By Paul Casey Gotham
****Remember, try this without research. Release your inner James Joyce and show us your stream of consciousness as you decipher the answer.
It’s a short list when it comes to guys from Columbia University that played in the National Basketball Association. The list gets even shorter when it comes to guys from Columbia taken in the first round. Columbia guys taken in the first round that went on to win a N.B.A. title? I might be the only one on that list. Three guys taken before me in the draft ended up in the hall of fame. At least one guy taken after me that year also is enshrined at Springfield. Me? I just took the place of a hall-of-famer. Or should I say I stepped into his position when he decided to retire nine games into the season. I felt kind of bad for him. He was a first overall pick in the draft. Went on to score more than 23,000 points and grab more than 11,000 rebounds. He led his team to the playoffs for 12 straight seasons but never won a title. He retired. I stepped in. We won 33 in a row. I think that is still a record, and we won the title that year. Geez, that had to be tough. I played for four different organizations in my nine-year career.
Who am I?
So we’re talking about the NBA’s Lakers and the player who replaced Elgin Baylor. The Lakers hold the record for the 33 game winning streak and that team is one of the all-time greats finishing with a best ever record of 69-13 and an NBA title. (I know because the ’96 Chicago Bulls would later break their single season win record with a 72-10 season).
So … what hoopster from Columbia took the place of Elgin Baylor??? I don’t know at the moment … off to the showers to think about it!!! Hopefully someone on the Pine can beat me to the answer.
Still drawing a blank … I thought of Gail Goodrich with Jerry West and Wilt the Stilt. But who are the other guys???? (Nothing like answering a question with a question in the WAI segment). I’m missing the forwards … was Pat Riley one? Happy Hairston??? Is he Columbia?
Gotta drive to work … please … someone help!
33 in a row; that was the Lakers of the 70’s I’m pretty sure. But Columbia? Blank here. Going to look at other’s thoughts.
Riley, Ky and Hairston NYU (along with Barry Kramer from my hometown area of Schenectady NY the most accomplished NYU players). I’m still blank. Good call on Baylor though; I forgot that he left the Lakers at the beginning of that championship season.
I did not know that Satch Sanders was NYU. Add him to the list of most- accomplished NYU bb players. Still holding on researching Columbia or Lakers in hopes of havinga brain storm – but alas so far only quiet and calm nothingness.
Geez, it sure SEEMS like Happy Hairston! Are you sure it’s Columbia?
Got it now (with cheating) so I will not yet divulge answer, but it is Columbia and it is a name I remember, but it would not have come to me without prompting.
Did I ever mention before on the Pine that Pat Riley was on the star on the only team besides DeMatha of DC to beat Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in HS. Ironic that he later became first a teammate then a coach of Kareem.
Pete —
Good to have some company on this one, but I still can’t figure it out … if it’s not Hairston. Other than the famous guys/Hall of Famers and record setters, my detailed NBA recollections from the early ’70s and before is pretty poor. I didn’t really follow it much until the mid ’70s …. so I’m stumped!!! Dang it!!! 🙁
Lou Gehrig?
Oh..wrong sport. So, we’re talking about someone who played with Lew Alcindor, or Kareem…whatever he was called then? The guy replaced Elgin Baylor, so he’s a power forward?
I was going to mention Gehrig. As to power forward, I’m not sure that terminology was used back then, so that may be a misleading way to think about this. If I’m not mistaken, Baylor was a “swingman” which meant he could play 2 (shooting guard), 3(small forward) or 4(power forward) positions. Was he 6″7 or 6″9? I think the Lakers used him primarily as a 3 which means his replacement might more likely be a small forward, but then wasn’t Hairston a 3? Just thinking here.
Baylor was 6″5″ tall, but played bigger. Still makes you wonder what type of player replaced him. Hairston still sounds like the perfect fit, but it was not him. Who was another forward on that team beside Riley?
Maybe I was confusing him with Elvin Hayes. My early ’70s basketball knowledge is a little lacking. Late ’70s, different story. I’m drawing a blank here.
Yep, Elgin Baylor was a “3” … but as Pete says, a “strong 3”. Lew Alcindor/Kareem was not yet on this Laker team of ’72. He was with the Bucks. Wilt Chamberlain was their center. I’m pretty sure Elvin Hayes was essentially a career Washington Bullet plus a couple years with Houston, right?
Ok … is it a McSomething? I was thinking Bob McAdoo, but he was still with the Braves back then, right. Think he joined the “Showtime Lakers” of the early ’80s. Tim McMullen? Jim McMullen? McMillan??? I’m just guessing at this point.
Pete … why don’t you spill the beans since your already know?
Wally, once again your memory does not totally fail you. You probably first thought McAdoo because the WAI went from the Lakers to the Braves, where he was more known than he was in LA. However, he was a starter for the 33 game win streak. He too was 6’5″ (like Baylor), but did not play as “big”. The Columbia man is Jim McMillian (spelling is correct). Elvin Hayes was indeed a power forward (a center in college) who matched up against Alcindor in a classic game at the Astrodome. For some reason his name was just not going to come into our heads even though he is certainly not an “unknown”.
I went off track a bit on the previous post, so that the final sentence seems like a non-sequitor, but what I meant was that “McMillian’s name was not going to come into our heads”. McMillian is certainly not an unknown, but I have no recollection of him being a Columbia man, though I am sure we all knew it at the time. The Hayes thing was just an old man’s tangent.
Pete, you’re confusing me a bit. Just want to clarify a few things. Jim McMillian must be the correct answer, huh? And then on Bob McAdoo … He joined the Lakers pretty late in his career, didn’t he? Wasn’t it after his many seasons with the Buffalo Braves to join the Magic Johnson Showtime Lakers for a tile, right?
Yes McMillian is the right answer, and yes McAdoo joined the Lakers late in his career, but the point I was trying to make was that McMillian joined the BRAVES after the Lakers championship season and so you may have had McAdoo in your head instead of McMillian because of the BRAVES connection to an “Mc” guy.
Ah … ok … gotcha, Pete. So McMillian did the “reverse McAdoo” so to speak. Or McAdoo did the reverse McMillian since that happened first.
You know who woulda guessed this WAI correctly in like two minutes? Crash would’ve … he’s Mr. SoCal-Laker dude and he’s old enough … correction … experienced enough … to have a clear memory of that Laker team. I think Crash’s dad either knew and/or worked with the famous Lakers play by play man, Chick Hearn.
Crash …. where were you when we needed you most?!?!?
Crash was probably at DMV trading in his Beat ND license plate for a USuC one!
Guys,
Jim McMillan or Jimmy Mac as we affectionately referred to him…He was a blue collar lunch bucket kinda guy…Came and played hard every night…McAdoo joined the Showtime Lakers in 81′ winning titles in 82′ and 85′
Crash —
You’re a typical “LA guy” … arriving a little late to the party. You’ll probably leave early too … just to avoid traffic.
Speaking of avoiding traffic … how’d I do after those two Final Four sessions, huh?
Wally,
You drove that CRV better than Danica Patrick drives a Formula 1 car…
However you’re no Danica…Sorry, no Go Daddy for you !
Pete, thinking about a new license plate but BEATND really gets people fired up…That’s a keeper…I’m planning to bring it to Southbend on October 22 🙂
See you there…