T5P1 #2 - The “What Might Have Been” Team
I like this whole “Top 5 Plus 1″ (T5P1) idea.
But what I like even more is that RFS Chief Basketball Commentator Dan “Chitwood” McGillicuddy dropped a top 5 into my email (rumblin@gmail.com) that is worthy of a write-up…
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THE RFS ALL-”WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN” TEAM:
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CAPTAIN: Len Bias, 6′8″ SF, Boston Celtics - Since he never played in an NBA game, it requires a lot of extrapolation to name him captain of this squad… but that’s something I’m willing to do.
Today, it’s common for forwards to shoot 20-footers and have muscular physiques. Twenty years ago those things were pretty much unheard of, and that’s what makes Lenny Bias so special. Before I start rambling, watch the video (fair warning to Celtic and Terp fans to grab a hanky and a blanket, because I’m a fan of neither and it got chilly in the room):
Two bona fide “holy crap!” moments on the blocked shot at 1:25 and the still photo at 3:30, and a “couldn’t have said it better myself” when Seth Davis gave the short and sweet comparison to Michael Jordan.
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Next time you watch college (or the pros, for that matter), keep track of how many 6′8″ guys you see with a shot that sweet… that can jump like that… and aren’t afraid to take it to the rack.
Bottom line - as Chitwood noted in his email to me, “a horrible tragedy that the Celtics franchise has yet to recover from”. I can’t even think of an analogy that is sufficiently accurate, so I won’t even try. Perhaps “the gut punch by which all gut punches shall be measured” comes close, since a case could be made that the Lakers never would have Three-Peated (and on down the line through Detroit, Chicago, and Houston) if Mr. Bias was involved.
One last thing - it’s been said that Len Bias did more in one day to reduce drug use among teenage boys in the 80s than Nancy Reagan and “Just Say No” did in 10 years. And I know that’s true.
Perhaps that’s the silver lining of his tragedy. If you want to read more about him, check out Wikipedia.
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Micheal Ray Richardson, 6′5″ PG, Warrior/Knicks/Nets - The 4th pick in the 1978 draft out of the University of Montana, “Sugar” led the league in steals and assists in his second season (he was only the second player ever to accomplish that feat).
Yes, you read that correctly.
Chitwood writes “watch the tape on this guy - he was close to Magic’s ability to command a team and be a playmaker”. In addition he was also compared by coach Willis Reed to all-time Knick great Walt Frazier.
In the end, however, “Sugar” was used up by a drug problem and the league suspensions that came with that problem (it’s a whole other topic, but the NBA at that time was hyper-sensitive to drug use since that’s what comprised a large part of public opinion about the league).
For more info, check out Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray?
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Roy Tarpley, 6′11″ C, Dallas Mavericks - Another story of a promising rookie that couldn’t handle the success. A star at Michigan, he was drafted high, made the All-Rookie team, and had problems with drugs and injuries. Suspended from the league, he played overseas and attempted an NBA comeback in the early 90s, but was suspended again.
David Thompson, 6′4″ SG, Nuggets/Sonics - Nicknamed “Luke Skywalker” because of a reported 48-inch vertical jump, Thompson and Norm Sloan popularized the “alley-oop” at North Carolina State.
In one of basketball’s great tragedies, David Thompson played college basketball during the era where dunks were outlawed (the “Lew Alcindor” rule… although Thompson did jam one during his final collegiate game - a technical foul was called and the shot was disallowed… thank God they invented the breakaway rim).
As you might have guessed… he struggled with drugs and alcohol. In a somewhat famous incident, he severely injured his knee falling down the steps of the legendary Studio 54.
Chitwood remembers DT dropping 50 on the Rockets in the early 80s, and RFS his ownself remembers listening to his father talk about how David Thompson “could really get up there”.
Perhaps the best way to end this summary is to note the following:
David Thompson is considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference. If you don’t know what that means… think Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, Ralph Sampson, Christian Laettner… and Len Bias.
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Connie Hawkins, 6′8″ F, Pipers/Suns/Lakers/Hawks - This guy might be the biggest tragedy of them all. A poor kid from Bed-Stuy, Connie was - and by many accounts still is - the greatest NYC playground legend of all-time.
He got caught up in a gambling scandal at Iowa that - from everything I’ve read - was absolutely ridiculous and never implicated him in any wrongdoing. He was kept from receiving legal counsel, and his career was hampered.
Either way, he makes my top 5.
And finally… the “plus one”…
Marvin “Bad News” Barnes, 6′8″ F, St. Louis Spirit - One of the many free spirits that inhabited the ABA, Marvin is best-known for his inclusion in one of Bob Costas’ stories:
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The team was flying from Louisville to St. Louis. The scheduled departure was 8AM, while the scheduled arrival was 7:59AM. Of course, the 8AM was Eastern Time, and the 7:59 was Central Time, but Marvin didn’t care about that.
After looking at the ticket, Marvin turns to Bob and says
“Man, I ain’t gettin’ in no damn time machine!”
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Who knows if that actually happened the way Bob said since he’s a publicity-hungry little monkey. But I still like it.
In fact… I said it this past weekend.
In Summary…
THE RFS ALL-TIME “WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN TEAM”:
Len Bias
Micheal Ray Richardson
David Thompson
Connie Hawkins
Roy Tarpley
plus
Marvin “Bad News” Barnes
Also Considered: Mitchell Wiggins, Lewis Lloyd, William Bedford, and John Lucas (submitted by Chitwood), plus Earl “Goat” Manigault, Herman “Helicopter” Knowings, Joe Hammond “The Destroyer”, and Jackie Jackson (by RFS his ownself)
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