1980s NBA – Page 4 – From Way Downtown

World B. Free: The Artist Formerly Known as Lloyd, 1983

There is a maturity about Free that had been missing before, partly because his Gus Williams-style balding pate, gives him a look beyond his years. But that maturity largely is due to his growth as an athlete, as a leader.

Michael Ray Richardson: With Sugar on Top, 1981

“When I first came into the league, I thought everyone was Superman. I was shaky, but during the summer, I began to realize that the players are good and that I belonged here.”

Billy Ray Bates: Dunks & Downs of a Portland Legend, 1995

For all of the Bates’ mid-air poetry and last-second heroics, ultimately it was his endearing nature that made him a fan favorite and later a cult hero.

Michael Cooper: Two for Coop, 1980

By the time Cooper was a senior, his game had done a 180. He couldn’t wait to get back on defense. Offense was like a coffee-shop meal; he couldn’t wait to get it over with.

Dale Ellis: Shooting for the Stars, 1989

The fact is that Ellis is the closest thing to a shooting machine in the game today.

Red Auerbach: Welcome to the NBA, Patrick Ewing, 1985

The point is, if the Knicks think they’re getting a finished, polished ballplayer, they’re crazy. I just hope they don’t expect too much too soon.

Bernard King Takes New York, 1985

King has forged a good life for himself back home and, in the process, given New York basketball the transfusion it desperately needed.

Moses Malone: Capturing the Real Mo, 1981

Malone, in a characteristic bit of understatement, says, “I love to make my defensive man work.”

Eddie Johnson: A Country Boy in a Fast Town, 1980

Eddie’s mother asked me not to forget something about her oldest son: “You have to remember,” she said, “he’s just a country boy in a fast town.”

Hubie Brown: Inside the Atlanta Hawks’ Hellraiser, 1980

“We give them an opportunity to display their talent,” Brown said. “In return, they have to give us maximum concentration, intensity, and their physical talent. If they do that, they won’t hear about it. If they don’t, they have to face the consequences.”