Bonus Hollander POTD Mitchell Wiggins. Florida St G was drafted 23rd by CHI in 83. Talented scorer but let go by CHI after 1 yr (thx to MJ) to HOU. Was bench scorer before drug ban in 87. Returned in 89 + had his best year (15.5 ppg). Played abroad from 92 to 03. RIP.

Hollander POTD Johnny Dawkins. Duke PG was drafted by SA+was solid (16 ppg 7 apg). Traded to PHI for Mo Cheeks in 89. Was pretty good his 1st yr (89-90) but blew out his knee in early 90-91+was not same after. Out of NBA at age-31 in 95. Now UCF head coach.

Hollinger POTD Emeka Okafor. UConn C was drafted 2nd by CHA in 04. Won ROY w/15 ppg, 11 rpg. Never scored that much again but was tough 12 ppg/10 rpg guy. Also played w/NO & WAS before retiring in 13. Made a brief comeback in 17-18 as well. Considered a smart & decent dude by all.

Bonus Hollander POTD Monte Towe. Tiny NC State PG signed by DEN in 1976. Hustler could handle ball but played only 9 mpg. Played in college & pros w/David Thompson. Feisty enough to square up w/Brian Taylor. Waived in 1978 & became a coach from 1978 to 2014.

Hollander POTD Steve Kerr. Arizona shooter started w/PHO in 88. After 1 yr stuck as bench shooter w/CLE thru 92. Looked like career was sputtering til he paired w/MJ. Later won rings w/SA too. Now an all time coaching great with GS.

Hollinger POTD Bonzi Wells. Ball St SG drafted 11th in 1998 by DET but traded before season to POR. Had a few run-ins w/coaches but a good scorer & very physical. Peaked at 17 ppg 6 rpg in 2001-02. Bounced around after 04 to MEM, SAC, HOU & NO thru 2008. Real first name is Gawen.

Bonus Hollander POTD Trevor Ruffin. Happy birthday to volume shooting SG from Hawaii. Made PHO roster in 1994-95 and showed scoring ability as deep bench dude. Played 1 more yr w/PHI before playing in minors for a decade.

Hollander POTD Lucius Allen. Speedy UCLA G was drafted 3rd in 69 by SEA. After 1 yr, traded to MIL where he peaked at 19 ppg, 5.6 apg & was key cog on title team. Traded to LAL in 74 where he played well for 3 yrs before trade to KC. Retired in 79 at age 31 and coached afterward.

Hollinger POTD Chauncey Billups. Colorado PG was drafted 3rd by BOS in 97 but traded soon after. Struggled til 01 w/MIN. Signed by DET in 02 & became star/leader for title team. DET was never the same after his trade. Was good player thru 2013. Now a HOFer.

Bonus Hollander COTD Hubie Brown. NJ-bred hoops lifer won title in ABA w/Kentucky in 1975. After ABA, coached w/ATL + NY from 1976 to 1986, where he won but was, at times, too intense. Fired by NY in 86, became great TV guy, save stint in MEM from 02-05. Won COY in 77-78 & 03-04.

Hollander POTD Martin Muursepp. Estonian F was a pro in Estonia at age 15 in 90. Was drafted 25th by MIA in 96. Played 10 games w/MIA before trade to DAL. Scored 5 ppg over 2 yrs in before returning to Europe in 98. Played abroad thru 2010. Has coached since retirement.

Hollinger POTD Scottie Pippen. Bio from POR years where he was a solid vet but not a star. Peaked at 12.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 5 apg w/POR in 99-00 & was versatile on D thru 02-03 (his final year in POR). Bio notes he was still good at 37 but "he's not the guy you put on Kobe Bryant."

Bonus Hollander POTD Bob McAdoo. UNC star was drafted was drafted 2nd in 72 by BUF. Won ROY & 74-75 MVP. Scored 30+ ppg from 73-76. Traded to NY in 76-77 starting a nomad phase where he was unwanted. Resurged in LA in 81. Starred in Italy from 86-93. Made HOF in 2000.

Hollander POTD Ron Williams. WV guard was drafted 9th by SF in 68. Quick but not great at point. Peaked at 15 ppg in 69-70. Fell to back up role in 72 & played a few years with MIL & LA before retiring in 76. Later coached at some colleges. Died in 2004. RIP.

Hollinger POTD Ricky Davis. Iowa SG was drafted 21st in 98 by CHA. Sat til trade to CLE in 01. Great scorer & leaper peaked at 20.6 ppg in 02-03 but had a rep as tough to coach. Played with many teams thru 2010. Also known for crazy dunk on Nash & trying to hack rules to get a triple double.

Bonus Hollander POTD Eric Montross. Big C from UNC was drafted 9th by BOS in 94. Was solid as a rook (10 ppg 7.3 rpg). Offense totally stagnated after leaving BOS in 96. Spent next 6 yrs as backup banger for DET, TOR, DAL, PHI, & NJ. Retired in 02 at age 30 after injuries. RIP.

Hollander POTD Larry Krystkowiak. Montana PF was drafted 28th in 86. Played rookie year for SA & then was traded to MIL where he was useful banger. Peaked at 13 ppg 7 rpg in 88-89. Thereafter was injured a ton but played w/CHI, ORL & LA thru 97. Later coached MIL in 07-08.

Bonus Hollander POTD Pace Mannion. Utah F was drafted 43rd in 83 by GS. Was a deep bench guy for GS, UTA, NJ, MIL, DET & ATL thru 89. Then played abroad thru 02. Peaked at 4.5 ppg in 85-86. Now does TV for UTA. Son Nico also played for GS and now is in Italy.

Hollander POTD Gary Trent. Known as Shaq of the MAC was drafted 11th in 95 by POR. Short PF could bang in the post. Signed big deal w/DAL in 98 + had 16 ppg, 8 rpg 1st yr. Was bench scorer thereafter. Finished up w/MIN from 01-04 + went to Europe til 07.

From Athlon's Top 50 mag in 1998, a quick interview with Larry Bird, Larry gives his ideal team and leaves out MJ. He also wants modern players to fly commercial. Biggest regret: those late career injuries that might've cost him another title...

Bonus Hollander POTD Larry Stewart. Coppin State F was undrafted in 1991 but made WAS & was all-rookie (10 ppg, 6 rpg). Survived a scary home invasion in 1994 but didn't play much after except bench role w/SEA in 97-98. Played abroad from 1998-2008. Now coach at his alma mater.

Hollander POTD Sidney Moncrief. Arkansas dunker was taken 5th in 79 by MIL. Was best SG of early 80s, 5x all-NBA + 2x DPOY. Full package on O and D. Knees started to go by 86 + he declined quickly. Briefly unretired in 90-91 to play w/ATL. Took too long for him to make HOF.

Which was the better Mahorn cartoon t-shirt?

Bonus Hollander POTD Rick Mahorn. Hampton PF was 35th pick in 80 by WAS. Paired w/Ruland as Bruise Bros. Traded to DET in 85 + was key w/his D + well-timed elbows. Help transform DET's D to title level. This rookie bio describes him as "a friendly guy w/a strange sense of humor."

Hollander POTD Artis Gilmore. Jacksonville C nearly won NCAA title then signed w/KY of ABA in 71. Won MVP as rook & was great. Went to CHI after merger where he was good but team was bad. Then had better years w/SA before retiring. Retired in 89. Took awhile but made HOF.

From Peter May's Top of the World, Paul Pierce's love-hate relationship with Rick Pitino. Bonus blurb about Pitino cursing out assistant coach Lester Conner for not defending Pierce well enough in practice:

Bonus Hollander POTD Sidney Wicks. UCLA PF was drafted 2nd in 71. Had 24 ppg as rook but PPG dropped thereafter. Sold to BOS in 76 for $500K. Fans didn't love him there. Had a rep as hard to coach. Left NBA for Italy in 81. Has had quiet life after NBA w/few interviews.

Hollander COTD Rick Pitino. Hot shot college coach took a shot w/NY in 87. He turned around the culture + won division title in 88-89 but bolted for Kentucky in 89 + won the 96 title. Went to BOS in 97 + failed spectacularly. Went back to college in 2001 & been quite successful.

A little more Dennis Johnson love...His bonkers 7 blocks in a Finals game is still close to the record in a Finals game. Here's the list of all 7+ block games in the Finals, which is a bunch of HOF bigs, DJ & Bynum: stathead.com/tiny/IiX3h

Hollinger POTD Travis Outlaw. Mississippi HS star was drafted 23rd in 03 by POR. Great athlete who POR sat his earaly years. Developed into good bench dude (13 ppg 07-09) & got 6MOY votes both years. Got a big deal w/NJ in 2010 but struggled & was waived. Retired in 2014 at age 29.

Bonus Hollander POTD Toni Kukoc. Croat SF was star in Europe coveted by CHI. Drafted 29th in 90, didn't come to US til 93. Wasn't star in but was key role player on 3 titles. Also hit big shots. Peaked at 19 ppg 7 rpg 5 apg in 98-99. Had nice run as older player w/MIL thru 06.

Hollander POTD Dennis Johnson. Pepperdine G drafted 29th by SEA in 76. Was key player & was Finals MVP in 79. Traded to PHO in 80 & played well but ticked off management enough to dump him to BOS in 83. Was huge for BOS stabilizing those squads. Retired after 89-90. RIP.

Hollinger POTD JR Bremer. Undrafted St Bonnie G made BOS in 02-03 & had solid rookie yr (9 ppg). Good shooter but lacked NBA-level PG skills to start. Spent 03-04 w/CLE & GS before a long career abroad (04-17) even got Bosnian citizenship. Now a HS coach in Cleveland.

Bonus Hollander POTD Kermit Washington. PF from American drafted 5th in 73 by LAL. Spent 3 yrs on bench before earning starting role. Strong PF bookended Kareem before nearly killing Rudy T in a fight. Rebuilt his career after & was all-star in 80 but retired by 82 w/injuries.

Hollander POTD Rasheed Wallace. Sheed! UNC PF drafted 4th by WAS in 95. As a rook, showed flashes of talent & temper. Traded to POR in 96, became All-Star but also still had temper (was a technical foul machine). Traded to DET in 04 & put them over top for title.

Hollinger POTD Dan Dickau. Gonzaga star PG was drafted 28th in 02 & in ATL. Limited athleticism/size relegated him to bench role til 04-05 when he had a nice run w/NO (13 ppg 5 apg). Alas reverted to deep bench guy thru 08. Did some time abroad before retiring in 11. Now, a coach.

Bonus Hollander POTD Phil Jackson. N Dakota F drafted 17th by NY in 67. Was energy guy off bench. Peaked at 11 ppg 8 rpg in 74-75. Finished up w/NJ before winning many titles in CHI & LA. Per bio: "very intellectual; can even converse w/Bill Bradley without an interpreter."

Hollander COTD Elgin Baylor. Seattle SF was 1st pick by MIN in 58. Immediate superstar, won ROY. Scored over 34 ppg 3x & was 11x all-star. Coached NO from 77-79. Best year was 77-78 when they wen 39-43 w/Pistol, Truck & Goodrich. Was the LAC GM forever afterwards. RIP.

From the 96-97 SI NBA Preview, McCallum examines some bad defenders: -Ehlo: "There was a lot more pride years ago as far as stopping a guy" -McCallum names a bunch of bad defenders notably Sir Charles -Laphonso Ellis on bad defenders: "We just say 'He Sucks'"

Hollander POTD Sherman Douglas. Syracuse PG drafted 28th in 89 by MIA. Peaked at 18.5 ppg in 90-91. Traded in 91 to BOS after contract squabble, where he was solid thru 95. Per this bio: "he can give you 18 points, 8 assists but if you need that from him, you're not a good team."

Hollander POTD Pete Myers. Arkansas Little Rock SG was drafted 120th in 86 & made CHI w/hustle. Was MJ's practice shadow as rook. Bounced around after til he returned to CHI in 93 & became starter when MJ retired. Doug Collins on Myers job w/MJ: "it's like being Marvin Hagler's sparring partner."

Inspired by the Kawhi situation, we nerd out on when and how the "circumstantial evidence" provision of the NBA CBA got in there. Albert King & Chris Dudley are featured prominently. How much more enticing can we make it? hoopsanalyst.com/the-kawhi-af...

Bonus Hollander POTD Pete Chilcutt. Hustling PF from UNC drafted 27th by SAC. Mostly bench hustler w/decent range. Best remembered for playing a bit for HOU during 95 title run. Also played w/VAN, DET, CLE & UTA thru 2000. Runs hoops camp now in California.

Hollander COTD Larry Brown. Long Island guy played PG at UNC & in ABA before coaching. Started in CAR & DEN in ABA in 70s. Then went to coach NBA & college for 40+ yrs. This bio from DEN yrs, states: "players stop by his bench during a game and ask him to trade for them."

A cool 1976 article where EC Coleman gives his scouting reports on how he defended the star forwards of that day, some examples... Barry: Toughest to guard Hondo: Deny him the ball McAdoo: Impossible to defend Chet Walker: The best Wicks: Can be frustrated from-way-downtown.com/2021/07/23/e...

Bonus Hollander POTD EC Coleman. Houston Baptist F was drafted 51st in 73 by HOU. Peaked in NO, where started from 74-77. Not a scorer (peaked at 8.6 ppg) but hustler who was All-Defense 2x. Retired in 79. Per bio: "He plays intelligently. He knows what he can & can't do."

Hollander POTD Clifford Ray. Undersized C was drafted 40th by CHI from Oklahoma in 71. Played hard & peaked at 12.2 rpg in 73-74 but was considered non-threat on O. Traded to GS in 74, was key part of title runs in mid-70s. Retired by 81 & was an NBA asst coach forever.

From Larry Platt's "Keepin' It Real," Vernon Maxwell love for his "twin,-" John Starks. This overstates Vernon's 94 Finals stats but its fun to hear his take on Starks. Their Finals stats: -Max, 37 mpg, 13.4 ppg, .445 TS%, 5.5 GmSc -Starks, 42 mpg, 17.7 ppg, .503 TS%, 11.9 GmSc

Bonus Hollander POTD Vernon Maxwell. Mad Max was Florida SG & 47th pick in 88 by SA. Tough defender & shot a lot of 3s. Sold to HOU in 90 & was starter for 5 yrs & a title. Let go in 95 after tiff w/Rudy T. Was a role player from 95-03 w/7 teams. A bit nutty but fun to watch.

Hollander POTD Terry Dehere. Seton Hall G was drafted 13th in 93 by LAC. Tweener G had moments as solid 3rd G (12 ppg, 4 apg in 95-96). After 4 yrs in LA, signed w/SAC + VAN before retiring in 99. Now in real estate in North Jersey. Was Big East all time points leader as of 93.