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. Add to that the teachings of Myagi: patience. If you don’t get the answer right away, give your brain a chance to work if for no other reason than to stay in the discussion. You may not have THE answer, but you might prompt another reader by asking the right question.
How many guys in N.B.A. history can you name from McNeese State University? I can tell you. It’s a short list. None of the others are in the Hall of Fame. I am. Three of the guys played a total of sixty-nine games between them. Another alum played 133 contests. When I finished at McNeese, I was 11th all-time in NCAA scoring. Still, I wasn’t taken until the 18th pick of the draft. I played over 1,000 games and all for one team. My whole professional career has been with one organization. We have three titles in my time. I averaged double-digit points for the last 13 years of my playing career. I had four and a half assists to two turnovers per game for my time. I earned my keep on the other end of the floor garnering first-team All-Defensive on four occasions. I was second team another year. I was second team All-NBA once and third team twice and was a finals MVP for one of our titles. I guess that was because we established our own rules.
Who am I?
3 titles and established their own rules? It’s gotta be the Detroit Pistons with their Jordan Rules. Great defender? Gotta be Joe Dumars.
However, as a player, Dumars won two titles in the late ’80s before the Bulls run. The third title occured after he retired, when Dumars was the GM of the team. (Casey’s little attempt at tricking us.)
On that team of Bad Boys, Dumars was really a class act and a great player to boot.