1947-55 Top 10: #4, Max Zaslofsky

TBCB continues to celebrate the early fifties by counting down the best NBA players who played between 1947 and 1955. As we work through the countdown of the ten men who won the most TBCB player of the game awards, the top five men on this list who are not already members of the TBCB Hall of Fame will be inducted. Hall of Fame eligibility rules and requirements are described here.

At number four, we recognize Max Zaslofsy, a member of the TBCB Hall of Fame's class of 1950 and TBCB's player of the 1940s. A six foot two guard, St. Johns' Max "Slats" Zaslofsky played for various teams during his career in the Bastketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). His longest tenure came with his first team, the Chicago Stags (1946-1950), which he followed by playing for the New York Knicks (1950-1953), Baltimore Bullets (1953), Milwaukee Hawks (1953), and Fort Wayne Pistons (1953-1956).

Max Zaslofsky

[public domain]

Zaslofsky finished his career in 1956 as the third leading scorer in league history, behind only George Mikan and Joe Fulks. He also held the distinctions of being the youngest player named to the All-BAA or NBA Team until his record was broken by Lebron James in 2006 and the youngest player to lead the league in scoring until his record was broken by Kevin Durant in 2010. In addition to his on-court accolades, he coached the American Basketball Association's New Jersey Americans during the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons.

Between 1947 and 1955, Zaslofsky won TBCB player of the game honors 24 times. He was the 1947-48 TBCB Player of the Year and finished tied for third in the TBCB player standings during the following two seasons. Zaslofsky's other accomplishments include being named to the All BAA or NBA Team each season from 1946 to 1950 and being named to the 1952 NBA All-Star team. He is not a member of the official basketball Hall of Fame.

Stay tuned for more as we continue explore the early 1950s and count down the top NBA players between 1947 and 1955. Coming soon, we'll reveal number three on the list and recap the college and pro career of 1956-57 Kansas Jayhawk team captain Dallas Dobbs.

Happy Holidays from TBCB

Happy holidays from everyone at TBCB! Whatever you're celebrating this season, we hope your holidays are merry, festive, and bright and that all your hoop dreams come true. To help you get into the holiday spirit, we've collected some of the best of this year's holiday videos from around the web.

The Basketball Jones



The Houston Rockets



The Dallas Mavericks



NBA



NBA



Did we miss anything good? Let us know on Twitter @champsbelt or at champsbelt at gmail dot com and I'll add it here. 

Good Read: Wilt vs Elgin

Throughout the year, TBCB recognizes good basketball writing as part of our Good Reads series. As part of this series, whenever I come across something that I really enjoy or that makes me wax nostalgic, I'll post it here.

[public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Hardwood Paroxysm blogger Curtis Harris in Washington, DC. Curtis has been writing about basketball history much longer than I have, and reading his posts on Hardwood Paroxysm was one of several inspirations that led to me creating TBCB.

Curtis recently began a blog called Pro Hoops History, where he posted a great piece yesterday about the rivalry between Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. Chamberlain had a long and decorated career, and he was a key figure in transitioning from the NBA of the 1950s to today's league. He'll also play an important role in my upcoming story on 1956-57 Kansas Jayhawk team captain, Dallas Dobbs.

Both Chamberlain and Baylor had big egos on the court and were used to being the star of their respective teams. So when they joined forces on the Lakers, fireworks were bound to ensue. In Curtis' post, Classic Rivalries: Wilt Chamberlain vs Elgin Baylor, he explores their rivalry and their time as teammates from 1968-1971 and highlights several of their best on-court duels. I suggest you give it a read.

Gifts for Basketball History Buffs

If you're like me and you wait until the last minute to buy gifts for the holidays, it's finally time to start making your shopping list. With this in mind, I've found a few items on Ebay that might interest basketball history buffs. Most of these items are timed so that they should arrive before Christmas.

I can't personally vouch for any of these sellers or the authenticity of the items, but I would be happy to find any of them under my tree (well, maybe not the shorts). All prices are based on the time of this post and all photos are from the cited auction. Send me a tweet @champsbelt if you find any other interesting items.   

 

• Vintage laced leather basketball: $56. Auction expires on Sunday, December 16.
• Framed and signed George Mikan print: $149. Auction expires on Sunday, December 16.

 

• Signed George Mikan photo: $7.39. Auction expires on Sunday, December 16,
• 1955-56 Minneapolis Lakers verses Philadelphia Warriors program. $0.99. Auction expires on Sunday, December 16.

• 1933 Goudy Sport Kings Reprint Set. $15.95. Not an auction (Buy it Now price). I own one of these sets from this same seller, and I'm very happy with it. 
• DVD of the 1954 NBA Finals, Game 1. $29.95. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).

 

 

• 1948 Bowman Basketball Reprint Set. $25.95. Not an auction (Buy it Now price). I also own one of these sets from this same seller, and I'm very happy with it. 
• James Naismith handwritten letter. $2,499. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).

 

• 1948 Saturday Evening Post with an article about Joe Fulks. $20.00. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).
• 1949 Philadelphia Warriors program signed by Joe Fulks. $699.99. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).

 

 

• 1952 New York Knicks verses Minneapolis Lakers program. $19.99. Auction ends on Monday, December 17.
• 1953-54 Autographed Minneapolis Lakers program. $2,500. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).

 

• 1943 World Professional Basketball Tournament Program. $199.95. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).
• Antique Basketball Shorts (size 29). $19.00. Not an auction (Buy it Now price).

 

Good luck fitting into these!

On the Importance of History

The Basketball Champs Belt is pleased to welcome history enthusiast and Los Angeles Lakers season ticket holder Fred Cervantez as a TBCB contributor. Fred's YouTube channel hosts early basketball footage and it's a great resource for anyone looking to learn more about the early days of the NBA. You can also follow Fred on Twitter @fmcervantez. In today's first post, Fred shares his thoughts on the importance of  learning about the history of the game.

The long and storied history of the NBA remains an enigma to most basketball fans. Baseball fans need not explain themselves while listing Babe Ruth (born 1895) as the greatest player in history; Soccer fanatics almost unanimously regard Pelé (born 1940) as the greatest player in their history; and while discerning the greatest NFL player of all time is more difficult due to the nature of the sport and myriad positions, you will always find Jim Brown (born 1936) near or at the top of the list.

Then there is basketball. The sport was founded in 1891, yet the its history doesn’t begin until nearly 100 years later for many observers. Not until 1980, when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were drafted, is basketball considered modern. While many sports embrace their early history, basketball history is thrown in a closet. Literally. Until recently, the Los Angeles Lakers that won 5 titles in the late 40’s and early 50’s in Minneapolis had their early trophies locked away in a closest. It wasn’t until early 2002 that the Lakers honored their roots with two banners to commemorate their early players and five titles.



When we ignore players and their accomplishments prior to the modern age, we miss out on some of the most interesting and greatest players the sport has ever seen. We miss the transformation of the sport from the dimly lit smoke-filled rooms to the enormous arenas we go to today and we miss the great innovators that changed the way we play like George Mikan, Bob Cousy, Hank Luisetti, and Tarzan Cooper.

It's important that fans of basketball learn about the true pioneers of the sport. For that reason, I'm excited to say that over the next few months I will be writing for The Basketball Champs Belt. I look forward to helping tell stories that have since been forgotten, and I hope that you all enjoy reading them.

TBCB continues to seek writers to contribute to our coverage of NBA history. Read more here and then contact Michael Hogan at @champsbelt or champsbelt at gmail.com for more information. 

Looking Back: Byron Mullens as Dr. J

Byron Mullens of the Charlotte Bobcats did something amazing yesterday. I spent a portion the weekend watching clips of the 1977 Finals battle between Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers and Bill Walton's Portland Trailblazers, and Mullens' dunk reminded me so much of Dr. J that I had to go back a review the tape. Check out the clips below.

Exhibit A: Byron Mullens dunks over LaMarcus Aldridge (h/t to Ball Don't Lie).



Exhibit B: Julius Erving dunks over Bill Walton.



While Mullens' dunk isn't a perfect replica of Dr. J's, and Mullens isn't known for doing this over and over again like Erving once did, both dunks above are still fun to watch. Check out more from Dr. J below, and expect to see more historical comparisons on TBCB whenever the mood strikes. 

1952: The Best Center of All Time is Born

As TBCB begins to prepare our 1952-53 NBA season summary, we set the stage by sharing with you related facts, stories, and highlights. Today we feature Bill Walton, who was born in 1952, and who at least one well known basketball analyst considers the best center of all time.

One of the hottest basketball debates focuses on the best all-time players at any given position. This blog has recently been covering the late 1940s and early 1950s, and a discussion of the top centers of all time should always include George Mikan, who dominated pro basketball from his arrival in 1947 to initial departure in 1954. Other names that should also be part of the discussion include all-time greats like Dolph Schayes, Neil Johnston, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. From a statistical perspective, all of these men rank near the top of the list of all-time win shares per 48 minutes.

Another player often considered on the list of top centers but who typically gets ranked lower than some of the names mentioned above is Bill Walton. Maybe it's due to his injury prone career or because today's NBA fans are more likely to remember Walton for his love of the Grateful Dead, over-the-top announcing style, or his two-time NBA Champion son. But for whatever reason, Walton is often ranked lower on the list of all-time greats that he might otherwise deserve.



In the video below from the great blog BBallBreakdown, Coach Nick highlights game 6 of the 1977 NBA finals and makes a few points about why he thinks Bill Walton merits consideration as the best center of all time. I'm not a fan of subjective player rankings, but I respect Coach Nick's opinion, and he thinks that Walton deserves more credit than he usually gets due to his abilities on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. I suggest you take a listen and give his comments some thought. The video also includes several great Dr. J highlights and some examples of bad defense by future coach Doug Collins.

Take a listen and then catch up with me on Twitter or via email to let me know your opinion. Is Walton as vastly underrated as Coach Nick thinks? Who makes your list of all-time great centers?