RIP Moses Malone....

[_Sir_Charles_]

http://www.wbtv.com/story/30018913/nba-hall-of-famer-moses-malone-dies-at-60

60 is just waaaaay too damned young. RIP. :(

[Sea Ray]

Big men just don't seem to live very long, do they?

[cumberlandreds]

Great player. He statement of winning the NBA title one year was they would win in "Fo,Fo,Fo". It almost happened as they only lost one time in the playoffs. When he came out of high school to the pros it was shocking back then. It took him a while to get going but when he did he was a dominant player. Yes 60 is way too young. RIP Moses Malone.

[M2]

Malone was the best player in the NBA for a few years in the early '80s. He was nearly unstoppable.

Bizarre that he died two weeks after Darryl Dawkins and a year after Caldwell Jones. Former Sixers centers are dying young. Earl Cureton beware.

[westofyou]

Malone was the best player in the NBA for a few years in the early '80s. He was nearly unstoppable.

Bizarre that he died two weeks after Darryl Dawkins and a year after Caldwell Jones. Former Sixers centers are dying young. Earl Cureton beware.

Mike Gminski too

[Kingspoint]

In October of 1976 I was listening to a pre-season broadcast of the Blazers and Malone had 20 rebounds in the game for the Blazers. Portland got both Lucas and Malone in the ABA transition to the NBA. And, of course, we had Walton (and Lloyd Neal as our backup Center) at Center. So, as talented as Malone was, they couldn't see where he could get his minutes. Little did they know. That 20-rebound pre-season effort should have been a red flag. I was giddy listening to it, and very disappointed when we traded him away shortly thereafter. Here's the story (thanks to wikipedia):

The ABA-NBA merger occurred after the 1975–76 season, but the Spirits of St. Louis were not among the ABA teams chosen to join the NBA. Malone had already been selected by the NBA's New Orleans Jazz in a December 1975 pre-merger draft for ABA players of undergraduate age. However, the NBA let them place Malone into the 1976 ABA dispersal draft pool in exchange for the return of their first-round draft pick in 1977, which they used to trade for Gail Goodrich. In the 1976 dispersal draft, held for the remaining ABA players, Malone was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the fifth overall pick in the draft. The 21-year-old center was impressive in the pre-season, but ended up never playing a regular-season game for the Blazers. The Blazers had also acquired power forward Maurice Lucas in the draft. They believed they had acquired two players with similar skill sets. Concerns over the team's salary costs compelled them to choose one and release the other. Portland traded Malone to the Buffalo Braves prior to the first game of the 1976–77 season for a first-round draft choice in the 1978 draft. After two games with Buffalo, he was traded again to the Houston Rockets in exchange for two future first-round draft choices.

In Houston, Malone was reunited with coach Tom Nissalke, who had coached him in his rookie season with the ABA's Utah Stars. With the Rockets, Malone established himself immediately as one of the NBA's most ferocious rebounders, particularly on the offensive end. He appeared in 82 games overall for both Buffalo and Houston and finished with averages of 13.2 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. He ranked third in the NBA in rebounding behind Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and established a new NBA record for offensive rebounds in a season, with 437, breaking Paul Silas' old mark of 365. (Malone would break his own record two years later.) Malone also ranked seventh in the league in blocked shots, with 2.21 per game. He delivered in the playoffs, helping the Rockets to the Eastern Conference Finals, which they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Malone averaged 18.8 points and 16.9 rebounds in 12 playoff games. He set an NBA Playoff record with 15 offensive rebounds in an overtime victory against the Washington Bullets in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

[Sea Ray]

Mike Gminski too

And Wilt

[Assembly Hall]

RIP Mo

[BluegrassRedleg]

His name seldom comes up in discussions of the all-time best (top 5, 10, whatever) but he's No. 8 in career scoring and No. 5 in career reboundng. Underrated guy, somehow.

[RichRed]

Malone was the best player in the NBA for a few years in the early '80s. He was nearly unstoppable.

Bizarre that he died two weeks after Darryl Dawkins and a year after Caldwell Jones. Former Sixers centers are dying young. Earl Cureton beware.

Couple of the all-time great nicknames too: Chocolate Thunder and Chairman of the Boards.

[Revering4Blue]

Having grown up as a 76ers fan, this is another kick in the gut.

While many point to the ill-fated Brad Daugherty to the Cavs for Roy Hinson draft day '86 trade as the end of 76ers as a contender in the 80's. Many forget the trade of Malone to the Bullets in a multi-player deal that occurred soon after draft day '86 in which the 76ers received injury-prone center Jeff Ruland in return. IMO, the latter trade was actually far worse because the 76ers were able to deal Hinson for Gminski.

[goreds2]

Moses, thanks for giving my SIXERS a championship in 1983. RIP

[M2]

Moses, thanks for giving my SIXERS a championship in 1983. RIP

I think people forget just how much of a big deal the Sixers used to be. They were in lock-step with the Celtics and Lakers in the early 80s. The big let down for that franchise was getting drummed out of the conference finals by the Celtics in 1985. That was the moment when Philly slipped back to the pack.

[Revering4Blue]

I think people forget just how much of a big deal the Sixers used to be. They were in lock-step with the Celtics and Lakers in the early 80s. The big let down for that franchise was getting drummed out of the conference finals by the Celtics in 1985. That was the moment when Philly slipped back to the pack.

Yup.

That was Barkley's rookie year, and they failed to surround him with talent as Dr. J retired, Malone was foolishly dealt, and injuries ushered Andrew Toney to an early retirement. Ironically, Darryl Dawkins and Mike Gminski were both key contributors on the '84 New Jersey Net team that knocked out the defending champion Sixers out in the first round.
Oh, and Leo Rautins was an awful first round choice in '83, the pick that the Nets sent to Philly in exchange for Darryl Dawkins.

More useless trivia: Philly's own '83 first-rounder went to Indiana in exchange for Center Clemon Johnson. Also a Pacers fan, even when they were gawd awful, I was happy to see Clemon contribute to the Sixers championship squad. IMO, that '83 76ers front line was the deepest, most versatile of any NBA era.

[RichRed]

Having grown up as a 76ers fan, this is another kick in the gut.

While many point to the ill-fated Brad Daugherty to the Cavs for Roy Hinson draft day '86 trade as the end of 76ers as a contender in the 80's. Many forget the trade of Malone to the Bullets in a multi-player deal that occurred soon after draft day '86 in which the 76ers received injury-prone center Jeff Ruland in return. IMO, the latter trade was actually far worse because the 76ers were able to deal Hinson for Gminski.

And losing a trade to the Bullets took some real work. The Sixers also gave up first round picks in '86 and '88 in that deal, which the Bullets predictably proceeded to botch.

[M2]

It really is odd if you look at the Sixers in those years. They drafted Rautins in 1983 because they loved him during the sit down interview, but they could have taken Hinson, who was from nearby central New Jersey and they surely had him scouted to a microscopic degree. Had they drafted Hinson, they wouldn't have had to trade Brad Daugherty for him. Could have had both and then they never make the Moses/Ruland trade. One crazy choice and they spent the rest of the decade fruitlessly chasing big men.

[Revering4Blue]

And losing a trade to the Bullets took some real work. The Sixers also gave up first round picks in '86 and '88 in that deal, which the Bullets predictably proceeded to botch.

The botched the '86 pick - Anthony Jones from UNLV - as you mentioned, but the '88 pick was a solid player...Harvey Grant. The Bullets made out like bandits.

This archived article explains why Philly made the two '86 draft day deals.

http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-18/sports/26047166_1_sixers-north-carolina-s-brad-daugherty-trade

This article, written two years later, laments what might have been if the two aforementioned deals didn't occur.

http://articles.philly.com/1988-04-20/sports/26251835_1_sixers-washington-for-jeff-ruland-andrew-toney

[Kingspoint]

I love the up-and-down style of the teams from the '70's. Those Sixers teams were excellent. NBA teams would put up 120+ shots in half the games. They'd all get 22+ turnovers, which seems like a ton today, but in those flows it was acceptable. There were 10 gazelles going up and down the court...so much more (and much, much better) passing back then. Teams were able to get good shot attempts at the rim because of the tempo. It was the only way you could get to the rim, because if you tried it in a half-court set, you'd get your head knocked off for coming inside. That lasted up until the early 90's. Great era of basketball. Fun to watch. Much more cerebral and physical.

[M2]

I love the up-and-down style of the teams from the '70's. Those Sixers teams were excellent. NBA teams would put up 120+ shots in half the games. They'd all get 22+ turnovers, which seems like a ton today, but in those flows it was acceptable. There were 10 gazelles going up and down the court...so much more (and much, much better) passing back then. Teams were able to get good shot attempts at the rim because of the tempo. It was the only way you could get to the rim, because if you tried it in a half-court set, you'd get your head knocked off for coming inside. That lasted up until the early 90's. Great era of basketball. Fun to watch. Much more cerebral and physical.

Coaches ruin everything.