Sunday, November 1, 2015
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
A BRIEF HISTORY OF... THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
With the NBA returning tonight, let's take a look at the history of the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors.
Starting Up: The Warriors' roots date back to the founding of the league in 1946. They're one of just three charter members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA, renamed the National Basketball Association two-and-a-half years later) to still be active along with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. The team was founded in Philadelphia, and the name Warriors was a nod to an old team from the Philly area in the 20s.
In 1962, the team was moved to California after being purchased by Bay Area TV and radio producer Franklin Mieuli. The Warriors settled in San Francisco for its first decade in the Golden State, but were moved once again to the other side of the bridge in Oakland in 1971. It was a natural transition, since they had been playing an increased number of games at then-new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena beginning in 1966, communing back and forth between both major Bay Area cities.
Rather than rebrand the team as the Oakland Warriors, the team was renamed the Golden State Warriors so as to take ownership of both San Fran and Oak Town. As a result, the Warriors are the only pro team in the four major sports to not include the name of its state, city, or geographical area in its full title. The Warriors have played at the Oakland Coliseum ever since they permanently moved to Oakland (the arena was renamed many times over the years and has been known as the Oracle Arena since 2006).
Greatest Runs
Hot Out of the Gate (1946-1948): The Warriors have the distinction of winning the first-ever NBA (then BAA) championship in 1947, defeating the Chicago Stags four games to one. They made it back to the Finals the following year (by extension, becoming the first team in NBA/BAA history to go to back-to-back Finals), but lost to the original Baltimore Bullets in six games.
In these first two seasons where they were coached by their general manager Edward Gottlieb (he gave up coaching duties in 1955, but remained the team's GM for the rest of their stay in Philadelphia), the Warriors won 62 games in the regular season (the most among the three still-existing charter teams, and fourth-best in the league overall). They had a 14-9 record in the first two playoffs, the most playoff games and wins in the league.
A Championship And An Icon (1955-1964): The Warriors won one final championship in Philadelphia in 1956, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons in five games. But the big news (literally and figuratively) was the drafting of Wilt Chamberlain in 1959. Chamberlain wrecked everybody's shit, and the Warriors made the playoffs in four of his five full seasons with the team.
From the 1955-56 season to Chamberlain's last full season with the team in 1963-64 (to go along with a cross-country move), the Warriors won 374 games, third-most in the NBA and second only to the St. Louis Hawks in the West. They also made it to within a series of the Finals five times to go along with two Finals appearances.
Great in the 70s (1971-1977): Led by Rick Barry in this era (well, for most of the time, anyway), the Warriors won 295 games (third-best in the NBA, second only to the Los Angeles Lakers in the West) and made the playoffs five times (tied with the Chicago Bulls for the second-most in the NBA and most in the West). The Warriors won at least one playoff series four times, made it to the Western Conference Finals three times, and won their first championship in nearly twenty years (and their first since moving to California) in 1975, defeating a Washington Bullets team with twelve more wins on them in a four-game sweep.
Run TMC (1988-1991): While not as successful as other eras listed here, this time in Warriors history is notable for sheer entertainment value. Led by the trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin (TMC, geddit?), these Warriors were notable for being potent scorers and playing at a break-neck pace. They were among the fastest teams in the NBA in terms of number of possessions per game, with their only competition in that department being the historically fast Denver Nuggets teams of the 80s and early 90s. The Warriors made the playoffs twice, but never got out of the second round. And Run TMC had a short stay, with the team breaking them up after the 1990-91 season. But they sure were fun while they lasted.
The Shootingist Team in the West (And NBA) (2012-Present): After years of futility, the Warriors returned to playoff form thanks to some impecable shooting. Led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (known as the Splash Brothers), the team became the most dangerous long-range team in the history of the game, knocking down threes at a frankly-insane pace. Not only that, but the team also possessed a killer defense which ranked near the top of the league year-to-year.
Mark Jackson gets credit for setting the team up like this, but Steve Kerr perfected this system. The 2014-15 Warriors destroyed the NBA with the second-best offense and number one defense in the league. They won 67 games, the most in team history and one of only 11 teams ever to win at least 67, en route to the number one seed in the always-dominant West.
They carried their dominance over to the playoffs, where they made the Finals for the first time in 40 years in just 15 games. And aside from some goofiness in games two and three of the Finals, completely dominated all the Cleveland Cavaliers not named LeBron James to win their fourth-ever championship. The 2014-15 Warriors have already assended to the pantheon of awesome teams in the history of the NBA, and the future of basketball in the Bay Area looks bright.
Leanest Years
A Middling Team in a Middling Era (1948-1955): The good times at the start of their existence didn't last very long. The Warriors, in the seven seasons following their Finals appearance in 1948, had one winning season. Of the nine teams that were around for at least six of the seasons in this era, only the Hawks and Bullets had worse winning percentages than the Warriors.
Even with their shoddy records, the Warriors still made the playoffs every season until 1952 (in that point in time, the playoff teams would be the top four teams in each division regardless of record, so it was a lot easier to get to the postseason back then). However, the Warriors won just one playoff GAME and never advanced past their first series.
And eventually they weren't good enough to get swept in a best-of-three. By 1953, the Warriors were a shell of themselves, falling to a 12-57 record, with a franchise-worst 17.4 winning percentage. The team steadily improved in the following two seasons, but remained really bad until they returned to championship glory in 1956.
Crap in the 80s (1978-1986): By the end of the 70s, most of the Warriors' best players from the championship team, such as Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Jeff Mullins and Phil Smith, either retired or were traded away. The team didn't exactly replace them with equally good players for the most part. While their 40.4 winning percentage in this stretch wasn't good, it wasn't even in the bottom five in the NBA (the Bulls, Cavaliers, Pacers, Clippers and Jazz all had worse records than the Warriors).
Where the stark bleakness really comes through is in the playoff appearances. Namely, that the Warriors didn't go to the playoffs once in eight seasons (their playoff-less streak actually went to nine, since they didn't qualify for the postseason in 1978 either). The Clippers were the only other team besides the Warriors to not go to the playoffs at least once in this period. You should never be comparable to the 80s Clippers ever.
The Warriors averaged 33 wins in these eight seasons, with their best mark being a 45-37 mark in 1981-82. Considering that the average number of wins for playoff teams in this stretch was 48 (47 in the Western Conference), and you shouldn't be shocked that the Warriors didn't go to the dance once.
Interminably Bad (1994-2010): Holy God, what a miserable time in team history. Before I get into the reasons for this, here are the straight facts— the Warriors from the 1994-95 season to the 2009-10 season won a scant 37.3% of their games. Only the Los Angeles Clippers had a lower winning percentage in those 16 seasons.
Unsurprisingly, the Warriors' single-season win-loss records were pretty grim as well. They lost 60+ games four times in five seasons, including a putrid 17-65 mark in 2000-01, they're worst record in a season of at least 80 games. The Warriors' four 60+ loss seasons was tied with the Clippers for second-most in the NBA.
And the Clippers still made the playoffs twice as many times as the Warriors in that same stretch, twice to the Warrior's one. 26 of the NBA's 30 teams played in all 16 seasons in this stretch— even counting the Warriors and Clippers, the average number of playoff appearances for those 26 teams in this stretch was nine. 11 teams went to the playoffs at least 10 times. Most qualified for the postseason at least 7 times. Again, the Warriors only made the playoffs ONCE in a league that sends more than half of its teams to the playoffs each season.
The reason for all this ineptitude lay at the top of the organization. Chris Cohan, founder and former head of Sonic Communications, was the Warriors' primary owner from 1994 to 2010— aka, the entire time I'm talking about in this section. Cohan, when he wasn't busy suing seemingly anyone who may or may not have said something halfway disparaging about him, helped foster a culture of backstabbing, mistrust and most of all, incompetence.
The Warriors of this era were notorious for their bad drafting, penny pinching, and pettiness. These traits were given corporal form in Robert Rowell who, like Cohan, was in the organization for the entirety of this era. Rowell worked his way up to the title of team president, despite seemingly having no understanding of how to run a basketball team, and possessing the tact of a spoiled child. Any good moves the Warriors made, rare as they were, were undone in the most spectacularly awful ways imaginable. Mostly, Rowell spent his time as president hording power and destroying anyone who posed any kind of threat to him, real or imagined, as if he was Al Paccino as directed by Roland Emmerich.
Cohan either green lit all of this boorish failure himself, or simply allowed it to happen out of apathy. It depended on the day. The only thing Cohan was good at in his time as owner was incurring the wrath of every Warriors fan in existence. This was infamously given life at the 2000 All Star Game, which was held at the Warriors' Oracle Arena. Cohan walked out onto the court with his eight-year-old son to present Michael Jordan with an award, and the crowd mercilessly booed him. He was standing next to a young child and one of the most transcendent players in sports history, and the hatred his hometown fans felt for him still managed to seep through.
And after 16 excruciating years of owning the Warriors, in which he gave Donald Sterling and James Dolan a run for their money as worst owners in the NBA, if not all of sports, Cohan sold the team to current owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber in 2010. Rowell was soon ousted as well, with as much dignity as someone like him deserved, which is to say, none. That the Warriors won a championship less than a decade later is no coincidence. They didn't have dueling incompetents at the top to get in their way.
Names You Should Know
Paul Arizin: An early star for the Warriors and NBA. Arizin played ten non-consecutive seasons (he missed two-straight seasons while serving with the Marines during the Korean War) and made the All-Star Game in every season he played.
Among the most potent scorers in the early NBA, Arizin led the league in points per game twice and retired second all-time in both points (16,266) and points per game (22.8, which is still fourth-best in Warriors history). Arizin was also a pretty efficient shooter for his day, as he was one of just seven players from 1946 to 1962 to have a true shooting percentage above 50% with at least 7,000 field goal attempts.
Arizin was named First-Team All-NBA three times, and was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History for the NBA's 50th anniversary in 1996. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Neil Johnston: One of the first dominant centers in the game's history, Johnston led the NBA in scoring in three-straight seasons. Johnston and Paul Arizin formed one of the most dangerous scoring twosome in the early NBA, with Johnston mauling opponents while Arizin sank in jump shots.
Johnston led the NBA in field goal percentage three times in five seasons and averaged 11.3 rebounds per game for his career, third-most in history at the time of his retirement and still fourth-best in Warriors history. Named First-Team All-NBA four times, Johnston also made six All-Star Games in his eight seasons. He was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Tom Gola: While Arizin and Johnston above were noted for their scoring, Gola was more of a defensive stopper (not to say Arizin and Johnston didn't play defense, just that Gola was the most notable defensive-minded player on the team). Gola made three of his five All-Star Games as a Warrior, and was named to his lone All-NBA team in 1958 (he was on the Second Team). Gola also has the distinction of being the first long-time Warriors player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, going in in 1976 (while having a fine pro career, he was most notable for having an amazing career at La Salle).
Wilt Chamberlain: Wilt! Perhaps the greatest player in basketball history, Chamberlain's stats are frankly absurd. For context, Chamberlain was one of only two seven footers in the NBA in his first season in 1959-60, so he could dominate more easily.
Still, get these numbers— in his Warriors career alone, he led the NBA in scoring every single year and led in rebounding in four-straight. He averaged (AVERAGED!) 41.5 points per game and 25.1 rebounds per game as a Warrior (shockingly, both are franchise highs).
Five of the top six scoring seasons in history were done by Chamberlain, and he is the only player in history to average more than 40 points a game in a season (He did it twice! He averaged 44.8 points in 1962-63, and that was a step down from the previous season where he averaged 50.4! Christ Almighty!) He is the only player in history to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. Oh, and scored 100 goddamn points in a single game that one time.
And keep in mind, this was all before the installation of the three-point line. This was also after the NBA desperately tried to curb his dominance by changing numerous rules. He made the All-Star Game in every season but one for 13 total appearances, five as a Warrior. He made ten All-NBA teams (seven on the First Team). And just in his Warriors career, he was named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (he won three more as a member of the 76ers). He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, went into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, and had his number 13 jersey retired by the Warriors. Simply put, Wilt fucking ruled.
Nate Thurmond: Initially a power forward, Thurmond switched to center after Wilt Chamberlain was traded. While having to fill some enormous shoes, Thurmond was an awesome player in his own right. While not as proficient a scorer as Chamberlain (as if anyone was), he still averaged 17.6 points in his decade-plus with the Warriors.
But rebounding was where he really cut his teeth, averaging a clean 15 a game for his career. He is one of only five players in history to average at least 15 points and 15 rebounds for his career, and is the most recent player to do so. A seven-time All-Star (all with the Warriors) and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Thurmond was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. His number 42 jersey was also retired by the team.
Rick Barry: One of the more proficient scorers of his era, Barry, at just 22, coming off a Rookie of the Year season, and in only his second NBA season, scored 35.6 points per game en route to the Warriors going to the 1967 Finals (they lost to the Wilt Chamberlain-led 76ers). After that bit of amazingness, and pissed that he wasn't being paid enough (in his mind), Barry jumped to the upstart ABA in protest, which helped legitimize that league (he was legally barred from playing in the ABA's inaugural season, but played in the following four seasons).
Returning to the NBA and the Warriors for the 1972-73, Barry picked up right where he left off by scoring like a mother bear. He was the key player in the Warriors' 1975 championship season, scoring 28.2 points per games in the playoffs and winning Finals MVP. He's the most potent scorers in team history after Chamberlain, made 12 All-Star Games between the NBA and ABA, and was All-NBA First Team six times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. His number 24 jersey was retired by the team.
Jeff Mullins: Playing most of his career with the Warriors, Mullins was another proficient scorer on the team. He was the team's leading scorer in four of the five seasons where Barry was either in the ABA or sitting at home waiting to play in the ABA, averaging 21.2 points per game during this stretch. Once Barry came back to the team Mullins began to take a step back, having gotten older and such. He still had a couple of good scoring years left in him, but he was, rightfully, not the first option anymore. But he still had a fine career, having made three All-Star Games.
Al Attles: Sweet Christmas! Attles had mostly been a role player on the Warriors for much of the 60s, but was named player-coach in 1969. He would hold the title of coach even after his playing career ended, coaching the Warriors on and off until 1983. The Warriors went to the playoffs six times under Attles, winning the 1975 NBA Championship while going to the Western Conference Finals in 1973, 1975 and 1976. He holds the team records for most wins with 557, most playoff victories with 31, most games coached with 1,075, and most playoff games coached with 61. And, if the above picture isn't an indication, he was perhaps the funkiest coach in NBA history.
Purvis Short: A good player at a pretty nondescript time for the Warriors, Short was a good shooter and scorer. Short scored 19.4 points per game in his nine seasons with the Warriors, averaging over 20 in four-straight seasons, including two-straight 25+ point years. While he never was named to All-Star Game, and aside from scoring wasn't particularly impressive, Short was still one of the better players in this era for the team.
Larry Smith: A light scorer, Smith was still a valuable power forward for his rebounding capabilities. He is one of just seven Warriors with at least 100 games with the team to average more than 10 rebounds a game. He would average more than 11 in four of his first seven seasons in the league, and in his nine seasons with the Warriors he was one of 11 players to average double-digit rebounds. Finally, he led all players with 13.7 rebounds per game in the 1987 playoffs. In short, Larry Smith, while not a particularly versatile player, was really, really good at rebounding.
Chris Mullin: Among the best shooters in the game's history. Mullin had a field goal percentage above .500 eight times in his 13 seasons with the Warriors, and his career .594 true shooting percentage ranks 25th best in history. More shooting goodness— Mullin was an accomplished free throw shooter, ranking 28th all-time with a .866 free throw percentage. He made five-straight All-Star Games and four All-NBA teams. His number 17 jersey was retired by the team and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Don Nelson: The winningest coach in NBA history. Nelson had two stints as Warriors coach, first from 1988 to 1995 and again from 2006 to 2010. In his first stay in the Bay Area, he presided over the Run TMC Warriors, leading them to four playoff appearances. In his second go around with the Warriors, he led them to one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history when the eight-seeded Warriors beat the reigning Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks in six games.
All in all, despite frequently clashing with ownership, players, ownership and players, and pretty much everyone else who didn't want to do everything his way, Nelson won 422 games with the Warriors, second-most in team history. One of his three Coach of the Year Awards came while coaching the Warriors. And as mentioned earlier, his career 1,335 wins are the most in history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tim Hardaway: Another member of Run TMC, Hardaway is among the best point guards in team history. His 9.3 assists per game as a Warrior is the top mark in team history, and he averaged double-digit assists two seasons in a row. He was also a good scorer, averaging nearly 20 points a game as a Warrior. And he managed to remain an effective player even after a knee injury wiped out his entire 1993-94 season. Three of his five All-Star Game appearances and two of his five All-NBA Team selections were as a Warrior.
Latrell Sprewell: He averaged 20.1 points per game as a Warrior, was a feisty ball hawk, and made three of his four All-Star Game appearances and his only All-NBA selection as a Warrior, but the most notable things about Latrell Sprewell are his off-court shenanigans.
His greatest hits as a Warrior involved, well, hits. Or the threat of physical violence at least. He once attacked a teammate with a two-by-four, and infamously, choked his coach P.J. Carlesimo which effectively ended his tenure with the team.
After his retirement, and this is directly from the last paragraph in the intro to his Wikipedia article: "...he has made headlines for grounding his million dollar yacht, having two of his homes foreclosed upon, and being prohibited from seeing his children." So yeah, not the best look for someone in the public eye, to say the least. But he was memorable, for better and worse.
Jason Richardson: A dynamic and exciting player, Richardson came up at perhaps the franchise's lowest moment, and he eased the pain of watching a truly wretched team by being awesome. He was an exquiste dunker, which you can see from the photo above and from this video. Recently retired, Kevin Draper of Deadspin wrote up a very nice retrospective of what Richardson meant to a certain cloth of Warriors fans, and its frankly better than anything I could write about him.
Five Current Guys You Should Know
Stephen Curry: Basketball is in this man's blood— his old man is Dell Curry, a great player in his own right. But man, the way Stephen Curry plays, he makes his dad and pretty much everyone else look like total scrubs. He's already the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA, and he's only got six seasons under his belt. He broke the record for most three pointers made in a single season with 272 in 2012-13. Then he broke his own damn record two seasons later with 286!
He's currently has the third-best three point shooting percentage in history with .440. Here's some more shooting from the master— he has a career free throw shooting percentage of .900 (coincidentally, the same as former Warriors great Rick Barry), a field goal percentage of .471, and a true shooting percentage .602. God damn!
He has two All-Star Games and an MVP under his belt, in addition to all of the above insanity. He pretty much just has to just exist for another couple years to go into the Basketball Hall of Fame someday.
Klay Thompson: The second half of the Splash Brothers with Steph Curry, and coincidentally also the son of a former NBA player, Mychal Thompson in this case. Klay Thompson... plays a lot differently than his dad. While not the three point shooter Curry is, Thompson still holds a .400+ career 3P%. The Warriors are one of the scariest teams to face precisely because Curry and Thomas are so overwhelmingly offensively. Thompson made his first All-Star Game last season, so he's certainly not riding Curry's coattails.
Andrew Bogut: The number one pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Bogut's not much of a scorer. Where he cuts his teeth is defensively. He's averaged 1.6 blocks per game for his career, and averaged two or more three seasons in a row, leading the league with 2.6 in 2010-11. Bogut's more of a prototypical center, playing when the Warriors discard their usual small-ball lineup. When they do play small-ball, their center is usually...
Draymond Green: While 6'7'' is short for a usual center, when Green plays there the Warriors win. A lot. Green broke out last season, averaging 11.7 points and 8.2 assists, while playing a career-high 31.9 minutes per game (he hadn't played as often while Mark Jackson was the coach). Green gives the Warriors an edge, and is notorious shit talker. Winning a championship will probably make him even more willing to chirp, and he wasn't exactly bashful last season.
Steve Kerr: He played on five championship teams in his career, and he added a sixth ring this past season as a coach. Kerr is the first rookie coach to coach an entire season and to win a championship since 1947, aka the first season the NBA existed. He also holds the record for wins by a rookie coach with 67.
Needless to say, Kerr inherited a crazy-talented roster, but to his credit, he kept the system the same while benching certain players (David Lee, for example) and playing others instead (Draymond Green, as another). He also made the prudent choice of hiring an experienced group of assistant coaches to help out while Kerr learned on the job.
So if nothing else, Kerr isn't a moron an approached this situation as best as a first-timer could possibly have. And it worked, since they just won the whole damn thing. And in a bit of irony, the best three-point shooter in the game today is being coached by the guy who has the best career three-point percentage in history (Kerr had a nutty .454 3P%).
In 1962, the team was moved to California after being purchased by Bay Area TV and radio producer Franklin Mieuli. The Warriors settled in San Francisco for its first decade in the Golden State, but were moved once again to the other side of the bridge in Oakland in 1971. It was a natural transition, since they had been playing an increased number of games at then-new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena beginning in 1966, communing back and forth between both major Bay Area cities.
Rather than rebrand the team as the Oakland Warriors, the team was renamed the Golden State Warriors so as to take ownership of both San Fran and Oak Town. As a result, the Warriors are the only pro team in the four major sports to not include the name of its state, city, or geographical area in its full title. The Warriors have played at the Oakland Coliseum ever since they permanently moved to Oakland (the arena was renamed many times over the years and has been known as the Oracle Arena since 2006).
Greatest Runs
In these first two seasons where they were coached by their general manager Edward Gottlieb (he gave up coaching duties in 1955, but remained the team's GM for the rest of their stay in Philadelphia), the Warriors won 62 games in the regular season (the most among the three still-existing charter teams, and fourth-best in the league overall). They had a 14-9 record in the first two playoffs, the most playoff games and wins in the league.
A Championship And An Icon (1955-1964): The Warriors won one final championship in Philadelphia in 1956, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons in five games. But the big news (literally and figuratively) was the drafting of Wilt Chamberlain in 1959. Chamberlain wrecked everybody's shit, and the Warriors made the playoffs in four of his five full seasons with the team.
From the 1955-56 season to Chamberlain's last full season with the team in 1963-64 (to go along with a cross-country move), the Warriors won 374 games, third-most in the NBA and second only to the St. Louis Hawks in the West. They also made it to within a series of the Finals five times to go along with two Finals appearances.
Great in the 70s (1971-1977): Led by Rick Barry in this era (well, for most of the time, anyway), the Warriors won 295 games (third-best in the NBA, second only to the Los Angeles Lakers in the West) and made the playoffs five times (tied with the Chicago Bulls for the second-most in the NBA and most in the West). The Warriors won at least one playoff series four times, made it to the Western Conference Finals three times, and won their first championship in nearly twenty years (and their first since moving to California) in 1975, defeating a Washington Bullets team with twelve more wins on them in a four-game sweep.
Run TMC (1988-1991): While not as successful as other eras listed here, this time in Warriors history is notable for sheer entertainment value. Led by the trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin (TMC, geddit?), these Warriors were notable for being potent scorers and playing at a break-neck pace. They were among the fastest teams in the NBA in terms of number of possessions per game, with their only competition in that department being the historically fast Denver Nuggets teams of the 80s and early 90s. The Warriors made the playoffs twice, but never got out of the second round. And Run TMC had a short stay, with the team breaking them up after the 1990-91 season. But they sure were fun while they lasted.
The Shootingist Team in the West (And NBA) (2012-Present): After years of futility, the Warriors returned to playoff form thanks to some impecable shooting. Led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (known as the Splash Brothers), the team became the most dangerous long-range team in the history of the game, knocking down threes at a frankly-insane pace. Not only that, but the team also possessed a killer defense which ranked near the top of the league year-to-year.
Mark Jackson gets credit for setting the team up like this, but Steve Kerr perfected this system. The 2014-15 Warriors destroyed the NBA with the second-best offense and number one defense in the league. They won 67 games, the most in team history and one of only 11 teams ever to win at least 67, en route to the number one seed in the always-dominant West.
They carried their dominance over to the playoffs, where they made the Finals for the first time in 40 years in just 15 games. And aside from some goofiness in games two and three of the Finals, completely dominated all the Cleveland Cavaliers not named LeBron James to win their fourth-ever championship. The 2014-15 Warriors have already assended to the pantheon of awesome teams in the history of the NBA, and the future of basketball in the Bay Area looks bright.
Leanest Years
Even with their shoddy records, the Warriors still made the playoffs every season until 1952 (in that point in time, the playoff teams would be the top four teams in each division regardless of record, so it was a lot easier to get to the postseason back then). However, the Warriors won just one playoff GAME and never advanced past their first series.
And eventually they weren't good enough to get swept in a best-of-three. By 1953, the Warriors were a shell of themselves, falling to a 12-57 record, with a franchise-worst 17.4 winning percentage. The team steadily improved in the following two seasons, but remained really bad until they returned to championship glory in 1956.
Crap in the 80s (1978-1986): By the end of the 70s, most of the Warriors' best players from the championship team, such as Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Jeff Mullins and Phil Smith, either retired or were traded away. The team didn't exactly replace them with equally good players for the most part. While their 40.4 winning percentage in this stretch wasn't good, it wasn't even in the bottom five in the NBA (the Bulls, Cavaliers, Pacers, Clippers and Jazz all had worse records than the Warriors).
Where the stark bleakness really comes through is in the playoff appearances. Namely, that the Warriors didn't go to the playoffs once in eight seasons (their playoff-less streak actually went to nine, since they didn't qualify for the postseason in 1978 either). The Clippers were the only other team besides the Warriors to not go to the playoffs at least once in this period. You should never be comparable to the 80s Clippers ever.
The Warriors averaged 33 wins in these eight seasons, with their best mark being a 45-37 mark in 1981-82. Considering that the average number of wins for playoff teams in this stretch was 48 (47 in the Western Conference), and you shouldn't be shocked that the Warriors didn't go to the dance once.
Interminably Bad (1994-2010): Holy God, what a miserable time in team history. Before I get into the reasons for this, here are the straight facts— the Warriors from the 1994-95 season to the 2009-10 season won a scant 37.3% of their games. Only the Los Angeles Clippers had a lower winning percentage in those 16 seasons.
Unsurprisingly, the Warriors' single-season win-loss records were pretty grim as well. They lost 60+ games four times in five seasons, including a putrid 17-65 mark in 2000-01, they're worst record in a season of at least 80 games. The Warriors' four 60+ loss seasons was tied with the Clippers for second-most in the NBA.
And the Clippers still made the playoffs twice as many times as the Warriors in that same stretch, twice to the Warrior's one. 26 of the NBA's 30 teams played in all 16 seasons in this stretch— even counting the Warriors and Clippers, the average number of playoff appearances for those 26 teams in this stretch was nine. 11 teams went to the playoffs at least 10 times. Most qualified for the postseason at least 7 times. Again, the Warriors only made the playoffs ONCE in a league that sends more than half of its teams to the playoffs each season.
The reason for all this ineptitude lay at the top of the organization. Chris Cohan, founder and former head of Sonic Communications, was the Warriors' primary owner from 1994 to 2010— aka, the entire time I'm talking about in this section. Cohan, when he wasn't busy suing seemingly anyone who may or may not have said something halfway disparaging about him, helped foster a culture of backstabbing, mistrust and most of all, incompetence.
The Warriors of this era were notorious for their bad drafting, penny pinching, and pettiness. These traits were given corporal form in Robert Rowell who, like Cohan, was in the organization for the entirety of this era. Rowell worked his way up to the title of team president, despite seemingly having no understanding of how to run a basketball team, and possessing the tact of a spoiled child. Any good moves the Warriors made, rare as they were, were undone in the most spectacularly awful ways imaginable. Mostly, Rowell spent his time as president hording power and destroying anyone who posed any kind of threat to him, real or imagined, as if he was Al Paccino as directed by Roland Emmerich.
Cohan either green lit all of this boorish failure himself, or simply allowed it to happen out of apathy. It depended on the day. The only thing Cohan was good at in his time as owner was incurring the wrath of every Warriors fan in existence. This was infamously given life at the 2000 All Star Game, which was held at the Warriors' Oracle Arena. Cohan walked out onto the court with his eight-year-old son to present Michael Jordan with an award, and the crowd mercilessly booed him. He was standing next to a young child and one of the most transcendent players in sports history, and the hatred his hometown fans felt for him still managed to seep through.
And after 16 excruciating years of owning the Warriors, in which he gave Donald Sterling and James Dolan a run for their money as worst owners in the NBA, if not all of sports, Cohan sold the team to current owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber in 2010. Rowell was soon ousted as well, with as much dignity as someone like him deserved, which is to say, none. That the Warriors won a championship less than a decade later is no coincidence. They didn't have dueling incompetents at the top to get in their way.
Names You Should Know
Among the most potent scorers in the early NBA, Arizin led the league in points per game twice and retired second all-time in both points (16,266) and points per game (22.8, which is still fourth-best in Warriors history). Arizin was also a pretty efficient shooter for his day, as he was one of just seven players from 1946 to 1962 to have a true shooting percentage above 50% with at least 7,000 field goal attempts.
Arizin was named First-Team All-NBA three times, and was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History for the NBA's 50th anniversary in 1996. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Johnston led the NBA in field goal percentage three times in five seasons and averaged 11.3 rebounds per game for his career, third-most in history at the time of his retirement and still fourth-best in Warriors history. Named First-Team All-NBA four times, Johnston also made six All-Star Games in his eight seasons. He was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Still, get these numbers— in his Warriors career alone, he led the NBA in scoring every single year and led in rebounding in four-straight. He averaged (AVERAGED!) 41.5 points per game and 25.1 rebounds per game as a Warrior (shockingly, both are franchise highs).
Five of the top six scoring seasons in history were done by Chamberlain, and he is the only player in history to average more than 40 points a game in a season (He did it twice! He averaged 44.8 points in 1962-63, and that was a step down from the previous season where he averaged 50.4! Christ Almighty!) He is the only player in history to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. Oh, and scored 100 goddamn points in a single game that one time.
And keep in mind, this was all before the installation of the three-point line. This was also after the NBA desperately tried to curb his dominance by changing numerous rules. He made the All-Star Game in every season but one for 13 total appearances, five as a Warrior. He made ten All-NBA teams (seven on the First Team). And just in his Warriors career, he was named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (he won three more as a member of the 76ers). He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, went into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, and had his number 13 jersey retired by the Warriors. Simply put, Wilt fucking ruled.
But rebounding was where he really cut his teeth, averaging a clean 15 a game for his career. He is one of only five players in history to average at least 15 points and 15 rebounds for his career, and is the most recent player to do so. A seven-time All-Star (all with the Warriors) and named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Thurmond was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. His number 42 jersey was also retired by the team.
Returning to the NBA and the Warriors for the 1972-73, Barry picked up right where he left off by scoring like a mother bear. He was the key player in the Warriors' 1975 championship season, scoring 28.2 points per games in the playoffs and winning Finals MVP. He's the most potent scorers in team history after Chamberlain, made 12 All-Star Games between the NBA and ABA, and was All-NBA First Team six times. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. His number 24 jersey was retired by the team.
All in all, despite frequently clashing with ownership, players, ownership and players, and pretty much everyone else who didn't want to do everything his way, Nelson won 422 games with the Warriors, second-most in team history. One of his three Coach of the Year Awards came while coaching the Warriors. And as mentioned earlier, his career 1,335 wins are the most in history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tim Hardaway: Another member of Run TMC, Hardaway is among the best point guards in team history. His 9.3 assists per game as a Warrior is the top mark in team history, and he averaged double-digit assists two seasons in a row. He was also a good scorer, averaging nearly 20 points a game as a Warrior. And he managed to remain an effective player even after a knee injury wiped out his entire 1993-94 season. Three of his five All-Star Game appearances and two of his five All-NBA Team selections were as a Warrior.
His greatest hits as a Warrior involved, well, hits. Or the threat of physical violence at least. He once attacked a teammate with a two-by-four, and infamously, choked his coach P.J. Carlesimo which effectively ended his tenure with the team.
After his retirement, and this is directly from the last paragraph in the intro to his Wikipedia article: "...he has made headlines for grounding his million dollar yacht, having two of his homes foreclosed upon, and being prohibited from seeing his children." So yeah, not the best look for someone in the public eye, to say the least. But he was memorable, for better and worse.
Five Current Guys You Should Know
He's currently has the third-best three point shooting percentage in history with .440. Here's some more shooting from the master— he has a career free throw shooting percentage of .900 (coincidentally, the same as former Warriors great Rick Barry), a field goal percentage of .471, and a true shooting percentage .602. God damn!
He has two All-Star Games and an MVP under his belt, in addition to all of the above insanity. He pretty much just has to just exist for another couple years to go into the Basketball Hall of Fame someday.
Needless to say, Kerr inherited a crazy-talented roster, but to his credit, he kept the system the same while benching certain players (David Lee, for example) and playing others instead (Draymond Green, as another). He also made the prudent choice of hiring an experienced group of assistant coaches to help out while Kerr learned on the job.
So if nothing else, Kerr isn't a moron an approached this situation as best as a first-timer could possibly have. And it worked, since they just won the whole damn thing. And in a bit of irony, the best three-point shooter in the game today is being coached by the guy who has the best career three-point percentage in history (Kerr had a nutty .454 3P%).
Monday, October 5, 2015
A BRIEF HISTORY OF... THE NEW YORK METS... REDUX
With the Mets back in the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade, let's revisit the team with a shiny new retrospective. If you're so inclined, the original article is still up and can be found here. Although this one is sure to look more like my usual team retrospectives than the old one. At the very least, it'll be spaced out better than the old one.
Starting Up:
The Mets have their roots in the Continental League. What the hell is the Continental League you ask? Some history— both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants moved to California before the 1958 season. New York City, which had had at least two National League franchises for nearly 75 years, suddenly had none. Enter a lawyer by the name of William Shea, who was so determined to bring the NL back to NYC that he decided to create a whole damn league to get one there. (MLB had no interest in expansion at the time, so this was seen as the best way to get another baseball team in the city. Beats having to root for the Yankees, I guess.)
By 1959, Shea, in partnership with baseball legend Branch Rickey, had rounded up a bunch of owners for proposed teams in various cities such as Denver, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Houston, Toronto, and yes, New York City. This new Continental League sought to work with Major League Baseball as opposed to competing with it, and putting franchises where no other Major League club currently existed seemed the least likely to rock the boat with the established behemoth.
Well, the baseball owners were totally on board with this proposal. Then, completely out of the blue, they announced that four new teams would be coming to MLB, two in the American League and two in the National League. Despite the fact that they had been very resistant to expansion beforehand and hadn't expanded properly since the formation of the American League nearly six decades earlier.
The NL offered two Continental League ownership groups in Houston and New York City Major League clubs of their own. And since all Shea wanted was for New York City to have an NL franchise again, he pretty much abandoned his idea of the Continental League once that came to be.
The Continental League disbanded before signing any players or playing a single game. But it did push MLB to expand against their will (which would lead to four more franchises by 1969, increasing MLB's ranks by 50% from a decade earlier). It also inadvertently led to the formation of the American Football League, since Bob Howsman, the owner of what would've been the CL's Denver franchise, expanded his stadium to house a Major League team and desperately needed a pro tenant, leading to the founding of the Broncos, which I went over previously.
Back to the Mets proper. The name "Mets" was chosen as the team's name as a shortened version of its corporate name: New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. Blue and orange were chosen as the team's colors as a nod to the departed Dodgers and Giants. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds (where the Giants had played for much of their history) for their first two seasons as their new stadium was being built. And in honor of the man who spearheaded the NL coming back to New York City, the new ballpark was named Shea Stadium.
The Mets played at Shea for 45 seasons, winning their two championships and accumulating all their playoff appearances before this season in the Stadium. They moved to Citi Field in 2009 (Shea Stadium was demolished soon after the 2008 season), which as a further nod to the departed New York NL teams, bares a striking resemblance to old Ebbets Field.
By 1959, Shea, in partnership with baseball legend Branch Rickey, had rounded up a bunch of owners for proposed teams in various cities such as Denver, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Houston, Toronto, and yes, New York City. This new Continental League sought to work with Major League Baseball as opposed to competing with it, and putting franchises where no other Major League club currently existed seemed the least likely to rock the boat with the established behemoth.
Well, the baseball owners were totally on board with this proposal. Then, completely out of the blue, they announced that four new teams would be coming to MLB, two in the American League and two in the National League. Despite the fact that they had been very resistant to expansion beforehand and hadn't expanded properly since the formation of the American League nearly six decades earlier.
The NL offered two Continental League ownership groups in Houston and New York City Major League clubs of their own. And since all Shea wanted was for New York City to have an NL franchise again, he pretty much abandoned his idea of the Continental League once that came to be.
The Continental League disbanded before signing any players or playing a single game. But it did push MLB to expand against their will (which would lead to four more franchises by 1969, increasing MLB's ranks by 50% from a decade earlier). It also inadvertently led to the formation of the American Football League, since Bob Howsman, the owner of what would've been the CL's Denver franchise, expanded his stadium to house a Major League team and desperately needed a pro tenant, leading to the founding of the Broncos, which I went over previously.
Back to the Mets proper. The name "Mets" was chosen as the team's name as a shortened version of its corporate name: New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. Blue and orange were chosen as the team's colors as a nod to the departed Dodgers and Giants. The Mets played in the Polo Grounds (where the Giants had played for much of their history) for their first two seasons as their new stadium was being built. And in honor of the man who spearheaded the NL coming back to New York City, the new ballpark was named Shea Stadium.
The Mets played at Shea for 45 seasons, winning their two championships and accumulating all their playoff appearances before this season in the Stadium. They moved to Citi Field in 2009 (Shea Stadium was demolished soon after the 2008 season), which as a further nod to the departed New York NL teams, bares a striking resemblance to old Ebbets Field.
Greatest Runs
Cleon Jones: Another early Met. Jones was a mostly-light-hitting outfielder that didn't strike out a lot. But he had an incredible season in 1969, hitting .340 with a .904 OPS while stealing 16 bases and making the All-Star Game. It was far and away the best season of his career. While he was mostly a non-factor in the World Series, Jones totally ate the Braves' lunch in the 1969 NLCS, hitting .429/.467/.789 with two stolen bases and a home run. Jones also played well in the entire 1973 postseason. Pretty good career all in all.
Jerry Koosman: While Seaver was the ace of the Mets, Jerry Koosman was an excellent second option (all while a young Nolan Ryan diddled around on the bench loved by no one). Koosman made two-straight All-Star Games and spent 12 of his 19 Major League seasons with the Mets. He had a 3.09 ERA in New York, and accumulated over 2,500 strikeouts when it was all said and done. And he was damn-near unstoppable in the '69 World Series, tallying up nine strikeouts, a 2.04 ERA and an 0.623 WHIP in 17.2 innings across two games.
The Amazin' Mets (1969-1973):
After years of futility, the Mets finally began to contend. They started the 1969 season 18-23, but then went an astounding 82-39 for the rest of the year, good for a record of 100-62 and securing the first playoff berth in team history (with a huge assist from the Chicago Cubs, who had one of the worst collapses in their history that season).
The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the inaugural NLCS. And in the 1969 World Series, they beat the Baltimore Orioles in five games in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. After '69, the team had three-straight 83 win seasons before winning their second NL East title and making it to the World Series for the second time in five years in 1973. They lost to the juggernaut Oakland A's of the early 70s, but, still, this was pretty good for a team that was abominably bad a few years earlier.
The Mets swept the Atlanta Braves in three games in the inaugural NLCS. And in the 1969 World Series, they beat the Baltimore Orioles in five games in one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. After '69, the team had three-straight 83 win seasons before winning their second NL East title and making it to the World Series for the second time in five years in 1973. They lost to the juggernaut Oakland A's of the early 70s, but, still, this was pretty good for a team that was abominably bad a few years earlier.
Bad Guys Win Hard (1984-1989):
Starting in 1980, the Mets began to make a series of great moves and
hires that culminated in a half decade of winning baseball. The 80s Mets were utterly dominant— from 1984 to 1988, they won 488 games, the most in the Majors and 17 more than the second-place Detroit Tigers.
Unsurprisingly, all that winning led to the postseason. The Mets had two appearances in the NLCS in three years and won their second World Series in 1986, defeating the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. Game 6 of the '86 Series is one of the most famous games in baseball history; the Mets came back from a 3-0 deficit in an elimination game, culminating with Mookie Wilson hitting a grounder that went through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, sealing the game for the Mets.
Unsurprisingly, all that winning led to the postseason. The Mets had two appearances in the NLCS in three years and won their second World Series in 1986, defeating the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. Game 6 of the '86 Series is one of the most famous games in baseball history; the Mets came back from a 3-0 deficit in an elimination game, culminating with Mookie Wilson hitting a grounder that went through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs, sealing the game for the Mets.
Great At the Turn of the Century (1998-2001):
The Mets returned to postseason glory, going to two straight NLCS and
one World Series, all without winning a single division title (this was during the 11-year stretch where the Atlanta Braves had a stranglehold on the NL East). The Mets lost to the New York Yankees in the 2000 Series,
the first World Series between two New York teams since 1956.
That was it for them as contenders, but there was one special moment to come after that: the Mets played the Braves in Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001— the first game played in New York City since 9/11. Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, effectively winning the game for them, to thunderous cheers. It's cited as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.
The Time (But Not Really) (2005-2008): By 2005, the Mets were suddenly brimming with talent. Thanks to nailing free agent signings with awesome (and now hall of fame) pitchers Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine as well as center fielder Carlos Beltran, to go along with promising young talent in David Wright and Jose Reyes, the 2005 Mets secured their first winning season since 2001.
The Mets struck further gold that offseason, trading for Carlos Delgato and Billy Wagner, and signing Mike Piazza's replacement Paul Lo Duca. This new core of players shot the Mets to a 97-66 record, their best since 1999, and finally unseating the Atlanta Braves from the NL East title (it was the Mets' first division title since 1988). They swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, and took the eventual-World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the NLCS. The future certainly seemed bright for these Mets.
But it wasn't to be. While the Mets remained a contender and always threatened to win the division, they frittered away their chances in the final days of both the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The 2007 season was particularly cruel, as the Mets had a seven-game lead over the rival Philadelphia Phillies with 17 to go. The Phillies going on an extended winning streak at the same time as the Mets lost 12 of their final 17 caused the Mets to unceremoniously bow out of the division race and the playoffs.
But the team was still good, so that's why this isn't in the "bad" part of Mets history. With the Mets, you often have to take absurd euphoria with crushing disappointment.
That was it for them as contenders, but there was one special moment to come after that: the Mets played the Braves in Shea Stadium on September 21, 2001— the first game played in New York City since 9/11. Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, effectively winning the game for them, to thunderous cheers. It's cited as one of the greatest moments in baseball history.
The Time (But Not Really) (2005-2008): By 2005, the Mets were suddenly brimming with talent. Thanks to nailing free agent signings with awesome (and now hall of fame) pitchers Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine as well as center fielder Carlos Beltran, to go along with promising young talent in David Wright and Jose Reyes, the 2005 Mets secured their first winning season since 2001.
The Mets struck further gold that offseason, trading for Carlos Delgato and Billy Wagner, and signing Mike Piazza's replacement Paul Lo Duca. This new core of players shot the Mets to a 97-66 record, their best since 1999, and finally unseating the Atlanta Braves from the NL East title (it was the Mets' first division title since 1988). They swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, and took the eventual-World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals to seven games in the NLCS. The future certainly seemed bright for these Mets.
But it wasn't to be. While the Mets remained a contender and always threatened to win the division, they frittered away their chances in the final days of both the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The 2007 season was particularly cruel, as the Mets had a seven-game lead over the rival Philadelphia Phillies with 17 to go. The Phillies going on an extended winning streak at the same time as the Mets lost 12 of their final 17 caused the Mets to unceremoniously bow out of the division race and the playoffs.
But the team was still good, so that's why this isn't in the "bad" part of Mets history. With the Mets, you often have to take absurd euphoria with crushing disappointment.
Leanest Years
The Loveable Losers (1962-1966): Following the usual initial fate of expansion teams, the Mets sucked when they took the field for the first time. But that's underselling things a bit— the team went
40-120 in their inaugural season in 1962. Only the 1899 Cleveland Spiders lost more games in a single season in baseball history. The 1962 Mets' winning percentage of .250 is third-worst since 1901. And they weren't much better in the next few seasons either. They had four-straight 100-loss seasons to start out, tying a modern era record for
futility.
Why were they so bad? One of the main reasons is that instead of signing promising young players to start with, the team signed veteran players who had spent significant time with the Dodgers and Giants when they were still in New York in order to play on fans' nostalgia. Of course, by this time, those same players who had been great years earlier were now closer to retirement than not, and thus weren't exactly in prime baseball condition, contributing to the Mets' woeful first few seasons.
Why were they so bad? One of the main reasons is that instead of signing promising young players to start with, the team signed veteran players who had spent significant time with the Dodgers and Giants when they were still in New York in order to play on fans' nostalgia. Of course, by this time, those same players who had been great years earlier were now closer to retirement than not, and thus weren't exactly in prime baseball condition, contributing to the Mets' woeful first few seasons.
The Midnight Massacre (1977-1982):
So your owner has died, her family doesn't really share their late
relative's "giving a damn" mentality about the team, and you are in a
messy contract dispute with two star players. What could go wrong? Just
about everything. The Mets traded away Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman, the
aforementioned star players, and got six players in return. None of the
players came close to matching either Seaver or Kingman's production,
and the Mets wallowed in the mire of bad teams and poor attendance for much of this run.
The Worst Team Money Could Buy (Late 80s, 1990-1993):
You'll notice that this era overlaps with the 1986 World Series win. A
great number of players had severe drug and alcohol problems. Management
and coaches turned a blind eye for a long time until things went
downhill fast.
By the time the 90s started, the Mets were a freebased shell of their World Series selves. Poor moves, scandals and washed up former stars made up the Mets of the early 90s, the low point coming in 1993 when they lost more than 100 games for the first time since 1967.
Vince Coleman personally won the douchebag in sports MVP in 1993 when in two separate incidents, he injured Dwight Gooden's shoulder when Colman was practicing his golf swing in the dugout (with a golf club in an enclosed space mind you), and threw a lit firecracker into the stands at Dodger Stadium, injuring three people. No good.
Suckage in the Citi (2009-2014): The Mets became an absolute shell of themselves after the move to Citi Field. In the years following the move, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran were acrimoniously traded away, general manager Omar Minaya fired people in the crappiest manner possible, and the team wallowed in irrelevance, not necessarily in that order.
The Mets finished 20 or more games back in the NL East four times in these six seasons, and the best they did was finish 17 games back and technically in second in 2014 (they had the same 79-83 record as the Braves, but won the season series). There's nothing to really expand upon. They were a bad team that couldn't hit worth a damn, though they did have awesome pitching prospects, which we'll get to later.
By the time the 90s started, the Mets were a freebased shell of their World Series selves. Poor moves, scandals and washed up former stars made up the Mets of the early 90s, the low point coming in 1993 when they lost more than 100 games for the first time since 1967.
Vince Coleman personally won the douchebag in sports MVP in 1993 when in two separate incidents, he injured Dwight Gooden's shoulder when Colman was practicing his golf swing in the dugout (with a golf club in an enclosed space mind you), and threw a lit firecracker into the stands at Dodger Stadium, injuring three people. No good.
Suckage in the Citi (2009-2014): The Mets became an absolute shell of themselves after the move to Citi Field. In the years following the move, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran were acrimoniously traded away, general manager Omar Minaya fired people in the crappiest manner possible, and the team wallowed in irrelevance, not necessarily in that order.
The Mets finished 20 or more games back in the NL East four times in these six seasons, and the best they did was finish 17 games back and technically in second in 2014 (they had the same 79-83 record as the Braves, but won the season series). There's nothing to really expand upon. They were a bad team that couldn't hit worth a damn, though they did have awesome pitching prospects, which we'll get to later.
Names You Should Know
Casey Stengel: The manager for the great New York Yankees teams from 1949 to 1960 which won 7 World Series and 10 pennants. Stengel was fired after
the 1960 season, but was coaxed out of retirement to become the first
manager in New York Mets history. Stengel's Mets tenure... um... didn't
go as well as his Yankees stay, to put it mildly.
Stengel was approximately 1,000 years old at the time of his hiring, and as mentioned above, the team was atrocious. However, the team was still beloved in New York thanks in no large part to Stengel's charisma and ability to utter a great quote. He had his number retired by the Mets in 1965, the first person to receive that honor for the team, and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1966.
Stengel was approximately 1,000 years old at the time of his hiring, and as mentioned above, the team was atrocious. However, the team was still beloved in New York thanks in no large part to Stengel's charisma and ability to utter a great quote. He had his number retired by the Mets in 1965, the first person to receive that honor for the team, and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1966.
Ed Kranepool: An inaugural Met. Kranepool was called up at the ripe age of 17 and spent his entire 18-year career with the Mets. He wasn't a great hitter (in nearly 6,000 plate appearances, he hit .261/.316/.377). He wasn't a particularly good defender. He wasn't very fast (Stengel once quipped that Kranepool was a 17-year-old that ran like a 30-year-old). And he was worth only 4.4 wins above replacement in his career which, again, lasted 18 years.
Still, Kranepool was a constant on the Mets from its very beginnings until the dying days of Disco. He was there for when they were historically bad, when they were a World Series winning and contending team, and when they went right back to being terrible again. That must count for something, right?
Still, Kranepool was a constant on the Mets from its very beginnings until the dying days of Disco. He was there for when they were historically bad, when they were a World Series winning and contending team, and when they went right back to being terrible again. That must count for something, right?
Cleon Jones: Another early Met. Jones was a mostly-light-hitting outfielder that didn't strike out a lot. But he had an incredible season in 1969, hitting .340 with a .904 OPS while stealing 16 bases and making the All-Star Game. It was far and away the best season of his career. While he was mostly a non-factor in the World Series, Jones totally ate the Braves' lunch in the 1969 NLCS, hitting .429/.467/.789 with two stolen bases and a home run. Jones also played well in the entire 1973 postseason. Pretty good career all in all.
Tom Seaver:
Tom Terrific! Seaver is one of the greatest pitchers in baseball
history. He won the 1967 NL Rookie of the Year. He won three Cy Young
awards while finishing in the top 5 in the voting an additional five
times. He led the league in strikeouts five times, while leading in ERA
three times and was a 12 time All-Star.
He ranks sixth all-time in strikeouts, pitched 61 shutouts (seventh all-time), and when he made it into the Hall of Fame in 1992, he was on an astounding 98.8% of the ballots, the most in history. Dear God! He's also the only hall-of-famer who was inducted as a member of the Mets and is the only player to have his number retired by the club.
He ranks sixth all-time in strikeouts, pitched 61 shutouts (seventh all-time), and when he made it into the Hall of Fame in 1992, he was on an astounding 98.8% of the ballots, the most in history. Dear God! He's also the only hall-of-famer who was inducted as a member of the Mets and is the only player to have his number retired by the club.
Jerry Koosman: While Seaver was the ace of the Mets, Jerry Koosman was an excellent second option (all while a young Nolan Ryan diddled around on the bench loved by no one). Koosman made two-straight All-Star Games and spent 12 of his 19 Major League seasons with the Mets. He had a 3.09 ERA in New York, and accumulated over 2,500 strikeouts when it was all said and done. And he was damn-near unstoppable in the '69 World Series, tallying up nine strikeouts, a 2.04 ERA and an 0.623 WHIP in 17.2 innings across two games.
Darryl Strawberry:
For a guy who never lived up to his potential, he sure had a damn great
career. The number one overall pick in the 1980 and the 1983 NL Rookie
of the Year, Strawberry was one of the biggest hitters of the 80s, both
literally and figuratively. Strawberry hit between 26 and 39 home runs
every year during his Mets tenure. Shockingly, he's the Mets' all time
leader in home runs. In fact, he's still in the top two in numerous
offensive categories for the Mets.
Strawberry was a major player in the great Mets teams of the late 80s that won two division titles and one World Series (he finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1988). Despite his offensive prowess, Strawberry had numerous run ins with the law, mostly pertaining to his drug use and his myriad of other issues.
Strawberry was a major player in the great Mets teams of the late 80s that won two division titles and one World Series (he finished second in the NL MVP voting in 1988). Despite his offensive prowess, Strawberry had numerous run ins with the law, mostly pertaining to his drug use and his myriad of other issues.
Keith Hernandez:
A star for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 70s and early 80s, Hernandez won the 1979 NL MVP (sharing it with Willie Stargell of the Pirates) and playing the hero in the Cards' 1982 World Series win. But he fell into the Mets' lap in 1983, thanks to having a previous addiction to cocaine (he later testified in the Pittsburgh Drug Trials) and for Whitey Herzog hating him.
It paid off for the Mets. Hernandez was the captain for those great late-80s teams and won five of his eleven Gold Glove awards in New York. He also finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting twice and is in the top ten in numerous offensive categories in Mets history. Thank God Herzog took umbrage with his effort level, or the Mets may have not been as dominant as they were.
It paid off for the Mets. Hernandez was the captain for those great late-80s teams and won five of his eleven Gold Glove awards in New York. He also finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting twice and is in the top ten in numerous offensive categories in Mets history. Thank God Herzog took umbrage with his effort level, or the Mets may have not been as dominant as they were.
Davey Johnson:
The manager of those 80s Mets. Johnson was known for his
easygoing managing style, letting his players do their own thing so long
as they were productive on the field. If you haven't noticed, lots of
Mets players had major drug issues under his run. Just sayin'. But
Johnson was a great manager, accumulating the most wins in Mets history
and the second most postseason wins in Mets history. Fun fact: Johnson is one of ten managers in history to get his teams to at least five LCS (beyond his two with the Mets, he got the Reds to the 1995 NLCS and the Orioles to back-to-back ALCS in 1996 and 1997).
Dwight Gooden:
Doctor K! Possibly the best and most entertaining pitcher on Mets teams
stocked full of great and entertaining pitchers. Gooden ranks second in wins and strikeouts and third in games started and complete games among
Mets pitchers.
Gooden, and please temper your surprise, had a debilitating drug problem. While all of the Mets players with drug issues were tragic to a degree, Gooden's problems ruined perhaps the most promising young career on the Mets at the time. He would likely have put up hall of fame caliber numbers had he never had these issues or got them under control early. He's perhaps the ultimate what-could-have-been not just in Mets history, but baseball history as a whole.
Gooden, and please temper your surprise, had a debilitating drug problem. While all of the Mets players with drug issues were tragic to a degree, Gooden's problems ruined perhaps the most promising young career on the Mets at the time. He would likely have put up hall of fame caliber numbers had he never had these issues or got them under control early. He's perhaps the ultimate what-could-have-been not just in Mets history, but baseball history as a whole.
Gary Carter:
Kid! Although his best years came as a member of the Montreal Expos, Carter was still a good player for the Mets. Shockingly, in comparison to many of his teammates, Carter kept his nose clean while in New York. Carter was astoundingly durable in his career,
catching in 90% of his teams' games five times.
He was an exuberant force and one of the greatest catchers in baseball
history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Howard Johnson: HoJo! Johnson turned himself into maybe the second-best power hitter on the team after Darryl Strawberry, averaging 31.4 home runs from 1987 to 1991. He currently ranks fourth in Mets history with 192 home runs. While he disappeared whenever the playoffs began (he had a batting line of .038/.074/.038 in 11 postseason games), Johnson was still a good player, making two All-Star Games (both with the Mets) and earning top-10 MVP votes in three seasons.
John Franco:
The Mets all time saves leader. Franco was one of the greatest relief
pitchers in history, ranking up 424 saves in his career, the fourth most
in history and the most ever by a left-hander. Franco led the NL in saves three times (twice with the Mets). He also served as team
captain from 2001-2004 and played in more games than any other Mets
pitcher.
Mike Piazza:
Another great Mets catcher. Piazza was perhaps the greatest hitting
catcher of all time, which more than made up for the fact that he was a
pretty pedestrian defender. He hit over .300 nine different times in his
career, including an astounding .362 in 1997 when he was with the
Dodgers. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1993, also with the
Dodgers. He is one of three players in Mets history to hit at least 200 home runs with the club and he won five of his ten Silver Slugger awards and went to seven of his
twelve All-Star selections during his Mets stay.
Jose Reyes: The greatest shortstop in team history and one of the best in the NL for nearly all of his Mets tenure. Reyes hit .292/.341/.441 in his nine seasons with the Mets, great numbers for a shortstop. He led the NL or MLB as a whole in stolen bases in three-straight seasons (swiping at least 60 per season in the process). His 370 stolen bases are the most in team history and nearly 90 more than second-place Mookie Wilson. And Reyes was also a pretty good defender as he made four All-Star Games. While he didn't part on the best of terms and he's declined something fierce in recent years, he should still hold a special place in the hearts of fans.
Carlos Beltran: A great power-hitter for the mid-00s Mets and the best center fielder in team history (unless a certain someone below isn't resigned and/or doesn't play well in years to come). Beltran smacked 149 home runs in his seven seasons in Met Land, and in most seasons walked almost as much as he struck out (in 2009, he walked more than struck out). Five of his six All-Star Game appearances came as a Met.
Beltran also left under contentious circumstances (the Mets also did their damnedest to smear his name on the way out). But come on, he's one of the best players in franchise history. Here's some awesome things he did as a Met. Read it and appreciate it.
Jose Reyes: The greatest shortstop in team history and one of the best in the NL for nearly all of his Mets tenure. Reyes hit .292/.341/.441 in his nine seasons with the Mets, great numbers for a shortstop. He led the NL or MLB as a whole in stolen bases in three-straight seasons (swiping at least 60 per season in the process). His 370 stolen bases are the most in team history and nearly 90 more than second-place Mookie Wilson. And Reyes was also a pretty good defender as he made four All-Star Games. While he didn't part on the best of terms and he's declined something fierce in recent years, he should still hold a special place in the hearts of fans.
Carlos Beltran: A great power-hitter for the mid-00s Mets and the best center fielder in team history (unless a certain someone below isn't resigned and/or doesn't play well in years to come). Beltran smacked 149 home runs in his seven seasons in Met Land, and in most seasons walked almost as much as he struck out (in 2009, he walked more than struck out). Five of his six All-Star Game appearances came as a Met.
Beltran also left under contentious circumstances (the Mets also did their damnedest to smear his name on the way out). But come on, he's one of the best players in franchise history. Here's some awesome things he did as a Met. Read it and appreciate it.
Five Current Guys You Should Know
David Wright:
The current face of the franchise. Wright has been one of the few
consistently great bright spots on the Mets roster over the last decade, becoming perhaps the greatest position player in team history.
He has batted over .300 in eight seasons (six of those with over 600 plate appearances), had over 160 hits in seven
seasons, hit 25 or more home runs in five seasons, and played in at least
90% of the possible games in six seasons. He is also in the top 5 at
least in almost every major offensive category in Mets history and is
the leader in a sizable chunk of them. In short he's really, really
good and (hopefully) will wind up in Cooperstown one day.
Matt Harvey: In my original article, I said that Harvey was THE great Mets pitcher. Since then, the Mets have called up enough promising pitchers that they're being favorably compared to the 90s Braves (by a 90s Brave!). But don't discount Harvey. He's already made an All-Star Game, has an ERA around 2.50 and a WHIP close to 1.000. In short, he's still awesome, even after coming off Tommy John surgery.
Wilmer Flores: The best non-trade the Mets have made in years, if not ever. Flores was nearly traded to the Brewers in exchange for Carlos Gomez. He was left in the game as this news was trickling out, and he famously cried on the field as it was happening. Obviously, this was a terrible lack of communication on the part of GM Sandy Alderson, but the trade fell through and the Mets kept Flores while getting a much better player later (see below).
While Flores has only been about a .250 hitter with a sub-300 OBP and a sub-400 slugging percentage in his career so far, he had himself a hell of a two-month stretch after he wept. He went .299/.330/.379 in July and was even better in August with a line of .306/.337/.506. While he's cooled off since then, Flores remains a great story on a team currently full of them.
While Flores has only been about a .250 hitter with a sub-300 OBP and a sub-400 slugging percentage in his career so far, he had himself a hell of a two-month stretch after he wept. He went .299/.330/.379 in July and was even better in August with a line of .306/.337/.506. While he's cooled off since then, Flores remains a great story on a team currently full of them.
Jacob deGrom: Just one of the several promising, young pitchers in the Mets rotation. deGrom has already marked his territory in the Majors, winning the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Award after striking out 144 batters, accumulating a 2.69 ERA, and posting a Field Independent Pitching (FIP) two points lower than his ERA (THAT'S GOOD!).
He made his first All-Star Game this year and showed his dominance by striking out the AL side in his one inning of work. While it's unreasonable to think he'll win the Cy Young Award this year (he plays in the same League as Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta), he's sure to get in the conversation one day if he keeps up his stellar play.
He made his first All-Star Game this year and showed his dominance by striking out the AL side in his one inning of work. While it's unreasonable to think he'll win the Cy Young Award this year (he plays in the same League as Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta), he's sure to get in the conversation one day if he keeps up his stellar play.
Yoenis Cespedes: The man the Mets finally traded for after muffing on both Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce. And boy has he paid off. Cespedes has hit .287/.337/.604 with 35 extra-base hits (17 home runs) and four stolen bases in five attempts. He's played so well, in fact, that some people were banging the drum that he should be NL MVP in 2015. These people are crazy. But Cespedes has been simply wonderful since coming to New York and will hopefully be locked up for many years to come this offseason.
***
***
That's all. Enjoy the postseason.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)