State of the NBA at the end of the 1988-89 season
State of the NBA at the end of the 1988-89 season (Part 1)
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers were dfending champions. But with the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, no one was sure if they’d be able to defend their title. Even without Kareem, LA had a great team led by superstar Magic Johnson and All Stars James Worthy and Byron Scott.
AC Green had a career year in 1989, and now seemed ready to assume a bigger role. The bench was strong with Frank Brickowski, Orlando Woolridge and Michael Cooper, who announced that the 1990-90 season would be his final campaign.
Young big man Mark West would have big shoes to fill in the pivot. With Pat Riley at the helm, the Lakers were still elite. Rumours still persisted of a rift between stars Magic Johnson and James Worthy, but they worked very well together on the court.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls had lost two consecutive NBA Finals. They were the masters of the Eastern Conference, but with an aging Moses Malone, the clock was definitely ticking on their window of opportunity.
With Charles Barkley the Bulls had a superstar. In Reggie Lewis and Joe Dumars they had blossoming potential stars. Chris Ford had moulded the team into a close-knit group. Chicago still looked the class of the East.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets had won the 1988 championship. They had the best player in the world in 3-time MVP Michael Jordan and one of the NBA’s best power forwards in Karl Malone. Together ‘Air-Mail’ was the league’s most devastating tandem.
With the disappointing failure to defend their title, coupled with the frustrations over Ralph Sampson’s injury woes and a growing rift between Coach Bill Fitch and star players Jordan and Malone, the Rockets were at a crossroads. Things had to change, and quickly, if the Rockets were to bounce back quickly.
Owner Charlie Thomas met with Jordan and Malone and General Manager Ray Patterson in July to discuss the team’s issues. Malone made his dislike of Fitch clear, while Jordan went a step further. If Fitch remained the coach, Jordan would publicly demand a trade. Both players pressed Thomas and Patterson to elevate Assistant Coach Rudy Tomjanovich to Head Coach. The next day, Bill Fitch was fired and Tomjanovich was appointed Head Coach for the 1989-90 season.
The Rockets had lost patience with Ralph Sampson. They began looking to deal him.
Portland Trailblazers
Many in Portland were disappointed that the Blazers hadn’t added to their 1987 championship. With the departure of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the troubles of the Houston Rockets, many people were tipping Portland to win the West in 1990.
Certainly, with star players Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, and talented youngster like Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey, the Blazers were primed for contention.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks had improved significantly in 1989. They possessed one of the most talented rotations in the NBA, and probably the league’s most potent offense. Led by All Stars Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, Dallas appeared ready to take the next step in 1990.
With Bill Cartwright, Stephen Donaldson and Sam Perkins providing steady interior play, and Derek Harper and super sub Sleepy Floyd running the offense, the Mavericks were a very potent combination, especially on their home floor.
However, there were lingering trade rumours surrounding Aguirre. Many people wondered whether a team led by such a volatile star could truly contend for an NBA championship.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons pushed Chicago to seven games in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals. Led by All Stars Isiah Thomas and Adrian Dantley, the Pistons had become one of the league’s best teams. They had been dubbed the ‘Bad Boys’ due to the physical interior play of Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn.
Vinnie Johnson was a streaky, but dangerous partner for Thomas in the backcourt, and the Pistons had great depth with athletic youngsters like Dennis Rodman and John Salley, and seasoned veterans like James Edwards and Gerald Henderson.
But there was a lot of tension within the organisation as Thomas and Dantley engaged in a struggle for leadership of the team. Coach Chuck Daly and General Manager Jack McCloskey faced a difficult choice: stick with the group they had and trust them to work together to attain team goals, or make a change.
Boston Celtics
Larry Bird had missed the entire 1988-89 season through various injuries to his feet, back and Achilles. His body was breaking down quickly. His recovery from surgery had not gone well. A few days after the Finals he announced his retirement from professional basketball at the age of just 32.
His retirement rocked the Celtics organisation. President Red Auerbach announced that Head Coach KC Jones was also retiring and Point Guard Dennis Johnson announced that he would retire at the end of the 1989-90 season. This marked a clear signal that Boston was about to embark on a rebuilding program.
The Celtics still had great players in Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Danny Ainge. They had a solid young big man in Greg Andersen and a very talented young guard in Johnny Dawkins.
The future was uncertain for the Celtics, but it was clear that change was coming.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks had lost in the Playoffs to Chicago in each of the last two seasons. They remained one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams. The pairing of Dominique Wilkins and Tom Chambers gave Atlanta maybe the best 1-2 punch in the NBA.
With a talented and developing Centre in Kevin Willis and a solid backcourt (Doc Rivers, Randy Whittman and Reggie Theus), and well coached by Mike Fratello, Atlanta was a strong contender.
State of the NBA at the end of the 1988-89 season (Part 1)
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers were dfending champions. But with the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, no one was sure if they’d be able to defend their title. Even without Kareem, LA had a great team led by superstar Magic Johnson and All Stars James Worthy and Byron Scott.
AC Green had a career year in 1989, and now seemed ready to assume a bigger role. The bench was strong with Frank Brickowski, Orlando Woolridge and Michael Cooper, who announced that the 1990-90 season would be his final campaign.
Young big man Mark West would have big shoes to fill in the pivot. With Pat Riley at the helm, the Lakers were still elite. Rumours still persisted of a rift between stars Magic Johnson and James Worthy, but they worked very well together on the court.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls had lost two consecutive NBA Finals. They were the masters of the Eastern Conference, but with an aging Moses Malone, the clock was definitely ticking on their window of opportunity.
With Charles Barkley the Bulls had a superstar. In Reggie Lewis and Joe Dumars they had blossoming potential stars. Chris Ford had moulded the team into a close-knit group. Chicago still looked the class of the East.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets had won the 1988 championship. They had the best player in the world in 3-time MVP Michael Jordan and one of the NBA’s best power forwards in Karl Malone. Together ‘Air-Mail’ was the league’s most devastating tandem.
With the disappointing failure to defend their title, coupled with the frustrations over Ralph Sampson’s injury woes and a growing rift between Coach Bill Fitch and star players Jordan and Malone, the Rockets were at a crossroads. Things had to change, and quickly, if the Rockets were to bounce back quickly.
Owner Charlie Thomas met with Jordan and Malone and General Manager Ray Patterson in July to discuss the team’s issues. Malone made his dislike of Fitch clear, while Jordan went a step further. If Fitch remained the coach, Jordan would publicly demand a trade. Both players pressed Thomas and Patterson to elevate Assistant Coach Rudy Tomjanovich to Head Coach. The next day, Bill Fitch was fired and Tomjanovich was appointed Head Coach for the 1989-90 season.
The Rockets had lost patience with Ralph Sampson. They began looking to deal him.
Portland Trailblazers
Many in Portland were disappointed that the Blazers hadn’t added to their 1987 championship. With the departure of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the troubles of the Houston Rockets, many people were tipping Portland to win the West in 1990.
Certainly, with star players Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, and talented youngster like Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey, the Blazers were primed for contention.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks had improved significantly in 1989. They possessed one of the most talented rotations in the NBA, and probably the league’s most potent offense. Led by All Stars Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, Dallas appeared ready to take the next step in 1990.
With Bill Cartwright, Stephen Donaldson and Sam Perkins providing steady interior play, and Derek Harper and super sub Sleepy Floyd running the offense, the Mavericks were a very potent combination, especially on their home floor.
However, there were lingering trade rumours surrounding Aguirre. Many people wondered whether a team led by such a volatile star could truly contend for an NBA championship.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons pushed Chicago to seven games in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals. Led by All Stars Isiah Thomas and Adrian Dantley, the Pistons had become one of the league’s best teams. They had been dubbed the ‘Bad Boys’ due to the physical interior play of Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn.
Vinnie Johnson was a streaky, but dangerous partner for Thomas in the backcourt, and the Pistons had great depth with athletic youngsters like Dennis Rodman and John Salley, and seasoned veterans like James Edwards and Gerald Henderson.
But there was a lot of tension within the organisation as Thomas and Dantley engaged in a struggle for leadership of the team. Coach Chuck Daly and General Manager Jack McCloskey faced a difficult choice: stick with the group they had and trust them to work together to attain team goals, or make a change.
Boston Celtics
Larry Bird had missed the entire 1988-89 season through various injuries to his feet, back and Achilles. His body was breaking down quickly. His recovery from surgery had not gone well. A few days after the Finals he announced his retirement from professional basketball at the age of just 32.
His retirement rocked the Celtics organisation. President Red Auerbach announced that Head Coach KC Jones was also retiring and Point Guard Dennis Johnson announced that he would retire at the end of the 1989-90 season. This marked a clear signal that Boston was about to embark on a rebuilding program.
The Celtics still had great players in Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and Danny Ainge. They had a solid young big man in Greg Andersen and a very talented young guard in Johnny Dawkins.
The future was uncertain for the Celtics, but it was clear that change was coming.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks had lost in the Playoffs to Chicago in each of the last two seasons. They remained one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams. The pairing of Dominique Wilkins and Tom Chambers gave Atlanta maybe the best 1-2 punch in the NBA.
With a talented and developing Centre in Kevin Willis and a solid backcourt (Doc Rivers, Randy Whittman and Reggie Theus), and well coached by Mike Fratello, Atlanta was a strong contender.
