The Bullets needed a change of luck in the Garden.
Author Archives: bobkuska
Wes Unseld: Most Valuable Player, 1970
In one season, this miniature oak tree, who stands 6-foot-7 ½, transformed Baltimore from Humpty Dumpties to the Cinderella team of the National Basketball Association.
Joe Caldwell: Can I Get a Witness, 1975, 1993
The boycott of Caldwell was an extreme form of intimidation because it destroyed the career of an established, star player.
Dawning of the Age of Ralph Sampson, 1984
Now, like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and, to a lesser extent, Bill Walton, Sampson is expected to usher in an era of his own—“The Age of Sampson.”
Wilt Chamberlain: The ‘Shape’ of Things to Come, 1967
The big man, who once scored 100 points in one game and averaged over 50 for a full season, all of a sudden has become a so-so offensive player.
Lucius Allen: A Career Almost Up in Smoke, 1971
“The way I look at myself now, I’m really proud of the way I evolved. If all the things that happened to me hadn’t, then I don’t know what kind of person I would be.”
Sidney Wicks: Getting Under Rick Barry’s Skin, 1974
When Wicks’ love-taps continued and grew in intensity, Barry blew up and blasted the refs. Apparently, he didn’t phrase his complaint in delicate language, because the refs offered Rick a comfortable seat on the bench for the rest of the night.
Was Jerry West Robbed of the MVP? 1970
West sighed wistfully. “All season, other players said things about me which I read in the newspapers or heard on radio and TV which I couldn’t believe. They were so complimentary as to build up my ego enormously.”
Jim McMillian: It’s a New Brave World, 1974
McMillian wasted no time getting away from L.A. to Buffalo. He put trauma behind him and got ready to change uniforms and roles.
Is Shaquille O’Neal the NBA’s Next Franchise Player? 1992
Physically, no one his age has been as impressive since Darryl Dawkins.
From Way Downtown 