Empty the Bench

As P.J. Brown of the Chicago Bulls considers hanging up the high tops for good after the playoffs, the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson pointed out that Brown is one of only 13 players (excluding vagabond big man Kevin Willis, who just signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks) still in the NBA who’ve been in the league for more than 13 seasons. That these guys are up there with Willis in years played automatically qualifies these gentlemen as bonafide codgers in today’s NBA world; it’s also a testament to each’s ability to stay in good shape and not let their skills totally jump ship.

ETB thought we’d take a brief look at what the senior-most members of the NBA are accomplishing these days, and speculate on just how much left they have in the tank… or, in some cases, how much longer an NBA GM will be willing to keep them around.

- P.J. Brown, F/C, Chicago Bulls: Brown came into the league as the New Jersey Nets’ second-round pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, and the Bulls mark the fifth franchise he’s lent his considerable rebounding and post-defense skills to. This bulky 6-11 bruiser enjoyed perhaps the best three-year stretch of his career from 2002-05 as a member of the New Orleans Hornets, averaging about 10 points and 9 rebounds while logging over 30 minutes a night. His numbers have declined since then, but not by much, and though the Bulls would be better served with a more dynamic offensive post player next to Ben Wallace, he’s provided his team some solid stability this season in limited minutes. If Brown wants to keep playing, we have no reason to think he won’t land on his feet somewhere next season, whether with the Bulls or another playoff-bound squad.

- Sam Cassell, PG, Los Angeles Clippers: Sam has built a reputation over the years as one of the Association’s true gamers, and has averaged at least 12 points a game for all but two seasons of his career. We all know how big his… head is when it comes to performing in clutch situations, and he loves taking the big shots. Unfortunately, though, Cassell has struggled through his second season with the Clippers, and is experiencing one of his worst efforts, statistically, since he was a young man on the Houston Rockets way back in 1994.

It looks like he’s going to shut it down for the season after playing in 53 games, which is a big blow to the Clips as they fight for a playoff spot without him or he of the grotesque knee injury, Shaun Livingston, at the point. Is Cassell done for good though? To quote Cypress Hill, “[he] ain’t goin’ out like that.” Expect to see the cagey point guard back next season. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.

- Chris Webber, F/C, Detroit Pistons: C-Webb looked like a defeated man ever since he moved from Sacramento to Philadelphia, especially after it became apparent that the experiment of pairing him with Allen Iverson was just not going to bear any fruit for the 76ers. Then, after AI was shipped to Denver, Webber skulked around even more, no doubt forever endearing himself to those forgiving, kind-hearted Philly fans.

But then the Sixers bought him out, he became a free agent, and Pistons GM Joe Dumars convinced him to climb aboard the Pistons famous redemption train alongside Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Chauncey Billups, etc etc, and so far the results have been good. Webber has benefited from trainer wunderkid Arnie Kander’s voodoo magic and stayed healthy, and has fit right in as Detroit’s starting center. The real test of Webber’s merit, of course, won’t come until the playoffs, but there’s no question that he has already erased overwhelming doubts about his ability to contribute on a high level. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer; expect to see him ink a two- to three-year deal with either the Lakers, Pistons, or another perennial playoff team.

- Shaquille O’Neal, C, Miami Heat: I’m not a huge fan of the big man, to be honest. Having said that, there is no denying the impact he still has on the game. Rasheed Wallace recently said that Shaq is still the most dominant player in the game because your game plan always revolves around stopping him… and when he’s actually playing with the effort he used to play with on a regular basis, there’s not much you can do about it, period.

Now in his 15th NBA season (!), this is the first time Shaq is not averaging at least 20 points a game. That probably has something do with his age, as well as a championship hangover and a few nagging injuries. Is he slowing down? Definitely. Is he the same player he was with the Lakers? Hell no. But if/when he puts his best foot forward come playoff time, you can throw this regular season out the window; a motivated Shaq is still a very scary Shaq. If the Heat somehow win it all again this year (they won’t), you have to wonder how much longer he’ll stick around. I’m putting the over/under on that at two seasons.

- Robert Horry, F, San Antonio Spurs: Big Shot Rob has nothing left to prove in his long, long… long career. He has NBA championship rings on six fingers and holds a ton of postseason records, including the most three-point field goals made in a game without a miss (seven). He currently only trails the great Reggie Miller for most three-pointers sunk in the playoffs. Even better, Horry is semi-famous for throwing a towel at then Phoenix Suns head coach Danny Ainge’s face during a game, which resulted in him being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Yeah, I think that worked out okay for him.

With so much accomplished over the years, we wonder why he’s still sticking around. Maybe it’s because he’s only being asked to play about 16 minutes a game nowadays with the Spurs (the second-lowest average of his career); it’s probably because he’d like one more ring and rightfully feels his team has a solid chance of earning one. The skills (and big shots) seem to be quickly falling by the wayside, though: 3.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 34% shooting this year are all career lows. If the Spurs steal a title this year, we see Horry retiring. If they don’t, there’s a good chance he’ll troll around for a similar role if the Spurs choose not to bring him back. Either way, we think it’s time for him to call it a day.

- Dikembe Mutombo, C, Houston Rockets: Mutombo was a godsend for my fantasy squad for a good month or so stretch while Yao Ming was nursing a knee injury. As the elder statesman of the NBA (he’s listed as 40 years old, but some think he’s more like 42 or 43… or 44), Mutombo has enjoyed an illustrious run since entering the league as the fourth-overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in 1991. He still carries averages of double digits in points and rebounds for his career (10.1 and 10.6, respectively), and is second all-time in blocked shots with over 3,100.

Accolades? How about eight All-Star appearances, four Defensive Player of the Year awards, three All-NBA teams, six times on the All-NBA Defensive teams, and tons of humanitarian work for starters. Since Yao returned his minutes have been severely limited, but that probably has something to do with all the unexpected time he was forced to play earlier. He’ll be a nice insurance policy come playoff time. Dikembe said this would be his last season, but has recently reconsidered if he can stay healthy. After all he’s accomplished, why risk it?

- David Wesley, G, Cleveland Cavaliers: Wesley has only played in 35 games thus far for the Cavs, and not surprisingly is in the midst of his worst professional season, statistically. That shouldn’t overshadow the great run this career 12.5 points and 42% FG has had. ETB recently named him as an honorable mention to our NBA All-Undrafted Team: 1990-2006; I’m going to lift Wesley’s passage from that article and reuse it here.

During an 11-year spell that stretched from the mid-90s to the mid-00s, Wesley averaged double digits in points and at least 1 three-pointer while playing well over 30 minutes a night for the Celtics, Hornets, and Rockets. Now on his last leg with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wesley has career averages of 12.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 42% FG. Not bad, not bad. Wesley has recently dropped hints that this might be his final season; we think it should be.

- Lindsey Hunter, G, Detroit Pistons: When he’s not swallowing his wife’s diet pills and getting suspended 10 games for doing so, Hunter remains an excellent on-ball defender off the Detroit bench, and is fully capable of changing the pace of a game and knocking down big shots when his team needs it most. There’s no question he’ll play a big role in Detroit’s playoff run. A consummate professional with a great reputation in the league, Hunter signed a two-year extension before the 2006-07 season; after he finishes his playing career next season, he’ll join Detroit’s front office alongside his former teammate and current boss Joe Dumars.

- Alonzo Mourning, C, Miami Heat: He poses and flexes his considerable muscles better than most professional wrestlers, so perhaps he’ll think about phoning Vince McMahon about a possible post-NBA career. It makes perfect sense: the WWE is all about showmanship and energy, and God knows Mourning has plenty of both. I’ll never forget earlier this season when he blocked a shot, stopped mid-action to make a gesture to the crowd, and Dwayne Wade made an acrobatic save on the ball before it fell out of bounds, tipping it back to Mourning. Unfortunately for ‘Zo, he was too busy preening to the crowd to notice, and the ball bounced off his head and out of play.

His modern-day antics aside, Mourning recently became the leading all-time leading scorer for the Miami Heat, and he played a major role in his team’s championship run last year. ‘Zo is only playing about 20 minutes a game this year, which is about right for his age, but he still makes a solid impact on the boards and in the paint when he’s in there. The number that jumps out about him is 2.3, which is how many blocks he’s averaging per night. That’s a far cry from when he averaged nearly FOUR a game back in 1998-99, but that’s like comparing gold to silver. Like his teammate Gary Payton, below, there was plenty of speculation that Mourning would call it a day after finally getting a ring last year, but he chose to come back and give it another go. Considering the kidney ailments he overcame not too long ago, we’d like to think that Mourning will stop tempting fate and wrap up his very productive career this summer.

- Bo Outlaw, F, Orlando Magic: Yes, believe it or not, that goggles-wearing dude is still in the league, which really seems a little unfathomable. Sure, Outlaw has always been a good, solid energy guy who can rebound and play some defense, but c’mon: the Magic couldn’t find better use for this roster spot? Granted, statistics never tell the full story, but his team isn’t getting much out of Bo this season—2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and about 11 minutes/night in 39 games. He’s probably there mostly as a mentor for young guys like Dwight Howard and Darko Milicic. Nothing against the guy personally, and it’s very admirable that a career 5.5 point and 4.9 rebounds guy has stuck around this long, but we gotta believe this is Outlaw’s last year in the league.

- Gary Payton, G, Miami Heat: Most NBA observers thought that the point guard formerly known as The Glove would call it a career after he finally got that championship ring he’s long craved last season. He came back, though, and is by far having the worst season of his likely Hall of Fame career. Yes, his numbers are even worse than they were last year. Though he has stayed healthy, which is no small feat for the Heat this year, Gary is averaging a putrid 5.4 points, 2.8 assists, 39% FG, and 65% FT per 22 minutes of action. Yuck. His defensive prowess ain’t what it used to be, either.

Nevertheless, Pat Riley will be counting on Payton’s veteran experience in the playoffs, and if he can elevate his game for one last hurrah and help the Heat go deep, no one will remember this very forgettable regular season. Whether they win or not, here’s hoping Gary doesn’t taint his successful career any further by returning next year. He just doesn’t have much left.

- Dale Davis, F/C, Detroit Pistons: Double D owns the biggest jaw in the NBA, and he’s also been one its most consistent rebounders/bruisers since being plucked out of Clemson by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th-overall pick in the 1991 draft. Davis enjoyed his most productive seasons during that first stint with the Pacers (he later rejoined the team for 25 games in the 2004-05 season), with his best effort probably coming in 1993-94 when he averaged 11.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and almost 2 blocked shots a game.

With the Pistons, Davis is mostly an insurance policy behind Webber, McDyess, Wallace, and even Jason Maxiell. He may not like it, but he knows that his role is to stay in shape, pitch in a few minutes here and there during the regular season, and be ready to give six hard fouls on Shaq should the Pistons and Heat meet once again in the postseason. Davis has given no indication that he’s ready to retire; as an unrestricted free agent this summer, look for him to land on a team that promises him more PT than he’s getting this year. Two more years is very possible.

- Cliff Robinson, F/C, New Jersey Nets: We have a soft spot for Uncle Cliffy. Not really sure why, but he’s always been a straight-shooter during his NBA career (suspensions for smoking ganja not withstanding) and has made palpable contributions for the five teams he’s enjoyed stints on. It seems like only yesterday that Robinson was a dynamic scorer for the Portland Trailblazers averaging 20+ a game (in actuality, that was over 10 years ago).

He’s currently playing a key role off the Nets bench, and recently showed how much of a professional he is when he swallowed his pride and didn’t make a stink about the first two “DNP – Coach’s Decision” he ever received in his career. He didn’t spout off even though the Nets’ frontcourt is pretty decimated and the media in New York was hounding him about it. Will Robinson be back next year? If I were to guess, I’d say the man still has two years left in him of playing limited minutes.

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