Tag Archives: Minneapolis Lakers

ProHoopsHistory HOF: Jim Pollard

Posted on by
Jim Pollard (Corbis Images)

Jim Pollard (Corbis Images)

In the long line of Lakers stars, this man was the very first. Hailing from Oakland and attending Stanford University, Jim Pollard was the exotic West Coast import designed to be the franchise player of the Minneapolis Lakers. The franchise had just been formed from the remains of the defunct Detroit Gems in 1947.

It was hard to imagine a player any better than Pollard would become available for the Lakers. He was 6’4″ tall and could jump out the gym. During warm ups and practices he would entertain fans with his exhilarating  dunks, something few players then could do. The Kangaroo Kid’s bounce was augmented by his zipping nature. His fleet feet carried him around forwards and centers who were simply too slow to keep up with his speed. The Lakers were thrilled to get their hands on a bona fide superstar.

And then George Mikan fell into their laps after the Chicago Gears disbanded.

Pollard was definitely a superstar in his era, but Mikan was the superstar. The two men didn’t immediately mesh. Mikan was definitely faster than the average center, but he was still too slow for Pollard’s liking when it came time to set up the offense. And when the offense was set, Mikan’s big body closed off driving lanes for Pollard. Even worse Mikan was still in the habit of dominating the ball too much on offense.

Eventually Lakers coach John Kundla figured out the impasse. Pollard and Mikan would engage in a rudimentary form of the pick and roll. In hindsight this sounds casually, and painfully, obvious that this was the solution all along. But in 1947, this play wasn’t used particularly often and certainly not with this caliber of player. Pollard would sweep across with his dribble as Mikan set bone-chilling picks. If the path to the basket was available Pollard swooped in for the bucket. If it closed, he would swing it back to Mikan who now had a distinct advantage on Pollard’s smaller man.

The Lakers rode the two stars to a title in the NBL in 1948. Another title followed suit in 1949 in the BAA. A third-straight title came their way in 1950 in the NBA. A second three-peat was accomplished in 1952, 1953, and 1954. The Lakers toughest opponent, though, was always their division rivals, the Rochester Royals. They ceaselessly waged war on the court. Pollard was there all the while and had exceptional moments like his last-second tip-in of a missed George Mikan hook shot in Game 4 of their 1952 series. The clutch tip-in not only won the game, 82-80, but it closed out the series. In the very next contest, Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, Pollard delivered a scintillating 34 points in an 83 – 79 overtime victory for Minneapolis.

When the Lakers needed him, Pollard usually delivered moments like those. In his 8-year career only twice did he not end the season as a champion. He played on the NBA’s first great frontcourt with Mikan and Vern Mikkelsen. He was the stylistic antecedent to so many of the athletic small forwards we’ve come to enjoy from Elgin Baylor to LeBron James.

He may never have been The Man on the Lakers, but Pollard’s career unfolded quite nicely.

Seasons Played: 1948 – 1955

Minneapolis Lakers

Minneapolis Lakers

Accolades

NBL -
Champion (1948)
All-NBL 1st Team (1948)
BAA -
Champion (1949)
All-BAA 1st Team (1949)
NBA -
4x Champion (1950, 1952-’54)
All-NBA 1st Team (1950), 2x All-NBA 2nd Team (1952, 1954)
4x All-Star (1951-’52, 1954-’55)

Statistics

NBL - 59 Games
12.9 PPG, 67.6% FT

BAA - 53 Games
14.8 PPG, 2.7 APG, 39.6% FG, 68.7% FT

NBA - 385 Games
12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 35.5% FG, 76.1% FT

ProHoopsHistory HOF: Vern Mikkelsen

Posted on by
Vern Mikkelsen (ESPN)

Vern Mikkelsen (ESPN)

Along with Slater Martin, Vern Mikkelsen was the youthful injection needed to prolong and sustain the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty of the 1940s and 1950s. The Lakers had already won back-to-back titles in 1948 and 1949. In Vern’s rookie year of 1950 they snagged a third. After a one-year interregnum, the Lakers struck back with a second three-peat of titles in 1952, 1953, and 1954.

Vern’s place on these titles teams and his successful career overall, as with most things, wasn’t a certified given. What ultimately made it successful was Mikkelsen’s penchant for overachieving and his unparalleled level of grit, as well as some smart coaching moves by Laker coach John Kundla.

So, about that grit.

Vern Mikkelsen wasn’t a man who played basketball in what can be described as a beautiful fashion, unless you’re Gregg Popovich and you like some nasty. You can believe that Mikkelsen brought the nasty night and day for the Lakers. But Vern’s nasty almost never got a chance to show its bad self.

A standout in college and high school playing center, Mikkelsen’s first few pro games were played in a double-center lineup with George Mikan. After seeing the abysmal results, John Kundla made a fateful decision to shift Vern to  forward spot despite Vern’s unfamiliarity with the position. Kundla ordered Vern to just scrap and bruise opposing big men. He was to fight for rebounds, careen on defense, gobble up garbage second-chance points if Mikan or Jim Pollard missed shots, and set bone-chilling picks to free up Martin and sharp-shooting Bob Harrison on offense.

This experiment eventually coalesced into Mikkelsen instigating the power forward spot along with Bob Pettit a few seasons later. Pettit would certainly add more offensive finesse to the position, but Vern eventually learned how to deliver a set overhand shot. It went in often enough to keep defenses honest and prevent them from sagging down too much on Mikan.

But that shot was a nice touch. Mikkelsen’s real purpose was all about that rough and tumble play. During his career, Mikkelsen earned four fouls a game which places him in the vanguard for that category. For the 1950s, he racked up more personal fouls than any other player, finishing 359 ahead of second-place Dolph Schayes.

Disruption was basically the name of Vern’s game. The Dennis Rodmans, Charles Oakleys, and other agitators owe Vern a solemn debt for his groundbreaking brawn in the 1950s. It should be noted that Vern did all of this with a gentlemanly air and was a completely affable man off the court. Being nasty didn’t mean he was dirty. He hustled his butt up and down the court on every play.

That kind of tireless motor was respected by his contemporaries. Mikkelsen was honored with six All-Star Games and was on the All-NBA 2nd Team for four straight seasons. It takes a special player to go from star college center to subsumed power forward and somehow raise his level of play.

That’s Vern Mikkelsen, the eternal overachiever.

Seasons Played: 1950 – 1959

Minneapolis Lakers

Minneapolis Lakers

Accolades

NBA -
4x Champion (1950, 1952-’54)
4x All-NBA 2nd Team (1951-’53, 1955)
6x All-Star (1951-’57)

Statistics

NBA – 699 Games
14.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 40.3% FG, 76.6% FT

ProHoopsHistory HOF: Elgin Baylor

Posted on by
Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor (Sports Illustrated)

Elgin Baylor is one of the revolutionaries of basketball. He didn’t just play the game well, or take existing modes of playing to new heights. Certainly, he did do all that.

But what he also did was transform the game. His ability to hang in the air, adjust shots, contort and beguile defenders wasn’t before and certainly not on the regularity Elgin used such maneuvers. He could take off on one side of the basket and finish on the other side after having switched the ball to a different hand, or reversing his body position, or swinging the ball like a peach in his hand.

He was also known for pump-faking at around the free throw line, getting his man in the air, and then jumping around the airborne defender for a leaning jump shot.

His defense, passing, and rebounding have always been underrated, perhaps understandably, because of his prodigious offense. While airborne himself, Baylor could just as easily decide to swing a pass instead of firing off a shot. This is a man who six times averaged over 4.5 APG. And at just 6’5″, Baylor was also a superb rebounder peaking in 1961 with 19.8 boards a game.

Elgin also had this quirky nervous twitch on his face that threw defenders off. They never exactly knew which direction he was preparing to go.

Continue reading →

ProHoopsHistory HOF: George Mikan

Posted on by
George Mikan (nbaavenue.blogspot.com)

George Mikan (nbaavenue.blogspot.com)

George Mikan wasn’t the first great basketball player. He wasn’t the first basketball star. His Minneapolis Lakers weren’t the first professional basketball team to enjoy dynastic domination over opponents.

However, Mikan was the first center to utterly control basketball. Before him, centers were viewed as stiffs to win jump balls and corral rebounds. His arrival helped convince the basketball masses that a man of his height could be an offensive wrecking ball. Mikan could hit hook shots with either hand with ease since its form was textbook. His massive lower body would anchor the shot while his gargantuan off-arm would ward off defenders giving him ample space to wield his devastating shot.

Big George had a big competitive spirit, too. He’d cuss out teammates for not giving him the ball when he demanded it. In college, he obliterated Rhode Island State University after its coach boasted they could literally run Mikan off the court with their speed. Mikan’s DePaul squad whipped Rhode Island State 97 to 53. Mikan alone had 53 points in the game.

For all of Mikan’s greatness, though, he never won alone. With the NBL’s Chicago Gears, he teamed with sharp-shooting ace Bobby McDermott to win that league’s title in 1947. Moving to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1948, Mikan teamed with super forward Jim Pollard and coach John Kundla to win the NBL title again. Moving to the BAA in 1949, the Lakers again won the title. In 1950, they won the newly formed NBA’s first title. The Rochester Royals interrupted the Laker Dynasty in 1951 thanks to a Mikan injury, but Minneapolis bounced back. The Lakers won the NBA title in 1952, 1953, and 1954 with the aid of newcomers like Slater Martin, Vern Mikkelsen, and Clyde Lovellette.

If you’re keeping track, that’s 7 titles in 8 years for George Mikan.

His domination instigated numerous rule changes like the widened lane, outlawing defensive goaltending, and proposals to raise the height of the hoop beyond 10 feet. His physical gifts and talent threatened to overwhelm the game, but he nonetheless kept the NBA afloat in its early days.

For that he surely deserves to be the first honoree of the ProHoopsHistory Hall of Fame.

Seasons Played: 1946 – 1954, 1956

Accolades

NBL -
2x Champion (1947-48), MVP (1948)
2x All-NBL 1st Team (1947-’48), Rookie of the Year (1946)

BAA -
Champion (1949), All-BAA 1st Team (1949)

NBA -
4x Champion (1950, 1952-’54), 5x All-NBA 1st Team (1950-’54)
4x All-Star (1951-’54), All-Star Game MVP (1953)

Statistics

NBL – 81 games
19.9 PPG, 74.6% FT
2x PPG Leader (1947-’48)
14th All-Time in Points, 13th All-Time in FTs Made, 17th All-Time in FGs Made

BAA – 60 games
28.3 PPG, 3.6 APG, 41.6% FG, 77.2% FT
PPG Leader (1949)

NBA – 379 games
22.3 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 40.1% FG, 78.4% FT
2x PPG Leader (1950-’51), 2x RPG Leader (1952-’53)

The Lowdown: Rudy LaRusso

Posted on by

Years Active: 1960 – 1969
Regular Season Stats: 736 games, 33.3 MPG
15.6 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 43.1% FG, 76.7% FT
Postseason Stats: 93 games, 34.3 MPG
14.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 40.5% FG, 75.1% FT
Accolades: All-Defensive 2nd Team (1969), 4x All-Star (1963, ’66, ’68-’69)

NBA Photo Library/Getty Images

NBA Photo Library/Getty Images

At first glance, Rudy LaRusso hardly seems the athlete best equipped to intellectualize on any sport, including his own, basketball. There is something about his prognathous jaw and the occasional scowl on his big, shaggy face that tells you not to annoy him. Players claim that meeting him head to head on a basketball court is a little like playing a game of tag on the freeway during rush hour.

- Via Brave Words From A Hawk And A Warrior

Rudy LaRusso was certainly an intellectual having graduated from Ivy League Dartmouth College in 1959. But he was also certainly worthy of that freeway description. LaRusso was one of the roughest, toughest players of the 1960s NBA. It was a  turbulent decade that practically framed his career. His first professional game was October 18, 1959 as a member of the Minneapolis Lakers and his last game was April 5, 1969 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In between these two games, LaRusso staked his claim as an instrumental piece in the story of the NBA during that decade. However, his instrumental role was always a supporting one. Needless to say, support staff aren’t always recognized for the pivotal roles they play. LaRusso is no exception to that. Appreciated by the few, overlooked and unknown to the masses, this is the wild ride of the rowdy career Rudy LaRusso.

Continue reading →

Hall of Fame Snubs: Larry Foust

Posted on by

Years Active: 1951 – 1962
Regular Season Stats: 817 games, 29.2 mpg
13.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, 40.5% FG, 74.1% FT
Postseason Stats: 73 games, 27.4 mpg
12.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 39.4% FG, 78.1% FT
Accolades: 8x All-Star (1951-56, 1958-59), All-NBA 1st Team (1955), All-NBA 2nd Team (1952)

Larry-Foust

Larry Foust, rugged Piston center, poured in 37 points as Fort Wayne made it four straight over the Royals. Foust scored six of his team’s seven points in the overtime after the regular game ended, 94-94.

- Via The Milwaukee Journal, Decemeber 2, 1954

Larry Foust is one of the many victims of failed basketball memory. The depths and passage of time naturally erode the ability to recall the greatness of things achieved by those in the past. Compounding this natural tendency is the fact that none of Foust’s clubs exist as he knew them.

The Fort Wayne Pistons have since moved on to Detroit. The Minneapols Lakers headed west to Los Angeles. The St. Louis Hawks went down south to Atlanta. Nevertheless, Foust is a player worth not only recalling, but one worthy of Hall of Fame induction. During the 1950s he was one of the premier NBA centers and yet is unrecognized as such.

During his heydey (1951-58), Foust recorded the 4th most win shares for a center. Of the top 6 players on this list, Foust is the only one not enshrined in the Hall of Fame. George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Ed Macauley, Arnie Risen and Clyde Lovellette are all deservedly in.

Looking at Foust’s production, this is an unfortunately recurring theme. He is routinely in the lofty company of various Hall of Fame players and yet he is the one outside looking in. During the entirety of the 1950s, Foust scored the 3rd most points and grabbed the most rebounds of any center in the NBA. Amongst all players he was 8th in points scored and 2nd in rebounds. Finally, his player efficiency rating (PER) of 21.o was 5th amongst centers and 9th overall.

Continue reading →

The Lowdown: Slater Martin

Posted on by

Years Active: 1950 – 1960
Regular Season Stats: 745 games, 35.9 mpg
9.8 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.4 rpg, 36.4% FG, 76.2% FT
Postseason Stats: 92 games, 39.4 mpg
10.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.4 rpg, 35.1% FG, 71.5% FT
Accolades: 5x All-NBA 2nd Team (1955-59), 7x All-Star (1953-59), 5x NBA Champion (1950, 1952-54, 1958)

Slater Martin

“He was small in stature [5'10"], but he was one tough hombre.”

- Via Slater Martin – Hall-of-Famer, Texas star and Davis grad – dies at 86

Sadly, Slater Martin passed away tonight. I was hoping at some point to write about his career and I’m a bit disappointed his passing served as the catalyst for this look back. Truthfully Martin deserves to be remembered by any basketball fan at any given moment for he was one of the premier play makers of the 1950s. However, he’s one of the least known Hall of Famers and 5x NBA champions you’ll ever come across. So, in his death, I suppose it’s time to rectify that.

Born on Galveston Island, Martin would grow up in Houston and learn how to shoot basketball thanks to a makeshift wooden backboard his grandfather made for him. His grandfather also bequeathed him the nickname “Dugie”.  While at Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Martin secured two state championships before moving on to the University of Texas. His tenure as a Longhorn began in 1943 but wouldn’t end until 1949 thanks to military service in the Pacific during World War II and a brief stint playing amateur basketball. Returning to UT after these interruptions, Martin led the Longhorns to the NCAA semi-finals in 1947. This would be the program’s greatest advance into the tournament until 2003.

Continue reading →