Loren Woods is no more a Raptor. He is, however, one of this year's prime candidates for the Chuck Nevitt Award given to the most marginal 7-footer on an NBA roster. Woods signed with the Kings for a nice tidy $1 million, the latest in a long line of Brobdinagians of the Bench. And not a day too soon, either, with fellow practice-time punching bag Jake Voskuhl -- at 6-foot-11, just a couple centimetres short of joining this club of lofty standing, if not achievement -- getting two years and $4 million to be the Bobcats backup.
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| CANADIAN PRESS |
| Loren Woods: Pillar of the practice court. |
Woods' career numbers now put him in with an outside shot of joining a select group that plods along from Anstey to Zidek, headed up, of course, by the 7-foot-5 Charles Goodrich (Chuck) Nevitt -- nine seasons (including a championship ring with the '85 Lakers), 155 games played (no starts) with six different teams, 5.3 minutes per, 1.6 points, 1.5 rebounds. Here's a few of the lot -- and there are a lot of them, too many to list -- and how Woods stacks up:
Dalibor Bagaric. A former first-round reach (Chi '00), the Croatian lasted three seasons and didn't start a game despite 95 appearances, one of the steepest S-R ratios (starts to appearances) in NBA history. Signed to play in Spain this coming season.
Hank Finkel. Seven-footer with the big moustache is one of Nevitt's closest competition, at least in terms of service. Lasted nine seasons and 551 games, but at 5.1 pts, was a veritable stats machine next to these and won a title with the '74 Celtics. Filling the rather large sneakers of Bill Russell, he had a tough job.
Steve Hayes. 212 games played, three starts. I can recall watching Finkel on those Hondo-led Celtics and he shows up a lot on ESPN Classic, but frankly, I can't remember this guy at all.
Priest Lauderdale. 74 games, no starts. At 7-4, he was hard to miss.
Christian Welp. 109 games, three starts. From Germany came Uwe Blab AND Chris Welp. Good thing Dirk Nowitzki came along.
Loren Woods. Five seasons, 208 games (47 starts), 2.6 points, 3.3 rebounds. And counting. If he can keep those starts down to a minimum, he's on course.
Related: Sactown Royalty on Woods' signing.
Not really related, but anyway ...: Scott Carefoot of Raptorblog talks to SI.com (I'm with Scott on the world championships, which are to soccer's World Cup as Welp is to Nowitzki.)
J.E. Skeets of The Basketball Jones breaks down rookie photo shoots (and Happy Birthday, Tas).
Mike Smrek was always a personal favourite. How about the later years of Ralph Sampson. He had the huge contract and couldn't play a lick. There were a collection of Euro-chumps back in the day. Uwe Blab was a personal favourite. Great name too.
Posted by: Mark Freedman | August 16, 2006 at 12:27 PM
Glad to see you're back into basketblogging, CY. It's been awfully quiet on the Toronto b-ball front the past couple of weeks. (No offence to Doug Smith, BTW.)
And I'm glad to see Lo-Lo a-gone-gone. Time to move on from an inconsistent 7-footer with little upside and check out other backup-centre options - Garbajosa and Bargnani - with (likely) more talent and determination.
Posted by: Jeff - HoopsAddict | August 16, 2006 at 12:39 PM
Every time I watch B.Ball, I wish I was 11 inches taller....at the moment I am 6-1.
7 foot = millions
Posted by: mike | August 16, 2006 at 01:56 PM
Can't forget Yinka Dare (RIP). 7'1" and a lottery pick by the Nets. 25 starts in 110 GP, and in 9 minutes per game contributed 2.1 pts/gm, 2.5 reb/gm... and a grand total of 4 career assists (and he didn't get his first assist until his third season).
The Nets got great value for his 6 yr./$9 mil contract.
Posted by: J.J. | August 16, 2006 at 08:18 PM
well he had to go becaus he really sucked here...and over there hes gonna suck more because he wont be gettin minutes.
Posted by: mike | August 18, 2006 at 02:55 PM
Of all those guys..finkel could play a little. He could shoot the rock.
Posted by: manny | December 15, 2006 at 05:45 AM