On Behalf of a Sailor

The NBA was founded in 1946. Thirty years later in 1976 was the pivotal NBA/ABA merger. This is when most hoops historians begin the modern era of the league, mainly because that is what best suites them. If you played pre-merger and you weren’t a member of the Celtics or Lakers, chances are you probably don’t get much love. You’ve simply been lost to history.

But even those who came after the merger were not immune to the unforgiving passage of time. Without looking it up, who was the MVP for the 1977-78 season? Any idea? It was Bill Walton at the height of his powers. I’m sure there are many of you reading this that only know Walton as a bit of a commentating weirdo and not one of the most interesting and entertaining big men in the game’s history. Walton was so good that he only played 58 games that season and still won the MVP. Yet here we are, talking about how Walton has been lost to time. That was only 44 years ago. We have readily available footage of Walton and he is still forgotten as a player.

Even more shocking are the players that were in the league more recently and forgotten. The disrespect that Hakeem Olajuwon has to endure from his omission in the conversations about the greats is abhorrent. There is a case that he was the league’s 2nd best player in an era dominated by some kid from UNC by way of Brooklyn, NY, named Michael Jordan. How ironic that The Dream is often only remembered fleetingly like a dream. He was also an MVP.

But there is one player that stands above the rest as the champion of the perennially forgotten. A man who was a true freakazoid and we just seem to conveniently sweep him under the rug. This man is one of the game’s most electrifying big men ever. Think about that: in a league dominated by large humans, one of the most skilled large humans in its history is just dust in the wind. He was also an MVP and 2-time champion and a 10-time All-Star. He is responsible for one of the NBA’s highest scoring games EVER. Only Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and David Thompson managed to get more buckets in a single outing. This man is the proud owner of one of the coolest nicknames in NBA history: The Admiral.

This man is David Robinson.

Don’t get me wrong, Robinson isn’t some unsung hero or anything. He’s still in the Hall of Fame (but then again, who isn’t?). He’s still a scoring champion and a block champion and even a rebound champion. But I think NBA fans are too quick to forget just how special David was. If you are one of the forgetful, allow me to enlighten you.

Even when he was playing, Robinson was a bit of an anomaly. No one that large should be that quick. He had a first step that would absolutely TORCH opposing big men. He was quick AND fast. He was one of the best leapers in NBA history. Refer to the video below. Skip to the 0:00:30 mark and watch until 0:00:37. Watch Robinson (#50) for those 7 seconds and think about what it is that you just saw.

Did you catch that? Go ahead, watch it as many times as you need. I’ll wait. Seriously, watch it again. When the Timberwolves shoot the ball, Robinson has the deepest position out of every Spur on the court (ie he is furthest away from his own basket). After the Spurs get the rebound and initiate the break, who ends up on the other end of the court first? None other than David Maurice Robinson. Sure, nothing comes of this fast break, but it is a precedent setter. Robinson is almost always going to beat opposing bigs down the floor. It’s just science. Let’s continue watching this game. Head to 0:02:04 and watch until 0:02:10.

At some point, you should have seen this:

This is the Admiral acting as the primary defender on the fast break. He is the last line of defense against an easy path to the basket. You should’ve also seen that in a split second, Robinson shuffles around to meet the player BEHIND him and nearly get his big mits on the ball. He throws off the opponent just enough to get him to blow a dunk.

Robinson is one of the game’s defensive greats. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about it. During the 1995-96 season, Robinson led the league in defensive win shares with a staggering 7.2. That means that David’s defense alone contributed to 7 wins that the Spurs would have missed out on had he not played. He also notched a defensive rebound percentage of 24.2%, meaning that if he was in the floor, there was a nearly a 1-in-4 chance that he would come away with any given defensive rebound. That’s incredible! For reference, Shaq’s average during the ’95-96 season was the same. Robinson possessed the ability to guard nearly anyone on the court as well. While that is more common today, it was almost unheard of in the late 90s. His footspeed and strength allowed him to stay with any given player on the floor. What about the other side of the ball, though?

The offensive side of Robinson’s game may not be eyebrow raising at first (especially given basketball’s evolution), so let’s break it down. I’m tired of remembering that Christian Laettner exists so we’ll be watching a different game than the one above. But before that, let’s hit some quick points about David’s offensive game.

1. Unsexy
   • David’s back-to-the-basket game, while efficient, is not always very fun to watch. He doesn’t have the breadth of moves of Olajuwon or the sheer dominance of Shaq. Still, his quickness, strength, and touch get the job done.
2. GOTTA GO FAST
   • I know it seems redundant, but Robinson is quick. He’s going to use this to his advantage in the mid-range. If he’s getting the ball in that area, he’s going to pivot to face the basket and get buckets out of a more traditional triple-threat position. His ability to shoot spot-up jumpers around 15ft. helps open up his game by giving him some more room to operate. If you play the jumper too close, he’ll blow right by you.
3. Run, David, Run
   • Again, the guy likes to run in transition. There is not a legit 7-footer that comes to mind that runs and leaps quite like Robinson. He will beat you in transition every single time he wants to. When the Spurs eventually get Tim Duncan, they are going to run corner fill plays in transition that center around getting David the ball quickly on the break. Guy is a legit gazelle in transition.

With that out of the way, allow me to refer you to this fun match up from 1996.

Just watch some of the first quarter. Mid-range jumpers, face-up drives, turn around jumpers, effortless glides to the rim in transition. It’s all there. I don’t have to tell you about it, you can see it. All three points that I made earlier are present in the first quarter alone. Let’s not forget who Robinson is playing against in this match-up. While David doesn’t spend much time guarding Shaq in this game, they are unquestionably the stars of each team and the entire NBA fanbase was eager to see any meeting between the two.

The Magic would get the better of the Spurs this game to the tune of a 13-point victory, but Robinson played a better game than his gargantuan counterpart. He also played 11 more minutes. Think about that number: 11 minutes of professional basketball at the highest level. That’s nearly one full quarter more. The Admiral was special not only for his skillset, but for his conditioning. The man could play all day.

	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	FT	FTA	FT%	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
David Robinson	49:00	14	22	63.6%	8	12	66.7%	11	2	3	1	3	4	36
Shaquille O’Neal	38:00	9	18	50.0%	8	11	72.7%	12	3	0	1	2	5	26

So all of this begs the question: why don’t we talk about David Robinson today? Honestly, I think he unfortunately gets lost in the shuffle of the 90s just like so many other greats. He had a small ego and this didn’t exactly help his marketability save for your grandmother commenting on what a fine young man he was. It was the attitude era, and Robinson lacked attitude. Not to say that he didn’t care or he couldn’t be fiery. He absolutely cared and he competed with the best of them. The man was a member of THE Dream Team for crying out loud! But I think his lack of secular appeal hurt his chances of being remembered.

I suppose that brings us to the real question of “why bother?” David Robinson obviously doesn’t need me to defend him or to break down his game or anything like that. Yet I find myself compelled to do so. I don’t want to see another great get left unremembered in the annals of hoop history. The Admiral was a truly special talent. I feel that it is the responsibility of all fans of the sport to pass on its legends so that they are not forgotten. Admit it to yourselves: some of you have forgotten about the Admiral.

But fear not David. I haven’t forgotten you. The Spurs faithful remember you. I’m sure that even some of your naysayers remember your exploits with a flattering, nostalgic hatred. Because you deserve to be remembered, I am going to do my best to ensure that your place in basketball history is commemorated. I know you have a place in the Hall of Fame, but you will have the honor of being the first inductee to the Hallowed Hall of Hoops (HHH) here at Full Court Dime. This mediocre website will serve as an unworthy monument to all the greats, and you will be their forebear. Congratulations on your enshrinement, Mr. Robinson. You are not forgotten.