Today, I begin the final lists in the My List special series of all-time teams. There are ten teams (excluding Charlotte) that I haven't profiled, so to send this series out in (some sort of) style, the remaining lists will be double feature lists. Today, it's the Jazz and Pacers who will be shown. For starters, here's Utah's team.
Starters:
PG: John Stockton: This was one of two no-brainer choices (we all know the other), as Stockton belied his modest size to become one of the greatest PGs in NBA history. Chosen in the talent rich 1984 draft (which included Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Otis Thorpe, Kevin Willis and Sam Perkins in the 1st round) #16 overall, Stockton unseated 1984 All-Star Rickey Green by his fourth season, and in that 1987-88 season, he led the league in assists for the first time with a 13.8 average. It was the first of nine straight years that Stockton led the league in assists (breaking Bob Cousy's record of eight straight). Stockton had 1000 or more assists in seven of those nine years (including a league record 1164 in 1990-91) and he would become the all-time assists leader in 1994 (as well as all-time steals leader in 1995). Stockton made 10 All-Star teams (co-MVP in the 1993 game) and helped Utah reach two NBA Finals.
SG: Pete Maravich: "Pistol Pete" helped establish the Jazz back in their early days in New Orleans. The Jazz got Maravich from the Hawks in 1974 and banked on him to put New Orleans pro ball on the map. While the Jazz weren't very successful during his tenure (they never had a winning season; best year was 39-43 in 1977-78), it wasn't because of Maravich's efforts; he averaged better than 21.5 PPG each full season with the Jazz, including a scoring title in 1976-77 with 31.1 PPG (the last white player to win the scoring title, for those who care). After that scoring title, however, injuries started to creep up on Maravich (missed at least 32 games each of his final three seasons) and, after the team moved to Utah in 1979, it sent him to Boston, where he finished his career in 1980.
C: Mark Eaton: Eaton was the epitome of one-dimensional, but that dimension (shot-blocking) wans't done better by any center of his era. Drafted in the fourth round in 1982, Eaton blocked 275 shots as a rookie, but that was a mere prelude to what was to come. In 1984-85, Eaton set a league record (which still stands) of 456 blocks in a season (a staggering 5.56 BPG) to go with career bests of 9.7 PPG and 11.3 RPG (although, ironically, he made his only All-Star team in 1989 with averages of 6.2 PPG and 10.3 RPG, and 315 blocks). Eaton remained a defensive force in the middle for the Jazz until he retired in 1993.
SF: Adrian Dantley: "A.D." had his best years of his career with the Jazz in the early-to-mid 80s. Acquired from the Lakers in 1979, Dantley, who was a solid player with the Buffalo Braves, Pacers and Lakers, became a great scorer with the Jazz, averaging at least 26.6 PPG each season with the team (this includes scoring titles in 1980-81 with a 30.7 PPG average and 1983-84 with 30.6 PPG). Dantley helped Utah emerge from the doldrums of the NBA to become a contender, as the Jazz would win their first division title in 1984 and their first playoff series (against Denver). Dantley led the Jazz to the playoffs the next two years before being traded to Detroit in 1986.
PF: Karl Malone: Here's the other obvious choice. Malone may not have won a title (a major blemish, to be sure), but he became the standard by which today's PFs are judged. Taken #13 overall in 1985 (behind such 'stars' as Jon Koncak, Kenny Green and Joe Kliene), the pick so surprised the Jazz (nicely surprised, btw) it prompted then-coach Frank Layden to ask "Does he have AIDS or something?" when the Jazz were able to get him. However the case, Malone became a dominant star; he averaged between 21 and 31 PPG every year from 1987 to 2002, with his best stats year coming in 1989-90 with 31 PPG (career best), 11.1 RPG and 2.8 APG. Malone was selected to 13 All-Star games (played 12, including co-MVP in 1993 and sole MVP in 1989), was named to 11 All-NBA 1st teams, won two league MVPs (1997 and 1999), and played in three NBA Finals.
Reserves:
PG: Deron Williams: Despite having the pressure of being selected ahead of highly touted Chris Paul in 2005, Williams has handled it very well. After being drafted early in the 2005 draft, Williams overcame a sometimes rocky rookie season to become an elite PG, averaging career bests of 18.8 PPG and 10.5 APG this past season. Williams has led Utah to two division titles (their first back-to-back since 1997-98) and to the Western Conference finals in 2007, and undoubtedly will be an All-Star mainstay in the near future.
SG: Jeff Hornacek: Hornacek's best stats years actually came in Phoenix, but he brought a steady influnce to the Jazz teams that made two NBA Finals in the mid-90s. Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia (for Jeff Malone, among others) in 1994, Hornacek's best stats year in Utah came in his first ful season there, with 16.5 PPG and 4.3 APG. Hornacek would win the three-point shootout twice while there (1998 and 2000, as well as the now-defunct 2ball competition), and when he retired after the 1999-2000 season, his career averages were 14.5 PPG and 4.9 APG.
C: Memhet Okur: Okur may drive Jerry Sloan crazy with his play, but he has helped to return Utah to contention in recent years (plus, their history with centers absolutely stinks!). Added as a FA from Detroit in 2004, Okur has become a solid starter after being a key reserve on the Pistons' 2004 title team; since becoming a starter in 2005, he has averaged at least 14.5 PPG and 7.2 RPG (highs of 18 PPG and 9.1 RPG in 2005-06). Okur made the All-Star team in 2007, and for his career has averaged 13.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG.
SF: Thurl Bailey: Despite the fact that Bailey primarily was a reserve, he still was a key scorer on the break for the Jazz in the late 80s and early 90s. Drafted #7 overall in 1983, Bailey initially started, but he actually became a more effective scorer after going to the bench; he averaged at least 12.4 PPG each year from 1984-85 to 1990-91, with a career best of 19.6 in 1987-88. Bailey also helped the Jazz win two division titles (1984, 1989) before being traded to Minnesota for Tyrone Corbin during the 1991-92 season.
PF: Carlos Boozer: For those who may think I'm slanted more towards the present with the Jazz, just gaze at their history; they didn't become good until the year I was born, for goodness sake! Anyhow, Boozer took time to become an elite big man because of injuries, but since he has been healthy, the Jazz have also been healthy as well. Boozer, acquired as a FA after saying to Cleveland he would sign with them as a FA in 2004 (he essentially lied, though there was no verbal agreement), Boozer spent most of his early time in Utah on the bench with injuries; he missed 31 games his first year, and 49 in his second, as the Jazz began to lose patience with him. Boozer responded with an excellent 2006-07 season, with 20.9 PPG and 11.7 RPG. Boozer had another solid year this season, with 21.1 PPG (career best) and 10.4 RPG, and played in his first All-Star game.
Coaches:
Head Coach: Jerry Sloan: If any one coach today symbolizes stability, Sloan would be the guy. Promoted to the head position by outgoing coach Frank Layden (who kicked himself upstairs as an executive) early in the 1988-89 season, Sloan is the longest tenured coach in any major professional sport with one team. His teams' style hasn't changed much over those 20 years; they still use the pick-and-roll and play hard nosed defense. Sloan has 12 seasons with 50 or more wins (not including his partial season in 1988-89 when Utah won 51 games), seven division titles and two trips to the NBA Finals. He has won 1035 games as a head man (including a stint in Chicago).
Assistant: Frank Layden: Why only one assistant? Because Layden and Sloan have been the only coaches of the Jazz since the middle of the 1981-82 season. And the other coaches (including Tom Nissalke, Elgin Baylor, Butch Van Breda Kolff and Scotty Robertson) never had a winning season in New Orleans/Utah. Layden, who replaced Nissalke during the 1981-82 season, may have been known for being one of the most colorful coaches during the 1980s in the NBA, but he helped make the Jazz into a playoff team. Layden led Utah to their first division title in team history (1983-84) and to the playoffs five straight years (1984-88) after none in their first nine years. He won 277 as coach.
Honorable Mentions:
SF: Andrei Kirilenko: Solid all-arounf game, but his poutiness loses him points here.
SG: Jeff Malone: Good stats, but if he should start, why was Utah eager to trade him?
SF: Theodore "Blue" Edwards: Only a bit player on Utah teams of the early 90s.
PG: Rickey Green: Made 1984 All-Star team, but otherwise had a pedestrian pro career.
PF: Leonard "Truck" Robinson: Led league in minutes and boards as a Jazzman in 1977-78, but that was his only full season with the team.
Now, let's do the Pacers:
Starters:
PG: Mark Jackson: Jackson had some of his best team success years with the Pacers of the late 90s and early 2000s. Initially acquired in a trade with the Clippers for Pooh Richardson in 1994, Jackson's first two Pacers seasons were solid (about 8 PPG and 8 APG each year). Then, after being reacquired from Denver in 1997, Jackson finished as league assists leader in 1996-97, ending John Stockton's nine year reign on top of that category (Jackson averaged 11.4 APG that year). Jackson helped Indiana win three division titles (1995, 1999-2000) and reach the 2000 NBA Finals.
SG: Reggie Miller: Spike Lee's all-time favorite player, Miller was among the greatest clutch players (and trash talkers) in NBA history. Drafted #11 overall in 1987, Miller spent his first season backing up John Long, but he supplanted Long the following year, and in 1989-90, he made his first All-Star team with a 24.6 PPG average. Though Miller wasn't great in many categories (his high in a season for assists was 4 per in 1990-91, in boards 3.9 in 1988-89 and 1991-92), he sure could score; he averaged 19.5 PPG or better each year from 1989-90 (his best average year) and 1997-98, and made five All-Star teams. He also led Indiana to six conference finals and the 2000 NBA Finals.
C: Rik Smits: The "Dutch Boy" was a mutil-skilled big man for the Pacers throughout the 1990s. Drafted #2 overall (out of tiny Marist college) in 1988, Smits could be prone to bouts of inconsistency, but his final overall numbers were usually soild; he averaged about 15 PPG and 6 RPG over his career (highs of 18.5 PPG in 1995-96 and 7.7 RPG in 1994-95) and he made the 1998 All-Star team as well. Smits also played on the Pacers teams that won the division titles and made the NBA Finals as described above.
SF: George McGinnis: McGinnis could be a hot dog, but during the Pacers' glory years of the mid-70s, there weren't many better players in the ABA than McGinnis. Joining the team in 1971, McGinnis started as a rookie on the Pacers' second ABA title team of that era, and the next year McGinnis led the team to a third title with averages of 27.6 PPG and 12.5 RPG. McGinnis had his best year in 1974-75 with averages of 29.8 PPG (leading the ABA) and 14.3 RPG, tying Julius Erving for ABA MVP, but after taking the Pacers back to the ABA Finals, he bolted for the 76ers in 1975. He would play his last two years in Indiana (1981-82), and helped Indiana make the NBA playoffs for the first time in 1981. For his ABA run, he averaged 25.2 PPG and 12.9 RPG.
PF: Dale Davis: Nothing about Davis' game was flashy, but for the Pacers of the 1990s, he provided Smits with the tough guy he needed to be most effective. Drafted #13 overall in 1991, Davis was tough on the boards, averaging close to 8 RPG each year after his rookie year, and had his best stats year in 1993-94 with 11.7 PPG and 10.9 RPG (both career highs), though he made his only All-Star team in 2000. Davis played on three division champions and one conference champion during his Pacers tenure before being dealt to Portland in 2000.
Reserves:
PG: Vern Fleming: Fleming was a fan favorite for the Pacers of the late 80s and early 90s. Drafted #18 overall in 1984, Fleming became a starter almost immediately, and played solidly on a bad team, he averaged better than 12 PPG and 5.3 APG each year from 1986 to 1990-91 (highs of 14.3 PPG in 1988-89 & 1989-90 and 71. APG in 1987-88), and helped Indiana become respectable in the early 90s. Fleming was a reserve on two conference finalists before finishing his career with the Nets in 1995-96.
SG: Billy Knight: Knight was a high scoring guard for the Pacers just as they got their NBA feet wet in the mid-70s. Joining the team in 1974, Knight averaged 17.1 PPG as the Pacers reached their last ABA Finals, then averaged 28.1 PPG in their final ABA season of 1975-76. Moving with them to the NBA, Knight made the 1977 All-Star team with a 26.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG season (he and Don Buse were the last Pacers to make the All-Star team for 13 years). But the team was in chaos, and they traded Knight to Buffalo after the season. Knight returned in 1979, but by that time, he was simply an average scorer, and they got rid of him again in 1983.
C: Mel Daniels: Yes, this is an NBA all-time list, but these ABA players I'm mentioning helped Indy win three ABA titles and have their numbers up in the Fiedlhouse, so how can I leave them out? Daniels, who didn't play for the Pacers in the NBA, made the ABA Pacers that league's Celtics (three titles in four years). Acquired from Minnesota in 1968, Daniels was that league's Dave Cowens; short by C standards, but double tough (and talented). Daniels averaged a double-double in each Pacer season (highs of 24 PPG in 1968-69 and 18 RPG in 1970-71), and won ABA ROY in 1967-68 and two ABA MVPs (1968-69 and 1970-71). Daniels also took Indiana to those three ABA titles, and that deserves mention.
SF: (tie) Chuck Person/Roger Brown: Person had a nice run in Indy during the early 90s, but Brown was the Person of the 70s (the Chuck Person, mind you) for the Pacers, so both get in. Person, drafted #4 overall in 1986, had six solid scoring years with the Pacers; he averaged between 17 and 21.6 PPG each of his Pacers seasons (that 21.6 occured in 1988-89) and helped Indy reach the playoffs three times before departing in 1992. Brown, who joined the team in its first ever season in 1967-68, played with the Pacers for the bulk of his career, and had three straight 20+ PPG seasons from 1968-69 to 1970-71 (best year was 1969-70 with 23 PPG and 7.4 RPG) and was a part of all three Indiana ABA title teams, and he, too, has his number up in the Fieldhouse.
PF: Jermaine O'Neal: Yes, O'Neal may have burned many bridges in Indiana, but when he was healthy (which was seldom), he was a very solid big man. Acquired from the Blazers for Dale Davis in 2000, O'Neal went from bench warmer in Portland to producer in Indy; he averaged 12.9 PPG and 9.8 RPG in his first Indiana seasons after having a 3.9, 3.3 line in Portland. O'Neal averaged about 20 PPG four times as a Pacer (high of 24.3 in 2004-05) and made five All-Star teams while there, and took the Pacers to a division title in 2003-04 and the Eastern finals that year, before things fell apart (as did his body) and he was traded to Toronto recently.
Coaches:
Head Coach: Bob Leonard: "Slick" sure didn't seem like a candidate for great coaches after a 44-78 run as Chicago Packers/Baltimore Bullets coach from 1963-64. But when he took over for Larry Staverman in 1968-69, the Pacers became immediate ABA contenders. The Pacers made the playoffs every year in the NBA under Leonard, with three 50+ win seasons, and three ABA titles. Leonard also coached the team in the NBA (1976-80)and while he didn't have the success he did in the ABA, overall, for his career, he won 573 games.
Assistants: Larry Brown, Larry Bird: Brown took over this team in 1993-94, and in his first year, the team won a then-record (for their NBA existence) 47 games and made the Eastern finals. Brown took the team to another Eastern final (and division title) in 1995 and to the playoffs in 1996 before resigning in 1997. Bird replaced Brown, and set a rookie-coaches record of 58 wins as the Pacers returned to the Eastern Finals. Overall, the team won two division titles, made the conference finals all three years, and advanced to the 2000 NBA Finals.
Honorable Mentions:
SF: Jalen Rose: Three excellent years sandwiched by three so-so years.
PF: Antonio Davis: The lesser of two Davises in Indiana.
SG: Clark Kellogg and C: Steve Stipanovich: What could have been had both not gotten hurt.
PG: Don Buse: Made 1977 All-Star team, but was average for the most part.
SF: Detlef Schrempf: Better known as a Sonic.
SG/SF Ron Artest: All the good things he did in Indy (including the 2004 Defensive POY) are obliterated by the bad things that destroyed this team.
That's the lsit for today. Tomorrow, it will be the Nets and the Cavs (or, in other words, LeBron's current and very possibly future team!). See ya then!
