http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/025639-4458-116.html
Question: Where does Reggie Miller rank in terms of tenure amongst NBA players who spent their entire careers with one club? The only player I can think of is John Stockton of the Jazz. Can you think of any other players with longer tenures with the same club? (Bob from Indianapolis)
Answer: You're on top of it. Stockton is the only player in league history to play more seasons for one team, and one team only. He played 19, retiring at the age of 41. He averaged 10.8 points his final season. Karl Malone played 18 seasons for Utah, but played his final season with the Lakers. A lot of good that did him, huh?
I believe the Lakers would have won the title last season, though, if Malone had been healthy. He seemed to be the glue that kept the team together on the court and off.
John Havlicek played 16 seasons for Boston. He averaged 16 points his final season, but the Celtics were a bad team at the time and he saw no point in going on. He missed Larry Bird by two seasons.
Question: Being No. 9 on the all-time scoring list wasn't enough to make Dominique Wilkins a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Reggie Miller will likely end up 12th. Will the rest of his heralded resume be enough to get him in on the first ballot? (Simeon from Munster, Ind.)
Answer: I believe Wilkins should have been voted in, and am confident he will in an upcoming year. It makes no sense that Wilkins didn't get in, and Hortencia Marcari, Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun did. Wilkins was "penalized" because he was regarded as a selfish player whose teams didn't win big. He never played in the NBA Finals, for example. Still, his talent was undeniable.
Miller doesn't have Wilkins' reputation for individual play, and has had so much playoff success that I believe he's a first-ballot selection. Miller's off-court efforts -- he received the J. Walter Kennedy citizenship award last season -- also will help. Reputations count in this sort of thing.
Having said all of that, the Hall of Fame needs an overhaul in its voting process. It makes too great an effort to include college coaches and international players in my opinion. If Boeheim and Calhoun can get in, why wouldn't a guy like Bob Leonard who won three ABA titles, won an NCAA title as a player and played in the NBA? There's no logic to the place.
Question: First let me start by saying I love reading your articles. My question: Where is David Harrison? I saw two Pacers games live this year, one Dec. 4th at Golden State and the other Jan. 9th at Phoenix (at least I think those were the dates). In both those games, both Pacer losses, I was extremely impressed with Harrison's hustle and work ethic. The only downside I saw was his tendency to foul.
Will the Pacers take him on the roster into the playoffs? I think he would be a good body against Shaq, should the Pacers make it that far. (Tyler from Flagstaff, Ariz.)
Answer: Harrison is on the injured list with a knee injury, and probably is out for the rest of the season -- playoffs included. There's talk now that he needs surgery.
It's hard to say how much Harrison could help in the playoffs. His size would be good to have, and he would have six fouls to contribute, but he has far less experience than Dale Davis, Scot Pollard and Jeff Foster. It's difficult to imagine him getting a lot of minutes if the others are healthy.
Question: Let's talk about players returning for the playoffs.
We're hearing that Jermaine O'Neal could be back for the first game. What's likely to happen? Will Rick Carlisle ease him into the rotation, possibly bringing him off the bench? Will we stay with our current (highly effective and fun to watch) offense or go back to "Jermaine goes 1-on-3 while everyone else watches" offense?
Next up, Jamaal Tinsley. Is there any chance he could be back if we made a deep playoff run? Would it be worth it to "waste" a spot on the playoff roster if we don't know if he's capable of coming back? (Micah from Las Vegas, Nev.)
Answer: Hopefully the story I wrote for Sunday's paper (April 10) answered the first question for you. O'Neal wants to fit into the current scheme and Carlisle seems willing to go along with that. They certainly would get O'Neal the ball on the low post, but if they can combine that with keeping the others involved and moving, they would have the best of both worlds.
Tinsley is a mystery. It seems like there's a chance he could come back for the playoffs, at least if they reach the second round. The Pacers have to commit to a roster before the playoffs, and will make a decision based on the latest information they can get on Tinsley's foot injury.
If they save a spot for him they would probably exclude Eddie Gill, which means Fred Jones would have to play point guard before Tinsley returns. That's risky, although Gill has been erratic. I have to believe that if they think Tinsley can come back in time to contribute they'd save a spot for him. They aren't likely to make an extended run without him.
Question: I was at the Pacers-Knicks game on Sunday, and I noticed that Rick Carlisle came out to watch Stephen Jackson take shots with Kevin O'Neill. I was wondering if a head coach visiting the playing court 45 minutes before a game is unusual throughout the league. Having attended NBA games for over 25 years, I don't ever remember seeing a head coach on the court during warm-ups. (Chris from Tipton, Ind.)
Answer: It is unusual, but not unheard of. I briefly noticed Carlisle on the court, but didn't think a lot about it. Some head coaches like to go out on the court, or at least on the bench, while players take their early warm-ups -- as opposed to sitting in the locker room or in their office.
Question: Where does Reggie Miller rank in terms of tenure amongst NBA players who spent their entire careers with one club? The only player I can think of is John Stockton of the Jazz. Can you think of any other players with longer tenures with the same club? (Bob from Indianapolis)
Answer: You're on top of it. Stockton is the only player in league history to play more seasons for one team, and one team only. He played 19, retiring at the age of 41. He averaged 10.8 points his final season. Karl Malone played 18 seasons for Utah, but played his final season with the Lakers. A lot of good that did him, huh?
I believe the Lakers would have won the title last season, though, if Malone had been healthy. He seemed to be the glue that kept the team together on the court and off.
John Havlicek played 16 seasons for Boston. He averaged 16 points his final season, but the Celtics were a bad team at the time and he saw no point in going on. He missed Larry Bird by two seasons.
Question: Being No. 9 on the all-time scoring list wasn't enough to make Dominique Wilkins a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Reggie Miller will likely end up 12th. Will the rest of his heralded resume be enough to get him in on the first ballot? (Simeon from Munster, Ind.)
Answer: I believe Wilkins should have been voted in, and am confident he will in an upcoming year. It makes no sense that Wilkins didn't get in, and Hortencia Marcari, Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun did. Wilkins was "penalized" because he was regarded as a selfish player whose teams didn't win big. He never played in the NBA Finals, for example. Still, his talent was undeniable.
Miller doesn't have Wilkins' reputation for individual play, and has had so much playoff success that I believe he's a first-ballot selection. Miller's off-court efforts -- he received the J. Walter Kennedy citizenship award last season -- also will help. Reputations count in this sort of thing.
Having said all of that, the Hall of Fame needs an overhaul in its voting process. It makes too great an effort to include college coaches and international players in my opinion. If Boeheim and Calhoun can get in, why wouldn't a guy like Bob Leonard who won three ABA titles, won an NCAA title as a player and played in the NBA? There's no logic to the place.
Question: First let me start by saying I love reading your articles. My question: Where is David Harrison? I saw two Pacers games live this year, one Dec. 4th at Golden State and the other Jan. 9th at Phoenix (at least I think those were the dates). In both those games, both Pacer losses, I was extremely impressed with Harrison's hustle and work ethic. The only downside I saw was his tendency to foul.
Will the Pacers take him on the roster into the playoffs? I think he would be a good body against Shaq, should the Pacers make it that far. (Tyler from Flagstaff, Ariz.)
Answer: Harrison is on the injured list with a knee injury, and probably is out for the rest of the season -- playoffs included. There's talk now that he needs surgery.
It's hard to say how much Harrison could help in the playoffs. His size would be good to have, and he would have six fouls to contribute, but he has far less experience than Dale Davis, Scot Pollard and Jeff Foster. It's difficult to imagine him getting a lot of minutes if the others are healthy.
Question: Let's talk about players returning for the playoffs.
We're hearing that Jermaine O'Neal could be back for the first game. What's likely to happen? Will Rick Carlisle ease him into the rotation, possibly bringing him off the bench? Will we stay with our current (highly effective and fun to watch) offense or go back to "Jermaine goes 1-on-3 while everyone else watches" offense?
Next up, Jamaal Tinsley. Is there any chance he could be back if we made a deep playoff run? Would it be worth it to "waste" a spot on the playoff roster if we don't know if he's capable of coming back? (Micah from Las Vegas, Nev.)
Answer: Hopefully the story I wrote for Sunday's paper (April 10) answered the first question for you. O'Neal wants to fit into the current scheme and Carlisle seems willing to go along with that. They certainly would get O'Neal the ball on the low post, but if they can combine that with keeping the others involved and moving, they would have the best of both worlds.
Tinsley is a mystery. It seems like there's a chance he could come back for the playoffs, at least if they reach the second round. The Pacers have to commit to a roster before the playoffs, and will make a decision based on the latest information they can get on Tinsley's foot injury.
If they save a spot for him they would probably exclude Eddie Gill, which means Fred Jones would have to play point guard before Tinsley returns. That's risky, although Gill has been erratic. I have to believe that if they think Tinsley can come back in time to contribute they'd save a spot for him. They aren't likely to make an extended run without him.
Question: I was at the Pacers-Knicks game on Sunday, and I noticed that Rick Carlisle came out to watch Stephen Jackson take shots with Kevin O'Neill. I was wondering if a head coach visiting the playing court 45 minutes before a game is unusual throughout the league. Having attended NBA games for over 25 years, I don't ever remember seeing a head coach on the court during warm-ups. (Chris from Tipton, Ind.)
Answer: It is unusual, but not unheard of. I briefly noticed Carlisle on the court, but didn't think a lot about it. Some head coaches like to go out on the court, or at least on the bench, while players take their early warm-ups -- as opposed to sitting in the locker room or in their office.
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