Category — Blasts From The Past

Though he isn’t ranked among the Top 50 NBA players, Bob McAdoo was one of the league’s best.
As far as scorers and shooters go, McAdoo was one of the league’s greatest. He averaged 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds (and shot more than 50% during his career) in 14 seasons in the NBA. Equally impressive is that McAdoo is the last NBA player to average 30 points and 15 rebounds in a season. Image that. He accomplished that feat in his second year with the Buffalo Braves (now the Clippers) during the 73-74 season.
The 6-9 McAdoo, a first-round draft choice of the Braves in 1972 out of North Carolina, earned 3 scoring titles in his career. He won 2 rings with the Showtime Lakers in ’82 and 85. A Hall of Famer, McAdoo is an assistant coach with the Miami Heat.
Michael Tillery catches up with the NBA legend.
The Starting Five

Twenty-five years ago, George Plimpton wrote an April Fool’s Day feature for Sports Illustrated that had the sports world buzzing. Sidd Finch, who could throw a fastball almost 170 mph, according to legend, was the focus of Plimpton’s piece. Imagine what the outrageous reaction would be today, with all of the blogs and sports websites available.
Even now, the story remains a great read.
SI.com

There’s a reason the best point guards have come out of the John Calipari camp. Think about it: Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and now John Wall.
Rose was the NBA Rookie of the Year last year and Evans will get the honor this season. Wall, college basketball’s top point guard, is expected by many to be the top pick in the NBA draft later this year.
Though all three have played under Calipari, Rod Strickland is the one who teaches them the finer points of the position.
At one time, Strickland was one of the best point guards in basketball. He could shake and bake with the best of them. He also could be a head case. But that’s all behind the Kentucky assistant coach, who has been mentioned as a candidate for the DePaul job. Experience is the best teacher.
N.Y. Times

One of the most versatile players to play college basketball, Simmons, nicknamed the “L-Train,” was the 1990 Wooden and Naismith award winner. At LaSalle University in Philly, Simmons averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks per game during his senior season. He is third on the all-time scoring list behind the late Pete Maravich and Freeman Williams.
Picked seventh by the Sacramento Kings in the 1990 NBA Draft, Simmons was runner-up to Derek Coleman for Rookie of the Year honors. But injuries cut short his career, retiring after only seven seasons in the NBA.
The Starting Five

Few players and individuals have made as much of an impact as Spencer Haywood has on the NBA. For the history challenged, Haywood was the man who paved the way for early entry into the NBA draft. It doesn’t seem like it, but it’s been 40 years since Haywood’s landmark case dribbled its way to the Supreme Court.
His stance has changed somewhat since then. He isn’t too hip on the one-and-done rule, believing players should be required to play two years in college instead of one. And he believes it for good reason.
You’d think NBA players would know their history, but many of them have no clue. “The players now, they don’t know who I am,” Haywood said. “They think Darryl Dawkins did it [first]. I’m like, ‘He never went to the Supreme Court.’ Don’t you guys read?”
NBA.com

His numbers suggest he should be in the Hall of Fame, but his soft nature and nice-guy image makes Artis Gilmore under appreciated as a basketball player. Sidney Wicks had something to do with that. I can still see him rising to reject Gilmore’s shots during the 1970 NCAA championship game, but to knock Gilmore for that performance, then you didn’t see Wicks play in college.
Still, Gilmore was a force in college, leading a little-known Jacksonville team to the NCAA title game. He also had an excellent pro career. He just doesn’t get credit for it. He definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame.
L.A. Times

His name might not ring a bell with many, but Bradshaw still holds the NCAA record for points. In 1991, he scored 72 points for U.S. International against Loyola Marymount, which featured Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble, breaking the great Pete Maravich’s mark of 69. U.S. International was an unknown San Diego school and not many fans knew where the hell it was. Worst, while many would have celebrated Bradshaw’s achievement, all he got was grief.
L.A. Times

The first player to go directly from high school to the NBA, Dawkins was more of a legend off the court than he was on it during his pro career. That doesn’t mean he was a good player. But his alter ego was comedy central. He famously said he was from “Planet Lovetron” and called himself “Chocolate Thunder” and just as famously preferred wearing lime green suits and other outrageously colorful outfits. It wasn’t so much he was a misfit, but a kid in a grown man’s game. Many of friends and former teammates dismissed his acts as juvenile, but none of them went out of their way to educate him either.
Much has changed though for Dawkins. For good people like him, it usually does. For all his immaturity as a player and person, he’s matured and become a coach at a community college in Pennsylvania. Who would have guessed? Kids with special needs, including his step daughter, helped transform him into a role model for many.
Tom Friend pens an excellent piece on the man who made a name smashing backboards and rapping about it and how he’s transitioned from someone misunderstood to someone who is truly loved.
ESPN.com

The former NFL kicker, who shares the record for the longest field goal in league history with Jason Elam, played two seasons with the Saints, then made New Orleans his home. His 63-yard field goal, which was a game-winner over the Lions more than 40 years ago, stood until Elam tied it in 1998. Dempsey remains a fan favorite in New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina flooded his home and destroyed much of his football memorabilia, fans sent him replacements.
On Feb. 7, when the Saints meet the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, Dempsey will watch it in the French Quarter. He’ll have plenty of company.
N.Y. Times

The former Jet running back was a pivotal player on the ’69 World Champs. Though Matt Snell was a bigger star as the Jets’ top runner, Boozer contributed significantly to the title run. He believes the foundation has been laid for the Jets to become a big player for a future Super Bowl title.
N.Y. Times