Parting the waters: newly-minted hall-of-famer Moses Malone wasn't only an underappreciated player, he was a true pioneer in today's preps-to-pros NBA - basketball player

MOSES MALONE GLANCED toward Temple coach John Chaney and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski during his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame and said, "If I would have played for you, you would have been here six years ago."

Malone, a Petersburg (Va.) High School star, once was headed for the University of Maryland. He would have played with guards John Lucas and Maurice Howard, under head coach Lefty Driesell. Instead, he applied for the ABA draft and signed with the Utah Stars, beginning his pro career.

In 1974, right before Malone played his first pro game, Wali Jones, who was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers' 1966-67 NBA championship team, brought Malone to the City of Brotherly Love to play in Sonny Hill's Baker League All-Star Game at Temple's McGonigle Hall. Jones remembers Malone's first appearance in Philly, when the center was all of 19 years old.

"I had a home in Petersburg," says Jones, who played with Malone in Utah. "I watched Moses play a lot in high school. Man, the guy could really play. When he decided to go pro, I brought him to Philly. The Baker League always had some great players. Not too many people from Philly knew about him. But after [the Baker], everybody knew Moses was serious."

Ironically, the Philly fans had no idea Malone would one day return and lead the Sixers to the promised land, winning an NBA championship in 1983. And they didn't know that he would do it in dominant fashion.

Former Sixers owner Harold Katz had made two trips to the NBA Finals in '80 and '82 only to come up short against the Los Angeles Lakers. So, Katz went after the best free agent in pro basketball. He signed Malone to a hefty contract that paid $2.2 million per year. The owner had seen how well Malone played against the Boston Celtics, the Sixers' nemesis. Katz also remembered that Malone had some terrific games against the Lakers.

In 1982, Malone was coming off a monster season where he averaged 31.1 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. The Rockets matched Katz's offer and traded him to Philadelphia for Caldwell Jones and a 1983 first round draft choice.

Malone joined Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones and led Philly to the league crown. The Sixers posted an impressive 65-17 regular season record en route to a sensational 12-1 postseason mark. That was the year Malone made his "fo, fo, fo" prediction. It ended up being fo, five, fo; Malone was almost right.

"We had a great team in Philly," Malone says. "But you know what? I remember everybody was asking me who's team was this? I told them this was Doc's team. This wasn't my team. I just came here to help them win a championship. I wanted to blend in with him, Andrew, Maurice, and Bobby Jones.

"Everybody thinks we beat the Lakers four times that season. We beat them six times, four times in the Finals and twice during the regular season."

Cheeks, Philadelphia's point guard and now the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, remembers how dominant Malone was on the floor. "Moses was unbelievable that year. It seemed like he got every rebound. He scored inside and outside. He played great defense. Obviously, he was a big reason why we won the championship. This was a big moment for him. Prior to Moses coming here, he had done a lot of things. The only thing missing was an NBA title."

Malone proved how great a player he was before he arrived in Philadelphia. In 1980-81, he took the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Celtics in six games. The Rockets weren't loaded with talent, finishing the regular season 40-42--they are, in fact, the only team with a losing record ever to make the NBA Finals. Houston had some pretty good players in Calvin Murphy, Robert Reid, and Rudy Tomjanovich. But Malone put them on his back the entire year, finishing second in the league in scoring at 27.8 ppg and first in rebounding with 14.8 rpg.

"I was 6'10" with a lot of heart," Malone says. "I played hard all the time. I never stopped working. Some people considered me a superstar. I never considered myself a superstar. I always wanted to help my teammates. That's the sign of a great player."

Malone inspired others to give a maximum effort, too. He made an enormous impression on Charles Barkley during Barkley's rookie season with the Sixers. Barkley, like Malone, was selected as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996. "I learned a lot about basketball just from watching him play," Barkley says. "He went after every rebound. He could get his shot off against anybody. He played good defense around the basket. In addition to watching him, he took me under his wing. He always encouraged me to do well. He helped me become a better player."

Barkley wasn't the only elite player Malone had an impact on. During his playing days with the Rockets, he schooled Hakeem Olajuwon. The two would play for hours at Fonde Recreation Center in Houston while Olajuwon was a rising star at the University of Houston. With help from Malone, Olajuwon developed into the No. 1 overall pick in 1984--two spots ahead of Michael Jordan.

"I didn't mind working with the young guys," Malone says. "Dream had a lot of ability. Plus, he worked hard at his game. Each year he got better. The next thing you knew he was in the NBA."

Olajuwon was one of the many players in the '80s who left college early for the pro ranks. Now, many blue chippers go right from high school to the NBA. This year, in fact, three of the first four players taken in the draft were preps. Most prominent among them was Kwame Brown, the first high-schooler to be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA draft. And if blue-chippers do go to college these days, it's usually only for a year or two.

Malone was the exception in 1974, not the rule. Alter he made the jump to the pros, he was followed by Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby--and that's it. You didn't have nearly the influx of players skipping college for the pros like today.

Actually, as the first prep-to-pro, Malone was a pioneer. And in the long run, his success paved the way for players like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal.

"I didn't do it just for the money," Malone says of his leap to the ABA. "I definitely wanted to help my mother. We didn't have a lot of money. But I love the game. I worked hard every day in the playgrounds. I wanted to play against the best players in the world.

"When I made the jump to the league, it was a big deal. Now, you have a lot of guys doing it. But you have to be ready to play. It's a big step, and some players don't realize that. It's a job, not just a game. You have to keep working."

Malone grew up watching the NBA's two greatest pivotmen clash: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

"I used to watch them play all the time," Malone remembers. "Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell are two of the best to ever play the game. I learned a lot about the game from watching them. They knew how to get everybody involved. I tried to be an all-around player. I wanted to rebound, score, and play defense to the best of my ability. Once again, the only way I could improve myself and play good basketball was to play hard."

Malone maintained that philosophy from day one. As a youngster, he made a big contribution with the Stars, averaging 18.8 points and 14.6 rebounds per game in his first season.

"He carried us to the playoffs as a rookie," Jones remembers. "You could see he was going to be a special player. We would go to him in crucial situations.

"He would just pull us through with a big basket or rebound. Moses had a lot of talent and poise at a young age. He's one of the best. I played with Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Walt Bellamy in my careen And they were fantastic players. Moses could do it all."

After a year with the Stars, the team folded, and Malone completed his ABA career with the Spirits of St. Louis. In 1976, the NBA and ABA merged, and Malone was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers in the ABA "dispersal draft." Imagine if Portland had kept him--the Blazers could have boasted a frontcourt of Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, and Malone.

Instead the still-developing Malone was shipped to the Buffalo Braves, who quickly dealt him to the Rockets for two first round picks.

"[The ABA] had some real good players like Doc, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, Ron Boone, and George McGinnis," Malone says. "I mean, we had a plenty of guys who could play. Everybody got a chance to see them once the leagues came together. You saw a lot of teams scrambling for players. I could have played in a couple different places. Portland could have been a good team. Buffalo had some talent, too. It didn't matter to me. I just wanted to play somewhere. It just so happened I ended up playing in Houston."

Malone spent 19 years in professional basketball. In addition to his playing days with the Stars, Rockets, and Sixers, he had short stints with the Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, and Milwaukee Bucks. In 1994, he decided to retire after playing his final season with the San Antonio Spurs.

"I played for a lot of teams in my career," Malone says. "I wish things could have worked out a little better for certain teams. But I thank everybody for giving me an opportunity. I really enjoyed the game."

Malone, now 46, finished his career as a 12-time All-Star and a three-time league NBA MVP. He totaled 29,580 points and 17,834 rebounds in 1,455 career games. He ranks first all-time in free throws made with an astounding 9,018. Those numbers propelled him into the Hall of Fame.

"Moses Malone. Just the sound of his name, he had to get famous," says Erring, who should know, having starred as Moses Guthrie in the 1979 film "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh." "What a waste of a name if he didn't get famous."

Erving, who was Malone's presenter at the Hall of Fame ceremony, believes Malone has carved out a place of his own in basketball history. "You know Moses didn't talk to the media very much," Erving says. "He didn't want a lot of recognition. He just wanted to play the game. That's exactly what he did. And he did it extremely well."

Moses Malone's Career Statistics

G      FG%   3PT%  FT%   REB     RPG

1,455  .495  .100  .760  17,834  12.3

AST    APG  STL    BLK    PTS     PPG

1,936  1.3  1,199  1,889  29,580  20.3

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COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group