Let’s get the clear bias out in the open from the start.
At the onset of the current season, the list of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History was extended to 75 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the league’s founding. All 50 players from the 50th anniversary team were chosen to the new all-time squad, as were two glaring omissions from that 1996 listing: nine-time all-star Dominique Wilkins and former Buffalo Braves star Bob McAdoo. Most of the remaining additions were those that have played in the 25 years since, from retired greats such as Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant to active players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
St. Bonaventure legend Bob Lanier was not voted to the 75th Anniversary Team.
But he should have been.
I’m partial, of course, due to the Bona connection. I would have maintained that Lanier was snubbed even if I’d never seen the list of those chosen ahead of him. Because, c’mon, it’s Bob Lanier.
He was one of two centers (along with Bill Walton) — in an era of dominant big men — that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar singled out as being a nightmare to play against in his famous line from the 1980 comedy Airplane! He was described by fellow Hall of Famer Willis Reed as “probably one of the best all-around big men ever to play the game of basketball.” He was the guy, upon hearing young Purdue center William Franklin’s proclamation that he, the “Big Dog” would be getting the better of the “Big Cat,” responded by dropping 50 points on Franklin and the Boilermakers the following night.
Favoritism aside, however, Lanier certainly has a case for being considered a Top 75 player.
THE FORMER All-American, who led Bona to the 1970 Final Four, was an eight-time NBA All-Star, earning All-Star Game MVP honors in 1974. From his second pro season (1971-72) through 1978-79, he was as dominant a force as any, averaging 23.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.2 steals for the Detroit Pistons. Neary 40 years after retiring, he STILL sits in the top 75 in NBA history in career points and rebounds while ranking 78th in blocks and No. 32 in box plus/minus. And not that this would be taken into account by anniversary team voters, but he produced those figures while rarely playing at full health due to knee and other persisting injuries.
That and testimonials from peers such as Reed just seem to smack of a player who belongs on this list.
But don’t take my word for it.
AT THE time the team was revealed, last October, Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach penned an interesting analytical piece detailing his quest for the true Top 75 players in NBA history. In it, he implements what he describes as “The Russell Scale” to make those mathematical determinations (to wit, he wasn’t claiming Bill Russell to be the best player of all-time, just that Russell is the gold standard in terms of pure volume of accomplishments over a 13-year playing career).
Taking into account all-star selections, MVP finishes, championships, stats, efficiency rating, etc., and with some addition and division, the end product was a 100-point scale that can be applied to any player.
Within the framework of that formula, Lanier is, indeed, a Top 75 player, tied with Vince Carter for No. 71 all-time. As such, he was considered the eighth-biggest snub (among 11) who should have been on the list, while 11 others who ARE part of the team, including Dennis Rodman, Earl Monroe, Pete Maravich, Lenny Wilkens, Dave Bing and James Worthy, should have been left off.
LOOK, adding only 25 more players to the “50 Greatest” list after another quarter-century of superstars was undoubtedly no easy task. Upon an initial glance of the 75th team, which can be found with a quick Google search, it’s difficult to determine who exactly might be left off in favor of Lanier.
But the two names that jumped out to me were Damian Lillard and James Harden.
I’ve enjoyed Lillard ever since he developed into a star under the tutelage of former Bona standout and Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, but he’s a six-time all-star with little in the way of MVP finishes, individual titles or postseason success. Harden, meanwhile, has been an incredibly prolific scorer, a 10-time all-star with three scoring crowns, but has always seemingly put up empty stats, as a volume shooter, on teams that have gone nowhere. You could also argue against the likes of Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Anthony Davis, though their career accomplishments, top to bottom, are hard to ignore.
Lanier averaged 20 and 10 and nearly two blocks per game over 14 years, riding those figures to his 1992 induction into the Hall of Fame. He likely would have been a no-doubter if he’d been healthy … and if the Pistons would have heeded his suggestion to sit out his rookie season in order to fully rehab the knee he injured in the 1970 NCAA Tournament.
Bias reapplied: He should be part of the 75th anniversary roster.
(J.P. Butler, Bradford Publishing Company group sports editor, can be reached at jbutler@oleantimesherald.com)
