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Discussions about old-school NBA

r/VintageNBA

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Posted by

Baltimore Claws

2 years ago

VintageNBA Guidelines, Expectations, and Rules

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12 comments

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Posted by

Baltimore Claws

14 hours ago

Is VintageNBA in trouble due to the reddit API pricing drama?

I'm very low-tech and only use reddit on my laptop, but I get the gist of what's happening. Apparently with the massive pricing changes from reddit that begin July 1st, most (all?) 3rd-party apps where the majority of people use reddit will no longer carry reddit because it will be cost-prohibitive for them to do so. It sounds like a lot of people will be forced to use the reddit app instead, something they don't want to do or they would have been using it in the first place, so I guess a ton of people will effectively leave reddit.

Could someone who is knowledgeable about this change and potential impact speak to how this could affect this sub?

If I'm reading the data correctly that I have access to as a mod, about 75% of people on here currently use a 3rd-party app for reddit. VintageNBA is a more cohesive community than most of reddit, so I'd like to think our members are all going to use the official app to remain, but it's not a choice I need to make so I'm in no position to know how reasonable or realistic that is. Any help would help, especially if it means we should do something before the end of June to preserve the great community we have.

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41

Posted by2 days ago

TIL: John Stockton broke his fibula 2 weeks prior to the 1992 Olympics and was in constant pain that was expected to last for some time. USA Basketball declined to name a replacement.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/06/30/Stockton-willing-to-play-with-cracked-leg/7211709876800/

"U.S. team spokesman Craig Miller said the team has until July 15 to submit a final roster to the International Olympic Committee. He said the team's position is that it will wait and see how Stockton does.

He said there had been no selection of alternates to replace Stockton at point guard."

lol.

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33 comments

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Posted by

Willie Smith

2 days ago

If NBA teams had a Jackie Robinson Day

After the conversation we've been having today regarding number retirements, especially after u/NotJuniorBridgeman's question reminded me of Chuck Cooper's status as the only player in the Hall of Fame to have never either made an all-star game or had their jersey retired, I started to think about how the MLB has every team wear Jackie Robinson's #42 on the anniversary of his debut. Since the NBA doesn't exactly have a singular Jackie Robinson-esque figure, I thought I'd make a list of which player each team would be most likely to honor if they did something similar. Let me know of any alternate suggestions you have, there are five or so where I feel like there should be a better answer but there just isn't that I'm aware of.

Atlanta Hawks: Pop Gates (first post-war Black NBL player, sparked pro ball's integration movement)

Boston Celtics: Chuck Cooper (integrated the NBA as a Celtic)

Brooklyn Nets: Dolly King (integrated the NBL along with Gates, first gained fame at LIU)

Charlotte Hornets: Tex Harrison (first HBCU player to be an All-American, played 18 years with the Globetrotters)

Chicago Bulls: Sonny Boswell (1940s star for the Rens and Globetrotters, one of the seven Black players the Chicago Studebakers integrated the wartime NBL with)

Cleveland Cavaliers: Willie Smith (At one point the best player in the world while on the Rens, Cleveland native who integrated the NBL's Cleveland Chase Brass and played for the Dayton Rens)

Dallas Mavericks: Harry Rusan (nine years with the Globetrotters after a college career at Paul Quinn)

Denver Nuggets: Ziggy Marcell (eight years with the Globetrotters, briefly integrated the NPBL Denver Refiners in 1950-51)

Detroit Pistons: Willie King (integrated the NBL's Detroit Gems)

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15 comments

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Posted by

Baltimore Claws

3 days ago

Zero-time All-Stars whose numbers are retired

This list was put together by u/TringlePringle a while ago, and I just stumbled across it again. Below are the guys in alphabetical order (thanks to TP again) with a brief description of why their numbers have been retired.

Tony Allen, #9 with Grizzlies - played with Memphis for 7 years during their best ever stretch ('11-17 including WCF in '13) - was a great defensive player (6x All-D) whose grit was the heartbeat of their team's culture at that time
Al Attles, #16 with Warriors - played entire career with Warriors, then coached there, then was an executive there, is still some sort of ambassador there - phenomenal defensive player who was also an incredible bad ass who no one wanted to fight despite him being little (6-ft-0, 175 lbs)
Bruce Bowen, #12 with Spurs - great defender (8x All-D) and very good 3-point shooter with Spurs while they won 3 titles ('03, '05, '07)
Junior Bridgeman, #2 with Bucks - great 6th man with Milwaukee as they ascended from good to great in the early-80s
Nick Collison, #4 with Thunder - played his entire 14-year career with Sonics/Thunder - consistent, solid, good leader, smart player, doesn't matter but had great +/- stats for most of his career
Brad Davis, #15 with Mavericks - smart, scrappy player who was incredibly efficient (low turnovers, good shooter), rumor has it his number was retired because the owner at the time loved him and was rewarding his loyalty
Darrell Griffith, #35 with Jazz - popular, exciting player with his dunking and 3-point shooting throughout the 80s, won ROTY in '81
Bob Gross, #30 with Trail Blazers - rugged, defensive-minded player with the Blazers, one of multiple questionable guys from the 70s who Portland honored by retiring their number
Derek Harper, #12 with Mavericks - good scorer and defender with Dallas in the late-80s/early-90s who seemed to always be just on the outside looking in at the ASG

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32 comments

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Posted by

Baltimore Claws

3 days ago

June 3, 1943: Billy Cunningham was born. He was a super-6th man for 3 years including w/the legendary '67 Sixers, then a top-5 player for 5 years including '73 ABA MVP, before a bad knee injury at 30. HOF SF who was a great rebounder, high-flier, finisher, hustler.

Cunningham's career stats

Cunningham highlights

1) Cunningham is usually remembered either as the Sixers coach from ‘78-85 (454-196, .698 win%, ‘83 champs, 3x Finals, never had a losing season) or as the super 6th Man for the legendary ‘67 Sixers. This does a great disservice to his absolutely stellar 5-year stretch from ‘69-73, during which he was 3x 1st-team NBA (‘69-71), 1x 2nd-team NBA (‘72), and 1x 1st-team ABA (‘73). During that half-decade, Cunningham averaged 24.3 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, and 2.6 spg. He won the ABA MVP award in ‘73, and he should have won the NBA MVP in ‘69.

2) About that ‘69 NBA MVP award: Cunningham finished 3rd behind Wes Unseld and Willis Reed, but what he did for the Sixers was insane. Philly finished 62-20 in ‘68, traded Wilt that summer, and then PF Luke Jackson went down with a season-ending injury after 25 games. Cunningham moved to PF and averaged 25-13 while playing in all 82 games, continued doing all the unselfish things he had done for years, and the Sixers somehow finished 55-27 in a brutally difficult Eastern Conference. Cunningham deserved the MVP, but what likely played a role in him not winning it was the fact that he was being courted to join the ABA during the last month or so of the season.

The ABA’s Houston Mavericks got a new owner in the spring who made it known he was moving the team to North Carolina that summer to become the Carolina Cougars. He pursued local players to gain interest among fans in the new location, and this included former UNC star Cunningham. NBA players voted for MVP back then, and considering how bad the bad blood was between the two leagues, odds are good that if word had gotten out that Cunningham would jump leagues, he probably got shafted in voting. He eventually signed with the Cougars in August of 1969 to join the team for the 1971-72 season, but a legal issue pushed that back to the 1972-73 season.

Cunningham joined a Cougars squad that had just finished 35-49 in '72; he carried them to 57-27 and very nearly toppled a loaded Kentucky team in the Eastern Finals, earning himself ABA MVP in his final great season. He was only 29 years old and a knee injury the following December effectively limited him to only one more decent year (‘75 back in Philly).

3) There’s a ton of great things to say about Cunningham’s game. He was a) very smart and team-oriented, b) crafty, tough, and athletic enough to play multiple positions and fill tons of roles, c) a great driver who got to the hoop with abandon (see 4 below), d) a very good rebounder for a SF, e) a strong scorer, and f) a good passer. His shooting efficiencies were merely average, but that’s the worst thing that could be said about him.

4) It's awkward to bring up, but it was a very real thing: Cunningham was often described as "playing black" with phrases like "he could hang with the brothers" (that's a direct quote) regularly being used when other players talked about him. Cunningham was known as the first great white leaper, and although he didn't invent white guys dunking and playing above the rim (that was Jim Pollard when talking about the NBA), he certainly got a lot of recognition for playing so well and in this manner right as the NBA was crossing the "50% black players" threshold.

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7 comments

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Posted by

Maurice Stokes

3 days ago

100th Anniversary Team Power Rankings

I loved all the anticipation and debate surrounding the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. However, I'm curious about how the list gestated in the period of time between anniversaries. For example, if fans and media were polled in 2006 (ten years after the 50th Anniversary Team) about who they would select as the best 25 players to add to the 50th Anniversary team, who would they have picked at that point in time? Would active players still building their resumes like Dirk, Pierce, or Ray Allen be picked already? Would a retired player who ultimately made the 75th Team like Dennis Rodman already be considered a strong case for selection? Who would've looked like a solid pick at the time who ultimately wasn't picked for the 75th anniversary team? How many pre-2000 players who missed the cut on the 50th Anniversary Team would be picked? And how long would those players remain in the running before they were supplanted by newer/younger players?

These questions fascinate me and I wish there was a year-by-year snapshot of this evolution and how players' stocks rose and fell, but obviously we can't project backwards. However, I'm curious if we can do it moving forward. Assuming the 76 players selected as part of the 75th Anniversary Team retain their spots, who are the 24 additional players you would pick at this point in time to round out the 100 best players ever? How many of those 24 do you think will still be on your list three years from now, let alone by the time the 100th Anniversary Team is announced? Which active players are on the bubble at the moment but could be added to your list in the coming years?

I'd love to collect everyone's thoughts!

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14 comments