necessity, Melo has been both the Knicks primary scorer and primary ball-handler in pretty much every game that he’s been healthy this year. He’s used to having the ball in his hands, and he’s used to creating for both himself and others (though mostly himself). How he’ll adjust to someone else having the keys to the offense or how Mike D’Antoni will adjust to having both Lin and Carmelo on the court to run the offense through at the same time will be an interesting story to watch. In theory, Melo’s ability to score from anywhere on the floor opens up lanes for Lin to roam the paint and find other players for open shots. In practice, taking the ball out of either one of their hands may minimize their effectiveness. They’ll have to find a way to make it work. When you see how well Lin’s been playing, and consider the necessary elements and principles for a successful D’Antoni style offense, you come to the conclusion that it should be Melo who subjugates his game. The questions remain, though; will he, can he, and should he? The way I see it, Carmelo should slide into very much the same role Kobe Bryant occupied the last few seasons; facilitate the offense early on and build the confidence of his teammates while attacking when the opportunity presents itself, and then taking over late in the game whenever necessary. We all know Carmelo has the ability to make tough shots down the stretch, and with Lin, Stoudemire, Chandler and either Shumpert or Fields on the court down the stretch, there will be plenty of other options available for the Knicks as well.

Curtis Harris: Amar’e with a PG who passes first in his career? 23 ppg, 56.5% FG and only 2.5 turnovers a game. Amar’e without a PG who passes first: 19.5 ppg, 48.3% FG and 2.9 turnovers. I think Amar’e is going to love this. Carmelo on the other hand worries me. He’s never been one to freely move and groove in the offense. Too often he gets stuck watching and waiting for the ball. His isolations should be a measure of last resort now. We’ll see how things shake down. But he’s light years ahead of Bill Walker, so this is already a win.

Sean Highkin: Pairing Amar’e with a competent point guard is usually a good idea. I’d expect him to improve with Lin’s presence. I’ve given up trying to predict Melo. If he wants to fit into D’Antoni’s system, he can. At the very least, Lin’s proven himself a more than capable scorer, which should take some pressure off Anthony to do everything on offense for the Knicks.

Noam Schiller:  They work better. I know the idea of a nightly Lin-on-Five contest is more romantic, but let’s not forget that Lin got his big break in the first place because the Knicks are completely bereft of talent. Getting back two all stars – even if they haven’t been much of that this year – will do wonders for this team regardless of how well they play in their return.

As for that second part – Amar’e should fit right in next to Lin’s pick and roll magic. Not to give in to insane Nash comparisons, but STAT helped build an entire offense around setting screens and either rolling to the basket or popping out for mid-range jumpers while the Canadian mastermind played opposing defenses like a ukulele. Lin’s herky-jerky, never-stop-dribbling ways around screens should be a perfect fit next to one of the greatest divers of our era. Just look at the open dunks Tyson Chandler has been getting throughout Linsanity, add a more versatile clone setting himself up on Lin’s other side, and you’ve got scary magic.

Melo is harder to project, with the iso-heavy ways that have gone even further down the ballhog track in New York, but it’s easy to forget just how successful Melo was with two ball-dominant point guards in Denver. Whether Melo is mentally capable of ceding the spotlight he grabbed from Amar’e (through no fault of his own) remains to be seen, but having him in the weakside to draw attention from the Lin pick and roll – or, conversely, having him isolate while keeping the option of a quick swing and pick for Lin – should have the Harvard grad drooling at his options. It could just as easily fail, as Melo’s Knicks tenure hasn’t been exactly fulfilling for the viewers, but he’s such an upgrade talent-wise over the likes of Jared Jefferies, Billy Walker, and whatever the hell is happening on Billy Walker’s head that I feel uncomfortable dismissing it before we’ve seen it.

Amin Vafa: I think getting Amar’e back before Melo is going to be a good thing for this team, since I think Amar’e will be an easier fit. He’s used to playing off quick and accurate Pick-n-Roll PGs. Lin’s points will certainly go down (since he can dump off the scoring load on a high-efficiency scoring big man), but I think his assists will go up. Reintroducing Melo, though, might be more of a challenge, since Melo likes to create for himself. I still think, however, if the Knicks are running largely Pick-n-Roll sets, Lin’s going to be very useful in helping to create a more dynamic offense.

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Years Active: 1966 – 1976

Career Stats: 21.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.5 bpg,  45.2% FG, 73.0% FT

Accolades:  ABA MVP (1973), 4x NBA All-Star (1969-’72), ABA All-Star (1973), 3x All-NBA 1st Team (1969-’71), All-NBA 2nd Team (1972),  All-ABA 1st Team (1973), NBA All-Rookie 1st Team (1966), NBA Champion (1967 Philadelphia 76ers)

There are three distinct Billy Cunninghams. For the first three years of his career, he was the 6th Man for the 76ers entering games and delivering a hot dose of instant offense. For the next several years after that, he was perhaps the best forward in all of basketball. His game flourished beyond scoring and encompassed tremendous rebounding and deft passing. However, the last three years of his career were filled with frustrating injuries that eroded a unique and sparkling talent.

Before his hotshot pro career, Cunningham grew up in New York City and then headed down south to attend the University of North Carolina. In his 4 years at Chapel Hill, Cunningham  averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds. At the conclusion of his senior year, 1965, he was named ACC Player of the Year. With such play, it’s unsurprising the Philadelphia 76ers made him the 5th overall pick in the 1965 Draft and back north Billy headed and was immediately injected into one of the great rivalries in the NBA.

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Stokes tallied 32 points and nabbed 20 rebounds in Rochester’s 100-98 loss to New York Saturday. On Sunday, he dropped to 17 points but again collared 20 rebounds as the Royals handed the champion Syracuse Nationals a 83-80 defeat.

Via Stokes Off To Fast Start in Pro Loop

Years Active: 1956 – 1958

Career Stats: 16.4 ppg, 17.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, 35.1% FG, 69.8% FT

Accolades: 3x All-Star (1956-’58), 3x All-NBA 2nd Team (1956-’58), 1956 Rookie of the Year

Maurice Stokes was not the 1st black player in the NBA. That honor belongs to Earl Lloyd in 1950 (and Wat Misaka was the 1st non-white person in the league in 1947). Nor was Stokes the first selected at a lofty draft position. Ray Felix was taken #1 overall in 1953. Nor was he the first all-star. That would be Don Barksdale in the 1952-53 season.

Maurice Stokes was simply the 1st black superstar in the NBA. Not just a really good or all-star caliber player, but one who truly shifted the fortunes of a franchise by himself and could alter the way the game as a whole was played. He wasn’t merely a player who did an established role particularly well, he expanded, fused and created new roles for his position (power forward) in ways that still have been mastered by only a few players.

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From Kobe Bryant to Chris Paul, Blake Griffin to Andrew Bynum, the NBA All-Star game is shaping up as an L.A. story.

Two Lakers and two Clippers were voted as starters Thursday for the game, the first time in 15 years that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.

“It’s pretty cool,” Griffin said.

- Via LA Story by Brian Mahoney

Eh, it’s not so cool to have 4 starters from the same city (unless you’re from the city), but you can’t argue with the fan voting results this year. Everyone voted in was surely all-star caliber. Furthermore, the players are worthy of starting, even if there’s stiff competition in the case of Blake Griffin’s forward spot.

The Eastern Conference, however, did have a mild dud in Carmelo Anthony. Chris Bosh or Paul Pierce would be better served in his starting spot, but it’s nothing to picket the David Stern’s Ivory Tower about. However, there have been some duds in all-star voting’s past that merit uprising.

This week’s Pursuit is dedicated to unearthing the most egregious and vile instances of mobocracy run a mock in all-star voting. When fans get drunk on the selfish nectar of seeing their middling hometown role player start ahead of a Hall of Famer. Getting high on the glue of prematurely anointing a spectacular young player as one of the 10 best players in the game. Or just simply stuffing the ballot box for [redacted] and giggles.

Shoulder Shruggers

These are the votes that are like Carmelo’s starting spot this year. They’re not terrible, you just know the fans could have made a better decision.

Brian Winters over Fred Brown – 1976 Western Conference guards

Pretty much speaks for itself. Fred Brown was better than Winters in every dimension except passing. Not by a mile, but decisively enough to make this a shoulder shrug of a pick. In the actual ’76 game, Brown ended up playing 24 minutes to Winters 16. All’s well that ends well.

Rudy Tomjanovich over Larry Kenon, Campy Russell, Bob Dandridge, Elvin Hayes and Bob McAdoo – 1979 Eastern Conference forwards

The Eastern Conference was pretty stacked at forward that year and yet the voters made the worst pure basketball decision possible. Well, almost. Don’t let Bob McAdoo’s numbers fool you. He was sleep-walking through this season with New York and Boston. Which is frightening to consider someone could sleep-walk to those kinds of numbers.

My pick would have been Spurs forward Larry Kenon, despite my personal affinity for Bullets small forward Bob Dandridge. As for Elvin Hayes, the NBA of today would have dodged this bullet in a Tim Duncan-like fashion and declared him a center to avoid the logjam.

So why Rudy T when he was clearly the worst player? Simple. It was his first season back after being decked by Kermit Washington and fans would have sympathetically voted him president if there was an election that year.

Head Scratchers

These are the fan votes that were kind of understandable, but still just wrong and shouldn’t have happened. At least the player selected was all-star caliber. It’s just that sometimes all-star caliber isn’t good enough to be an all-star starter.

Doug Collins over George Gervin and Billy Knight – 1978 Eastern Conference Guards

Yeah, Doug Collins was a terrific shooting guard, but he had no business starting Buffalo’s Billy Knight and, especially, San Antonio’s George Gervin. The Ice Man led the league in scoring and his PER was the highest of his career. This was vintage Ice as he was still young enough to have the gifted athleticism, evidenced by the blocks, but getting a bit more sage and judicious with his moves, evidenced by the 2nd-highest TS% of his career. But when Philadelphia is behind Collins who was also generally beloved by the public at-large, you’re going to have disappointments like this.

John Drew over Larry Bird, Larry Kenon and Dan Roundfield – 1980 Eastern Conference Forwards

Finally, it’s a white player who gets snubbed instead of unjustly winning the fan vote! But seriously, Larry Bird should have easily took this starting gig over John Drew who passed comparably to Nick Young. And if not rookie Bird, how about our good friend Dr. K, Larry Kenon? Or Atlanta’s big forward in Dan Roundfield who was one of the finer defensive players of his era. Nope, the fans apparently loved Drew’s  all-scoring and little-else production.

Paul Westphal over David Thompson – Western Conference Guards 1981

In our final entry of Good Players Cornering the Disaffected White Fan Vote, we have Paul Westphal who was on his last legs in Seattle up against David Thompson who was also on his last legs, but for different reasons. Westphal was just getting old, Thompson wouldsoon succumb to his cocaine addiction. But my goodness, on the numbers alone Thompson should have smashed Westphal and then consider Thompson’s highlight reel game tailor-made for the All-Star game and you just scratch your scalp raw at this one.

Dale Ellis over Clyde Drexler, Fat Lever, Chris Mullin and John Stockton – Western Conference Guards 1989

When someone averages 27 points on lights out shooting like the Sonics’ Ellis did and he’s still the wrong choice, you know it was a deep year for guard. Hell, I can’t even choose who should go in over him. Just marvel at the ridiculous play of these cats.

Selections that Make You Go Hmm… and then throw a chair in disgust 

A.C. Green over Karl Malone – Western Conference Forwards 1990

Huh? This just don’t… I don’t even… this is why Utah hates the Lakers!!!

(And this very snub was written about just recently over at SLC Dunk)

B.J. Armstrong over Mark Price, Mookie Blaylock, Nick Anderson… hell, anyone – 1994 Eastern Conference Guards 1994

This is why Cleveland hates you, Chicago… and for other reasons too. But this is kicking a man while he’s down.

Kobe Bryant over Mitch Richmond, Clyde Drexler and John Stockton – Western Conference Guards 1998

Now, I’m not saying 6th men shouldn’t start in an all-star game, but this instance didn’t help the cause.

Yao Ming over Shaquille O’Neal – Western Conference Centers 2003

Yao’s rookie year is better than people remember now or acknowledged at the time, but you see what Shaq was doing in comparison. The Diesel was chugging along quite nicely… woeful conditioning aside.

Finally, there’s the most inexplicable All-Star starter… Allen Iverson in 2010. The fans just lost their mind and voted purely on nostalgia and Lord knows what else. This is worse even than the B.J. Armstrong and A.C. Green votes. At least they were cogs on really good teams. Iverson got booted from Memphis and then sagged in Philadelphia, appearing in a total of 28 unspectacular games that year.

So, with all this information, we can agree with Kent Brockman and abolish fan voting.

Photo by Hogue News

Whom does KJ remind you of? He can penetrate like Magic. He’s as quick with the ball as Stockton. He’s as good with his left hand from close-in as Larry Bird. His attitude is part Mailman Malone, part pit bull. He has dunked over a pair of All-Star centers—7’4″ Mark Eaton of Utah and 7-foot Kevin Duckworth of the Portland Trail Blazers…Beyond that, says teammate Tom Chambers, KJ “has the quickest first step I’ve ever seen.”

Via KJ!

Years Active: 1988 – 2000

Career Stats: 17.9 ppg, 9.1 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 spg, 49.3% FG, 84.1% FT

Accolades: 3x All-Star (1990-’91, ’94), 4x All-NBA 2nd Team (1989-’91, ’94), All-NBA 3rd Team (1992), 1989 Most Improved Player

Over the past decade it’s become fairly commonplace to see a diminutive point guard rise up amongst the lowpost trees to deliver a slam. Derrick Rose, Steve Francis and Russell Westbrook are some prime examples, but they’re exploits don’t hold the revelatory power that Kevin Johnson’s assaults had in the late 1980s.

Short players had certainly been dunking for a while. Buffalo Brave Randy Smith in the 70s and Johnson’s contemporary Spud Webb come to mind, but Johnson’s frequency of slams was at a then-unparalleled  level. But don’t let the dunks fool you. KJ was a superb point guard. He could dish the ball with expertise and run an offense like a floor general should.

Prior to Steve Nash’s run in the desert, Kevin Johnson held the mantle as most recognized and lovable Suns player. Rightfully earned too, considering he played 11 seasons and almost 700 games with the club. However, Kevin Johnson’s NBA sojourn began as a Cleveland Cavalier.

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photo by Nebraska Farm Boy via Flickr

This week’s wonderful, glorious and super fantastic Pursuit was inspired, as usual, by that great water cooler in the cyber sky, Twitter. Like any enjoyable conversation, you’re not entirely sure how it got started or how you encountered the subject. Well, on Friday afternoon, someone said something. Then someone else chirped. Then another person dropped a nugget of wisdom. And this went on for hours or maybe minutes, I don’t remember… but finally this tweet popped up:

1984 had a monster class man. That's the best draft class ever.

January 27, 2012 12:43 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@Quentin315

Quentin Esquire

And hard to argue with that. The popular opinion is that the 1984 draft class is indeed the best ever. Hard to argue considering that Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, John Stockton and Charles Barkley were the highlight members and guys like Kevin Willis, Alvin Robertson, Michael Cage, Otis Thorpe and Sam Perkins are afterthoughts.

However, we here at Paroxysmal Pursuit are not in the business of kowtowing to popular opinion. Instead we look at the cold hard facts and then shrug shoulders as to what they mean. So the task at hand is to discover with Cold Hard Facts, which draft class is the best ever… or at least the best since the ABA and NBA merged prior to the 1976 draft.

So, why the merger cutoff?

Because the best, singular analysis I could think of to judge the draft classes was win shares. The dual existence of the NBA and ABA wreaks havoc with a universal look at the stat between 1967 and 1976. Perhaps in the future I will separately look at those classes. As for the drafts prior to the ABA/NBA dual, they too deserve a specialized look in the future. Hooray, sequels!

Also, in the interest of fairness, there was a second cutoff with the 2002 draft class. I deemed that classes thereafter haven’t had the time to fully blossom and let history be a Cold Hard Judge of their merit via win shares.

Finally, the win share totals for each draft class were calculated by adding up the 25 highest totals from each class.

Historical Timeline

10 Lowest Win Shares

10 Highest Win Shares

Paroxysmal Notes of Interest

Well, well, well. Turns out the 1984 Draft class may not be the best ever!

OK, I still think it is, but looking at the Cold Hard Facts does show that the subsequent 1985 Draft was bloated with talent and the 1987 Draft not that far behind as well. Some of the members of the 1985 class include Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Terry Porter, Detlef Schrempf, Charles Oakley, Chris Mullin and Joe Dumars. 1987 churned out David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Kevin Johnson, Mark Jackson, Muggsy Bogues and Reggie Lewis.

So in a four year span, the NBA was injected with tremendous talent from the blockbuster 1984, 1985 and 1987 draft classes and also added Jeff Hornacek, Dennis Rodman, Mark Price, Ron Harper and Brad Daugherty from the below-average 1986 draft (which suffered from the loss of Len Bias, Arvydas Sabonis waiting a decade to join the league, the drug addiction of Roy Tarpley and the injuries to Daugherty).

So if you’re wondering why the mid-80s to mid-90s NBA was spectacular, there’s your reason and it could have been even more awesome if the 1986 Draft had held together better.

The 2nd Wave

You’ll notice a second node of talent injection to the NBA: 1995-1999.

The ’96 Draft is often cited as the 2nd best following the ’84 class. By win shares, it’s third overall, which means it’s certainly no joke with playes like Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Jermaine O’Neal, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The 1995, ’98 and ’99 Drafts further fueled the league by adding Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, Elton Brand, Manu Ginobili, Lamar Odom and Rip Hamilton.

Mirroring the mid-80s injection, there was a slight dud year in 1997, but even then the league still got Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady and  Chauncey Billups.

The Doldrums

You’ve seen the good, now it’s time for the bad: the late 80s/early 90s and the early 2000s. To make this eyesore digestible, check out the following table!

Admittedly, the 2000-02 range will continue to add win shares over the coming years, but not enough to remove its putrid stench. It’ll be a miracle for them catch the mediocre stretch from 1988-94. This is to be expected though when Kwame Brown (bust), Kenyon Martin (middling) and Yao Ming (bless his oft-injured heart), are the #1 picks. Even with his bad legs, Yao is still the 2nd-highest win shares contributor to the 2002 draft class. Only Amar’e is higher. Just a disappointing draft all around.

1988-94 suffered from the bust syndrome (Pervis Ellison) and bad luck injuries (Larry Johnson, Grant Hill, Alonzo Mourning, Penny Hardaway, Danny Manning), but even the successes weren’t all that successful, relatively speaking (Chris Webber, Glenn Robinson, Shawn Kemp). Only Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton and Jason Kidd really were able to shirk the bad vibes and reach all-time status. Just a generally depressing time for basketball. So many promising stars that never quite reached their full potential.

Rollercoaster Ride

Lastly, there’s the curious late 70s and early 80s period where the drafts alternated between boom and bust. See for yourself:

What should be noted here is that the 1980 draft was historically awful. When Joe Barry Carroll is the #1 pick, bad things are bound to happen. Kevin McHale is the only draftee of the class to gain over 100 win shares for a career and Kiki Vandeweghe was 2nd with 75.6. I love Mike Gminski, but when he ends up having the 3rd best career for a draft class, that class stunk.

But let’s end this bad boy on a high note: the hidden gems of the 1981 and 1977 drafts. The 1981 draft featured five players who are really, really good but juuust a smidgen below Hall of Fame caliber but I love them so I think they should be in anyway: Buck Williams, Larry Nance, Tom Chambers, Rolando Blackman, and Mark Aguirre.

Add in Isiah Thomas on the Hall of Fame side and Danny Ainge, Eddie Johnson, Kelly Tripucka and Orlando Woolridge on the excellent role player side and you got yourself a helluva draft… and a stew.

Finally, the colossal 1977 draft. Defying the odds and truculence of Kent Benson being the #1 pick, this class was a sight to behold with Jack Sikma, Marques Johnson, Cedric Maxwell, Walter Davis, Tree Rollins, James Edwards, Otis Birdsong, Norm Nixon, Robert Reid, (that other) Eddie Johnson, Greg Ballard and Brad Davis.

And the cherry on top of that class? None other than Bernard King.

Nice. Very Nice.

Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (3:30pm EST)

Busted Up: Luol Deng

Earlier in the week, Deng had intimated he might be ready for this showdown between the two best teams in the East. It was a classic example of  an athlete foolishly embracing the warrior complex. Luol just needs to sit his butt down for a bit and let his torn wrist ligament heal. Sounds like he may have got the message:

Luol Deng said on the Bulls.com pregame show that he thinks he will be out another week, at least, which makes him unlikely to play Sunday at Miami.

Unless “another week” elapses in a few hours time, Luol ain’t suitin’ up. Nonetheless, an enjoyable game should be had by all and hopefully Dwyane Wade gets to dunkin’ like he did on Friday night.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics (6pm EST)

Bustin’ Loose: Mickael Pietrus

Now in his 9th season, Pietrus is enjoying his best season his days in Golden State. His ppg are the 2nd highest of his career and his three point percentage of 42.2% is easily the best of his career. Most importantly, his play has allowed Boston to mothball Sasha Pavlovic. Merely moving from a “shouldn’t be in the league” player to an average player is a huge step up for any rotation.

The sample size is small in this adolescent season, but Pietrus is operating with 117 : 102 offensive to defensive rating. Pavlovic meanwhile is a worrisome 80 : 97. As I said, a huge step up.

Toronto Raptors vs. New Jersey Nets (6pm EST)

Bustin’ Loose: Jordan Farmar

Don’t look now, but everyone’s favorite agriculturally-themed basketball player is having one hell of a season for a backup point guard. This is easily turning into his best campaign ever. He’s averaging 10 points and 3.3 assists in a mere 20 minutes per game thanks to his sizzling shooting: 47% FG, 45% 3PT, and 90% FT. All of those are career highs. As is his PER of 19.5, which is all-star level. Most striking of all is that Farmar has managed to reach parity with his offensive and defensive ratings, both at 113. His career average is 103 : 108.

Indiana Pacers vs. Orlando Magic (6pm EST)

Busted Up: Dwight Howard

Now, Mr. Howard was practically the only Magic player to show up for Friday’s embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Hornets, but his choice words after the game leave much to be desired:

“It hurts me to get out there and play your hardest. I expect everybody to play the same. I’m not calling anybody out by no means because we all have to get better … but if you don’t want to be out there, don’t dress up.

Truthfully, the Magic needed to be called out after that hideous performance against New Orleans and the collapse against Boston,  but there a couple things wrong with Dwight’s message. Firstly, he’s asked to be traded. It’s hard to be galvanized by a man who no longer wants to be on your team. Despite being the best player for years now in Orlando, Dwight’s moral authority here is undercut by the constant chirping about trades and needing a better PG and etc., etc.

Secondly, if you’re calling out your teammates, don’t say you’re not calling them out. Publicly going on at length about the shortcomings your mates have exhibited  is indeed a “call out”. Passive aggressiveness isn’t going to make matters better. How does the phrase go… privately scold, publicly praise… something like that. I don’t quite remember.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks (6:30pm EST)

Busted Up: Jason Kidd

Father time has caught up with Kidd and it is not pretty. I jokingly said on Twitter that Kidd may be the 1st player to literally average a 5/5/5 for the season. With his abysmal shooting he may not be able to keep his scoring average above 4, though. His percentages are just shockingly bad, even for a traditionally terrible shooter like himself. An eye-gouging 28% FG, a tortuous 25.8% from downtown and a pleasant 80% from the charity stripe, which is pretty much moot since he takes 0.3 FTs a game.

The FT attempts are easily a career-low, which tells you he isn’t penetrating anymore. And the percentage of his shots that are three pointers is simply astounding. 84.6% of Jason Kidd’s shot attempts have been from three-point range. That’s just… wow. Even 3-specialists like Anthony Morrow, Steve Kerr and James Jones have never let 3s take up that much of their offense. And they all hit for a much higher percentage than Kidd’s 25.8%.

At least Jason is still grabbing 1.6 steals a game. Bright side.

 Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Hornets (7pm EST)

Bustin’ Loose: Jason Smith

With Captain Caveman being shelved until a proper trade suitor can be found, Jason Smith is looking at a lot of minutes at PF and C to sop up. Generally, this season he has shown to be a capable steward of the position. 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 20 minutes a night. In his last 5 games, he has turned up the heat a tad with 9.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 1.4 bpg while bringing 55% shooting from the field. He’s not turning into Buck Williams anytime soon, but Smith is more ably rounding out the defensive and offensive ends. Like Farmar above, he’s been finally able to reach parity with his offensive and defensive ratings (101) after a career of being a net negative on the court.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (7pm EST)

Busted Up: Devin Ebanks

He’s no Kevin Eubanks

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets (8pm EST)

Bustin’ Loose: Danilo Gallinari

Just got paid $42 million and in is drawing rave reviews in comparison to Carmelo Anthony. Just to stir the pot: Gallo gets 1.5 points per shot taken, Melo 1.18. Gallo must be listening to Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers non-stop with that kind of way out production.