Today's edition of the My List special profiles two Eastern Conference teams, the New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are the players starting with the Nets.
Starters:
PG: Jason Kidd: Kidd seems to transform any team from alsoran to contender (except the Mavs, of course), but the job he did in Jersey was truly remarkable. Acquired in a trade from the Suns for Stephon Marbury in 2001, Kidd took a team that hadn't had a winning season since 1998 and had not won a playoff series since 1984 to their first NBA division title (at 52-30), their first #1 seed, and to their first NBA Finals (swept by the Lakers) with averages of 14.7 PPG, 9.9 APG (2nd in league), and about 7.5 RPG (for some reason, NBA.com doesn't have his stats, so I'm winging it here). Kidd made the All-Star team each year in Jersey, and helped the team win four division titles and make two trips to the NBA Finals.
SG: Vince Carter: Having "Vinsanity" here on this list may indicate lack of talent here, and it does. But Carter is high profile, so he makes it (half-hearted defense, I know). Acquired via trade from the Raptors for spare parts in 2005, Carter has maintained (for worse, I believe) his scorer's only mentality; he has averaged at least 21.3 PPG in each Jersey season, with about 6 RPG as well. Carter has made seven All-Star teams, and helped New Jersey claim a division title in 2006. What else can I say? This book just doesn't have many pages.
C: Darryl Dawkins: It speaks volumes about how weak the C spot has been for Jersey when "Chocolate Thunder" is a starter. No offense to Dawkins; he had some decent years after being added to the team in 1982. He averaged over 12 PPG four times as a Net, and had his best year in 1983-84 with 16.8 PPG and 6.7 RPG as the Nets upset his old 76ers team in the 1st round of the playoffs that year. After that season, Dawkins started getting hurt, and eventually the team released him in 1987. If I can say so, a waste of talent.
SF: Julius Erving: Before gaining worldwide recoginition as the NBA's (and the Sixers') ambassador, Erving had three great years with the Nets in the ABA. Acquired in a complex deal (one that involved two ABA and two NBA teams) from the Virginia Squires in 1973, Erving added plenty to his trophy case during his tenure; he was named ABA MVP all three years he played there (including a co-MVP with George McGinnis in 1975), and two scoring titles in 1974 and 1976 (to go with one with Viriginia), and Erving led the Nets to two of the last three ABA titles. Then, after the merger, the cash-strapped Nets (forced to pay $3.2 million to enter the league and $480,000 to the Knicks a year in indemity payments) sold Erving to the Sixers, and the rest is history.
PF: Derrick Coleman: Coleman may have wasted much of his NBA career, but during the early-to-mid 90s on the Nets, he had some very good seasons. Chosen #1 overall by the team in 1990, Coleman was named ROY after averaging 18.4 PPG and 10.3 RPG. He averaged a double-double in four of his five seasons in Jersey (highs of 20.7 PPG in 1992-93, and 11.3 RPG in 1993-94), and made the 1994 All-Star team. He also took the Nets to the playoffs three straight years (1992-94) before being traded to Philadelphia for Shawn Bradley in 1995.
Reserves:
PG: Kenny Anderson: Anderson was Coleman's partner in crime (so to speak) on the Nets of the mid-90s. Drafted #2 overall in 1991 (fresh off a highly productive career at Georgia Tech), Anderson replaced the traded Mookie Blaylock as a starter in 1992, and had three very productive seasons with the Nets, averaging at least 16.9 PPG and 8.2 APG (with highs of 18.8 and 9.6 in 1993-94, which included starting the All-Star game that year) and taking the Nets to the playoffs as a starter twice. But soon enough, the team and Anderson had a falling out, and he was traded to the Hornets for Kendall Gill in 1995.
SG: (tie) John Williamson/Kerry Kittles: Kittles has tenure on the team over Williamson (eight year to about five) but Wiiliamson was solid on both Nets ABA title teams, so they both make it. Kittles, drafted #8 overall in 1996, was a solid scorer in some solid Nets teams earlier this decade, averaging about 13 PPG each season (high of 17.2 in 1997-98) as the Nets won three division titles and two conference titles before leaving in 2004. Williamson, added in 1973, started as a rookie on the Nets' first ABA title team, and added a second ABA title in 1976, before jumping with the team to the NBA. The Nets traded him during the first NBA season, but reacquired him the following year from the same team they traded him to (the Pacers), and he averaged better than 23 PPG each of the next two seasons before they traded him again in 1980.
C: Mike Gminski: Gminski had some good years with the Nets of the early-to-mid 80s. Drafted #7 overall in 1980, Gminski was a solid reserve as the Nets became a decent mid-level playoff team in the mid-80s. Gminski eventually became a starter in 1984-85, and his best Nets years came in 1986-87; during that two year stretch, he averaged about 16.5 PPG and 8.8 RPG. But by the late 80s, the Nets were a team in steep decline, and they traded Gminski to Philadelphia in 1988.
SF: Richard Jefferson: Before he was traded to Milwaukee this offseason, Jefferson was a key contributor to the Nets' contenders (used loosely) of the early 2000s. Acquired in a draft day trade with the Rockets in 2001 (in a draft pick swap for the late Eddie Griffin), Jefferson was the sixth man on the first conference championship team in 2002, but he started for the second, and became a prominent player in the Nets' offense; he averaged better than 15.5 PPG each season, along with better than 5.7 RPG three times (highs of 22.6 PPG just last season, and 7.3 RPG in 2004-05) as the Nets made the playoffs every year until last year and won four division titles.
PF: Kenyon Martin: "K-Mart"'s best stats years came in Jersey before injuries derailed his career in Denver. Drafted #1 overall in 2000, Martin overcame a broken leg in college and emerged as a very solid big man when paired with Kidd; he averaged better than 12 PPG each year in Jersey, but his stats shot up with Kidd to 16.7 PPG and about 9 RPG (up from about 5) during Kidd's run with him. He also made the 2004 All-Star team before bolting for Denver that offseason.
Coaches:
Head Coach: Kevin Loughery: While Byron Scott would have been the easy choice (and he will be mentioned in the "Assistants" page and on the Hornets, where he did a better job), Loughery took the Nets to two ABA titles, and thus sneaks into the head job. Loughery was hired in 1973, and in his three years with the Nets in the ABA, they won at least 55 games each season and those two ABA titles. He jumped with the team to the NBA in 1976, but didn't have a winning season during that time (1976-80, though they did make the playoffs in 1979) before he was fired in 1981.
Assistants: Byron Scott, Chuck Daly: Scott coached the team from 2000-03, and after a rough 26-56 season in year one, the team turned around with 52 wins and a Finals berth. Scott repeated this accomplishment (with 49 regular season wins) before being fired during the 2003-04 season (reportedly because of a rift with Kidd, which makes that stomping the Hornets gave Kidd's Mavs much sweeter). Daly rattled off two winning season from 1992-94 (the first the team had since 1985) and two playoff berths before Daly retired in 1994 with a Nets record of 88-76.
Honorable Mentions:
PG: Micheal Ray Richardson: As I said with the Knicks, if only he could have stayed clean.
SG: Drazen Petrovic: Having forgotten to mention him, I'll replace Kittles and Williamson with Petrovic, who had two 20+ PPG seasons before his tragic auto accident in 1993.
SF: Kendall Gill: Good defender, but not quite as good a scorer as Erving or Jefferson.
SF/PF Keith Van Horn: Mainly just a scorer, and not that good of one.
C: Sam Bowie: Did recover some dignity after all those injuries, but was just average at best.
Now, for the Cavs:
Starters:
PG: Mark Price: Price belied his small 6 foot frame to become a very good scorer for the Cavs of the late 80s and early 90s. Drafted in the second round in 1986, Price became a starter in his second year, and in his third, he became an All-Star qith averages of 18.6 PPG and 8.4 APG. His best stats year occured in 1989-90 with 19.6 PPG and 9.1 APG. Price would make three additional All-Star teams and win the 3-point shootout in 1993 and 1994 before leaving for Washington in 1995.
SG: Ron Harper: Before Harper became known as a scrapper and champ with the Bulls and Lakers, Harper was a gifted athlete with the Cavs in the late 80s. Drafted as the team's second 1st round pick (#8 overall) in 1986, Harper made an immediate impact by averaging 22.9 PPG and 4.8 APG and RPG. Harper averaged over 15.4 PPG and 4.8 APG each year in Cleveland, and helped the Cavs win 57 games in 1988-89 (often as the finisher on the break) before he was traded to the Clippers in 1989.
C: Brad Daugherty: The man who today does NASCAR commentary on ESPN could have been one of the NBA's best centers had he not suffered a severe back injury in 1994. As it was, Daugherty had a solid career. Drafted #1 overall in 1986, Daugherty had a solid rookie year with 15.7 PPG and 8.1 RPG. Daugherty averaged a double-double in four of his eight seasons in Cleveland, with highs of 21.6 PPG and 10.9 RPG in 1990-91) and made five All-Star teams during that span. However, 50 games into the 1993-94 season, he suffered his back injury. He spent most of the next two years trying to recover, but he never returned to the court.
SF: LeBron James: Again, as with Carter, James' inclusion on an all-time list indicates weak talent, and when a team starts guys like Mike Sanders at the position, it sures does! In any case, LeBron is here. Drafted #1 overall in 2003, James has been the highest profile player in the NBA since his arrival (often negatively, but still), and though James hasn't developed into the all-around player he should be, he has played well; he has averaged better than 20.9 PPG since his rookie year (with a career best so far of 31.4 in 2005-06), and has averaged about 6 RPG and 6.6 APG. James has revived Cleveland basketball and led the team to its first NBA Finals in 2007 (swept by the Spurs).
PF: Larry Nance: Nance brought an all-around game to the Cavs in the late 80s, and his arrival made the Cavs a feared team during that period. Acquired in a trade from the Suns (for Kevin Johnson, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin) in 1988, Nance made the All-Star team in his first full season in 1988-89 with 17.2 PPG and 8 RPG. Nance maintained those averages throughout his six full years there (and made another All-Star team in 1992). Nance also helped Cleveland reach the 1992 Eastern Conference finals before retiring in 1994.
Reserves:
PG: (tie) Terrell Brandon/World B. Free: Both were key scorers in various Cleveland eras, so both make it. Free, Acquired in a trade with Golden State in 1983, Free had three solid scoring seasons from 1983-86, with at least 22.3 PPG each year (high of 23.4 in 1985-86) and helped Cleveland reach the playoffs in 1985. Brandon, drafted #11 overall in 1991, took the starting job from Price in 1994-95, and averaged 19.3 PPG in each of his two years as a starter, making the All-Star team both years, before being traded to Milwaukee in 1997.
SG: Austin Carr: Carr may have been an average player (not something you want a former #1 pick to be), but with limited talent, Carr makes it. Drafted #1 overall in 1971, Carr was explosive in his first three years, averaging better than 20.5 PPG each year, with a high of 21.9 in 1973-74. Carr would remain a solid player for the rest of the 70s for the Cavs, and he helped Cleveland reach the 1976 Eastern finals (The Miracle of Richfield) before being drafted by Dallas in the expansion draft in 1980.
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas: "Big Z" has overcome major foot injuries to become an above-average center for the Cavs this decade. Drafted #20 overall in 1996, Ilgauskas missed the entire season of 1996-97 with foot problems, but he helped Cleveland reach the playoffs in 1998 with averages of 13.9 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Then, more foot injuries set in; he missed 45 of 50 games in 1998-99 and the entire 1999-2000 season, along with 58 games in 2000-01, with foot injuries. He recovered, and he has averaged at least 11.1 PPG each year since 2001-02 (high of 17.2 in 2002-03) and about 8 RPG (high of 9.3 just last year) and helped Cleveland reach the 2007 Finals.
SF: Mike Mitchell: Mitchell had some good seasons with Cleveland in the early 80s. Drafted #15 overall in 1978, Mitchell had two seasons in Cleveland with over 20+ PPG (high of 24.5 in 1980-81) and about 6 RPG (high of 7.2 in 1979-80). Mitchell also made his only All-Star team in 1981 with those 24.5 PPG. But the team was a total mess, and Mitchell was traded in 1982 to San Antonio, right before the team nearly collapsed into bankruptcy.
PF: Jim Chones: Before winning a championship with the 1980 Lakers, Chones made an impact in Cleveland in the mid 70s. Signing with the team from the ABA's Carolina Cougars in 1974, Chones had two seasons with a double-double average (best year was 1977-78 with 15 PPG and 10.3 RPG). Chones also was a key factor in the team making the 1976 Eastern finals (he got injured in the loss to the Celtics) before he left for Los Angeles in 1979.
Coaches:
Head Coach: Bill Fitch: The Cavs' first ever coach was also its longest tenured coach. Fitch struggled initially with an expansion team, then he caught fire in 1975-76, as the Cavaliers won their first Central division title and a berth in the Eastern finals. FItch also led the Cavs to two other playoff berths and was named COY in 1976 before he departed for Boston in 1979. He won 944 as a coach and was named one of the top ten coaches in NBA history in 1996.
Assistants: Lenny Wilkens, Mike Brown: Wilkens returned to coaching in 1986, and after losing 51 games his first year, Wilkens didn't have a losing season with the Cavs after that, as the Cavs won 50 or more games three times and reached the 1992 Eastern finals before resigning in 1993. Brown, despite not being noted as a great X's and O's coach, has won 50 games in two of his three seasons, made the playoffs each year, and took the Cavs to the 2007 Finals.
Honorable Mentions:
SG: Craig Ehlo: More known for his defensive lapse in 1989 than solid overall career.
PF: Shawn Kemp: Played better in Seattle than he did overweight in Cleveland.
C: Nate Thurmond: Much better known as a Warrior.
any other Cavs: If anybody else is worth mentioning, let me know.
That's it for today. Tomorrow, we'll feature the Magic and Hornets. Until then, let the criticism of LeBron begin (lol!)!
It took me what seems like an eternity to get in here. Before I go off with my sports for today, let me get political about the never ending "Whoops!", "Service Unavailable"'s and "Internet Explorer..." pages I've been getting: Memo to Fox; you are going to lose a lot of loyal bloggers if you keep on bull****ing around and having more errors than Bill Buckner in the World Series! My computer is actually in shop for repairs because of the hair-yanking madness you've caused! Get your act together and let me and others post without having to reclick through endless "Whoops". Whoops, my (expletive)!
Now then, let's talk about my favorite league, the NBA. Yesterday, a potential blockbuster move was blocked, as Jason Kidd is not going to Dallas right now. Who would stand in the way of this trade? Why, that would be superstar F... Devean George? Yes, George, a player more known for being a bit player on the Lakers' title teams earlier this decade, is blocking the move through an "early Bird exception" that, in essence, would allow the Mavs to go over their cap to sign him to a new deal when he's an FA. Is this clown delusional? Or did he do the Mavs a favor?
On the surface, George appears to be an ####. After all, why would he think about that exception being used on him? When I first heard that George was blocking the deal for this, I thought "Dallas nor any other team will sign him with the exception!". And I stand by that. But look at what the Mavs would have to give up to get him; Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, DeSagna Diop, and Maurice Ager, along with George. Kidd's a great player, but four players and picks good? Not at this point of his career.
My gut feeling is that the Mavs are afraid, after the Shaq and Gasol trades, that they may become an afterthought in the loaded West and were desperate to make a splashy deal. But this trade might push them even futher back if it's completed. Although Stackhouse was expected to resign with Dallas after the trade and the required 30-day sitout following a buyout, they're sacrificing the future to attempt to win now even though they probably won't. Then what? They'll be stuck with an aged Kidd and no prospect of contending again.
Despite this, I think George will eventually consent and go to Jersey. If he stays in Big D, the fans will treat him like the Philly fans treated Mitch Williams after the 1993 World Series; like he's the direct reason they didn't win the title. George will be booed (like he was last night, and boy did he respond; 0-11 from the field, 0-2 from the line, and 0 points in 33 minutes) and heckled as long as he stays down there. And even though he seems like a cool cat, eventually, he will feel the heat and begin to crack. Williams eventually did, and his career fizzled after that. George will put off as long as he can, then at the last moment, when he realizes he won't get that Bird exception even if he stays, he accept the deal.
Bottom line; Dallas should be thanking George for putting the kibosh on a bad Kidd deal, but instead he's turned into a piriah. That is the way it goes, and pretty soon, the Mavs will wish that their trades will pop up with a "Whoops!" sign!
