bobkuska

The Agony of West and Baylor, 1968

Can 80 percent of the old Baylor and an injury-haunted Jerry West revive a budding dynasty?

Dutch Dehnert: The Pivot Play, 1946

Probably the greatest guard who ever lived, from 1917 to 1936, Dehnert was the biggest name in pro basketball

George Gervin: Icing Down the NBA, 1978

“Everybody thinks I shoot the jumper funny,” Gervin said. “But I’ll tell you what, I think they shoot it funny.”

Paul Silas: Shrewdness in Seattle, 1980

“In order to stay in this league for any length of time, you’ve got to be excellent at something,” Silas said. “Rebounding was my specialty, and I just worked at it.”

Larry Johnson: What Else Can I Do? 1993

Certainly not much more than Johnson accomplished in his first NBA season with the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the team’s top scorer and rebounder, becoming the foundation of the franchise for the foreseeable future and the Rookie of the Year by a wide margin.

Muggsy Bogues: Looking Out for the Little Guy, 1997

I had seen Tyrone too many times to be fooled. I knew from the beginning that he would be a force wherever he went.

Bob McAdoo: Big Mac Attack, 1976

McAdoo does miss sometimes. But it’s no accident that he is probably the finest shooting big man pro basketball ever has seen.

Paul Arizin: On the Target, 1955

That Arizin has turned into a full-fledged star is no surprise around his hometown of Philadelphia.

Jim Ard: In a Pressure Cooker, 1974

For the time being, Ard is putting all the ifs and buts out of his mind. His wife, daughter, and now nine-month-old son are arriving tomorrow, and, when the furniture gets here, they’ll move into an apartment he’s rented in Peabody.

Phil Ford: The Greening of a Star, 1980

Cotton Fitzsimmons was named NBA Coach of the Year. Jubilantly, he announced to the world that Phil Ford was the best point guard in the game and probably “the best of his era.”