Guaranteed, the Stars will not hesitate in playing him as often as possible this season. He is too valuable a commodity—and too good a product, both on and off the court—to waste sitting on the bench.
Tag Archives: Marty Blake
Scottie Pippen’s Breakthrough, 1992
The irony of all the questioning of Pippen’s character was he had hurdled so much just to get to the NBA.
Power Forward: Tracking the NBA Power Surge, 2000
Many all-time greats believe the term “power forward” was invented by New York sportswriters looking for a way to describe Dave DeBusschere, who played every minute on the court with reckless abandon.
Penny for Your Thoughts on Cleo Hill
Cleo Hill had certain remarkable talents as a player. He had fast hands, a wonderful asset for a basketball player. He was quick. But his quickness and his hand speed were wasted when they weren’t harnessed with the team effort of everybody else. It is something a man might learn in a minor league but has to be taken for granted in the majors.
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.”
Remember When St. Louis Won the NBA Title in 1958?
“We were a mixture of the old and the new, both in experience and style of play. The long jump shot was just catching on in the league and practically none of our players used it.”
Who Are the All-Time Greatest Slam-Dunk Artists? 1977
Dr. J. is the slam-dunk champ of the ABA. Won it fair and square at halftime of the league’s All-Star game last winter.
Akeem Olajuwon: The 7-Foot Nigerian Who Jumped to the Pros, 1985
Olajuwon will now team up with 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson to give the Rockets one of the most potentially awesome frontlines in the history of the game.
John Brisker: Mr. Punch from Pittsburgh, 1972
Today, John Brisker is the most-prized possession of the ABA’s Pittsburgh Condors, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward who has led the team in scoring in his first two years of pro ball, and whose 29.3 average last season was the league’s second best.
Bob Pettit: So Steady He’s Overlooked, 1964
“Bobby has the greatest desire of any athlete who ever lived,” says Marty Blake, general manager of the Hawks. “It is remarkable St. Louis should have had two such athletic heroes as Stan Musial and Pettit cut out of the same mould.”
From Way Downtown 