The List of Greatness - 1981

I don't have much commentary for an intro today, but for some reason I found quite a bit to say about a lot of the guys after the career summaries, so read ahead for 1981's top ten.



1. George Gervin - 200.2
Position: Guard-Forward
Height: 6'7"
College: Eastern Michigan
Draft: 1974 - 40th pick (signed with ABA in 1972 before eligible to be drafted in the NBA)
Experience: 5 years/4 ABA years
Teams: Virginia Squires - 1973-1974 (#44), San Antonio Spurs - 1974-1976 (#44), San Antonio Spurs - 1977-1981  (#44)
55.0 Win Shares, 0.711 MVP Award Shares, 4 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team Selection, 5 All-Star Selections, 0 Championships, 0.0 Championship Win Shares, 0 Finals Losses, 0.0 Finals Win Shares, 1 Conference Finals Loss (1979 Spurs), 2.3 Conference Finals Win Shares
28.2 ABA Win Shares, 2 All-ABA 2nd Team Selections, 3 ABA All-Star Selections, 1 ABA Conference Finals Loss (1976 Spurs), 1.4 ABA Conference Finals Win Shares


I'm not sure why, but I always feel like George Gervin gets forgotten a lot when people list of some of the all-time greats. Even among "experts" I feel like he's a little underrated. I mean, he had to wait until his fifth year of being eligible for the Hall of Fame to actually get in. What exactly were they waiting for?


And the rest of the top ten:
2. Tiny Archibald - 190.3
Position: Guard
Height: 6'1"
College: Texas-El Paso
Draft: 1970 - 19th pick
Experience: 10 years
Teams: Cincinnati Royals - 1971-1972 (#10), Kansas City-Omaha Kings - 1973-1975 (#10 - 1973-1974, #1 - 1975), Kansas City Kings - 1976 (#1), New York Nets - 1977 (#1), Boston Celtics - 1979-1981 (#7)
73.9 Win Shares, 0.465 Win Shares, 3 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 2 All-NBA 2nd Team Selections, 5 All-Star Selections, 1 Championship (1981 Celtics), 1.3 Championship Win Shares, 0 Finals Losses, 0.0 Finals Win Shares, 1 Conference Finals Loss (1980 Celtics), 0.7 Conference Finals Win Shares


"Tiny" isn't nearly as cool of a nickname as "Iceman," but I suppose it does work better if you're just going to use it to completely replace the man's first name. Although, I swear I had always heard him referred to as "Nate 'Tiny' Archibald" before I started blogging and decided that was just too much to type every time. But Archibald is a much cooler last name than Gervin. "Tiny Archibald" or "Iceman Gervin"? That's a tough call. Might have to put up a poll on that one. "The Iceman" definitely wins if he's just going by "Iceman" but when you throw the last name in, it's a bit of a toss-up...


3. Cliff Hagan - 183.3
Position: Forward-Guard
Height: 6'4"
College: Kentucky
Draft: 1953 - 24th pick
Experience: 10 years/3 ABA years (retired 13 years/9 years from ABA)
Teams: St. Louis Hawks - 1957-1966 (#6 - 1957, #17 - 1957, #16 - 1958-1966), Dallas Chaparrals - 1968-1970 (#16)
75.1 Win Shares, 0.043 MVP Award Shares, 0 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 1 Championship (1958 Hawks), 2.7 Championship Win SHares, 3 Finals Losses (1957 Hawks, 1960 Hawks, 1961 Hawks), 3.9 Finals Win Shares, 4 Conference Finals Losses (1959 Hawks, 1963 Hawks, 1964 Hawks, 1966 Hawks)
10.2 ABA Win Shares, 1 ABA All-Star Selection


Well, with Tiny Archibald leapfrogging Hagan this year, it's looking like Cliff is going to be permanently consigned to the "Supplemental Members" of the List of Greatness. Not that that's a terrible thing by any means - so far those supplemental members have been a pretty stellar list. It's just somewhat astounding he never finished first considering how close he came for so many years. Here's how he finished over the last 20 years (since 1962): 4, 4, 3, 4, 3, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 2, 3. How impressive is that? (Plus he had a 9th and a 4th in the two years before that.) And he'll probably continue to place in the top ten at least through the rest of the 80's. I guess the question now is just will anyone else ever get the "Top 2" designation at the top of the supplemental list to join him with that permanent distinction?


4. Bob Dandridge - 176.4
Position: Forward-Guard
Height: 6'6"
College: Norfolk State
Draft: 1969 - 45th pick
Experience: 12 years
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks - 1970-1977 (#10), Washington Bullets - 1978-1981 (#10)
80.3 Win Shares, 0.034 MVP Award Shares, 0 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team Selection, 4 All-Star Selections, 2 Championships (1971 Bucks, 1978 Bullets), 3.7 Finals Win Shares, 2 Finals Losses (1974 Bucks, 1979 Bullets), 4.4 Finals Win Shares, 2 Conference Finals Losses (1970 Bucks, 1972 Bucks), 2.5 Conference Finals Win Shares


I know he played in a weak era, but those win share numbers are nothing to scoff at. Especially the playoff numbers. If the 70's can be categorized as anything, it was an era of parity, so for him to repeatedly make it deep into the playoffs is impressive in itself. Plus, he's fourth in Playoff Win Shares from 1970-1979 trailing only Kareem, Walt Frazier, and Wes Unseld. That may or may not mean much, but I think it's a significant stat to keep in mind when evaluating the man's career. (He also ranks eighth in regular season win shares for the 70's, behind Kareem, Frazier, Hayes, Lanier, Havlicek, Unseld, and Cowens.)


5. Billy Cunningham - 176.3
Position: Forward-Center
Height: 6'6"
College: North Carolina
Draft: 1965 - 5th pick
Experience: 9 years/2 ABA years (retired 5 years)
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers - 1966-1972 (#32), Carolina Cougars - 1973-1974 (#32), Philadelphia 76ers - 1975-1976 (#32)
63.2 Win Shares, 0.288 MVP Award Shares, 3 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 1 Championship (1967 76ers), 0.4 Championship Win Shares, 0 Finals Losses, 0.0 Finals Win Shares, 2 Conference Finals Losses (1966 76ers, 1968 76ers), 0.4 Conference Finals Win Shares
15.4 ABA Win Shares, 1 ABA MVP (1973), 1 All-ABA 1st Team Selection, 1 ABA Conference Finals Loss (1973 Cougars), 1.7 ABA Conference Finals Win Shares


6. Artis Gilmore - 174.6
Position: Center
Height: 7'2"
College: Jacksonville
Draft: 1971 - 117th pick (already signed with ABA)
Experience: 5 years/5 ABA years
Teams: Kentucky Colonels - 1972-1976 (#53), Chicago Bulls - 1977-1981
54.3 Win Shares, 0.022 MVP Award Shares, 0 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 0 All-NBA 2nd Team Selections, 3 All-Star Selections, 0 Championships, 0.0 Championship Win Shares, 0 Finals Losses, 0.0 Finals Win Shares, 0 Conference Finals Losses, 0.0 Conference Finals Win Shares
82.2 ABA Win Shares, 1 ABA MVP (1972), 5 All-ABA 1st Team Selections, 5 ABA All-Star Selections, 1 Championship (1975 Colonels), 3.0 ABA Championship Win Shares, 1 ABA Finals Loss (1973 Colonels), 3.4 ABA Finals Win Shares, 2 ABA Conference Finals Losses (1974 Colonels, 1976 Colonels), 3.1 ABA Conference Finals Win Shares


7. Bob McAdoo - 165.1
Position: Center-Forward
Height: 6'9"
College: North Carolina
Draft: 1972 - 2nd pick
Experience: 9 years
Teams: Buffalo Braves - 1973-1977 (#11), New York Knicks - 1977-1979 (#11), Boston Celtics - 1979 (#11), Detroit Pistons - 1980-1981 (#11), New Jersey Nets - 1981 (#21)
77.7 Win Shares, 1.494 MVP Award Shares (1 MVP - 1975), 1 All-NBA 1st Team Selection, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team Selection, 5 All-Star Selections, 0 Championships, 0.0 Championship Win Shares, 0 Finals Losses, 0.0 Finals Win Shares, 0 Conference Finals Losses, 0.0 Conference Finals Win Shares


8. Paul Westphal - 161.9
Position: Guard
Height: 6'4"
College: Southern California
Draft: 1972 - 10th pick
Experience: 9 years
Teams: Boston Celtics - 1973-1975 (#44), Phoenix Suns - 1977-1980 (#44), Seattle SuperSonics - 1981 (#44)
62.0 Win Shares, 0.014 MVP Award Shares, 3 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team Selection, 5 All-Star Selections, 1 Championship (1974 Celtics), 0.5 Championship Win Shares, 1 Finals Loss (1976 Suns), 1.9 Finals Win Shares, 3 Conference Finals Losses (1973 Celtics, 1975 Celtics, 1979 Suns), 2.0 Conference Finals Win Shares


I remember Westphal mostly as a coach, just because he was coaching the Suns in the early 90's. And I was a huge Charles Barkley/Phoenix Suns fan when I was a kid. But Westphal is another Dandridge-esque underrated player. Three All-NBA 1st Team Selections is pretty damn impressive regardless of when he played. But just for some context, here's the list of guards that made the second team the years Westphal made the first team: George Gervin & Jo Jo White (1977), World B. Free & Phil Ford (1979), and Dennis Johnson & Gus Williams (1980). Okay, so 1979 was an extremely weak year, but 1977 and 1980 were both solid. And Westphal might have made the first team in 1978 if the had voted David Thompson as a forward (like they did in 1977) instead of a guard.


9. Larry Foust - 160.1
Position: Center-Forward
Height: 6'9"
College: La Salle
Draft: 1950 - 7th pick
Experience: 12 years (retired 19 years)
Teams: Fort Wayne Pistons - 1951-1957 (#16), Minneapolis Lakers - 1958-1960 (#14), St. Louis Hawks - 1960-1962 (#13 - 1960-1961, #14 - 1962)
69.8 Win Shares, 0.000 MVP Award Shares, 1 All-NBA 1st Team Selection, 1 All-NBA 2nd Team Selection, 8 All-Star Selections, 0 Championships, 0.0 Championship Win Shares, 5 Finals Losses, (1955 Pistons, 1956 Pistons, 1959 Lakers, 1960 Hawks, 1961 Hawks), 3.6 Finals Win Shares, 1 Conference Finals Loss (1953 Pistons), 1.1 Conference Finals Win Shares


I still can't believe a man who retired 19 (relative) years ago is still making the top ten. I don't know if that says more about him or about the NBA in the 70's (or both), but I think we can expect this will probably be Larry's last year (or possibly second to last year) in the top ten.


10. Lenny Wilkens - 158.8
Position: Guard
Height: 6'1"
College: Providence
Draft: 1960 - 6th pick
Experience: 15 years (retired 6 years)
Teams: St. Louis Hawks - 1961-1968 (#32 - 1961, #15 - 1962, #32 - 1963, #14 - 1964-1968), Seattle SuperSonics - 1969-1972 (#19), Cleveland Cavaliers - 1973-1974 (#19), Portland Trail Blazers - 1975 (#17)
95.5 Win Shares, 0.323 MVP Award Shares, 0 All-NBA 1st Team Selections, 0 All-NBA 2nd Team Selections, 9 All-Star Selections, 0 Championships, 0.0 Championship Win Shares, 1 Finals Loss (1961 Hawks), 0.5 Finals Win Shares, 4 Conference Finals Losses (1963 Hawks, 1964 Hawks, 1966 Hawks, 1967 Hawks), 3.1 Conference Finals Win Shares


And the 35 Greatest Players Ever after 35 seasons:
(Inducted List of Greatness members in bold; honorary members in underlined italics)
1. Bill Russell - 739.6
2. Wilt Chamberlain - 712.6
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 655.6
4. Jerry West - 584.6
5. Oscar Robertson - 511.2
6. John Havlicek - 479.1
7. Bob Pettit - 468.2
8. Dolph Schayes - 431.8
9. Elgin Baylor - 416.2
10. Bob Cousy - 406.2
11. George Mikan - 380.0
12. Rick Barry - 329.3
13. Walt Frazier - 321.8
14. Julius Erving - 319.9
15. Elvin Hayes - 314.4
16. Sam Jones - 283.0
17. Bill Sharman - 278.7
18. Paul Arizin - 258.2
19. Hal Greer - 251.9
20. Dave Cowens - 237.2
21. Willis Reed - 234.5
22. Vern Mikkelsen - 225.8
23. Wes Unseld - 221.6
24. Jerry Lucas - 221.6
25. Tom Heinsohn - 217.8
26. Neil Johnston - 209.8
27. Ed Macauley - 204.7
28. Bailey Howell - 200.7
29. George Gervin - 200.2
30. Chet Walker - 190.4
31. Tiny Archibald - 190.3
32. Cliff Hagan - 183.3
33. Slater Martin - 178.9
34. Bob Dandridge - 176.4
35. Billy Cunningham - 176.3


And the next tier:
36. Artis Gilmore - 174.6
37. Bob McAdoo - 165.1
38. Paul Westphal - 161.9
39. Larry Foust - 160.1
40. Harry Gallatin - 159.0
41. Lenny Wilkens - 158.8
42. Moses Malone - 158.4
43. Spencer Haywood - 157.8
44. Walt Bellamy - 156.1
45. Jim Pollard - 154.2
46. Dave Bing- 153.5
47. Gail Goodrich - 151.8
48. Bobby Wanzer - 151.4
49. Dan Issel - 150.9
50. Bob Davies - 150.7
51. Jo Jo White - 150.2
52. Bob Lanier - 149.2
53. George McGinnis - 148.6
54. George Yardley - 145.1
55. Earl Monroe  - 144.8
56. Nate Thurmond - 141.8
57. Dave DeBusschere - 141.4
58. Richie Guerin - 138.0
59. Connie Hawkins - 135.1
60. Max Zaslofsky - 134.9
61. Zelmo Beaty - 133.7
62. Jack Twyman - 131.7
63. Lou Hudson - 127.5
64. Joe Fulks - 126.7
65. Pete Maravich - 123.7
66. Arnie Risen - 120.0
67. Clyde Lovellette - 119.2
68. Mel Daniels - 118.4
69. Paul Silas - 118.2
70. Carl Braun - 114.8