1988 Season Preview
For some dumbass reason, the Bulls are picked to finish first in the Central. This does not compute. Their roster is terrible, and they do not stack up to the top teams elsewhere. Perhaps it is the inclusion of Charlotte and Miami that dilutes the league.
Among the predictions, Detroit and Atlanta are rising, while New York sinks. Milwaukee is picked to finish last again…San Antonio is picked to finish fifth in the Midwest, which is surprising. Dallas is picked ahead of Utah, which is also surprising. And the Lakers are primed to come out of the cellar this year, passing Seattle. How sad is that, if you’re a Sonics fan?
The usual sits atop the All-League Team….Jack has his place alongside Brian Deese, the evil Harris Connors, Jim Burr of Denver, and Golden State’s Lionel Condon.
Code:
League News
NBA Season Preview 1988 (October 18, 1988)
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It's time again for a new season of Fast Break Basketball. Everyone has hopes
this will be the year that their team finally makes it to the top. With that in
mind, the staff at FBB News got together for the annual FBN Season Preview. The
season preview gives our picks for how the divisions will end up as well as our
predicted All-League and All-Rookie first teams.
Division Predictions:
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston
2. New Jersey
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington
5. New York
6. Charlotte
Central Division:
1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. Atlanta
4. Cleveland
5. Indiana
6. Milwaukee
Midwest Division:
1. Dallas
2. Utah
3. Denver
4. Houston
5. San Antonio
6. Miami
Pacific Division:
1. Golden State
2. Los Angeles (LAC)
3. Phoenix
4. Portland
5. Sacramento
6. Los Angeles (LAL)
7. Seattle
All-league Team:
C - Brian Deese (Boston)
PF - Harris Connors (Utah)
SF - Jack Dawkins (Chicago)
SG - Jim Burr (Denver)
PG - Lionel Condon (Golden State)
All-Rookie Team:
C - Virgil Sumner (Portland)
PF - Damon Henninger (Phoenix)
SF - James Matz (Houston)
SG - Ronny Montgomery (Atlanta)
PG - Brett Hatch (Los Angeles (LAC))
As far as the Bulls are concerned, Gayle Cruz was signed to replace Henderson. He’s 6’11, a seven-year veteran who spent time with the Lakers, Celtics, and last year, the Spurs. In the preseason, he averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. The points, fine…but less than five boards? Come on. He is a shoddy rebounder, and this will end up a spectacular failure.
It may appear that Jones and Jack have regressed, slightly. Jones is now a G/B, while Jack is an A- at ball handling. Escalera returns to the off-guard spot, where he is far more effective. Journeyman Josh Whitman, a solid, yet unspectacular player, is the new point guard. He has spent time with Dallas, Atlanta (where he was a starter for a full season and part of another), and the Knicks. He is a downgrade from Perez and Escalera, for sure. Whitman wears #23. How is this feasible? I just switched him to #2, because even though he isn’t in this dynasty, I couldn’t see that happening.
The bench is bad. There are a couple of players with potential…Eddie Shank is back, as is Richard Mims (who returns for his 15th season). Timmy McBroom is back to add his antics. It’s like Weekend at Bernies, except everyone is Bernie.
Felicien Delahaye, who has played a total of 93 games over six years, is on the team. He has never spent consecutive seasons with the same team. He started with the Nets, where he didn’t play. He then went to Indiana, where he didn’t play. He finally played with the Sonics, 81 games. He was pitiful. He went back to the Nets. He didn’t play once. He did play 11 games the next year for the Lakers. He played one game with the Knicks last season. So far, he’s played in all six preseason games, which I know has to happen…but this might be a rotational player.
If nothing else, it allows me to write, “Bye Felicien.” I don’t quite understand that meme, and this is 1988, where memes do not exist. So I will be ahead of my time.
Essentially, I do not see how this team gets past the second round, let alone a conference final. They are probably the third, maybe fourth-best team in the East, behind Boston, New Jersey, and maybe Philly. Detroit has more talent than they do, so it may be that Chicago loses the division.
In a way, I’m really happy about this. Jack has not had much in the way of hurdles since he entered the league. Sure, he’s 1-2 in the championship…but he’s been to the championship all three years he has been in the league. He’s a three-time MVP, and he should.
This year, the deck is stacked considerably against him. Thank God.
YOUR 1988-89 Chicago Bulls
Code:
Chicago General
Player # Pos Age Ht Wt Exp Status College
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Y/Y Gayle Cruz 32 C 31 6-11 285 7 OK Iowa State
G/B Joshua Jones 34 PF 29 6-9 265 6 OK Seton Hall
P/P Jack Dawkins 11 SF 24 6-8 251 3 OK George Washington
G/G Gregory Escalera 4 PG 30 6-3 212 8 OK Princeton
Y/Y Josh Whitman 2 PG 30 6-2 190 6 OK Dartmouth
Y/G Nicky Lopez 9 SG 28 6-3 200 7 OK Cornell
Y/G Sheldon Maurer 30 PF 24 6-9 226 1 OK Southern Methodist
Y/G Edward Shank 52 PF 30 6-9 256 7 OK Texas Christian
Y/Y Felicien Delahaye 31 PG 31 6-0 194 3 OK Missouri
Y/G Richard Mims 54 C 35 6-10 281 14 OK UTEP
Y/Y Timothy McBroom 40 C 26 6-9 266 3 OK Long Island
Y/Y Chris Ross 45 C 29 6-10 279 4 OK California
Y/G Jesus Brawner 25 SF 27 6-4 205 3 OK Washington
Y/Y Jimmie Cain 44 PF 33 6-7 249 11 OK North Carolina State
Y/Y Dylan Hough 6 SG 25 6-3 201 2 OK UTEP
Y/Y John Toro 20 SG 25 6-7 250 0 OK Brigham Young
Y/Y Chad Downey 35 SG 22 6-4 205 0 OK Southern Methodist
Y/Y Vincent Bangs 43 C 27 6-11 278 2 OK Texas Christian
O/O Dana Pounds 26 SF 23 6-6 220 0 OK Fordham
O/Y Carl Lipsey 21 PG 22 6-2 194 0 OK Colgate
Code:
Chicago Career Averages
Player Pos Gm Gs Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-test test test test test
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Jack Dawkins SF 246 246 38.0 32.7 2.8 11.4 10.6 2.3 1.8 2.3 1.5 14.0
Joshua Jones PF 461 327 29.7 18.4 1.3 6.6 2.3 0.3 0.7 2.1 2.9 0.3
Josh Whitman PG 447 99 15.5 3.8 0.7 2.0 3.2 0.4 0.1 1.2 1.1 -1.1
Gregory Escalera PG 651 650 33.9 11.5 0.6 4.3 4.0 0.2 0.1 1.9 3.2 1.7
Gayle Cruz C 321 9 10.5 5.6 0.8 1.9 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.7 1.6 -1.9
Nicky Lopez SG 311 5 13.0 3.6 0.7 1.4 1.9 0.3 0.1 0.9 0.5 -1.3
Edward Shank PF 431 82 16.0 7.2 0.7 3.4 1.4 0.2 0.6 0.9 1.9 2.8
Felicien Delahaye PG 93 0 12.8 3.5 0.5 1.2 2.0 0.4 0.1 1.0 1.2 -1.9
Sheldon Maurer PF 7 0 3.7 1.9 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.4 1.1
Jesus Brawner SF 35 0 3.4 0.9 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.2
Timothy McBroom C 60 0 4.2 1.2 0.3 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.9
Richard Mims C 1125 1043 31.4 13.2 2.0 7.3 3.2 0.1 2.8 1.9 3.9 1.2
Jimmie Cain PF 712 396 30.5 14.9 0.6 3.3 4.2 0.8 0.5 2.7 1.1 1.8
Vincent Bangs C 74 0 16.2 6.7 1.1 3.2 0.8 0.1 0.2 1.0 1.0 -5.3
Chad Downey SG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Dana Pounds SF 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Dylan Hough SG 164 21 16.8 4.3 0.5 2.2 1.8 0.4 0.2 1.1 0.7 -1.1
John Toro SG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Carl Lipsey PG 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Chris Ross C 110 66 19.3 6.4 1.4 4.0 1.3 0.3 0.3 1.0 2.5 -4.5
Code:
PLAYER DETAILS
#11 SF Jack Dawkins - Chicago
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Height: 6-8
Weight: 251
DOB: 3/13/1964 (24)
College: George Washington
Hometown: Camp Hill, PA
Exp: 3
Attributes:
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Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
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Current: A A+ A A A- A A A A+ A A+ A+ A A+ A A
Potential: A A A A A A A A A A A A
Health: Good
Status: Active Roster
Salary: $436,962
Length: 1
Stat Averages:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
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1988 NBA CHI 6 6 38.3 27.8 3.2 9.7 10.8 2.2 5.00 2.3 1.5 1.0
1987 NBA CHI 82 82 38.2 29.2 3.1 10.8 11.6 2.1 5.49 2.4 1.9 1.5
1986 NBA CHI 82 82 38.1 36.0 2.6 11.5 10.2 2.5 4.03 2.2 1.6 1.5
1985 NBA CHI 82 82 37.8 32.9 2.8 11.8 10.0 2.3 4.27 2.2 1.8 1.4
Career 246 246 38.0 32.7 2.8 11.4 10.6 2.3 4.27 2.3 1.8 1.5
Shooting Averages:
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Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% InsM InsA In% JsM JsA Js% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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1988 9.3 17.7 .528 7.5 8.2 .918 6.5 10.8 .600 1.2 3.3 .350 1.7 3.5 .476
1987 11.0 18.2 .605 6.2 6.8 .912 7.8 11.0 .712 2.3 5.1 .448 0.9 2.2 .427
1986 13.3 22.3 .597 8.0 8.7 .917 9.1 12.8 .712 2.8 6.5 .433 1.4 3.0 .466
1985 11.9 19.1 .622 8.3 8.7 .947 8.3 11.3 .734 2.6 5.6 .469 0.9 2.1 .434
Career 12.1 19.9 .608 7.5 8.1 .927 8.4 11.7 .719 2.6 5.7 .449 1.1 2.4 .445
Stat Totals:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF +/-
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1988 NBA CHI 6 6 230 167 19 58 65 13 14 9 6 58
1987 NBA CHI 82 82 3131 2391 258 885 950 173 197 153 125 1043
1986 NBA CHI 82 82 3124 2955 214 945 839 208 178 131 122 1465
1985 NBA CHI 82 82 3103 2701 228 969 820 192 179 149 113 943
Career 246 246 9358 8047 700 2799 2609 573 554 433 360 3451
Shooting Totals
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Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
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1988 56 106 45 49 10 21
1987 903 1493 509 558 76 178
1986 1092 1829 656 715 115 247
1985 974 1565 677 715 76 175
Career 2969 4887 1842 1988 267 600
Efficiency:
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Season LGE TEAM G TS% PPS AST TO USG ORR DRR RR PER VA EWA +/- OEFF DEFF
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1988 NBA CHI 6 .656 1.58 31.6 6.3 28.3 9.7 18.7 14.4 0.0 -36.0 -1.2 9.7 113.6 101.3
1987 NBA CHI 82 .688 1.60 33.2 6.0 28.5 10.3 21.0 16.1 43.7 1553.4 51.8 12.7 114.7 98.4
1986 NBA CHI 82 .689 1.62 26.3 6.5 34.9 9.5 24.1 17.9 46.9 1695.6 56.5 17.9 117.2 94.4
1985 NBA CHI 82 .718 1.73 28.4 6.6 30.5 10.1 25.1 18.6 44.7 1581.9 52.7 11.5 112.8 99.1
Career 246 .698 1.65 29.2 6.4 31.2 10.0 23.3 17.4 44.0 4794.8 159.8 14.0 114.9 97.3
Playoff Averages:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
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1987 NBA CHI 19 19 37.8 29.2 2.9 11.2 10.4 1.8 5.63 1.9 1.6 1.4
1986 NBA CHI 16 16 38.7 34.1 2.1 10.5 10.9 2.3 4.86 2.3 1.8 1.1
1985 NBA CHI 21 21 38.6 31.4 2.8 10.7 10.9 2.6 4.15 2.2 1.7 1.2
Career 56 56 38.4 31.4 2.6 10.8 10.7 2.3 4.15 2.1 1.7 1.3
Playoff Shooting Averages:
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Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% InsM InsA In% JsM JsA Js% 3PM 3PA 3P%
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1987 11.8 19.3 .613 4.5 4.9 .914 8.3 11.4 .727 2.6 5.7 .454 1.0 2.3 .442
1986 13.3 21.9 .609 6.0 6.6 .906 9.1 12.4 .734 2.7 6.1 .439 1.5 3.3 .453
1985 11.7 18.7 .625 7.3 8.0 .917 8.4 11.5 .731 2.5 5.1 .481 0.8 2.0 .381
Career 12.2 19.8 .616 6.0 6.6 .913 8.6 11.7 .731 2.6 5.6 .459 1.1 2.5 .428
Playoff Totals:
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Season LGE TEAM G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF +/-
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1987 NBA CHI 19 19 719 554 55 213 197 35 36 31 27 148
1986 NBA CHI 16 16 619 546 33 168 175 36 36 29 18 261
1985 NBA CHI 21 21 811 660 59 225 228 55 46 35 26 145
Career 56 56 2149 1760 147 606 600 126 118 95 71 554
Playoff Shooting Totals
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Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
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1987 225 367 85 93 19 43
1986 213 350 96 106 24 53
1985 245 392 154 168 16 42
Career 683 1109 335 367 59 138
Playoff Efficiency:
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Season LGE TEAM G TS% PPS AST TO USG ORR DRR RR PER VA EWA +/- OEFF DEFF
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1987 NBA CHI 19 .679 1.51 30.8 5.5 28.9 9.7 23.1 17.0 33.0 242.7 8.1 7.8 110.7 100.8
1986 NBA CHI 16 .688 1.56 28.8 5.9 33.5 7.6 22.2 16.2 35.4 230.0 7.7 16.3 113.3 91.9
1985 NBA CHI 21 .708 1.68 30.4 7.3 29.0 9.5 21.6 16.2 36.1 308.9 10.3 6.9 112.6 104.5
Career 56 .693 1.59 30.1 6.3 30.3 9.1 22.3 16.5 34.9 781.6 26.1 9.9 112.2 99.8
Career Highs:
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Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
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Season 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Playoff 52 6 17 19 5 5 7 23 32 16 17 4 6
Career 56 9 22 19 8 7 9 23 35 20 22 5 9
Awards & Achievements:
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Season Award
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Total Player of the Game: 235
Total Player of the Week: 61
Total Player of the Month: 18
Total All-Star Appearances: 3
Total All-Star Game MVP : 1
Total All-League First Team : 3
Total All-Defensive First Team : 3
Total Playoff MVP : 1
Total Most Valuable Player : 3
Total Championships: 1
Total Scoring Leader : 2
Total Rebounds Leader : 1
Total Steals Leader : 1
1987 NBA Steals Leader
1987 NBA All-Defensive First Team
1987 NBA All-League First Team
1987 NBA Most Valuable Player
1987 NBA All-Star Game MVP
1987 NBA All-Star
1986 National Basketball Association Champion
1986 NBA Playoff MVP
1986 NBA Scoring Leader
1986 NBA All-Defensive First Team
1986 NBA All-League First Team
1986 NBA Most Valuable Player
1986 NBA All-Star
1986 NBA Slam-Dunk Contest Champion
1986 NBA Rookie Game MVP
1986 NBA Rookie Game Participant
1985 NBA Rebounds Leader
1985 NBA Scoring Leader
1985 NBA All-Defensive First Team
1985 NBA All-Rookie First Team
1985 NBA All-League First Team
1985 NBA Most Valuable Player
1985 NBA Rookie of the Year
1985 NBA All-Star
1985 NBA Rookie Game Participant
1984 Conference Player of the Year (Independent)
1984 1st Team All-Conference (Independent)
1984 1st Team All-American
1984 National Player of the Year
1984 NCAA Champion
1983 Conference Player of the Year (Independent)
1983 1st Team All-Conference (Independent)
1983 1st Team All-American
1983 National Player of the Year
1983 NCAA Champion
1982 Conference Player of the Year (Independent)
1982 1st Team All-Conference (Independent)
1982 1st Team All-American
1982 National Player of the Year
1981 Conference Freshman of the Year (Independent)
1981 Conference Player of the Year (Independent)
1981 Freshman All-Conference (Independent)
1981 1st Team All-Conference (Independent)
1981 Freshman All-American
1981 1st Team All-American
1981 National Freshman of the Year
1981 National Player of the Year
1980 High School: Rated ***** and #559 overall by the FBCB scouting service.