Doug Moe: ABA Champion, Three-Time ABA All-Star, and Successful NBA Coach
Doug Moe, who won an ABA championship and earned three ABA All-Star selections before becoming a successful NBA coach, passed away today at the age of 87. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Moe rose to prominence as a two-time All-America selection at the University of North Carolina, where he formed an enduring friendship with his teammate Larry Brown, who became a three-time ABA All-Star before having a Hall of Fame coaching career. Moe's college career ended after he received $75 to fly to a meeting with point shavers, even though he did not participate in the point shaving scheme.
Moe played basketball in the Italian League before joining Brown with the New Orleans Buccaneers in the ABA's first season, 1967-68. Moe led the Buccaneers in scoring (24.2 ppg, second in the league) and Brown led the league in assists (6.5 apg) as both players made the All-Star team. The Buccaneers finished first in the Western Division with a 48-30 record and they advanced to the ABA Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Pittsburgh Pipers, who were led by the incomparable Connie Hawkins. Moe finished second to Hawkins in the regular season MVP voting.
In the summer of 1968, the Buccaneers traded Brown and Moe to the Oakland Oaks for Ronald Franz, Steve Jones, and Barry Leibowitz. Moe ranked third on the Oaks in scoring (19.0 ppg) during the regular season, trailing league scoring champion Rick Barry (who averaged 34.0 ppg but only played in 35 games) and Warren Jabali (21.5 ppg). Brown led the league in assists again (7.1 apg), and Barry, Moe, and Brown all made the All-Star team while Jabali won the Rookie of the Year award. Jabali won the Playoff MVP as the Oaks routed the Indiana Pacers 4-1 in the ABA Finals. Moe ranked third on the team in playoff scoring (19.8 ppg).
After the 1969 season, the Oaks sent Moe to the Carolina Cougars as part of a three team trade. Moe averaged 17.3 ppg for the 42-42 Cougars, earning his third straight All-Star selection. Prior to the 1970-71 season, the Cougars shipped Moe to the Washington Capitols for Gary Bradds and Ira Harge. This reunited Moe with Brown. The Capitols moved to Virginia and became the Squires. Moe's 32 year old knees were wearing down by this point, but he still averaged 13.0 ppg in 78 games as the Squires went 55-29 to finish first in the Eastern Division before bowing 4-2 to the Kentucky Colonels in the Eastern Division Finals.
Moe finished his playing career averaging 6.8 ppg for the 1971-72 Squires, a team that featured ABA scoring champion Charlie Scott (who jumped to the NBA's Phoenix Suns before the end of the season), and rookie sensation Julius Erving, who averaged 27.3 ppg and 15.7 rpg in the regular season before supersizing those numbers to 33.3 ppg and 20.4 rpg in the playoffs.
Brown and Moe both retired after the 1971-72 season. Brown became Carolina's head coach, and he hired Moe to be his assistant coach. Moe served under Brown for two years in Carolina, and then Moe served under Brown for two years in Denver before being hired to be San Antonio's coach after the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. Moe led the Spurs to Central Division titles in 1978 and 1979. The Spurs lost 4-3 to the Washington Bullets in the 1979 Eastern Conference Finals. The Spurs fired Moe after starting 33-33 in the 1979-80 season.
Moe served as Donnie Walsh's assistant coach in Denver for the 1980-81 season, but then took the helm after the Nuggets started 11-20. They went 26-25 the rest of the way under Moe. Moe's Nuggets led the NBA in scoring for five straight seasons, and his
1981-82 squad still holds the NBA's single season scoring record (126.5 ppg). Moe led the Nuggets to a winning record in seven of his nine full seasons with the team, he guided them to the 1985 Western Conference Finals, and he earned NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1988 after leading the Nuggets to a 54-28 record, which at that time was the team's highest single season win total since joining the NBA. George Gervin won three of his four scoring titles while playing for Moe's Spurs, and Alex English won the 1983 scoring title while playing for Moe's Nuggets. Moe went 19-37 as Philadelphia's coach in the 1992-93 season before the team fired him. Moe rejoined the Nuggets as a coaching consultant in 2002, and he worked as an on the bench assistant coach for the Nuggets from 2005-08 under George Karl. After Moe passed away, Karl tweeted that Moe was his "big brother."
In 1997, Moe was one of 30 players selected to the ABA All-Time Team, and in 2018 he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement award, which has been presented annually since 2009 by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA). Moe was always quick with a quip or a soundbite, and he called everyone--including himself--a "stiff." He was a bit of a showman on the sidelines, and his teams were high scoring and fun to watch, but they also won a lot of games: Moe ranks 26th in NBA history with 632 regular season coaching wins.
Anyone who was associated with the ABA in any capacity joined a fraternity that transcends anything else that the person did during his life, and that feeling was palpable when I covered the ABA Ol' School Reunion in Denver in 2005. The ABA not only had all-time great players who are household names--including Erving, Gervin, and Moses Malone--but it also had some great players whose names and accomplishments are not brought up as much as they should be. One such great player is James Silas. Moe shared with me his memories of coaching against prime James Silas and then coaching Silas after Silas injured his knee: "My recollections of when he was really great are from before he got
hurt, when he was playing against us. He was absolutely the best—the
ultimate guy at the end of the game. He was just terrific.
Unfortunately, he hurt his knee and was never quite the same—still a
great player, but there is no telling how great he would have been had
he not gotten hurt. People really didn't get to know the real Silas in
the NBA. That is a shame. He really was 'Captain Late' and he was the
best."
Doug Moe was one of the original ABA players, and he is eternally a part of that fraternity and that legacy.
Labels: ABA, Alex English, Connie Hawkins, Denver Nuggets, Doug Moe, George Gervin, Julius Erving, Larry Brown, NBA, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs
posted by David Friedman @ 11:38 PM
Examining James Harden's Counterfeit Numbers
The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 117-108 on Wednesday night primarily because of another outstanding performance by Kevin Durant (32 points on 13-20 field goal shooting, seven rebounds, five assists, +15 plus/minus number)--and despite James Harden shooting just 5-14 from the field while posting a -9 plus/minus number. Harden led the Nets with 11 assists (four of them to Durant, who does not need Harden's help to score), but he scored just 16 points because the NBA no longer gives him 10-plus free throw attempts per game to provide cover for the many games in which Harden shoots poorly. Before the NBA belatedly decided to return to officiating games the way that they are supposed to be officiated, Harden posted counterfeit numbers while flopping and flailing his way to three scoring titles, the 2018 regular season MVP, and six All-NBA First Team selections.
Yes, I called Harden's numbers from the past several seasons counterfeit.
If you have a million dollars in a bank account, but $200,000 of those dollars are counterfeit bills that escaped detection then you are not really a millionaire--and if you average over 30 ppg but you are given several free throws per game that you did not deserve then you are not really a 30 ppg scorer. Harden's numbers are even more tainted than that analogy suggests, because the problem is deeper than just the undeserved free throws: the incorrect foul calls in Harden's favor put opposing players in foul trouble, put the opposing team in the penalty, and created a situation so absurd that great coaches determined that the only way to avoid fouling Harden was to instruct their players to play defense with their hands behind their backs.
Shame on every media member who participated in and endorsed this sham instead of calling it out as an embarrassment to basketball.
I am not "Screaming A" Smith. I have not and never will call James Harden a "scrub" or demean him personally the way that loudmouth Smith verbally assaults players who he does not like. Harden is not a scrub. He is an All-Star caliber player--but he is not an MVP-level player or an All-NBA First Team-level player.
Why do I often write about James Harden? Media members not only gave
Harden an undeserved MVP, but they recently voted him onto the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. In 20 or 30 years, people who never saw Harden play may actually believe
that Harden was an elite scorer and an all-time great player. Someone has to speak out and at least attempt to fix the historical record before fiction becomes permanently canonized as fact.
Harden's 16 points and 11 assists on 5-14 field goal shooting and 1-1 free throw shooting accurately reflects his typical level of play--but in previous seasons, he could have played at exactly the same level and finished with 30 points on 5-14 field goal shooting plus 15-16 free throw shooting. He would be the same caliber of player in either scenario, but those years of counterfeit free throws have distorted the historical record.
Consider Harden's 2017-18 MVP season. He played in 72 games, and he made less than 10 field goals in 47 of those games. Harden had at least 10 free throw attempts in 20 of the 47 games in which he made less than 10 field goals. Harden attempted at least 10 free throws in 37 of his 72 games in
2017-18, including 20 games in which he attempted at least 14 free
throws. In one Houston loss to Boston, Harden shot 7-27 from the field but still scored 34 points due to his 15-15 free throw shooting--and remember that the problem is not just the unearned free throws, but also the way that the (lack of) enforcement of the rules compelled defenders to tiptoe tentatively around Harden instead of guarding him normally. Perhaps the most amazing thing about that 7-27 shooting performance is that a player could shoot that badly on that high volume of shots when he knew that the rules did not permit opponents to contest his shots.
Am I saying that Harden did not earn any of his free throw attempts? Obviously, no. Do I blame Harden for taking advantage of the situation? Yes, I do. If a security guard helps you to pass counterfeit bills, does that make it right to do so? No, and if referees let you get away with traveling, flailing, and flopping that is not right, either. The game should be played the right way. If you are a Top 76 player, then prove it with your basketball skills, not your flop and flail skills.
Note that Durant is not having the slightest problem scoring under the "new" rules (which is just a return to enforcing traditional basketball rules). Also note that the same media members who rewarded Harden for his counterfeit numbers now offer up numerous excuses for his poor play: he is supposedly injured, or he is rehabbing his injury, or he is out of shape. Why didn't Harden get in shape and stay in shape during the offseason? Alonzo Mourning once said, "My body is my business," meaning that keeping his body in shape was his responsibility so that he could perform at a high level. Harden's body is his business, and his body is the vehicle that has delivered fame and fortune to him. There is no excuse for him to be out of shape at the start of the season (or at any time, for that matter), and this is at least the second season in a row that he has started the season out of shape.
If you are younger than 40 and/or not familiar with basketball history, find some video of Adrian Dantley, who averaged at least 30 ppg for four straight seasons in the early 1980s while winning two scoring titles. Dantley was a master at drawing real fouls. Compare his arsenal of pump fakes and post moves with Harden's chicanery to learn the difference between fundamentally sound basketball and sideshow theatrics. Then, compare Dantley's step back move--accomplished without hopping, skipping, or jumping--with Harden's counterfeit step back move.
After completing that research, shake your head in despair that Harden has been immortalized as a Top 76 player while Dantley was left off of the list. If you have the time and are not sick to your stomach by that point, compare Harden to Bernard King, Alex English, and a host of other great players who were denied the Top 76 recognition that Harden received.
I do not enjoy watching Harden play, but there is a feeling of schadenfreude when watching Harden play so far this season. Basketball purists have to hope and pray that the rules will continue to be enforced correctly, even if that means that the counterfeit nature of Harden's statistics from the past several seasons will be revealed.
Labels: Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King, Brooklyn Nets, James Harden, Kevin Durant
posted by David Friedman @ 11:49 PM
The Evolution of the Usage of the Three Point Shot, Part III
Here is a quote from 16 years ago about the three point shot: "It was a great weapon when the players shot eight or nine times a game. Now it's way overused." Care to guess which former player turned TV commentator made that remark? The answer is none other than Steve Kerr, owner of the highest career regular season career three point shooting percentage in ABA/NBA history (.454), and the current coach of the Golden State Warriors--one of the teams most identified with the recent vast increase in the usage of the three point shot.
I first wrote about the evolution of the usage of the three point shot for NBCSports.com in March 2007, and then I posted an
updated version of that article at 20 Second Timeout a few months later. The American Basketball Association (ABA) is associated with the three point shot and deserves credit for popularizing it, but it should be noted that the ABA did not invent the three pointer; it had been used in the American Basketball League (ABL) in the early 1960s, and there are reports that the three point shot was used experimentally in a college game (Columbia versus Fordham) in 1945. Some ABA teams incorporated the three point shot into their regular offense, but not all ABA teams did so, and overall the ABA teams did not shoot nearly as many three pointers as NBA teams currently shoot.
The three point shot disappeared from the professional basketball landscape for three seasons after the ABA/NBA merger in 1976, but then the NBA brought it back for the 1979-80 season. For the first part of the decade, most NBA teams only shot three pointers to beat the shot clock, or to beat the buzzer at the end of a quarter, or when they were down by three points with little time remaining in the game. By the end of the 1980s, many teams began to use the three pointer as part of their offense. The NBA shortened the three point arc to a uniform 22 feet (instead of 23 feet nine inches everywhere but the baseline corners) for the 1995-97 seasons, which led to a spike in three point usage that continued even after the league restored the original three point line in 1997-98.
In December 2016, I revisited the evolution of the usage of the three point shot. The growing acceptance of "advanced basketball statistics" had resulted in a significant increase in the usage of the three point shot, and that trend has continued in the past several seasons. NBA teams averaged a then-record 9.7 three point field goals made per game during the 2016-17 season, and that number increased to 12.1 three point field goals made per game during the suspended (but hopefully not concluded) 2019-20 season, so now is a good time to examine how the usage of the three point shot has continued to evolve.
As discussed in the two previous articles in this series, the three point shot has evolved from a rarely used novelty, to an occasionally used weapon, to a minor part of the offensive game plan, to a major part of the offensive game plan, to a central part of the offensive game plan. To understand the distinction between the latter two concepts, think back to the Houston Rockets with Hakeem Olajuwon, or the Orlando Magic with Shaquille O'Neal; the three point shot was a major part of the offensive game plan, but the primary focus was to first get the ball to the big man, and then shoot three pointers if the opponent double-teamed the big man. In contrast, now many teams are actively hunting three point shots while openly disdaining even wide open two point shots.
One might assume that adding a point per shot for long field goal attempts would increase overall scoring, particularly as the three point shot gained greater acceptance, but history shows otherwise. NBA teams averaged 110.3 ppg in 1978-79, the year before the league added the three point shot. Scoring held steady during the 1980s, and then declined throughout the 1990s. By 1995-96, scoring had fallen under 100 ppg (99.5 ppg) for the first time since 1956-57. NBA scoring reached its modern nadir in the lockout-shortened 1999 season (91.6 ppg), and did not recover to the 100 ppg level until the 2008-09 season, by which time the league had passed rules restricting defensive contact on the perimeter; these rules opened up the game, made it much more difficult to guard players on the perimeter, and--among other things--played a major role in helping Steve Nash to become a two-time regular season MVP. Scoring regressed slightly in the early part of the next decade, but has been on an upward progression for several years, peaking at 111.4 ppg in the 2019-20 season.
Having a three point shot rule does not, in and of itself, increase or
decrease team scoring; scoring is impacted by many different factors,
including other rules changes, new coaching philosophies, and skill set
evolution (or decline, depending on your perspective).
There is also not a direct correlation between shooting a lot of three pointers and winning championships. The Golden State Warriors made five straight Finals appearances from 2015-19, winning titles in 2015 and 2017-18, but during that time they only once led the league in three pointers made--2016, the year that they lost to Cleveland in the Finals. The Warriors ranked second in three pointers made in 2015, fourth in 2017, eighth in 2018, and third in 2019. Here are the rankings for three point shots made by NBA championship teams since I wrote my first article about the evolution of the usage of the three point shot:
2008: Boston (eighth)
2009: L.A. Lakers (17th)
2010: L.A. Lakers (13th)
2011: Dallas (eighth)
2012: Miami (20th)
2013: Miami (third)
2014: San Antonio (12th)
2015: Golden State (second)
2016: Cleveland (second)
2017: Golden State (fourth)
2018: Golden State (eighth)
2019: Toronto (eighth)
During the 2019-20 season, the Milwaukee Bucks rank fourth in three pointers made, while the Toronto Raptors rank fifth, the Boston Celtics rank 13th, the L.A. Clippers rank 18th, the Denver Nuggets rank 24th, and the L.A. Lakers rank 25th. The three teams that have made the most three pointers--Dallas, Houston, and New Orleans--are unlikely to win the 2020 championship (assuming that the season is completed), and most of the rest of the top 10 teams are championship long shots at best (Miami, Minnesota, Utah, Portland, Brooklyn).
Even the championship winners/championship contenders that shoot a lot of three pointers are not teams that are built around three point shooting the way that the current Rockets are. The Golden State Warriors utilized the three
point shot as a very effective offensive weapon, but the foundation for their championship success was their tremendous defense: the Warriors ranked first in defensive field goal percentage in 2015 and 2017 before slipping just slightly to third in 2018. Their 73-9 team in 2016 that lost in the NBA Finals ranked third in defensive field goal percentage.
In order to win games during which their shooting touch deserts them, a legitimate championship contender must be able to rely on consistently great defense.
While there is not much correlation between the three point shot rule and team scoring, or shooting a lot of three pointers and winning a championship, the increase in the usage of the three point shot has dramatically changed the shot charts for the league's most prolific individual scorers. During the first decade that the NBA used the three point shot, even the top scorers did not shoot a high volume of three pointers.
Alex English, the NBA's leading scorer of the 1980s, scored 21,018 points during that decade while making just 16 three pointers. The next two players on that list made even fewer three pointers; Moses Malone scored 19,082 points in the 1980s while making three three pointers, and
Adrian Dantley scored 18,157 points in the 1980s while making six three pointers. Only four of the decade's top 10 scorers made at least 100 three pointers during the 1980s, headlined by Larry Bird and
Mark Aguirre; Bird ranked fourth in scoring (17,899 points) while making 455 three pointers, and Aguirre ranked eighth in scoring (14,488 points) while making 255 three pointers. Bird ranked second in the 1980s in three pointers made, trailing only Dale Ellis (472).
Only 11 players made at least 200 three pointers during the 1980s--but 12 players made at least 200 three pointers during the 2018-19 season! Each of the league's top 10 scorers during the 2019-20 season is averaging at least one three pointer made per game, and seven of those 10 players are averaging at least two three pointers made per game. Four of the top five scorers are averaging at least three three pointers made per game, led by James Harden, who ranks first in both scoring (34.4 ppg) and three point field goals made (271). Harden's Rockets have
gone all-in with small ball, relying on volume three point shooting to overcome their lack of size/lack of rebounding, but after experiencing initial success the Rockets
sputtered recently.
Was Kerr's assessment 16 years ago correct? Since there are no live NBA games now or for the foreseeable future, there is plenty of time to watch classic games from the 1980s and 1990s, and then compare those games--in terms of quality of play, and in terms of entertainment value--with the games that we have been watching recently. I am not opposed to the three point shot--I love the ABA, and I love shooting three pointers when I play pickup or rec league ball--but I prefer to watch basketball players and teams that utilize all areas of the court on offense, as opposed to basketball players and teams that jack up three pointers regardless of time, score, matchups or momentum because the "stat gurus" made the supposedly revolutionary discovery that three is more than two. I cannot say that there is a "right" number of three pointers per game (even though the "stat gurus" think that they can), but both in terms of winning championships and in terms of entertainment value I do not think that 30, 40, or 50 three point shot attempts per team per game--numbers that we are seeing on a regular basis in today's game--is optimal.
Evolution of the Usage of the Three Point Shot
Most Three Pointers Made
Year/League..Team..3 FGM..Player (team)..3 FGM
1967-68/ABA..
Pittsburgh..243..
Les Selvage (Anaheim)..147
1968-69/ABA..
Kentucky..335..
Louie Dampier (Kentucky)..199
1969-70/ABA..Kentucky..330..Louie Dampier (Kentucky)..198
1970-71/ABA..Indiana..306..George Lehmann (Carolina)..154
1971-72/ABA..Indiana..220..Glen Combs (Utah)..103
1972-73/ABA..Indiana..172..Bill Keller (Indiana)..71
1973-74/ABA..San Diego..216..Bo Lamar (San Diego)..69
1974-75/ABA..Indiana..224..Bill Keller (Indiana)..80
1975-76/ABA..Indiana..250..Bill Keller (Indiana)..123
1979-80/NBA..San Diego..177..Brian Taylor (San Diego)..90
1980-81/NBA..San Diego..132..Mike Bratz (Cleveland)..57
1981-82/NBA..Indiana..103..Don Buse (Indiana)..73
1982-83/NBA..San Antonio..94..Mike Dunleavy (San Antonio)..67
1983-84/NBA..Utah..101..Darrell Griffith (Utah)..91
1984-85/NBA..Dallas..152..Darrell Griffith (Utah)..92
1985-86/NBA..Dallas..141..Larry Bird (Boston)..82
1986-87/NBA..Dallas..231..Larry Bird (Boston)..90
1987-88/NBA..Boston..271..Danny Ainge (Boston)..148
1988-89/NBA..
New York..386..Michael Adams (Denver)..166
1989-90/NBA..Cleveland...346..Michael Adams (Denver)..158
1990-91/NBA..Portland..341..Vernon Maxwell (Houston)..172
1991-92/NBA..Milwaukee..371..Vernon Maxwell (Houston)..162
1992-93/NBA..
Phoenix..398..Dan Majerle (Phoenix)/Reggie Miller (Indiana)..167
1993-94/NBA..
Houston..429..Dan Majerle (Phoenix)..192
1994-95/NBA*..
Houston..646..
John Starks (New York)..217
1995-96/NBA*..
Dallas..735..
Dennis Scott (Orlando)..267
1996-97/NBA*..Miami..678..Reggie Miller (Indiana)..229
1997-98/NBA..Seattle..621..Wesley Person (Cleveland)..192
1998-99/NBA^..Houston..336..Dee Brown (Toronto)..135
1999-00/NBA..Indiana..583..Gary Payton (Seattle)..177
2000-01/NBA..Boston..592..Antoine Walker (Boston)..221
2001-02/NBA..Boston..699..Ray Allen (Milwaukee)..229
2002-03/NBA..Boston..719..Ray Allen (Milwaukee-Seattle)..201
2003-04/NBA..Seattle..723..Peja Stojakovic (Sacramento)..240
2004-05/NBA..
Phoenix..796..Kyle Korver (Philadelphia)/Jason Richardson (Phoenix)..226
2005-06/NBA..
Phoenix..837..
Ray Allen (Seattle)..269
2006-07/NBA..Phoenix..785..Arenas (Washington)/Bell (Phoenix)..205
2007-08/NBA..Orlando..801..Jason Richardson (Charlotte)..243
2008-09/NBA..New York..823..Rashard Lewis (Orlando)..220
2009-10/NBA..
Orlando..841..Aaron Brooks (Houston)..209
2010-11/NBA..Orlando..770..Dorell Wright (Golden State)..194
2011-12/NBA^^..Orlando..670..Ryan Anderson (Orlando)..166
2012-13/NBA..
New York..891..
Stephen Curry (Golden State)..272
2013-14/NBA..Houston..779..Stephen Curry (Golden State)..261
2014-15/NBA..
Houston..933..
Stephen Curry (Golden State)..286
2015-16/NBA..
Golden State..1077...
Stephen Curry (Golden State)..402
2016-17/NBA..
Houston..1181..Stephen Curry (Golden State)..324
2017-18/NBA..
Houston..1256..James Harden (Houston)..265
2018-19/NBA..
Houston..1323..James Harden (Houston)..378
*
The NBA shortened the three point arc to a uniform 22 feet (prior to
and subsequent to these three seasons the three point arc was 22 feet in
the corners and 23 feet nine inches elsewhere).
^ Season shortened to 50 games by a lockout.
^^ Season shortened to 66 games by a lockout.
Bold indicates an ABA/NBA record.
Labels: "stat gurus", Alex English, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, James Harden, Larry Bird, Mike D'Antoni, Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, three point shot
posted by David Friedman @ 1:05 AM
Three-Time ABA Executive of the Year Carl Scheer Leaves Behind a Lasting Legacy in Two Leagues
Carl Scheer, a three-time ABA Executive of the Year (1973, 1975-76), passed away on Friday December 13 at the age of 82. In ABA/NBA history, only Jerry Colangelo has won more Executive of the Year awards (four) than Scheer did. Scheer hired future Hall of Famer Larry Brown for Brown's first professional head coaching job with the Carolina Cougars in 1972. In 1980, when Scheer was with the Denver Nuggets after the ABA/NBA merger, he traded for future Hall of Fame player
Alex English.
Perhaps best known for his leading role in adding the Slam Dunk Contest
to the ABA's 1976 All-Star Game festivities--which became the precursor
for the All-Star Weekend extravaganza that now includes the Three Point
Contest, the Legends Brunch, and more--Scheer had a diverse, five decade
career as a sports executive during which he also was involved with
minor league hockey and the construction of a sports arena in
Greenville, S.C.
Scheer was not only the most decorated executive in ABA history, but he also played a major role in the inaugural season of the Charlotte Hornets in 1988-89 as the franchise's first president and general manager. Scheer selected
Dell Curry for Charlotte in the expansion draft. Curry became the franchise's all-time leading scorer (a record since broken by Kemba Walker).
Scheer was a lawyer by training, and he was widely respected and admired. Harold Kaufman, the Hornets' public relations director during the expansion years, said, "Anyone talking to Carl thought they were the most important person in
the world. He made you feel good about yourself. He motivated through positive reinforcement. You just didn't want to let him down."
Scheer made an immediate and lasting impact on the ABA. He won the first of his three ABA Executive of the Year awards after his Carolina Cougars posted the ABA's best regular season record (57-27) in 1972-73 before losing in the Eastern Division Finals. During the previous season as the General Manager of the Cougars,
Scheer presented the game ball to Larry Miller after Miller set the ABA's single game scoring record. Scheer won back to back Executive of the Year awards in 1975-76 as his Denver Nuggets posted the second best regular season record in ABA history in 1975 (65-19) and then had a second consecutive 60 win season (60-24) before losing to Julius Erving's New York Nets in the league's
last Finals.
In 1976, the ABA All-Star Game was played in Denver, and Scheer's Nuggets beat a team comprised of the best players from the rest of the league's franchises. This would prove to be the ABA's final season, and Scheer made sure that the season would never be forgotten by spicing up the All-Star festivities with the first official Slam Dunk Contest, featuring eventual winner Julius Erving facing off against David Thompson, Artis Gilmore, George Gervin and Larry Kenon. The footage of Erving soaring from the free throw line on his final dunk will live forever as one of the most iconic images in basketball history. The NBA tried to destroy the ABA and tear apart the league's legacy--over 40 years after the merger, the NBA still stubbornly
refuses to provide official recognition to ABA statistics, in marked contrast to the NFL's official recognition of AFL statistics--but the seed that Scheer planted during the 1976 ABA All-Star Game blossomed into what has now become NBA All-Star Weekend; the NBA did not immediately embrace the concept, but when Denver hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1984 Scheer--who was still the Nuggets' general manager--helped convince the league to hold a Slam Dunk Contest for the first time, and in the ensuing years the All-Star Weekend's side events became an essential part of the overall event. I had the privilege of covering the NBA All-Star Weekend six times (2005-2010) and I witnessed firsthand how it is a celebration of basketball's past, present and future.
Scheer was an enthusiastic innovator whose ideas and teams brought joy to many fans for several decades.
Labels: ABA, Alex English, Carl Scheer, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Larry Brown, Larry Miller, NBA
posted by David Friedman @ 6:10 PM
Defining Impact on Winning and Evaluating Great One on One Scorers
Here are some recent NBA headlines: "Harden's 47 points lead Rockets over Jazz 102-97," "Harden has 2nd straight triple-double, Rockets top Grizzlies," "Harden's 50-point triple-double leads Rockets over Lakers," and "Harden scores 29 to lead Rockets past Blazers 111-104." Those headlines would lead one to believe that James Harden is the primary, if not only, reason that the Houston Rockets are enjoying a four game winning streak. There is no doubt that Harden has posted impressive individual numbers during these four games--but does that mean there is a connection between his numbers and the team's success?
I have often said that Harden is an updated version of Stephon Marbury, meaning that he puts up numbers that are not really impacting winning. I have been asked/challenged at times to explain or justify that assertion.
So, let's look at some other numbers from that winning streak, during which Houston beat Utah 102-97, Memphis 105-97, the L.A. Lakers 126-111 and the Portland Trail Blazers 111-104. Harden's plus/minus numbers from those games are -1, +3, +14 and -15 respectively. Thus, the Rockets outscored their opponents by 35 points but they only outscored them by one point while Harden was in the game.
Plus/minus numbers can be noisy for a variety of reasons but they are not completely meaningless, particularly when they are used in conjunction with the eye test. The eye test tells us that Harden is flashy, that Harden scores a lot, and that Harden holds onto the ball for most of the shot clock such that it is highly likely that if Houston scores while he is in the game he will either be making the shot or delivering the assist. The eye test also tells us that he is, at best, a lazy and indifferent defender, though his attention seems to pick up at least momentarily if someone posts him up.
Take away the offensive sizzle and the defensive fizzle and what do you have? Sound and fury signifying, if not nothing, then very little in regards to winning basketball.
Why are the Rockets winning now? Collectively, they are defending better. Their bench is playing much better and is killing the other team's bench on many nights. Also, at the end of the Lakers' game, Harden did take over by hitting several clutch shots. Not surprisingly, that is the one game out of this four game sample size during which his plus/minus numbers were significantly positive.
If you believe in basketball karma (or just karma in general), you also have to think that the way Harden is allowed to repeatedly commit fouls and violations on offense is going to come back to haunt him, as it has throughout his postseason career when he is awarded bogus calls much less frequently. His step back, step back move last night versus Utah--which in old school terminology is known more simply as a traveling violation--is just the latest, most egregious example of how Harden is permitted to blatantly break the rules. The media narrative is that he is a foul-drawing genius. Some people call him the greatest one on one player in the game today, if not all-time. I get sick to my stomach when I hear that.
Michael Jordan and
Kobe Bryant had fundamentally complete skill sets in all areas of the court, plus supreme athleticism.
Julius Erving did not have as great or consistent of a jump shot as those guys, but during his prime it was impossible to guard him one on one. George Gervin, Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King and Mark Aguirre did not have the all-around games that Erving, Jordan and Bryant did, but as pure one on one scorers they take a back seat to no one. Don't forget Jerry West and Pete Maravich as well. George Gervin was smooth and efficient.
Adrian Dantley was an undersized post up technician with deceptive quickness and power.
Alex English was a poet and he was poetry in motion. Bernard King was a scientific and explosive scorer who repeatedly practiced certain shots from various areas of the floor and then made sure that those were the shots he took during games.
Mark Aguirre could teach a master class on post up play and he could also beat you off the dribble.
Jerry West and
Pete Maravich could shoot (and connect) from anywhere on the court at any time.
To put Harden in that group is an insult to the way that those players developed their craft so that they could score within the rules. Harden's points count in the record books, much like the home runs hit by Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and the other PED cheaters, but just like
Bonds, McGwire and the others did not truly surpass Hank Aaron, Harden has not truly surpassed his great predecessors. James Harden is regularly permitted to (1) travel, (2) lock his arms into the defender's, flail and be awarded two free throws, (3) jump into a stationary defender while shooting a three pointer and be awarded free throws, and (4) bulldoze into the lane, commit an offensive foul but instead be awarded free throws. These things do not happen once in a while; they are a regular part of Harden's repertoire. I am not convinced that he could score much more than 20 ppg if he were officiated correctly.
Most conspiracy theories regarding the NBA are nonsense but one has to wonder if the NBA is for some reason invested in Harden's success and/or invested in promoting offense in general to the point that defense becomes an afterthought (at least until the playoffs, when some semblance of sanity returns). During the Lakers' game, the Lakers resorted to keeping their hands down or completely away from Harden so that they could not possibly be called for a foul. Of course, that just lets Harden shoot uncontested shots that any competent NBA player can make. San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich figured out several years ago that Harden must be defended with "high hands" (which makes a lot more sense than no hands, which the Lakers tried), because if a defender moves his hands anywhere near Harden then Harden is going to be awarded free throws.
If you are too young to remember Adrian Dantley, then find some old footage and watch how he drew fouls. He used impeccable footwork, fakes and body positioning. He made basketball moves to score and if he got fouled he earned it. He did not bulldoze opponents, he did not travel and he did not flail.
The way that James Harden plays is not great one on one offense and the way that the NBA officials let him get away with blatant fouls/violations makes Harden almost unwatchable for any basketball purist.
Labels: Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Bernard King, George Gervin, Houston Rockets, James Harden, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant, Mark Aguirre, Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich
posted by David Friedman @ 8:21 PM
Pro Basketball’s 2000 Point Club: Iron Men Who Shoot With a Feathery Touch
This article was originally published in the December 2003 issue of Basketball Digest.
Certain numbers are golden: 1000 yards rushing or receiving, 3000 yards passing, 40 home runs. Yet, in a 16 game NFL season a player can average less than 63 yards a game and accumulate 1000 yards; 17 players rushed for 1000-plus yards in 2002 and more than 20 receivers gained 1000-plus yards. A passer throwing for less than 200 yards a game can amass 3000 yards; 17 NFL quarterbacks did so in 2002. While baseballs are flying out of the park more frequently than in the past, the 40 home run club is still somewhat exclusive, with eight major leaguers earning admission in 2002.
That is a fairly elite group, but pro basketball's 2000 point club admitted that many members in 2001-02 and 2002-03 combined (three in 2001-02 and five in 2002-03). Scoring 2000 points means producing better than 24 ppg in an 82 game season. If a player misses just five games, he must average 26 ppg to surpass 2000 points. Joining the 2000 point club requires productivity and durability.
This was even truer in 1957-58, when the Detroit Pistons' George Yardley founded the 2000 point club during a 72 game NBA season. He led the NBA with 2001 points, averaging 27.8 ppg. Yardley never again passed the 2000 point barrier and Bob Pettit broke his record in 1958-59, scoring 2105 points (29.2 ppg ) to win his second NBA scoring title. The Hawks' Hall of Famer posted four more seasons of 2000-plus points, including a career high 2429 points in 1961-62.
In 1959-60 Wilt Chamberlain became the first rookie member of the 2000 point club, shattering Pettit's mark with 2707 points (37.6 ppg). Chamberlain won the scoring title with 2000-plus points in each of his first seven seasons, including a record three seasons of 3000-plus points, four of the five highest totals ever and the only 4000-point season in pro basketball history. That was the famous 1961-62 campaign in which Chamberlain scored 4029 points (50.4 ppg), capped by his amazing 100 point game versus the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
Chamberlain's streak of 2000-plus point seasons was broken in 1966-67, when he voluntarily reduced his scoring and his Philadelphia 76ers rolled to the NBA title after going 68-13 in the regular season. It is clear that Chamberlain's skills were not eroding because (1) he would periodically produce 50 point games whenever a pundit angered him by suggesting that Chamberlain couldn't do that anymore and (2) he led the league in field goal percentage (.683) and rebounds (1957; 24.2 rpg) while ranking third in assists (630; 7.8 apg). All this and he still scored 1956 points, good for 24.1 ppg. In 1967-68 Chamberlain tallied 1992 points (24.3 ppg) while leading the NBA in field goal percentage, rebounds and assists! After that season Chamberlain never again seriously threatened the 2000 point mark.
Oscar Robertson is renowned for averaging a triple-double for the 1961-62 season, but he was also a prolific scorer. Like Chamberlain, he racked up 2000-plus points in each of his first seven seasons. They shared the record for most 2000-plus point seasons and most consecutive 2000-plus point seasons until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke the first mark in 1979-80 and Alex English topped the second one in 1988-89. Robertson and Karl Malone are the only players to post at least seven 2000-plus point seasons without winning a scoring title.
The Los Angeles Lakers' Hall of Fame scoring duo of forward Elgin Baylor and guard Jerry West each had five 2000-plus point seasons. In 1964-65 they became the first teammates to both score 2000 points in the same season, a feat that has only been matched seven other times in pro basketball history (four in the NBA, three in the ABA). West's last 2000-plus point season came in 1969-70, when he won his only scoring title with a 31.2 ppg average. That was the first year that NBA statistical leaders were determined by averages instead of totals; otherwise, Milwaukee Bucks' rookie Abdul-Jabbar (then still known as Lew Alcindor) would have edged West for the scoring title, 2361-2309.
Abdul-Jabbar honed his incomparable skyhook into an unstoppable weapon. His rookie total is still the fifth best ever first year performance and his 2822 points in 1971-72 ranks eighth overall in pro basketball history. He won his second and final scoring title that year en route to nine 2000-plus point seasons and the all-time career scoring record of 38,387 points. Abdul-Jabbar held the record for most 2000-plus point seasons until Michael Jordan and Karl Malone each rang up their 10th such campaign in 1996-97.
While Abdul-Jabbar was rewriting the record book, several exciting, high scoring players began their careers in the ABA. Only 14 rookies have scored 2000-plus points, six of whom did so in the ABA. Five of the six accomplished this within the three season span 1969-70--1971-72. Spencer Haywood became the first "hardship" case (now referred to as "early entry"), paving the way for everyone from Moses Malone to LeBron James, by challenging the established rules and turning pro after his sophomore season. He led the ABA in scoring (30.0 ppg, 2519 points) and rebounding (19.5 rpg, 1637 rebounds) as a rookie for the Denver Rockets.
Haywood's rookie scoring and rebounding totals are each second only to Chamberlain's in pro basketball history. Injuries and off-court problems later short-circuited what could have been a Hall of Fame career. Nevertheless, anyone who believes that his ABA statistics need to somehow be "validated" should note that he averaged 29.2 ppg and 12.9 ppg in 1972-73 for the Seattle Supersonics and made the All-NBA Team four straight years.
Julius Erving scored 2290 points (27.3 ppg) as a Virginia Squires rookie in 1971-72. He and scoring champion Charlie Scott (2524 points, 34.6 ppg) joined Baylor and West on the elite list of teammates who each scored 2000 points in the same season. Scott jumped to the NBA near the end of that campaign and in 1972-73 Erving claimed the first of his three scoring titles. He holds the ABA record with five 2000 point seasons and is tied for fifth place in pro basketball history with seven such years overall. Erving retired as pro basketball's third leading scorer and the first non-center to score over 30,000 career NBA/ABA points. He still ranks fifth on the career scoring list.
The ABA waited four years for another rookie to surpass 2000 points. The Denver Nuggets' David Thompson scored 2158 points (26.0 ppg) in the league's final season (1975-76), ranking third in scoring. He added 2000-plus point campaigns in the first two seasons after the NBA-ABA merger but, like Haywood, injuries and off-court troubles truncated his career. Although "Skywalker" did not reach his full potential, he did make it to the Hall of Fame.
The subject of best rookie scorers cannot be covered without mentioning the mercurial Walt Bellamy, the immensely talented Hall of Fame center whose inconsistent play alternately delighted and mystified coaches for five different franchises. Nearly a decade before Haywood, "Bells" rang up a similar rookie season for the Chicago Packers (ancestor of the Washington Wizards) in 1961-62, totaling 2495 points (31.6 ppg) and 1500 rebounds (19.0 rpg). He never came close to either figure again, but he did manage two more 2000-plus point seasons and averages of 20.1 ppg and 13.7 rpg for his career.
No rookie after Thompson exceeded 2000 points in a season until Michael Jordan did it in 1984-85 (2313 points, 28.2 ppg) and none have done so since then. Notwithstanding the scoring prowess of some early entry players such as Haywood and Erving, this is at least partially due to the increasing number of players entering pro basketball straight out of high school or after only one or two years of college. Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, who may have scored 2000-plus points as rookies if they had attended college even briefly, instead served apprenticeships in the NBA before both blossomed into nearly unstoppable scorers.
Scoring 2000-plus points as a rookie is uncommon, but even rarer is sustaining that level of performance for more than a decade. Michael Jordan and Karl Malone have both staked claims to significant portions of the 2000 point club's record books. Jordan is the only player other than Chamberlain to total 3000-plus points in a season, amassing 3041 points (37.1 ppg) in 1986-87. Despite his foray into minor league baseball that potentially cost him two 2000-plus point seasons, Jordan still totaled 11 such years, winning a record 10 scoring titles.
Malone did not score 2000 points as a rookie, has not won a scoring title and never got close to 3000 points. What he did, with mind numbing consistency, was score at least 2000 points for an amazing 11 straight years, shattering Alex English's record of eight. The lockout season of 1999 cost him a chance at reaching an even dozen in a row but Malone did get his record 12th 2000-plus point season in 1999-2000.
Will anyone from the current crop of stars challenge the standards set by Jordan and Malone? Shaquille O'Neal ranks first among players who have entered the NBA since 1990 with four 2000-plus point seasons despite missing at least 15 games due to injury in four different years. Paul Pierce has scored 2000-plus points the last three seasons, while Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and the injury plagued Vince Carter each have two career 2000-plus point seasons. If someone is going to put together a dozen 2000-plus point seasons it will not happen any time soon.
Note: the following lists accompanied the original article and thus were compiled prior to the completion of the 2003-04 NBA season.
| Most 2000 Point Seasons |
|
|
| Player | Seasons |
|
|
| Karl Malone | 12 |
| Michael Jordan | 11 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 9 |
| Alex English | 8 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 7 |
| Oscar Robertson | 7 |
| Julius Erving* | 7 |
| Dominique Wilkins | 7 |
| George Gervin | 6 |
*--5 ABA/2 NBA
| Most Single Season Rookie Points |
|
|
|
| Player | Points | Season |
|
|
|
| Wilt Chamberlain | 2707 | 1959-60 |
| Spencer Haywood | 2519 | 1969-70^ |
| Walt Bellamy | 2495 | 1961-62 |
| Dan Issel | 2480 | 1970-71^ |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 2361 | 1969-70 |
| Elvin Hayes | 2327 | 1968-69 |
| Michael Jordan | 2313 | 1984-85 |
| Julius Erving | 2290 | 1971-72^ |
| Charlie Scott | 2276 | 1970-71^ |
| Oscar Robertson | 2165 | 1960-61 |
| David Thompson | 2158 | 1975-76^ |
| Rick Barry | 2059 | 1965-66 |
| Sidney Wicks | 2009 | 1971-72 |
| Artis Gilmore | 2003 | 1971-72^ |
^--ABA
| Most Single Season Points |
|
|
|
|
| Player | Points | Season |
|
|
|
| Wilt Chamberlain | 4029 | 1961-62 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 3586 | 1962-63 |
| Michael Jordan | 3041 | 1986-87 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 3033 | 1960-61 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 2948 | 1963-64 |
| Michael Jordan | 2868 | 1987-88 |
| Bob McAdoo | 2831 | 1974-75 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 2822 | 1971-72 |
| Rick Barry | 2775 | 1966-67 |
| Michael Jordan | 2753 | 1989-90 |
Labels: Alex English, Bob Pettit, Elgin Baylor, George Yardley, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain
posted by David Friedman @ 1:18 AM
NBA Legends Pay Dues Again
The April 9 edition of
USA Today contained an interesting article by Chris Colston titled
"NBA Legends Pay Dues Again." According to Colston's research, out of 148 assistant coaches in the NBA there are 55 who played in the NBA and/or ABA, 13 of whom made the All-Star team at least once. Six of those players are Hall of Famers (counting Adrian Dantley, who will be enshrined with this year's class) and three of them were selected to the
NBA's 50 Greatest Players List.
Looking at Colston's list, I realized that I have interviewed two of the three Top 50 players, four of the six Hall of Famers and nine of the 13 All-Stars. Here are links to some of the stories that I have done that feature quotes from All-Stars who have become coaches:
Dropping Knowledge--Mark Aguirre, New York assistant coach
Cowens Helped Restore Celtics Pride--Dave Cowens, Detroit assistant coach
A True Basketball Artist--Alex English, Toronto assistant coach
From "Hoya Destroya" to Yao's Mentor--Patrick Ewing, Orlando assistant coach (Ewing worked for Houston at the time this article was published)
The Legacy of the ABA--Maurice Lucas, Portland assistant coach (this article is not specifically about Lucas but it contains a quote from him about his ABA teammate Artis Gilmore)
The Numbers Don't Lie--Bob McAdoo, Miami assistant coach
James Silas: "Captain Late" Commanded Respect in the Clutch (Part II)--Doug Moe, Denver assistant coach (this article is not about Moe but it includes his memories about coaching Silas and coaching against Silas)
Dependable and Durable--Jack Sikma, Houston assistant coach
Celtic Sub Shined Brightly as a Sun--Paul Westphal, Dallas assistant coach
Labels: Alex English, Bob McAdoo, Dave Cowens, Doug Moe, Jack Sikma, Mark Aguirre, Maurice Lucas, Patrick Ewing, Paul Westphal
posted by David Friedman @ 8:20 AM
Alex English: A True Basketball Artist
When Alex English played, he considered basketball his art and the court was his canvas. The Hall of Famer, eight-time All-Star and 1983 NBA scoring champion (28.4 ppg) is currently an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors. You can read my HoopsHype.com article about him here (9/30/15 edit: the link to HoopsHype.com no longer works, so I have posted the original article below):
Some players' moves look like poetry in motion. Alex English was one of those players and he also was a poet in motion--he has had several books of his poetry published. The soft spoken 6-7 forward was never flashy on or off the court, so his accomplishments are easy to overlook. But, as he says with quiet confidence, "the real basketball fans know."
English averaged 22.6 ppg and 10.3 rpg while shooting .551 from the field as a senior at the University of South Carolina. The Milwaukee Bucks selected him in the second round as the 23rd overall pick in the 1976 draft. Veteran forward Bob Dandridge led the Bucks in 1976-77 with 20.8 ppg and English only scored 5.2 ppg in about 10 mpg of action. Dandridge signed with the Washington Bullets after the season and English's minutes (18.9 mpg) and scoring (9.6 ppg) nearly doubled in 1977-78--but rookie Marques Johnson averaged 19.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg and figured to get the lion’s share of playing time for years to come.
"Indiana offered me my first free agent contract and I got a chance to play," English recalls. "I played for Slick Leonard and we had Mickey Johnson, Mike Bantom--a lot of pretty good players on our squad. We played like I (later) played in Denver--we had a freelance offense but we were more focused on defense. It was an enjoyable time. The other thing I remember is that my second child was born (in Indiana). I got traded right before she was born, so that is something that sticks in my memory."
English averaged 16.0 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 1978-79 but two thirds of the way through the 1979-80 season the Pacers shipped him to Denver. "Going to Denver was probably the best thing that happened to me," English says. "Indiana wanted George McGinnis back home. He had played for Slick Leonard and Slick wanted him back. I got a chance to go to Denver to play for a coach that I had in college, Donnie Walsh," who ironically is now the CEO/President of the Pacers.
English scored 21.3 ppg in the last 24 games of the 1979-80 season as a Nugget. He averaged 23.8 ppg and 8.0 rpg in 1980-81, but the Nuggets just missed the playoffs. In 1981-82, English began a streak of eight consecutive 2000-plus point seasons, which stood as the NBA record until Karl Malone had 11 such seasons; English's run is still the second best in NBA history. Denver made the playoffs in 1981-82 and qualified for postseason play each of the next nine seasons that English played for the Nuggets.
The 1980's Denver Nuggets make the current Phoenix Suns look like turtles crawling through quicksand. The 1981-82 Nuggets still hold the records for points in a season (126.5 ppg) and for most consecutive games scoring at least 100 points (136, including every game of the 1981-82 season). Denver led all teams in scoring for five straight seasons (1981-85), culminating in a 52-30 record in 1984-85 and a berth in the Western Conference Finals versus the powerful Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/James Worthy Lakers. English played brilliantly in that year's playoffs (30.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, .536 shooting from the field and a .890 free throw percentage) and believes that a fast paced team is perfectly capable of winning an NBA title.
"I think that if I had not broken my thumb in the third game, we had a chance to beat the Lakers," English says. "We tied them in L.A., so we had an opportunity to go to the Finals. I don't think that it's the style of play, I think that it's the players that you have. I remember that when we played against the Lakers we always had great games because they also pushed the ball up as well. They had great players. We looked forward to going to the Forum. It was one of the great arenas, along with Madison Square Garden and Chicago Stadium. We beat the Lakers during the regular season, so we weren't afraid of them. We just had a great group of players. The camaraderie on that squad was unparalleled in professional basketball."
That turned out to be the closest that English got to winning an NBA title but he proved to be one of the league’s most productive performers in the 1980s, becoming the decade's leading scorer while playing in 80 or more games for 10 straight seasons. His durability is all the more remarkable considering his slender frame. English explains how he was able to be so productive against bigger, stronger players: "What I did a lot is not let them make contact with me. I would move. A lot of players who were bigger did not like running the floor. I ran. I never stopped moving. I was a strong wiry thin, sort of like Tayshaun Prince. I did my best to stay out of their way and make them run. Eventually, they would end up being tired and I would still be at full strength. We didn't lift a lot of weights back then. I was in great shape; I stretched a lot, so I didn’t have a lot of injuries."
"I played for 15 years but as my years progressed I thought that I got better every year," English adds. "I was consistent. You have some guys who might score 10 points one night and the next night they have 30. I prided myself on being a consistent player with my game and, even though I was thin, being durable. Being durable and being consistent."
English offers a very poetic description of his resilience mentally and physically: "It's like being a willow tree that blows in the wind but it doesn't break. It's a strong branch, a strong tree that bends and can withstand all kinds of tornado-type winds but it doesn't break. That is the kind of idea that I played with. If a guy was posting me up, I would hold for a second but then when he was getting ready to pass I would let go and I would get around and get the steal."
Speaking of poetry, English enthusiastically shares his thoughts about his favorite poets: "One guy who inspired me to write because of his style was Peter McWilliams. He's a contemporary poet. I was an English major in school and I enjoyed reading Edgar Allan Poe. I like Robert Frost, Elizabeth Barrett Browning--there are a lot of folks whose poetry I enjoy. A lot of stuff was difficult to understand but (worth reading) when you put the time and effort in. Shakespeare's sonnets are great."
Reading and writing provide great balance to English's life. "It is important because once basketball was done I was still able to enjoy my life because I enjoy doing other things," English says. "I love to read. I still enjoy writing, although I don't write as much. I think that the love of reading that I have is a genetic thing that I got from my grandmother. My kids love to read, my sons. They read some of the same genres that I do. Maybe it's something in the genes."
Before English got his current job as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, he served as the head coach of the North Charleston Lowgators in the NBDL, an experience that he treasures. "What it showed me was what I needed to add to my repertoire to be a coach," English explains. "It also helped me understand where players are today. I had been out of the game for a while. It's a generation thing and the players are different today. It gave me the opportunity to get back into what they're looking for and what they're going to give. It was a great experience to get back in the game and do as well as we did. We ended up losing in the championship in the D-League and that was my first experience coaching. I looked at it as a very positive, uplifting experience in my life."
English elaborates on what he learned about coaching during his time in the NBDL: "It showed me the style that I would like to play and that would win for me. It helped me with my Xs and Os and showed me how important that is. It also showed me that as a coach you don't need to be so stringent or so tight or so structured all the time. I think of Mike D'Antoni--when you look at his team and look at his players you see that they enjoy playing for him. That's how Doug Moe was with us. I knew that all along but it (coaching in the NBDL) only verified that as a coach this is the way you operate. You demand and command discipline and structure. I guess that the way that I coach would also be like being a willow tree. You have to be strong but you also have to be able to bend sometimes."
Great players from all eras share certain traits, according to English. "Great players always had the same mentality. They were always very focused and determined and hard working. They had a vision in mind of what they wanted. They are all that way and they do whatever it takes to get better at the game. The difference that I see is that there are a lot of guys (now) who don't put that effort in, who don't put the time in to be a great player. Once they get that so-called big payday they stop at that and they don't get better. Everything is relative. I got paid well back then--certainly nothing like what they get paid now, but to me back then it was great. It wasn't about the money for me, it was more about my art, which was my game--my ability to play and how I played and what I could do on the basketball court."
English is immersed in coaching now but it is only natural for him to think about his place in the history of the game. He played in eight All-Star games, won the 1983 scoring title (28.4 ppg) and retired after the 1990-91 season with 25,613 points, which still ranks 11th in NBA history and 14th in NBA/ABA history. Other than Dan Issel and Dominique Wilkins, everyone who is ahead of English was selected to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List.
English is very frank when asked if he thinks that he is underrated: "I know I am. They named the Top 50 players in the league. No player (other than Karl Malone) had scored 2000 points for eight straight seasons. I look at my record when I played. Then I heard that when they (TNT) did the 'next 10' they didn't vote me to that either. They said that they left me off because of the system that I played in. I want to know if they are going to do that with Steve Nash. He's in the same type of system that I was in. Are they going to do that with him? I think that it is unfair. The biggest disappointment in my life--well, not in my life, but the biggest disappointment in my basketball career--is that I don't get those kind of accolades, maybe because I'm quiet and I'm not boisterous. My game was not slam dunks and three-point shots. It was a very simple game but I played it with elegance and fun and I enjoyed it. If that will keep me back from being one of the '50 Greatest,' then I know that the real basketball fans know."
Labels: Alex English, Denver Nuggets, Doug Moe, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBDL, North Charleston Lowgators, Toronto Raptors, University of South Caroliina
posted by David Friedman @ 2:44 PM
