15.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 50 FG%, 28 3P%, 83 FT%
“He never finished in the top 10 in scoring or the top five in assists or rebounds. His team never made it to the NBA Finals. And his name doesn’t appear on the list of all-time statistical leaders.
But ask anyone to name the top all-around players of the 1980s, and Sidney Moncrief will be on that list. If any player could do it all, it was Moncrief, who played 10 of his 11 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Whenever Moncrief displayed his gap-toothed grimace, you knew he was about to pull something special from his big bag of tricks. He could shoot from the outside, post up, dunk over 7-foot centers, make the key pass, crash the boards, and slash through the paint for a layup.
Although he was a legitimate offensive threat, Moncrief may have been best known for his unrelenting defensive play. The 6-4 guard stayed in a textbook crouch, using his lithe, sinewy frame to keep within an eyelash of his opponent. His springy legs (he had a 36-inch vertical leap) gave him above-average shotblocking abilities, and the compact Moncrief could bench-press his body weight plus 30 pounds, which gave him the needed muscle to be a force underneath the basket. And he was always among the first players back on defense after a basket or turnover. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award was seemingly created just for him in 1982; he won the award its first two years of existence.” [Read]
[Note: RSS readers, there is a video within this blog]
[Sources: NBA.com, YouTube, Basketball-Reference.com]
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Sidney Moncrief was the main player of the 80’s Bucks, in this decade played in Milwaukee a lot of great players, Marques Johnson, Bob Lanier, Terry Cummings, Jack Sikma,…,but Sydney played the full decade and he’s the best defensive player of Buck’s history.
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:24 pm
See some Wade in there, no?
A more accurate comparison, I think, would be a more athletic and slightly bigger Joe Dumars. Terrific player.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Mo – Glad you enjoyed it. Moncrief was one of the greatest Bucks of all-time.
Train – Wade isn’t half the defender Dumars or Moncrief were.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Before he got hurt and eventually a little feeble, Wade was an excellent defender. He even made the second unit of the all-defensive team in 2004-2005. Don’t sleep on his defensive skills. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen him block the shots of opposing guards who had pulled up for jumpers around the free throw line. I definitely think Wade could be an elite defender if he made the effort (watch his defense when he has to really clamp down–you’ll see good D).
But, you’re right, he’s nowhere near Moncrief and Dumars defensively. Offensively, they’re nowhere near him (although I think Dumars, if he wanted to (if he weren’t so unselfish), could have scored 25 points per night in the league).
September 5th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Train,
Wade is a gambler. He’s great at blocking shots from behind and playing the passing lanes. And I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but steals and blocks are a terrible measure of defensive prowess. Chris Paul made the all-defensive team last year and that was strictly a reflection of his steal average. Deron Williams is a much better defender than Paul.
You’re right though, Wade is better offensively than Dumars and Moncrief.
I’ll never question Wade’s talent. I think he’s one of the most talented players in the league. He could be a LOCKDOWN defender is he devoted himself on that end for a full season. But he hasn’t … yet.