Sunday, December 30, 2007

Daryl Dawkins

New Jersey Nets
6-11 275 Center

His back gave out for the second straight season, although last year's injury was in a different place than the one that limited him to 39 games in 1984-85... Was injured Feb. 4 against Pacers... Missed 15 games, played 5 minutes in one, then sat out last 16... Missed first playoff game, scored 10 points in second, and sat out finale... Problem manifested itself in groin area, but emanated from back... Saw battery of physicians, who finally decided he needed surgery... Started three games, then came off the bench, with Mike Gminski becoming starter... Flourished in new role, averaging 15.3 ppg and 4.9 rpg while shooting .644 from floor... Field-goal accuracy would have won league crown, but he didn't have enough baskets to qualify... Has one season left on contract, so it's no play, no pay... Born Jan. 11, 1957, in Orlando, Fla.... Nets can't win without him: they were 10-21 when he sat and 29-22 when he played... Drafted out of high school as No. 5 overall by Philadelphia in 1975... Dealt to Nets for first-round pick and cash prior to 1982-83.

Relevant Stats:
15.3 ppg, 64.4 FG%, 4.92 rpg

Friday, December 28, 2007

Coach Don Nelson

Milwaukee Bucks

Another member of the tortured soul set... Just can't cool out... Highest paid coach in the league at $400,000 annually... Donated playoff earnings to help Milwaukee farmer who was losing his spread to the bank... His Bucks captured seventh straight division title and won 50 or more games for sixth thime in row with 57-25 finish... Still yearns for first NBA championship ring as coach after winning five as a forward with Celtics... Has 490-314 regular-season record since joining Bucks as head coach in 1976-77 season as replacement for Larry Costello... Born May 15, 1940, in Muskegon, Mich.... While stress of job ate away at him, he just ate, gaining great deal of weight... Planned to take it off during summer and solicited monetary pledges for each pound dropped, with proceeds going to Wisconsin farmers... A master coach and superior strategist who needs to relax.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Jerry Reynolds

Milwaukee Bucks
6-8 200 Forward

Averaged fewer than 10 minutes in 55 games after being drafted 22nd overall in 1985, out of LSU... Born Dec. 23, 1962, in Brooklyn NY... Animated when he was on the floor, which wasn't often... Didn't play in 11 of final 23 games, but did get 17 points and 10 assists in Game 79 against Chicago... May be sacrilegious, but his nickname is "Ice" and it has been since sixth grade... Certainly got the cold shoulder from Don Nelson, who hardly ever uses rookies very much.

Relevant Stats:
3.7 ppg, 44.4 FG%, 55.8 FT%

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Charles Davis

Milwaukee Bucks
6-7 215 Forward

Keeps showing flashes of real talent... yet never plays enough to allow any real judgments to be made... Started several times... Has B.S. in recreation with concentration in special education from Vanderbilt... Bullets drafted him 35th overall in 1981... Bucks signed him as free agent November 1984... Born Oct. 5, 1958, in Nashville, Tenn.... Made $125,000 last season, then became a free agent... In last 19 regular season games, he averaged 10.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg in 17.7 minutes... Spent first 10 games on the injured list with broken finger... Good shooter... Has a future in limited role.

Relevant Stats:
7.7 ppg, 47.4 FG%, 81.3 FT%

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Kenny Fields

Milwaukee Bucks
6-7 225 Forward

Sat out final two games of playoffs with injury... Began showing some of the promise he displayed at UCLA before Bucks drafted him No. 21 overall in 1984... Born Feb. 9, 1962, in Iowa City, Iowa... Played at LA's Verbum Dei H.S., a hotbed of basketball talent... Idol was ex-Bucks Marques Johnson... Wore Johnson's No. 54 with Bruins and now wears it with Bucks... Established single-game career high of 23 points last season, making 10 of 11 field goals, against Knicks March 3... Bucks were 16-3 when he scored in double figures... Including pro-rated share of signing bonus, he will earn $185,000 this season.

Relevant Stats:
6.4ppg, 51.3 FG%, 2.6 rpg

Monday, December 24, 2007

Mike Glenn

Milwaukee Bucks
6-3 180 Guard

The Shootist was signed as free agent around midseason... Missed only 2 of 49 free-throws last season... Plays less and less each year and could be on the way out... Great ambassador for league, he donates numerous hours for programs for deaf... Born Sept. 10, 1955, in Rome, Ga.... Bulls drafted him 23rd overall in 1977, out of Southern Illinois... If all you had to do to be a star was shoot accurately, he would be Future Hall of Famer... Never played beyond first round in playoffs before last season... Shot below 50 percent for first time in career.

Relevant Stats:
6.2 ppg, 49.5 FG%, 95.9 FT%

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Craig Hodges

Milwaukee Bucks
6-3 190 Guard

Led NBA in three-point field goal percentage with 73 of 162 for a .451 mark after making four of six in final regular season game... Finished second to Boston's Larry Bird in first Long Distance Shootout during All-Star weekend... Bargain pick-up when he came from Clippers with Terry Cummings and Ricky Pierce in Marques Johnson deal... Made $115,000 last season, then became free agent... Drafted No. 48 overall by Clippers in 1982, out of Cal State-Long Beach... Born June 27, 1960, in Park Forest, Ill.... Needs to go to the basket more... Took only 86 free-throws in 66 games... Mised 16 games with dislocated right index finger... Has degree in social studies.

Relevant Stats:
10.8 ppg, 50 FG%, 87.2 FT%

Friday, December 21, 2007

Jack Sikma

6-11 250 Center

Can he be this young? Seems like it was decades ago when he was shooting that drop-stepping jumper and crashing the boards for the Sonics' NBA Championship team in 1978-79... He was the only remnant of the glory days and, losing enthusiasm, he said he would like to finish his career with a winning team... Now he gets his chance with the Bucks, who got him in early summer in exchange for Alton Lister... As part of the deal, the Sonics will receive Milwaukee's first-round draft choices in 1987 and 1989, while the Bucks will get Seattle's second-round picks in those years... Born Nov. 14, 1955, in Kankakee, Ill.... The steal of the 1977 draft, when Sonics made him the No. 8 overall pick, out of tiny Illinois Wesleyan... An instant hit and a perennial All-Star... Has changed from a Prince Valiant haircut to a perm to just fashionably short over the years, but has maintained style as a banger and excellent outside shooter... The ultimate compliment was once paid to him by former Sonics' GM Zollie Volchok, who said he wouldn't trade Sikma for the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe in his bedroom... An iron man, played in 80 of 82 games last season... His $1.6 million salary last year ranked him among the league's elite.

Relevant Stats:
17.1 ppg, 9.35 rpg, 46.2 FG%, 86.4 FT%, 3.76 apg

Monday, December 17, 2007

Ricky Pierce

Milwaukee Bucks
6-5 205 Guard-Forward

One of the league's best sixth men during regular season, he was pretty much a bust in playoffs... Got tossed from final game against Boston after throwing vicious elbow at Celts' Danny Ainge... Shooting percentage of .538 in regular season was best of career... Born Aug. 19, 1959, in Garland, Tex.... Came to Bucks in Terry Cummings-Marques Johnson swap... Pistons drafted him 18th overall in 1982... Rice product made $150,000 on one-year deal... then became free agent after last season... good shooter and an animated player in general... Don Nelson gave him back his confidence and he gave Nelson a reliable sub.

Relevant Stats:
13.9 ppg, 53.8 FG%, 85.8 FT%

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Paul Mokeski

Milwaukee Bucks
7-0 250 Center

Forty-five games, 521 minutes, 143 points, $350,000... Does not compute... "Big Mo" made big dough and will continue to do so, getting $350,000 this season and next, and $375,000 in 1988-89... All is guaranteed, with possibility of $20,000 bonus every year... Variety of injuries kept him sidelined often... Was little more than a bouncer in the playoffs... Still can knife you with his outside jumper, but couldn't make this much money anywhere else... Rockets cut him after drafting 42nd overall in 1979, out of Kansas... Born Jan. 3, 1957, in Spokane, Wash.... Bucks got him on waivers from Cavaliers in December 1982... Was guest conductor of Milwaukee Symphony last year... journalism grad... Father Cass was basketball player at University of Detroit and Gonzaga.

Relevan Stats:
3.2 ppg, 42.4 FG%, 3.01 rpg

Randy Breuer

Milwaukee Bucks
7-3 230 Center

How did this guy become a starter?...Celtics' super fan Busty Hart, an exotic dancer, pegged the Bucks right when she said they were the "doughnut team, a team without a center."... He tries, but fails... He still hasn't figured out what to do with his body... Works hard, though, listens to Don Nelson and appears not to let Nellie's quick-hook policy disturb him... Will make $275,000 on final year of contract signed in 1983, when Bucks drafted him No. 18 overall, out of Minnesota... Born Oct. 11, 1960, in Lake City, Minn.... How did ge ever average 20 ppg in college?

Relevant Stats:
8.4 ppg, 47.7 FG%, 5.58 rpg

Friday, December 14, 2007

Paul Pressey

Milwaukee Bucks
6-5 200 Guard

If Sidney Moncrief is Bucks' soul, this guy is Bucks' heart... Runs the team totally... Knows what to do and when... Led club with assists for second straight season with 623... Born Christmas Eve, 1958, in Norfolk, Va.... Cut from high school as soph and didn't play as senior because he was too old... Bucks drafted him 20th overall in 1982, out of Tulsa... made base salary of $192,000 last season... Finally solved "The Mystery of the Free-Throw Line," shooting .806 compared to previous career norm of .683... Don Nelson's extension on the floor... Bucks were 50-13 when he had at least six assists and 7-12 when he didn't last season... Had 20 double doubles, including 18 in points and assists... Pictured on front of team media guide last season.

Relevant Stats:
14.3 ppg, 48.8 FG%, 7.79 apg

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Terry Cummings

Milwaukee Bucks
6-9 235 Forward

Pentecostal minister combines spiritualism and athleticism... Says he saw the light, literally, in dream when he was 16 and decided then that Christianity was his way out of Chicago ghetto, where he flirted with gang membership... Career has blossomed since coming to Bucks from Clippers with Craig Hodges and Ricky Pierce for Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman and Harvey Catchings prior to 1984-85... Inside or out, he ranks as one of game's best forwards... Thoroughly frustrated by Celtics in playoffs... Became free agent after making $600,000 base salary last season... Wanted at least $1 million per year... Heart problem hasn't surfaced recently... Born March 15, 1961, in Chicago... Clippers drafted him No. 2 overall, out of Depaul... Named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1982-83... Averaged career-low 19.8 ppg last season after terrible start... Improved dramatically as season went along... Coach Don Nelson says "he is a very impressive young man and he impresses everyone he touches."

Relevant Stats
19.8. ppg, 47.4 FG%, 8.5 rpg

Sidney Moncrief

Milwaukee Bucks
6-4 195 Guard

Gutsy... Gave more than he probably should have in playoffs, when he was suffering from very sore left heel... Sustained injury in first-round game against Nets... Soul and inspiration of the Bucks, he rallied them past Sixers in conference semis, but could do nothing to avert Celtics' seep in finals... Bright, articulate team leader... Will make $784,000 this season, down $100,000 from last year... Collects $1.42 million in deferred payments, beginning in 1987... Bucks drafted him No. 5 overall in 1979, out of Arkansas... Can't find anything bad to say about him, except that his knees and his heel have betrayed him and could pose serious problems as he grows older... Excellent defensive player.

Relevant Stats:
20.2 ppg, 48.9 FG%, 85.9 FT%, 4.89 apg

Coach Jack Ramsay

Indiana Pacers

Marks his 19th year as an NBA coach, his first in Cleveland after a decade in Portland... Fired by Trail Blazers following his first losing (40-42) season there, the 61-year-old Ramsay is second-winningest coach in NBA history with 785 victories (691 losses)... Topped only by Red Auerbach's 938... Is a physical fitness fanatic who jumps rope, jogs, rides a bicycle, lifts weights and swims... Born Feb. 21, 1925, in Philadelphia, he played basketball at St. Joseph's and coached there for 11 seasons before moving into the NBA with Philadelphia (four years) and Buffalo (four years)... Won NBA title in first year with the Blazers (1976-77) and missed the playoffs only once in 10 years... Used to be known for his outrageously loud sports coats and pants for storming the sidelines... Clothes have been toned down, but not his bench demeanor.

Bill Garnett

Indiana Pacers
6-9 220 Forward

Was this man really the fourth player taken in the 1982 draft?... Did the Pacers really give up No. 1 choice in 1990 to get him and Terence Stansbury from Dallas prior to 1984-85? The answers are yes and yes... Has done nothing to live up to his lofty status... Has never averaged as many as 6.5 ppg... His chief worth is as an enforcer and an occasional rebounder... Averaged one rebound for every 4.35 minutes he was on the court last year... University of Wyoming star shot .609 as a senior, but hasn't made it above .481 in the last three seasons as pro... Born April 22, 1960, in Kansas City... Father Shad was drafted as tackle by San Francisco 49ers... Will earn 300,000 this season.

Relevant Stats:
4.3 ppg, 46.9 FG%, 3.44 rpg

Bill Martin

Indiana Pacers
6-7 215 Guard

Was 26th player drafted last season, after outstanding career at Georgetown, where he played on 1984 NCAA title team... Appeared in 66 games for Pacers and had a single-game high of 20 points... Never a good free-throw shooter in college, he made 46 of 54 for .852 mark as NBA rookie... Born Aug. 16, 1962, in Washington, D.C.... Showed flashes of being able to handle pro game, but because he had only about 10 minutes of floor time per outing, no real conclusions can be drawn.

relevant stats:
5.0 ppg, 48.0 FG%, 85.2 FT%