One Week In…
Look, we’re one week in to the 18-19 campaign and things are…well…heated. In my 25 years of obsessing over the NBA this has been the most insane week one I can recall….and I can remember the early 90’s when we still wondered if Clyde Drexler was better than MJ.
I can’t make new predictions, everything I thought stands where it was. Celts over Dubs in 7 come June. Tatum finals MVP. Kawai Leonard league MVP.
So, with only a few games in the books, what’s an NBA writer to do? Talk about the fact that Chris Paul is a horrible teammate and the fact that Rajon Rondo is crazy? No. we’re hopping in the way back machine…
I want to build my perfect team ever from the metro area. I was inspired to look back after reading this piece by Darius Miles on the Player’s Tribune. (After you finish reading my nonsense, click through…it’s a must read. Real Talk.)
So, let’s stop stalling…here’s the squad.
(We’ll start in full…then pick our starting 5)
PG: Jo Jo White, 6-3, McKinley High.
It starts and ends with one man. Jo Jo White. Mr. White is the pride of McKinley High School, won 2 rings with my Celts, made 7 All-Star teams, won the ’76 finals MVP, and is enshrined in Springfield Mass. To start this team with anyone else would be blasphemous…and your NBA in STL card would be revoked. He was a leader, had ice water for blood, and repped the STL with pure class. He’s our starting PG and the captain. If you disagree, pound sand.
The rest of the Guards:
SG: Larry Hughes, 6-5, CBC
The crossover. You can still see it on display In Cube’s Big 3. It was at Tim Hardaway levels in Larry Darnell Hughes’ prime. From CBC to SLU to the Sixers in 2 years. Hughes had every athletic tool to join Mr. White in the hall, but it was not to be.
But man…just check the tape….
SG: Bradley Beal, 6-5, Chaminade
Other than going to Florida, I love everything about Beal’s game. His jumper is a thing of beauty. Maybe the best looking in the league today. He keeps getting better every year, and if he stays healthy he may break every NBA in STL record there is.
But that jumper…as Sydney Deane would say… “It’s so pretty.”
PG: Andy Phillip, 6-2, Granite City High
It wasn’t until doing my research for this piece I learned about Andy Phillip. He played in the league from 1947-1958, led the league in dimes 3 times, made 5 All-Star teams, won a ring in 57’ with Boston, was a lock down defender, and was elected to the Hall in 1961 alongside a dude by the name of the Bernard Borgman. And if all that wasn’t enough…. “Phillip served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in World War II at Iwo Jima.” So, he’s definitely the biggest bad ass on the team.
The Forwards…we are loaded at the 3 and 4.
F: Bill Bradley, 6-5, Crystal City High
Princeton Grad, 2X NBA Champ, All-Star, Rhodes Scholar, US Senator…He’s our Co-Captain. Steady, never stopping, screen after screen after screen. He has to be on the floor. The ball will never stop, everyone’s involved, everyone’s happy. He is the NBA in STL Glue Guy. This summation in no way does him justice…but hey, we got 13 guys on this team.
F: Ed Macauley, 6-8, St. Louis University High
Born in the STL, College in the STL, and he finished his NBA career in the STL. He helped bring St. Louis our only non-Cardinal world championship back in 1958 playing alongside Bob Pettit, made 7 All-Star teams, and was enshrined in the hall back in 1960. Easy Ed, the ultimate Billiken and on the Mount Rushmore here in St. Louis.
F: Anthony Bonner, 6-8, Vashon High
Look, Bonner was one of my boyhood idols. He starred at SLU and spent 6 years in the NBA, and was big time overseas. I can’t put his effect on my love of hoops in words…Just watch
F: LaPhonso Ellis, 6-8, Lincoln High
Ellis went to the rack hard. 11 years in the NBA between Denver, ATL, Minnesota and South Beach he averaged nearly 12 a game and once dropped 39 all over the Spurs.
F: Darius Miles, 6-9, East St. Louis High
Darius is the perfect example of being drafted to the wrong team. Into the hands of Donald Sterling and the Clipp show with a bunch of other 18-23 year olds in LaLa land. When he came out in Y2k as the 3rd overall pick he was one slot away from the closeness of Chicago, a only 2 picks from going 1 overall to the safety of the Nets and eventually playing alongside Jason Kidd. Man, what could have been.
As for now…pound a couple of fists to your forehead and throw down an alley-opp for Mr. Miles.
F: David Lee, 6-9, Chaminade
D-Lee still had some game left in him when he retired after the 2016-17 season, wrapping up his career in San Antonio. He scored over 11k points in his career, to go with over 7k boards, 2 All-Star nods, a title with the Dubs in ’15, and was 3rd Team all NBA in 2012-2013 with Paul George, James Harden, Dwight Howard, and Dwayne Wade. Good company for the kid from the STL.
F: Jayson Tatum, 6-8, Chaminade
As mentioned in my previous entry… Jayson Tatum has a chance to pass Mr. White as the GOAT from the STL, but we are far from that as his career is still in its infancy. For now…let’s just bask in the glory that is this…
The Centers…
C: Bob Ferry, 6-8, Cleveland High
10 Seasons in the league, and my favorite tidbit…Played against his hometown Hawks on February 18, 1961 and went off on Bob Pettit and the fellas. On that Detroit night Ferry went for 39 points and 16 boards on 17-28 shooting in a 141-138 loss. 141-138 with no 3’s!
In addition, Bob gets an extra tip of the cap for going to the same High School as my mom away from home, THE Ruth Birk.
C: Steve Stipanovich, 6-11, De Smet Jesuit
A knee injury cut short an excellent NBA Career. Stipo averaged 13 and 8 over 5 seasons out in Indy after 4 years playing under coach Stewart in COMO. We’ll forgive the hair and the stache…it was the 80’s after all.
Honorable Mentions…
C:Loren Woods, 7-1, Cardinal Ritter
C: Jahidi White, 6-9, Cardinal Ritter
C: Jim Krebs, 6-8, Webster Groves
C: Gene Moore, 6-9, Sumner
C: Bevo Nordmann, 6-10, SLU High…I mean…that name is Hall-Of-Fame worthy. How his nickname was not “The Mill” is beyond me.
G: Lee Winfield, 6-2, Sumner…dude dropped 38 against the Bulls once, and 36 on the Elvin Hayes led San Diego Rockets
F: John Brown, Dixon High…why…because he went to the same high school as my buddy Sam Holsten…and he dropped 7.4 and 4.4 over the course of a seven-year career.
G: Erwin Claggett, 6-1, Venice High….yeah…he’s wasn’t drafted…because he was robbed! Claggs is here because to 13 year old me he was the greatest basketball player to ever walk God’s green Earth.
But, I digress…
The starters
This is impossible…I cannot decide who is the best from this litany of HOF’ers, NBA Champions, Finals MVPs, All-Stars, and Assist Champions…so I won’t.
Instead…here is the starting 5 that I would pay almost any amount to see, in their primes, on the court together.
PG: Jo Jo White
SG: Larry Hughes
SF: Anthony Bonner
PF: Darius Miles
C: Steve Stipanovich
The team old school dudes will scream at me for not taking…
PG: Jo Jo White
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Bill Bradley
PF: Ed Macauley
C: Steve Stipanovich
The team I probably should take…
PG: Jo Jo White
SG: Bradley Beal
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: David Lee
C: Steve Stipanovich
Point is… The basketball talent in the STL runs deep and we’re all the better for it. My absolute favorite STL sports stat ever…
We have more NBA Championships than Stanley Cups.
Until we meet again….Long Live David Lee all over the Miami Heat
