Tuesday, August 28, 2012

NBA: Cup of Coffee Review

Among its many great resources, Basketball-Reference.com collects data on NBA players that played exactly one game, or just long enough for a cup of coffee. (DBSF didn't vet the data for accuracy but a superficial review suggests it seems right.) While over 40% of the players went scoreless and only received a handful of minutes there are some noteworthy accomplishments. Oliver Lafayette, a Houston grad, went for 7 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and shot 50% but didn't get a second game. In the early 1960's Dave Gunther had 2 points, 3 boards, and 3 assists in 5 minutes of play. There were also some guys who were likely keenly aware of the fleeting nature of their opportunity as a professional basketball player and immediately started chucking: Bill Stricker and Forest Able averaged greater than one field goal attempt per minute on the court. In 1947-48 Nat Hickey might have had the most memorable game going 0-6 from the floor and collecting 5 fouls. 51 seasons later Trevor Winter averaged a foul per minute in also accruing 5 fouls in 5 minutes.

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