Even the greatest teams of all time are not completely compromised of Hall of Famers and All-Stars. In fact, if you look back at some of the starting rosters for NBA championship teams there are a few head scratchers among some of the lineups. "That guy was a starter for them?" kind of guys. So who were the worst of these, the worst starters on the best teams in NBA history? Well, no need for suspense, here they are:
James Posey, 2005-2006 Miami Heat
Posey started 63 of the 67 games he played for Miami in their championship season and his impact was...less than stellar. Posey only averaged 7.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and had a PER of 9.8. Say what you will about his three point shooting, but there is no denying that Posey was not holding his weight on the court and that Shaq and D-Wade won the title in spite of Posey rather than with his assistance.
Bruce Bowen, 2002-2003, 2004-2005, and 2006-2007 S.A. Spurs
Before anyone starts yelling, yes, I understand that Bruce Bowen is a cheap dirty overrated elite defender, but how does that excuse the fact the Bowen does nothing else on the court? It might just be me, but I don't see how a man that has career averages of 6.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 AST, and .9 SPG has such a great reputation. (No, that is not a misprint on the steals number. The mighty Bruce Bowen has indeed averaged less than a steal per game for his career, and in fact has never averaged more than 1.4 in any single season.) In the Spurs three championship years Bowen's PERs were 9.1, 9.5, and 7.1.
Lindsey Hunter, 2001-2002 L.A. Lakers
No, this is not a misprint. Hunter did indeed start well over half of the Lakers' games during the final leg of their three-peat. In his only season with the Lakers Hunter was used primarily for his defensive and three point prowess, but his overall averages of 5.8 PPG, 1.6 AST, 1.5 RPG, and a PER of 9.4 give him a worthy spot on this list.
Bill Cartwright, 1992-1993 Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan's legacy is cemented by the fact that he was able to win a championship with the 35 year old Cartwright manning the pivot all season. Cartwright boasted a PER of 8.3 for the season, mainly due to his oddly low number of blocks, .2 BPG, and his awful FG% for such a big man, 41%.
Marc Iavaroni, 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers
Before Iavaroni was a hot head coaching candidate he was a terrible NBA player. In his rookie season with the 76ers Iavaroni started 77 games and posted averages of 5.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1 AST. His PER for the season was a lowly 7.3, but sadly for Iavaroni this season was not an abberation: Iavaroni never had a season with a double-digit PER and for his career had a 7.9 PER.
Chris Ford, 1980-1981 Boston Celtics
When you think of the great Celtics teams of the 80's famous names come to mind. Bird. Parrish. McHale. Ford? Indeed, Chris Ford started 75 games for the Celtics 1981 championship team, chipping in 10.7 PPG and 4.3 AST while playing over 33 MPG. For the season Ford had a PER of 8.8, and saw his minutes cut nearly in half the following season.
Slater Martin and Jack McMahon, 1957-1958 St. Louis Hawks
Oh yeah, it is old school time now. The fact that the Hawks were able to win the NBA championship starting these two guys only solidifies the fact that Bob Petit does not get nearly enough credit as an all-time great player. Martin posted averages of 12 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.6 AST while only shooting 34% from the floor. The frightening part is that Martin actually looked like a stud when compared to McMahon. McMahon's numbers: 7.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.6 AST, and 30% shooting from the floor. Martin and McMahon posted PERs that season of 9.3 and 7.1 respectively.
(Hat tip to Basketball-Reference.com for all of the stats.)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Worst Of The Best
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14 comments:
I never realized James Posey had such a little impact. He sure is good at fouling and pissing off opposing team's fans, though.
BTW, my opinion on Bowen is not going to change. I understand that he is considered one of the best defenders in the league, I just do not happen to buy into the hype. In my opinion I think Bowen's impact on defense is vastly inflated by playing with two other elite defenders in Duncan and Manu. I mean, if he is such a superstar why did Boston, Miami, and Philly all let him go?
I'm big on the Bowen hate as well, but getting released by those Mensa teams isn't a complete indictment. There's been plenty of guys in the Association who I'd take on my team after getting waived.
Your list is missing Leisure Suit Larry Hughes, who was making Cavs fans beg for the return of the shattered remains of Eric Snow. I don't care what his numbers or injuries say, that's just a bad, bad basketball player.
Bonus pick: Rick Fox
Cartright may have sucked, but we all got loads of enjoyment impersonating those free throws.
I agree, Bowen is totally overrated. Don't forget he was also cut by the Bulls in 2000 after being traded from Philly without ever having played a game for Chicago.
What about Luc Longley? Or Ron Harper?
As for omissions, I generally went by PER and listed the players that had PERs below ten in the championship season and started over half of the regular season games. So if someone is not on the list it is because they did not meet one of those two criteria.
luc longley was a far superior center to cartwright, at least during the championship years. cartwright was definitely at the end of his career when he rode mjs coattails and dealt with mikes public refusal to let him touch the ball in the fourth quarter. ron harper on the other hand was a very valuable asset. he played great defense as a bigger point guard and he hit many big shots for the bulls. and since when is manu an elite defender? maybe he gets in the passing lane here and there but his on-ball defense is severely lacking. that is why bowen is considered such a great defender. on-ball defense generally doesnt create many steals, unless it is for your teammates. bowen just shuts people down and forces bad shots. i still dont like him though.
Interesting list as usual.
I hate to defend Bowen, too, but Hollinger often cites him as a reason why PER isn't perfect. We don't have a great stat to measure guys who deny the ball, force difficult shots, and generally annoy the hell out of whomever they're guarding.
Hunter falls in the same category. He's the greatest on-the-ball defender in the history of the NBA if you believe Doug Collins.
C'mon, Iavaroni only scored 5ppg because he had to share the ball with 4 All-Stars that year - Cheeks, Toney [20+ppg], Doc and Moses. Should he have chucked it up more?
He was a great defender and rebounder when he was on the court, and Bobby Jones and Clemon Johnson came off the bench to get more rbs when Moses rested.
But let's all admit that Moses got every 'bound in the House back then.
Whoever said Luc Longley and Ron Harper are missing from that list must be on something. Luc Longley is by no means a star but in those playoff runs from 1996-98 Longley had to go against the likes of Shaq in his prime, ALonzo Mourning in his prime, Patrick Ewing in his prime, and Rik Smits (who is very good), and Longley did not outplay them but he more than held his own. IF Longley would have sucked against those guys then the Bulls do not beat those teams. In NBA Finals series against Seattle and Utah (twice) Longley had easier Centers to go against and I believe his PPG averages got up into double-figures--which is a good contribution as a role player.
Ron Harper before playing with the Bulls was a superstar with Cleveland and LA Clippers. When he came to Chicago he deferred to better players scoring-wise but he was a great defender (awesome Defense against Gary Payton in his prime in 1996 NBA Finals) and he even helped slow down Stockton some. Harper's PPG could have been higher but when you have MJ, Pippen, Kukoc, even Kerr (got more shot opportunities than Harper), and Longley (threw him ball in post more) getting the scoring opportunities then obviously you won't score that much.
Bowen is only overrated by those that don't understand. The way the Spurs play defense they need someone that is willing to sacrafice their body and bump and move the best player where he doesn't want to go. That is all he does. Nothing special, if it was a one on one game he would most likely get torn up. I'm sure the Spurs know that too. But until they find someone that is willing to do what he does on defense and at the same time can spread the floor on offense by hitting his sideline three, I think they will keep Bowen.
Gimme the 1993 Bill Cartwright 1000 times before 2002 Todd MacCullough or 2003 Jason Collins. Ugh.
Uh... Chris Dudley, '99 Knicks ring a bell?
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