WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 11, 2008

In my opinion the lag time between games in this series continues to contribute to less-than-peak-performance from both teams. The irony here is that the NBA and the media have gone to great lengths to promote the “historic” Lakers versus Celtics match-up, and yet the schedule, created by the league for the purpose of maximizing the commercial value of the series, has caused the professional athletes involved to be out of sync. The games, quite frankly, have not showcased truly great basketball.

Normally, this loss of rhythm would favor the team playing he best defense. Unlike offense, which can be easily impacted by many factors including excessive downtime between games, defense can be delivered night-in-and-night-out by a team that is committed to the concept of hard-nosed defense. Going into the series it was assumed that Boston would play the toughest defense, but the Lakers have done well on that end of the court too.

Game Four in L.A. may, in fact, be the most important game of the series. Should the Lakers even the series at 2-2 I believe the momentum will swing their way, giving them the energy to take Game Five and return to Boston with a one game cushion. Should L.A. drop Thursday’s game they may have enough pride to win one more game but it’s difficult to see how they would ever win two straight in Boston.

Injuries are now a potential factor against Boston. Rondo is dealing with an ankle bruise. This is potentially critical in that L.A. has already apparently decided that Rondo is the weak link in the Boston offense and are cheating off him to help guard others whose offensive production is more reliable. Perhaps of greater importance, I believe that Paul Pierce’s injury has in fact slowed him in his ability to make quick first steps and also to move strong to the basket. He is now relying on finesse rather than power and speed.

In a series where a consistent level of production from superstar performers is not in strong evidence, I expect to see a continued and perhaps growing importance with regard to role players and substitute players. We may well see the entire series determined not by the big name players, but by those who come off the bench and play above and beyond their normal capabilities.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 6, 2008


Game One is done.

Paul Pierce: hurt or hype?

Lakers versus Celtics: history or hype?

Let’s take the second question first.

There is no doubt but that any time the Lakers and Celtics play in a final series history is being made. We’re talking about the two most storied franchises in the history of professional basketball.

And yet --- could it be that the hype made Game One a bit less than what it could have been and should have been? Frankly, I think that the time lag between the Celtic’s last conference finals game and the first game played in the league finals was just too long. It’s obvious that both the NBA and the media want to stretch out the time between games to gain as much promotional value --- and money --- out of the events as possible. For professional sports teams, however, this causes a loss of rhythm that was very obvious in last night’s game. Kobe, who has performed exceptionally all year, had his worst game since having back problems earlier in the season. I believe that this, as well as inconsistent performances from other key players, is the result of having too much downtime. Daily practices can never match the intensity of playoff games and when teams sit too long without doing real combat, even the best squads tend to become out-of-sync.

As for Paul Pierce. Well --- you can’t fault his performance as of late. In years past he has been a scorer but not a leader. He seems now to have matured and is putting the Celtics on his shoulders. It remains to be seen how much weight he can now bear on those shoulders having obviously injured his knee in Thursday’s game. The drama of his exit and entrance is being called legendary by some and showboating by others. As always, proof is in the performance and next game will reveal the extent to which Pierce can continue to contribute.

Because of his injury Pierce now becomes more of an X Factor. Interestingly, there are more X Factors than usual in this year’s match-up. How well Gasol is or isn’t fitting in with the Lakers is an X Factor. Rondo is an X Factor for the Celtics because sometimes he plays like a champ --- sometimes he plays like a kid. If he can consistently hit his jump shots the Lakers will not be able to cheat off of him to double team Garnett, Pierce or Allen. If he is inconsistent with his jumpers, L.A. will gladly let him bang away all night. Bench performance is also a big X-Factor. Guys like Perkins and P.J. Brown can make a huge difference in the eventual outcome of the series if they contribute big for Boston. A player like Radmanovic, for the Lakers, represents the truth of the saying: “live-by-the-three-point-shot, die-by-the-three-point-shot”. Even the coaching staffs constitute X Factors. Doc Rivers, although he is showing exceptional abilities as a coach, has never been this far in the playoffs. Will he be able to master the fine craft of coaching to the betterment of this year’s team? Phil Jackson obviously knows most tricks in the book. Last night, when Paul Pierce returned to the game to thunderous noise from the Boston crowd, Jackson immediately called time out to help take the steam out of the hometown fans. That may sound like a small thing, but at this level of competition, the small things add up to big victories.

What about the next games?

Although Boston has home court advantage, games three, four and five are played in L.A. This makes it EXTREMELY important for Boston to win Game Two.

Will they?

Boston has been great at home, but I give the edge to L.A. in Game Two. Although they didn’t necessarily show it last night, the smooth effective offense of the Lakers will be back in rhythm during the next game and, of great importance, the rust will be off Kobe Bryant. Boston’s defense is outstanding and the Celtics are my sentimental favorite, but I just feel that Laker firepower will be on display during Game Two and will create a significant mountain for Boston to overcome in this series.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 1, 2008

Kobe Bryant is on a mission.

Unless something unexpected happens --- which is always possible in professional sports --- I don’t see anything or anyone stopping Kobe from leading the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2008.

The match-up between the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers will certainly make the NBA, the media, and many old school fans very happy. As any student of the game knows, there is no more “classic” rivalry in basketball, with L.A. holding 16 total championships and Boston 14. In head-to-head wars, however, Boston holds the advantage with 8 championships to two.

The 2008 series will be fascinating to watch because of the Laker’s tremendous offensive capabilities versus Boston’s proven defensive talents. The X Factor in the finals, I believe, will be the degree to which Boston’s “Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce and Allen can translate a hunger for victory into a team effort sufficient to contain Kobe just enough to open the door for the Celtics to outpace L.A. One edge that they will have in that challenge will be home court advantage with the first two games being played in Boston where the Celtics have been almost unbeatable all year.

Still, I return to the fact that Kobe is leading an all-out crusade to win it all. He feels that he has a lot to prove. He wants to show the world he can win it all without Shaq. He has had an M.V.P. year and he will only push harder and harder now that the trophy and championship ring are with reach. To date, Kobe has scored at will but has also involved his teammates. Gasol has not always been consistent but he provides a big added weapon for L.A. that cannot be ignored.

Look forward to some hard fought games. The Celtics will play like true warriors but my guess is that Kobe’s mission will result in another NBA championship for the great Laker’s franchise.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

UPDATED: June 1, 2008



Kobe Bryant is on a mission.

Unless something unexpected happens --- which is always possible in professional sports --- I don’t see anything or anyone stopping Kobe from leading the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2008.

The match-up between the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers will certainly make the NBA, the media, and many old school fans very happy. As any student of the game knows, there is no more “classic” rivalry in basketball, with L.A. holding 16 total championships and Boston 14. In head-to-head wars, however, Boston holds the advantage with 8 championships to two.

The 2008 series will be fascinating to watch because of the Laker’s tremendous offensive capabilities versus Boston’s proven defensive talents. The X Factor in the finals, I believe, will be the degree to which Boston’s “Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce and Allen can translate a hunger for victory into a team effort sufficient to contain Kobe just enough to open the door for the Celtics to outpace L.A. One edge that they will have in that challenge will be home court advantage with the first two games being played in Boston where the Celtics have been almost unbeatable all year.

Still, I return to the fact that Kobe is leading an all-out crusade to win it all. He feels that he has a lot to prove. He wants to show the world he can win it all without Shaq. He has had an M.V.P. year and he will only push harder and harder now that the trophy and championship ring are with reach. To date, Kobe has scored at will but has also involved his teammates. Gasol has not always been consistent but he provides a big added weapon for L.A. that cannot be ignored.

Look forward to some hard fought games. The Celtics will play like true warriors but my guess is that Kobe’s mission will result in another NBA championship for the great Laker’s franchise.

WHO’LL BE LEFT STANDING?

Thoughts about the remaining 2008 NBA Playoffs

May 29, 2008

At this moment, the Detroit Pistons are wondering how they can pull out two straight wins to get passed the Boston Celtics. Somewhere, out west, the San Antonio Spurs are wondering why they are going home for the summer having lost 4-to-1 against the L.A. Lakers who now advance to the 2008 NBA finals.

In looking at the three remaining teams, and the potential scenarios involved, several thoughts occur to me.

First, the downward spiral of the Spurs was rooted in fatigue. No player in San Antonio will admit this because they are champions and champs don’t put the blame on such things. Still, I believe that the tough series against the New Orleans Hornets --- and the Game One loss against L.A. --- really took it out of the Spurs. They came back against the Hornets like true winners, but the effort took a toll. San Antonio remains a fundamentally great team with world class personnel, but I’m afraid that they are tired out. Sometimes the hearts of warriors can overcome tired, aging legs. This time not.

As for the Celtics and Pistons, I actually feel that Detroit has a slight edge. Will it be enough to translate into an Eastern Conference victory? It may or may not -- especially with the elbow injury to Hamilton --- but here’s why I feel the way I do. Both teams benefit from depth and veteran talent. The difference is that Detroit is experienced without being old --- and the Pistons feature a squad that has considerably more time playing together as a unit. Although Boston is capable of playing outstanding defense, the Pistons are very physical --- and playoffs are the time for tough players to make themselves felt!

For those reasons, I also believe that Detroit would have an upper hand against the Lakers. In such a match-up Detroit should have enough depth and athleticism to contain Kobe just enough to make a difference. Although L.A. has certainly improved from the trade for Gasol, I’m not sure that the Lakers, as a team, function as efficiently as Detroit because of how long the respective players have all been together with each other.

In any event --- what happens will be entertaining and, I hope, memorable. Many deserving players will be involved in the final series and it will be enjoyable to see who most wants the ultimate victory.


For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

CHECK OUT THE A-TRAIN'S PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2008 NBA PLAYOFFS

Artis has begun a blog posted at:

http://news.jacksonville.com/sportsdesknation

Just logon and, once on that site, scroll down to find his insights about the 2008 NBA playoffs!

ARTIS GILMORE JOINS
JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY
AS SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT

Artis Gilmore, the legendary basketball player and 1970 graduate of Jacksonville University, is joining the school as the Special Assistant to the President.

In his role as Special Assistant, Gilmore will represent the University at various events serving in community relations, working with alumni and donor development, as well as representing the University and the athletics department.

"We are excited to have Artis join the University staff and lend his skills and talents to benefit his alma mater," said JU President Dr. Kerry Romesburg. "His athletic accomplishments speak for themselves, and his outreach in the community shows his true commitment toward positive change for Jacksonville. He was a key part of a golden era at JU - he has been and always will be a key part of this University."

"Having Artis join the University in this role is a tremendous boost and will help rekindle memories and relationships from days gone by," said JU director of athletics Alan Verlander. "He is always a major presence whenever he is in a room and it is going to be great to work with him to promote the University as well as the athletics department."

A native of Jacksonville, Gilmore will also continue mentoring programs and help connect the University with the city of Jacksonville in community service with all JU students.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

A-TRAIN APPEARS IN WILL FERRELL'S NEW MOVIE: SEMI-PRO

Artis, together with ABA greats George Gervin and James Silas, can be seen in SEMI-PRO, a recently released Will Ferrell comedy.

See movie clip at:

http://www.semipromovie.com

Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) is the owner, promoter, coach, and star player of the Flint Michigan Tropics of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In 1976 before the ABA collapses, the National Basketball Association (NBA) plans to merge with the best teams of the ABA at the end of the season. Only the top four teams will make the move and the worst teams will fold. The Tropics are the worst team in the league and if they want to make it to the NBA, Jackie Moon must rally his team and start winning. The only problem with that scenario is the fact that Jackie Moon is not really the coach and star basketball player he thinks he is. He was able to buy the Tropics franchise with proceeds that he had earned from his hit song Love Me Sexy. To keep his team from oblivion and leave his mark in the city, Jackie Moon must inspire his team to win fourth place in the playoffs. Jackie trades a washing machine to another team for a former NBA benchwarmer, Monix (Woody Harrelson) to reach his goal. This was Monixs last season before he retires, and he wants to go out in a blaze of glory.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

WHERE'S ARTIS?
HOOP LEGEND AGAIN DENIED.

by Gene Frenette
HOFMAG.com Exclusive

Jacksonville, FL

Every sports Hall of Fame likely has some members whose credentials for inclusion are borderline. It often happens with players who were fortunate to be part of all-time great teams.
Were the four-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s so omnipotent that nine of them belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Did the dynastic Boston Celtics under coach Red Auerbach deserve to have almost every starter and a sixth man, Frank Ramsey, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame?
Maybe so, but there's no question that certain Hall of Famers gain entry by riding the coattails of dominant teammates.
But what about those superb players who suffer the misfortune of spending much of their career with a mediocre supporting cast? Should their candidacy be diminished by lack of championship rings or prime years on their sport's center stage?
Those are fair questions when the basketball résumé of 7-foot-2 giant Artis Gilmore is held up to the light.
Why Gilmore is still not enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame (his No. 53 jersey is there on display) nearly two decades after his retirement is a great mystery to those who played with and against him.

"Not only did I play with Artis for four years, but I saw him every day in practice," said Dan Issel, Gilmore's teammate with the ABA Kentucky Colonels from 1971-75. "He's the strongest physical player I've ever played against, an outstanding defensive player.
"If you look at his whole game at both ends of the floor and look at the success he had when he was on good teams, I don't know how you keep him out of the Hall of Fame."
Issel and Gilmore traveled similar career paths. Issel was a 1970 first-team, All-American and a terrific scorer at Kentucky. Gilmore was the consensus 1971 National Player of the Year at Jacksonville University, leading a previously unknown program to the NCAA championship game in 1970 before falling 81-69 to John Wooden's UCLA dynasty.

During a combined 15 seasons in the ABA and NBA, including a decade with the Denver Nuggets, the 6-9 Issel scored 27,482 points and had 11,133 rebounds. Gilmore's 17-year pro career, with NBA stops in Chicago, San Antonio and a final half-season in Boston, produced 24,941 points (# 18 all time) and 16,330 rebounds (# 5 all time)

So what's the biggest difference between Issel and Gilmore, whose only championship rings came with the 1975 Colonels? Issel made the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, his second year of eligibility; and Gilmore is still waiting for his Hall pass.

Comparing Gilmore's numbers to several Hall of Famer big men from around his era - be it Bob Lanier, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed or Bill Walton - reveals no major statistical gap. In fact, the man known as the A Train trumps all of that Fab Four in points and rebounds during their pro careers.
And if you go by what Gilmore did in two Division I seasons at Jacksonville, where he still holds the NCAA record of 22.7 rebounds per game, his case for Hall inclusion becomes as formidable as his post presence was to every opponent who had to contend with him.

"It's unbelievable that [Gilmore] is not in the Hall of Fame," said George Gervin, his former teammate with the San Antonio Spurs and a Hall of Famer himself. "I'm in the Hall of Fame because I was a prolific scorer. But Artis was a prolific rebounder and shot-blocker, as well as a scorer.
"You can't erase his dominance in college, the ABA or NBA. I don't know what the Hall of Fame is looking at. For him to be overlooked is a travesty. It's sad. You look at Artis' statistics and look at some of the league's great players, he's right up there. And people haven't done what he did in college."

A closer look at Gilmore's numbers validates the points made by Issel and Gervin about his impact on both ends of the floor. Since blocked shots became an official statistic in 1973-74, Gilmore's 2,497 career rejections in the Pros ranks only behind Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo.

During the ABA's nine-year lifespan, Gilmore was the only player to be a first-team, All-Star five times. He was the league's MVP as a rookie.
One of the reasons Gilmore's NBA career tends to get overlooked is his prime years were all spent with the mediocre Chicago Bulls (1976-82), who had no viable scoring threat outside of Gilmore and Reggie Theus. By the time he joined Gervin in San Antonio for the 1982-83 season – when the Spurs won a then franchise-record 53 games and lost a tough six-game Western Conference championship series to the Los Angeles Lakers - Gilmore was already 33-years-old.

But that doesn't mean Gilmore's overall body of NBA work lacked serious impact. He made the NBA All-Star team six times and still holds the league's career field goal percentage mark of .599.

"Artis' accomplishments are simply incredible," Gervin said. "So you have to ask yourself: 'What is the criteria to make the Hall of Fame?' "
When asked by LA Times columnist TJ Simers about Artis' exclusion some years back both Jerry West and Kareem Abdul Jabbar expressed surprise to learn that Artis wasn't a member of the Hoop Hall.
Pat Cosgrove, a New Jersey purchasing agent and big ABA fan, is forming a committee of prominent ex-players and media to push for more Hall of Fame consideration of ABA players. He, too, remains baffled by Gilmore's exclusion.

"Artis isn't going to say a whole lot to fuel the fire. There's no spokesman for the ABA guys" said Cosgrove. "He should be in the Hall for his defensive presence alone"
Gilmore made the final list of Hall of Fame nominees in 1996 and '98, but has since fallen short of enough votes from the screening committee to qualify for election. The Hall of Fame announced its next group of nominees during the NBA's All-Star weekend, and Gilmore was again denied. The longer Gilmore's career is in the rear-view mirror of voters, his chances of being enshrined diminish.
Now 57, the gentle giant has become almost numb about his exclusion. Family and friends say Gilmore, a businessman in Jacksonville, is more bothered by not having a permanent place in Springfield than he lets on, but he refuses to get caught up in bitterness.

Three years ago, when I asked him about the Hall of Fame snub, Gilmore was a lot more diplomatic than some of his peers, saying: "It was something that touched me emotionally at one time, but I don't allow it to affect me now. I'm not sure there's an adequate explanation."

Really, how can anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of basketball history not think that Gilmore belongs in the Hall of Fame? It's one of those injustices that may never be rectified, or tragically, might only get the attention of the Hall's 24 unidentified voters (18 votes are required for election) after Gilmore's death.
Bob Hayes, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and Jacksonville's greatest athlete, never got serious consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame until he passed away in 2002. He narrowly missed being elected on the final ballot in 2004.

Let's hope it doesn't take Gilmore leaving us for the basketball Hall of Fame to fix this egregious oversight.
"If you look at Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal], he's a great basketball player because of his physical attributes," Issel said. "But Artis would have been in the NBA if he was 6-foot-6 because of his speed and moves around the basket. He's not a great player just because he was 7-foot-2."

"It's a huge puzzle to me why Artis isn't in the Hall because he went on to have really good years after the [ABA-NBA] merger. In my estimation, there aren't any real holes in his career."

However, there's one obvious void in the aftermath of Gilmore's splendid basketball journey. His election to the Hall of Fame is long overdue.

Gene Frenette is a sports columnist at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. He has won numerous writing awards and been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
You can contact him at gfrenette@HOFMAG.com

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

ARTIS GILMORE AND THE
HALL OF FAME

NOTE: THIS EXCELLENT POST WAS ORIGINALLY MADE BY RICARDO AT:

http://spursmetrics.blogspot.com

28 DECEMBER 2006 I have long wondered why Artis Gilmore is not in the Basketball Hall of Fame. For those who don't know, Gilmore, after a superb college career, played a total of seventeen professional basketball seasons (five in the ABA, twelve in the NBA) and it was a distinguished career, as we will see. We begin by examining Gilmore's career in comparison with one of his contemporaries, Dan Issel.

GILMORE AND ISSEL

Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel are two basketball players more closely joined than people realize. Both had standout college careers (Gilmore had, to my mind, the more impressive feat of taking a school called Jacksonville to the Final Four; Issel starred at perennial power Kentucky), both were ABA stars with similar resumes: Issel was co-Rookie of the Year in 1971 (with Charlie Scott), Gilmore was Rookie of the Year in 1972. Issel won the 1971 Scoring championship, Gilmore won the Rebounding championship from 1972-74 and again in 1976. Issel made five All-ABA teams - one First team and four Second teams; Gilmore also made five All-ABA teams - five First teams. Both men won the All-Star Game MVP award - Issel in 1972 and Gilmore in 1974. Both men won one ABA championship - together, with the 1975 Kentucky Colonels.
In weighing the two resumes, you probably concur with my opinion that Gilmore’s ABA resume is a little better, a little deeper. If you do not yet, perhaps you will following this little tidbit: Gilmore’s ABA League MVP award in 1972. That's correct, Rookie of the Year and MVP.

Both men played in the NBA following the demise of the ABA. Neither man was quite as successful in the NBA as they had been in the ABA, which is understandable - two of the very best players in the world, Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, occupied the same position as Gilmore and Issel. Most of the major hardware (All-NBA, League MVP, All-defensive team, All-Star selections, NBA championships) went to Malone and Jabbar from 1977 to 1985, almost annually. In a contest of divvying up the remaining scraps, Gilmore still came out ahead of Issel.
Issel was selected to one All-Star Game in his nine NBA seasons; Gilmore made six All-Star Games in his twelve NBA seasons. Gilmore also won four FG% championships and retired as the NBA’s all time FG% Champion, connecting on 59.9% of his field goal attempts. Neither Gilmore nor Issel enjoyed much playoff success, as the figures below demonstrate:

DENVER (Issel) CHICAGO / SAN ANTONIO / BOSTON (Gilmore)
1977 2-4 1977 1-2
1978 6-7 1981 2-4
1979 1-2 1983 6-5
1982 1-2 1985 2-3
1983 3-5 1986 0-3
1984 2-3 1988 9-8
1985 8-7

TOTAL
23-30 (.434) 20-25 (.445)

Hard for either side to claim victory there.

Now, here is a look at the NBA regular season career averages for each player:

FG% FT% PPG RPG APG BPG SPG
Gilmore .599 .713 17.1 10.1 2.0 1.9 0.5
Issel .506 .797 20.4 8.0 2.5 0.6 1.0

Fairly even statistics. However, consider one thing: Gilmore played three more seasons than Issel, giving his own statistics a push downward. How do both men look after nine NBA seasons? (We already know the answer to Issel, but we'll put them side-by-side again)

Name FG% FT% PPG RPG APG BPG SPG
Gilmore .599 .722 19.3 11.4 2.2 2.2 0.6
Issel .506 .797 20.4 8.0 2.5 0.6 1.0

There are two areas in which the nearly identical paths of these two players diverge:

1) Gilmore was a low post shot-blocking center, Issel a high post jump-shooting center in a motion offense. In that sense, one could argue that they should not be compared directly. I personally reject that argument, but we’ll look at another pair of high post jump-shooting centers just to address that argument.

2) Issel is in the Hall of Fame, Gilmore is not
I’m not comfortable with that state of affairs based upon Issel’s induction in 1993. If Issel was still on the outside looking in, then maybe Gilmore is a bit of a reach. But I just don’t see how one player is deserving of the honor and the other is not. What did Dan Issel achieve, during his playing career, that Artis Gilmore did not?


ALVAN ADAMS AND JACK SIKMA

Adams and Sikma were similar players to Issel: both played the high post and were jump-shooters. Here’s a look at all three:

Name FG% FT% PPG RPG APG BPG SPG
Issel .506 .797 20.4 8.0 2.5 0.6 1.0
Sikma .471 .836 16.8 10.8 3.3 1.0 1.1
Adams .495 .774 15.5 7.6 4.4 1.0 1.4

The numbers listed here are not career numbers for Adams and Sikma; I used only their first nine seasons to compare with Issel. Issel, the Hall of Famer, has only a comfortable margin ahead in points. Issel is barely ahead of Adams in terms of FG% (he has a larger lead on Sikma); in rebounding he barely ranks ahead of Alvan "Captain Finesse" Adams and is well behind Sikma’s 10.8 - nearly a three rebound difference. Adams is well in front in the assist category - 1.1 ahead of Sikma and nearly 2 assists ahead of Issel. To my mind, this comparison only demonstrates that these three players were about equally effective - but Issel is in the Hall of Fame.

There isn’t even a team penalty involved here - Issel did not lose out statistically because he was part of a great team; if anything, Sikma and Adams would probably be the players penalized. Adams’ Suns went to the Finals in his rookie year of 1975-76, and Sikma’s Sonics won the championship in 1978-79. Both teams were near the top of the West standings during the next few years until the rise of the Magic-Kareem Lakers.

Issel, on the other hand, played for a intermittent playoff team which scored record numbers of points. I could argue that Issel’s numbers should have been better.

I don’t mean to knock Dan Issel here. He was a very good player, a tough cover for low post centers who didn’t like to wander away from the paint. As we have seen, Issel accomplished a lot in his years of professional basketball and deserves his place in the Hall. But so does Artis Gilmore. On the basis of his NBA accomplishments alone, perhaps his induction is a slight reach. When considering the ABA and his college career (and the Hall of Fame is not the NBA Hall of Fame), Artis Gilmore should be an above-average Hall of Famer.

I thought the next useful thing to do would be to take a snapshot of the center position from 1976-1989 and look at Gilmore together with his colleagues. With the exception of Issel (who only played nine NBA seasons), we are looking at the same exact twelve seasons (1977-88) of career Gilmore had. Two minor exceptions to be aware of: Adams' career began in 1976, so I look at his first twelve seasons ending in 1987; Sikma's career began in 1978, so I look at his first twelve seasons ending in 1989.

Artis Gilmore (NBA Career, 1977-88)
- 909 Games
- 29685 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
5732/9570 (.599)
FTM/A (%)
4114/5768 (.713)
- 15579 Points
- 9161 Rebounds
- 1777 Assists
- 1748 Blocks
- 470 Steals
Career Averages
Regular Season
17.1 ppg
10.1 rpg
2 apg
0.5 spg
1.9 bpg
NBA Notables:
All-time leader in FG% (.599)
Led league in FG% four times
6 All-Star selections
ABA Notables:
1972 MVP
1972 Rookie of the Year
1972-74, 1976 Rebounding champion
All-ABA First Team (5)
1974 All-Star Game MVP


Dan Issel (NBA Career, 1977-85)
- 718 Games
- 22342 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
5424/10711 (.506)
FTM/A (%)
3792/4756 (.797)
- 14659 Points
- 5707 Rebounds
- 1804 Assists
- 396 Blocks
- 698 Steals
Career Averages
Regular Season
20.4 ppg
8 rpg
2.5 ast
1 spg
0.6 bpg
NBA Notables:
1 All-Star selection
ABA Notables:
1971 Co-Rookie of the Year (Charlie Scott)
1971 Scoring champion
All-ABA First Team (1) Second Team (4)
1972 All-Star Game MVP


Jack Sikma (NBA Career Survey 1978-89)
- 959 Games
- 30166 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
5761/12274 (.469)
FTM/A (%)
3896/4596 (.848)
- 15499 Points
- 9883 Rebounds
- 3116 Assists
- 936 Blocks
- 1021 Steals
Career Survey Averages
Regular Season
16.2 ppg
10.3 rpg
3.3 apg
1.1 spg
1.0 bpg
NBA Notables:
All-Defensive Second Team (1)
FT% Champion 1988


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (NBA Career Survey 1977-88)
- 937 Games
- 32418 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
8708/15133 (.575)
FTM/A (%)
3736/5041 (.741)
- 21153 Points
- 8562 Rebounds
- 3165 Assists
- 2271 Blocks
- 826 Steals
Career Survey Averages
Regular Season
22.6 ppg
9.1 rpg
3.4 apg
0.9 spg
2.1 bpg
NBA Notables:
MVP 1977, 1980
Finals MVP 1985
All-NBA First Team (5) Second Team (4)
All-Defensive First Team (3) Second Team (3)
FG% Champion 1977
Blocks Champion 1979, 1980


Moses Malone (NBA Career Survey 1977-88)
- 920 Games
- 34164 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
7532/15216 (.495)
FTM/A (%)
6636/8692 (.764)
- 21703 Points
- 12715 Rebounds
- 1346 Assists
- 1383 Blocks
- 845 Steals
Career Survey Averages
Regular Season
23.6 ppg
13.8 rpg
1.5 apg
0.9 spg
1.5 bpg
NBA Notables:
MVP 1979, 1982, 1983
Finals MVP 1983
All-NBA First Team (4) Second Team (4)
All-Defensive First Team (1) Second Team (1)
Minutes Champion 1979, 1982
Rebound Champion 1979, 1981-85


Robert Parish (NBA Career Survey 1977-88)
- 941 Games
- 28765 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
6439/12055 (.534)
FTM/A (%)
2705/3786 (.715)
- 15583 Points
- 9338 Rebounds
- 1528 Assists
- 1664 Blocks
- 815 Steals
Career Survey Averages
Regular Season
16.6 ppg
9.9 rpg
1.6 apg
0.9 spg
1.8 bpg
NBA Notables:
All-NBA Second Team (1)


Alvan Adams (NBA Career Survey 1976-87)
- 906 Games
- 25557 Minutes Played
FGM/FGA (%)
5458/10958 (.498)
FTM/A (%)
2382/3032 (.786)
- 13299 Points
- 6572 Rebounds
- 3829 Assists
- 786 Blocks
- 1207 Steals
Career Survey Averages
Regular Season
14.7 ppg
7.3 rpg
4.2 apg
1.3 spg
0.9 bpg
NBA Notables:
1976 NBA Rookie of the Year


SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON

FG% FT% PPG RPG APG BPG SPG
M. Malone .495 .764 23.6 13.8 1.5 1.5 0.9
Abdul-Jabbar .575 .741 22.6 9.1 3.4 2.1 0.9
Gilmore .599 .713 17.1 10.1 2.0 1.9 0.5
Parish .534 .715 16.6 9.9 1.6 1.8 0.9
Sikma .469 .848 16.2 10.3 3.3 1.0 1.1
Issel .506 .797 20.4 8.0 2.5 0.6 1.0
Adams .498 .786 14.7 7.3 4.2 0.9 1.3

Ranking these players from 1-7 and assigning points on that basis, here's how they ranked in each category (except for steals, an irrelevant category for centers) and total:

FG% FT% PPG RPG APG BPG TOT
Malone 6 4 1 1 7 4 23
Abdul-Jabbar 2 5 2 5 2 1 17
Gilmore 1 7 4 3 5 2 22
Parish 3 6 5 4 6 3 27
Sikma 7 1 6 2 3 5 24
Issel 4 2 3 6 4 7 26
Adams 5 3 7 7 1 6 29

POINTS RANKING
Abdul-Jabbar 17 (HOF)
Gilmore 22
Malone 23
Sikma 24
Issel 26 (HOF)
Parish 27 (HOF)
Adams 29

This man-to-man comparison is interesting - not entirely compelling, because you can't weight free-throw percentage equally with points per game, but it's interesting nonetheless. I would subjectively slot them this way -

1 Abdul-Jabbar
2 Malone
3-4 Gilmore/Parish
5 Sikma
6 Issel
7 Adams

- and I don't think you'd get much of an argument from the typical informed basketball fan.


Here’s a look at Gilmore’s combined ABA-NBA averages:

FG% FT% PPG RPG BPG
.582 .698 18.8 12.3 2.4

And Gilmore’s ABA numbers:

GP FGM/A FTM/A PTS PPG REB RPG BLK BPG
420 3671/6588 2020/3022 9362 22.3 7169 17.1 1430 3.4

Gilmore is not a lock for the Hall - obviously, since he retired in 1988. If we’re looking for chinks in his armor - well, maybe he could have been a more productive scorer (great FG%, why not take a few more shots?) and his teams should have won more. But he was a top-notch rebounder and shot blocker, and is one of the ten greatest centers of all time.

My own (highly) subjective listing of the ten greatest centers in history:
1. Chamberlain
2. Abdul-Jabbar
3. Olajuwon
4. O’Neal
5. Robinson
6. M. Malone
7. Russell
8. Cowens
9. Ewing
10. Gilmore

What's left to say? Gilmore's case for the Hall of Fame should be self-evident by now. In the ABA, Gilmore had no peer at the center position; in the NBA, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone, two legends of basketball, could claim superiority to Gilmore during his time in the league. Gilmore holds an NBA all-time record in a significant statistical category. I submit to you that if there is an argument against Artis Gilmore's entry into the Basketball Hall of Fame, it would have to be an immensely strong argument to repel the mountain of evidence in his favor.

Artis Gilmore is obviously a Hall of Famer. Let's make it official.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

MEDINA, OHIO SPORTSWRITER
RECALLS PLAYING PICK-UP BASKETBALL
WITH ARTIS GILMORE

by: Rick Noland Medina Gazette

I am a hoops junkie. I'll watch any kind of basketball game, anytime. I'll play in any game, anytime.

Over the years, I've had hundreds — maybe even thousands — of great experiences playing and watching the best sport in the world. I recently added three I'd like to share.

The first occurred Friday night, when a bunch of us old geezers won the 26-and-over championship at Pinnacle Sports Complex in our first year in the league.

I bring this up not to brag, but because I've played in a lot of leagues over the years and this one ranked right near the top due to its diversity in age, race, style of play and team makeup, not to mention its great officiating and sportsmanlike players.

Of course, that Salem Plumbing managed to come out on top with a nine-man roster that featured players 37, 38, 43, 45, 45 and 49 years of age made it even sweeter.

That none of us had a heart attack while laughing hysterically as we watched a videotape of the game — trust me, "slow-motion" replays were not needed — was icing on the cake.

Just how slow we were, are and will continue to be was driven home the next two days when I went to Ray Mellert Park to watch the fourth annual Hoop-n-Que 4-on-4 tournament.

I'm normally not a big fan of unnecessary showmanship — you don't get extra points for a no-look pass, dunk or between-the-legs dribble, after all — but this event was awesome on a number of fronts.

No. 1, it brought me back to the pickup games of my youth, when long jumpers were rare due to wobbly backboards, wind, bright sunlight and bent rims that were too low to begin with.

No. 2, the talent level was absolutely fabulous, the athleticism was phenomenal and the play was amazingly physical, yet clean.

Hoop-n-Que would have gotten raves based on those aspects alone, but what truly made it special was the vibrant atmosphere that existed at a park some people are afraid to visit.

The music was lively, the food was terrific, the play was spectacular and everyone was smiling. About 350 people were on hand each day, and that number should grow in 2007 now that Hoop-n-Que has finally gotten some long overdue publicity.

Organized by Medina natives Mantrell Price and Ramon Burnham, the event was as well-run as the 26-and-over league at Pinnacle and the men's 3-on-3 league at the Medina Community Recreation Center, which brings me to my third great basketball experience in recent days.

While loosening up for our 3-on-3 game Monday, I couldn't help but notice an extremely large gentleman. He was sitting down at the time, so I put him at about 6-foot-9, 6-10. Only when he stood up did I realize he was well over 7 feet tall.

His gait was undeniably that of a former pro athlete, but I did not recognize 7-2, five-time ABA All-Star, six-time NBA All-Star Artis Gilmore until I was told who he was.

Turns out he was in town because he is very good friends with a player on our team. It also turns out he was coming to Pinnacle the next afternoon to play pickup ball with a bunch of us who congregate there on a regular basis.

Gilmore will be 57 in September, so his legs aren't what they used to be. But he's still 7-2, he weighs about 325 pounds, his hands make the basketball look like a grapefruit and his long arms allow him to come within inches of the rim without jumping.

Needless to say, everyone in our group of chuckers was eager to play with and against a guy who scored 9,362 points in five ABA seasons (22.3 average) and 15,579 more in 12 NBA campaigns (17.1).

Now, I've played with and against NBA players and coaches before and the games have always fallen into one of two categories: Either the pro is so nice he holds back the entire time (Larry Nance, Austin Carr) or so unbelievably competitive (Barry Clemens, George Karl) no one else gets to touch the ball. Either way, the games usually aren't all that much fun once the initial thrill of playing with a pro is gone.

This was different. Gilmore proved to be a proud, competitive athlete who wanted to win and did not look down — figuratively, at least — at the unathletic hacks around him. Yet he was sane enough that he didn't suddenly explode in a burst of 100 percent effort and accidentally kill someone.

The games were competitive, yet friendly and fun. Gilmore, who put the ball over his head, muscled his way to the basket and scored whenever he really felt like it, even called a few fouls and debated a few called against him.

It all added up to yet another great basketball experience — my third in a span of just five days.

Hopefully, there are many more still to come.

Who's got next?


Noland may be reached at rickn@ohio.net

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

HUBIE BROWN SAYS
ARTIS GILMORE
BELONGS IN THE HALL OF FAME

The following is extracted from the National Basketball Retired Players Association's website and an interview, conducted with Coach Hubie Brown by David Friedman on July 26, 2006.

DF: It is mystifying that Artis Gilmore is not in the Hall of Fame. Talk about his greatness and how underappreciated he is.

HB: When I took over in Kentucky, the team had been in the playoffs a number of years but had never won the championship…What we did is change the emphasis of who we were going to as our first option. That would now be Artis Gilmore. At the end of the season, we tied with the Nets for the best record and had a playoff game. We won the flip of the coin (for home court advantage) and we won the game. In the playoffs we beat Memphis 4-1. Then we beat St. Louis, who had upset the Nets, 4-1. Then we beat Indiana 4-1 in the Finals. Artis Gilmore was voted by Sport Magazine as the MVP of the playoffs and his numbers for points and rebounds in the playoffs were astronomical. He was overpowering. What you have in Artis Gilmore was a great team player, a player that was loved by all of his teammates. He had great humility. When the leagues merged, he went to Chicago and did a great job in Chicago and then moved from Chicago to the San Antonio Spurs, where they had outstanding teams. It is really hard to fathom how he is not in the Hall of Fame. He was such a dominant player.

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

ARTIS GILMORE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT REFEREES

Artis Answers Questions From Readers

QUESTION:

In the recent series between Miami and Dallas it seems like everyone
was complaining about the refs. Although that has always been part of
the game, did you talk much to refs when you were playing and what is
your attitude about what seems to be a growing tendency of many
players to constantly be bellyaching to referees while the game is in
progress?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

Athletes are always going to complain about the officials --- that really is part of the game. When I was playing Rick Barry had the reputation of being the biggest crybaby of all times because he was always complaining during the game. Sometimes, though, I think refs showed him some favoritism just because they knew he’d complain. There’s one part of this subject that I never hear much about. I regret observing that there are still officials continuing in the game for the earlier years when I was there. More power to them for hanging in that long, but quite honestly, I don’t think that some of them are quick enough any more to properly referee complex situations involving today’s fast moving athletes.

A-Train
June 21, 2006

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

ARTIS GILMORE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT SHAQ

Artis Answers Questions From Readers

QUESTION:

Artis: if you were playing against Shaq, what would you do on defense and how would you come at him on offense?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

The rules of engagement haven't changed very much from the earlier years when I played the league. The best offense players are frequently not matched against each other in games. The key reason is to prevent foul trouble for offense threats, especially with big men during the early stages of the games. Of course, as the game moves forward there are occasions where the big guns go head-to-head. If I were to have had the opportunity to face Shaq I would work to prevent him from catching the ball on the box near the basket. That would mean using phyical strength to force him to catch the ball further away from the basket, and to make him use more energies on all attempts to receive the ball on offense. Many centers simply don’t have the power to do that with Shaq, but hat was exactly the type of physical game I was able to play for many years and I certainly believe that would be my edge against him.


A-Train
May 31, 2006

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

IT'S TIME FOR THE A-TRAIN TO PULL INTO THE HALL OF FAME!

Posted May 17, 2006

By Brett Ballantini

http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/gilmore_feature_060517.html


When you sneak a peek into the hallowed Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, there’s a name of a notoriously quiet player that shouts out in absentia.

He’s the all-time shooting leader in two professional leagues (yes, he was more accurate than Wilt Chamberlain). He’s the NCAA’s all-time leading rebounder (yes, he dominated the college glass better than Bill Russell).

He was the ABA Rookie of the Year (and MVP) in the same year that Hall of Famer Julius Erving and six-time All-Star George McGinnis were rookies. And, off the court, none other than Chicago Bulls legend “Stormin’” Norm Van Lier says that “if I had a son, I would want him to be just like this man.”

The gentle giant who leaves a gaping hole in the Hall is Artis “A-Train” Gilmore, who played five ABA seasons and a dozen in the NBA. Few players were as powerful and consistent on both ends of the floor as Gilmore, and, while there are centers with more titles, MVP awards and higher profiles, you can count the pivotmen with more outstanding overall careers as the A-Train’s on one hand.

Don’t overlook the fact that, playing the most physically demanding position in the sport, Gilmore played 1,329 regular-season games in 17 seasons—an average of more than 78 games per season—and ran up consecutive games-played streaks of 670 and 212. And through incredible pounding in the paint, “He never complained about pain,” former Kentucky Colonels’ trainer Lloyd Gardner says. “He was an unbelievable competitor, who never wanted to miss a game. He took a lot of pride in that.”

Gilmore won one ABA MVP award, in his rookie year of 1971-72. His Colonels made it to two ABA Finals, losing in seven games to Indiana in 1972-73 and winning in five games vs. the Pacers in 1974-75. His regular season ABA numbers were 22.3 points and 17.1 rebounds, mirrored by his playoff averages: 22.0 points and 16.1 rebounds.

“Artis is one of those guys who made the ABA what it was,” says Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown, who coached the Colonels to the 1975 ABA title. “It became a monster league with all of its talent, and he was All-ABA First Team all the time. He was a major, major star in the ABA, and I don’t think he should be penalized for that. If Dan Issel is in the Hall of Fame, then Artis Gilmore should be in the Hall of Fame. They were both on my team!”

It was the 1975 title that marked the highlight of Gilmore’s professional career, which was dogged by impossibly high expectations once the 7’2” center moved into the NBA. Gilmore set the all-time ABA rebound mark with 40 vs. the New York Nets in the stretch run of that season, and followed that up with a 33-rebound effort in a one-game playoff with the Nets in May to determine the Eastern Division titlist.

Gilmore’s consistently even keel bordered on the extreme. Says Gardner of the 1975 title clincher: “When the game was over with, Artis shook hands and went to the locker room. There was an electrical storm that night and the lights went out. We started to celebrate with the lights out, and it really took off when we got the electricity back. But, as we’re celebrating, nobody sees Artis. We had to go down into the locker room to bring him back out for the celebration.”

Issel acknowledges Gilmore’s enormous performances during the Colonels’ championship season, but notes that there was a wider scope to Gilmore’s play. “Artis coming along kind of forced the rest of the teams in the ABA to start getting some big people that played the kind of style that the NBA played. Up until then, the ABA was more wide open and up-and-down than the NBA—but Artis was such an unbelievable basketball player, he forced the league to change its style of play, or at least be willing to. He was just an awesome player who really gave the ABA some credibility.”

Among all professional centers—discarding the royal coupling of Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—Gilmore might have boasted the very best balance of offense and defense. As a scorer, he was ruthlessly efficient, hitting an amazing 59.9% of his shots during his time in the NBA, the league’s all-time best shooting mark. And on defense, no one wanted a shot in the paint—or the perimeter—when Gilmore rolled out his welcome mat.

“You were always looking around to kick the ball to somebody else, ’cause Artis had such great strength, he would flatten the Spalding on you,” says Hall-of-Famer Bob McAdoo, now a Heat assistant under Pat Riley.

“Artis had an agility that made him an amazing shot-blocker,” says Hall of Fame forward Rick Barry, a gunner who was able to score at will from two out to 25 feet. “He was so adept on defense, he could bound outside the paint and take out one of my jump shots. The referees would usually slap him with goaltending because nobody had ever seen a player block a jump shot from five or 10 feet away.”

Gilmore’s prowess scared plenty of post players, too.

“He was a wonderfully gifted defensive player,” says Jim Durham, the broadcaster during Gilmore’s entire first run with the Bulls. “Other centers sure didn’t want to play against him. The Bulls never had to double-down, not against Kareem, not against Bill Walton, not against Bob Lanier, as long as Artis was in the game.”

“Artis gave me as much, if not more, trouble than anyone I ever played against,” Walton says. “I felt Kareem was the better player, but in terms of who gave me the biggest headaches, it was Artis. He had a way about him that was overpowering, on either end of the court.”

One thing that most likely affects the overall perception of Gilmore is that he played some of his best seasons in the ABA. To an extent, the NBA acknowledges the ABA, such as the league’s adoption of the three-point line and the All-Star slam-dunk competition, but, when it comes to the record book, the ABA stats are kept completely separate.

Technically, NBA-ABA rivalry shouldn’t even matter when it comes to the Hall of Fame. The Hall is for contributions to basketball, not to the NBA exclusively. It’s the Hall’s fault for confusing the two when it comes to ABA veterans.

Former Indiana Pacers forward Darnell Hillman, who was the ABA’s greatest big-man leaper, cites Gilmore as his biggest challenge on the floor. “Our battles became an unspoken rivalry where we’d try to block each other’s dunk. Artis was always lurking somewhere, but whenever I didn’t see him, I thought I was home free. Artis almost always would let me know I was wrong.

“We both loved to block shots, especially dunks. We both would try to throw down on each other on offense and get our blocks on defense. He was my greatest—a lot of players’ greatest—rival.”

Even tossing out Gilmore’s five storied ABA seasons and looking strictly at his NBA numbers, the A-Train more than holds his own. He played in more NBA games than Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and Walton, averaged 32.7 mpg, had better shooting percentages from the floor and the line than he did in the ABA, and averaged only marginally fewer rebounds (10.1), assists (2.0), and points (17.7).

The only things Gilmore’s NBA career lacked were a championship or a league MVP award. And among Hall members, that resume gap doesn’t make him unique because Hall of Famers Issel, Lanier, and Nate Thurmond share it.

“Artis always presented a problem because he was immovable once he got position on the block,” Brown says. “He had a sweeping hook shot and a nice jump shot, and was a decent free-throw shooter, a nice rebounder and an excellent shot-blocker. He adhered to all of our offensive and defensive philosophies. That’s saying a lot. There are a lot of guys today who don’t do that, or they’re incapable of doing all that. He always maximized his tools.”

Not only was Gilmore an unstoppable offensive force in the paint, but he was also one of the game’s most intimidating shot-blockers. His 1,747 swats rank him near the top in that category. To this day, Gilmore is Chicago’s all-time leader in blocks with 1,017. “When Artis wanted to win and the game was on the line, he closed it down within 10 feet,” Colonels broadcaster Van Vance says. “I don’t want to put Dr. J down, but in the final minutes of the game, I want the ball in Artis’ hands.”

Say Gilmore fell into the Boston Celtics’ hands in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft. Do you think for a minute Cowens wouldn’t have moved to power forward and Gilmore wouldn’t have roamed the center spot as part of Boston’s 1974 and 1976 title teams? Don’t hold it against Gilmore that the Bulls team he joined was so bad that, even with him, it lost 13 straight early in the 1976-77 season, or that the San Antonio Spurs team he was eventually traded to was veteran-heavy and a little low on gas.

“Artis was with the Spurs when we were at the height of our powers in L.A.,” recalls McAdoo. “Let’s face it. Winning a title takes some luck, and Artis didn’t get that lucky.”

Let’s pull the argument out of the paint and compare Gilmore and Hall of Famer David Thompson, two great collegians, stellar ABAers, and NBA stars. Thompson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996, having played the final ABA campaign with the Nuggets in 1975-76 and moving with Denver to the NBA, where the 6’4” guard played eight more seasons.

The only way in which Thompson dominated Gilmore was in his ability to soar. Yes, Thompson was an astounding collegian at North Carolina State, but Gilmore was as good or better, one of only seven players in NCAA history to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds for his career, with final marks of 23.3 points and an NCAA all-time best 22.7 rebounds.

Gilmore played in more than twice as many professional games than Thompson. He fell short of an NBA ring and MVP award, but so did Thompson. Gilmore was certainly more consistent and reliable. Gilmore’s devastating knee injury during a 1980 game broke his ironman streak of 670 consecutive games played; Thompson was a more inconsistent player even when healthy, and suffered his devastating knee injury of his own falling down a flight of stairs at New York’s famed Studio 54 nightclub.

Is the Hall going the new-school route of recognizing an individual’s talent above a team’s, valuing the occasionally spectacular above the consistently great by enshrining Thompson and ignoring Gilmore?

Brown, whose only coaching title came with Gilmore as his pivot, says Gilmore’s gentle-giant nature made him almost polite on the floor: “Artis was probably the second-strongest guy to play the game, behind Wilt, with incredible size and physical strength, but with the capacity to be gentle. Wilt and Artis never hurt a player deliberately, and they could have very easily done so.”

“He was mild-mannered, not a braggart, just a quiet, modest basketball player who didn’t push his own case,” Vance says.

To Gilmore, clearly, being a great player and a great person were not mutually exclusive. “You can go out and take somebody’s head off, but they have a family, just like you. I wanted to be competitive and dominant on the floor, but I always wanted to leave the game on the floor.”

Gilmore says that waiting for the Hall of Fame call has taken one toll in particular: “At one time, the Hall would have had major significance, but my mother, who was a double amputee, passed away a little more than two years ago. For my mother to have experienced that honor with me, well, it would have made it one of the greatest thrills of my life.”

But don’t the facts shout out for Gilmore, even if the modest superstar won’t?

Remember, Gilmore was a first-team All-ABA player and led Kentucky to the playoffs in each of his five ABA seasons. He was an All-Star in 11 of 17 ABA-NBA seasons. He never missed an ABA game. He shot better than 60% in six seasons, including an NBA all-time third-best 67.0% in 1980-81, and he led the NBA in shooting four times.

Still, one of the game’s greatest centers sits outside of the Hall of Fame, with little hope of garnering the necessary support for admission any time soon. As Gilmore himself says, “Beyond the facts and the numbers, the only thing we can do is talk about it, but that’s not going to change anything.”

“He was very coachable, extremely well-liked by his peers, very gracious. He was a total professional, never disruptive at any time,” says Brown, now an NBA TV analyst for ABC. “Everything about Artis was likable. The media, coaches, players, everyone liked Artis. You can’t meet a guy who has anything bad to say about Artis Gilmore. Why isn’t he in the Hall of Fame?”

Isn’t it time to put an end to that question by recognizing the most overlooked player in the history of pro basketball?

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

ARTIS GILMORE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT LeBRON JAMES

Artis Answers Questions From Readers

QUESTION:

As one of only three NBA players to be on the same team with both
Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, you have a first hand knowledge of
what made them great. Watching LeBron James, do you have a prediction about whether or not he has the ability to live up to expectations?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

I haven't had the opportunity to observe LeBron James during any of the CAVS practice sessions with his coaches and teammates, but from afar he certainly shows a great appreciation for the game and seems to be growing up with the same perspectives that I remember from other great players like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Respect for the game and for one’s teammates translates into leadership qualities on the court. If LeBron continues in good health he certainly will be one of the truly great players to watch in the near future.

A-Train

May 16, 2006

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

ARTIS GILMORE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT THE 2006
SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Artis Answers Questions From Readers
QUESTION:

As a former SPURS you've probably been following the San Antonio versus Dallas playoff series. What do the SPURS need to do to recover and get passed the MAVS?

ARTIS ANSWERS:

Unfortunately my beloved SPURS may not have the ability to recover
from this very difficult deficit against the newly revitalized Dallas Mavs.

If I had the opportunity to make some suggestions to this SPURS team, it certainly would focus on the fact that on defense the larger Dirk Nowitzki has been guarded with a smaller defender like Bruce Bowen. As good as he is, Bruce just just doesn't have the size to match up with Dirk. The imbalance in defense is also evident by the fact that the SPURS are giving up way too many points. Reliability on defense is key to success in any game, but especially so in the playoffs.

A-Train

May 16, 2006

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM

ARTIS GILMORE

"A-Train"

This ABA and NBA Legend
Deserves To Be In The Basketball Hall Of Fame.

• Named to Sporting News’ Top 50 of the first 50 Years of the NBA
• Named to Athlon’s Top 50 of the first 50 Years of the NBA
• ABA Championship, Kentucky Colonels, 1975
• Career .599 field-goal percentage - highest in NBA history
• 3rd highest shot blocker in pro basketball history (3,178)
• 4th highest rebounder in pro basketball history (16,330)
• 14th of all time pro basketball scorers (24,941)
• Leading left-handed scorer in professional basketball history
• One of only eight players in college history to average
20 points and 20 rebounds per game over a career
• All Star in 11 of 17 years as a pro
• 5th best all-time for pro minutes played (43,836)
• Played 670 consecutive games
• ABA Most Valuable Player and Rookie, 1971-72
• ABA single-season record for the most blocked shots (422)
• All-time ABA rebounds per game (40)
• Won 4 out of 5 ABA rebounding titles
• Led Jacksonville University to the NCAA championship final game vs UCLA in 1970
• Top of ESPN’s list of “Players Missing From The Hall Of Fame”

For more about Artis Gilmore --- or to e-mail
questions to A-Train --- please visit:
WWW.ARTISGILMORE.COM