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Top 10 Lakers benchwarmers of the past 15 years
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AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
On Tuesday Phil Jackson will make his final decisions on the Lakers' opening day roster. That means that the roster will be cut to 13 or 14, and the Laker dream will end for a couple of youngsters.
By this time Tuesday CJ Giles, Coby Karl, or Joe Crawford will join a prestigious list of Lakers who get slightly more playing time than the ball boys (Brandon Heath was just cut today). One of them will have his name chanted mercilessly in the final minutes of a blowout until he finally tears away his warm-ups and makes his way to the scorer's table...only to see time expire before he can actually check into the game.
As a former scrub myself (didn't exactly rack up the innings on the Yale baseball team), I felt it was time to pay homage to the guys who make you go "Oh yeah, he was on the team...wasn't he?" So without further ado I give you the Top 10 Laker Benchwarmers (that I can remember).
Reggie Jordan, 1993-94: This was back when I was first starting to get into basketball. The Lakers weren't very good in the Post-Magic Rebuilding Era (39-43 in 92-93), but hopes went sky high when they announced the signing of Jordan. Well, not that Jordan. Not afraid to invite the comparison, Reggie dawned number 23 for the purple and gold, but we quickly found out that this was more like "Hot Air Jordan" as the Lakers put up another miserable season in 1993-94 (33-49).
Bottom Line: The lesser Jordan averaged 5.4 points in 23 games for the Lakers, but led the league in mistaken identity: "You wanna trade me a Jordan card for my Vlade Divac? Sure!"
Antonio Harvey, 1993-95: Another product of the Post-Magic depression, Harvey was a lanky, 6'11" forward out of the powerhouse Pfeiffer University. Harvey made up for minscule numbers for the Lakers by gaining entry into the 1995 NBA Dunk Contest. Unfortunately, he received a "Failed to Qualify" with just a 35.2 in the first round, effectively ending his only opportunity to gain national notoriety. The contest was eventually won by Harold "Baby Jordan" Miner, who wowed the judges with dunks that are now being done by 8th graders.
Bottom Line: Averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds a game in two seasons for the Lakers. Harvey somehow managed to stretch his career over eight seasons, averaging a career-high 3.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 1995-96. He must have rubbed people the right way since he managed to segue his career into a gig as the Blazers Radio Analyst.
Corie Blount, 1995-99: I hate to put him on this list because he holds a place near and dear to my heart. When we were assigned our basketball numbers in 7th grade, everyone automatically associated their number with its counterpart on the Lakers. I ended up with 43, which was of course the number of famed Lakers forward Corie Blount. He soon became my favorite player...for about two weeks.
Bottom Line: Averaged 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 3+ seasons with the Lakers. People must have liked what he was doing, as he put together a solid 11-season career, never playing in more than 72 games or averaging more than 6.8 points.
Trevor Wilson, 1993-94: Talk about homegrown talent. Wilson went to Cleveland High School in Reseda before starring at UCLA. So when he came to the Lakers before the 1993-94 season, people were expecting big things from the 6'7" forward. And they got them. For five games. Before he was traded to the Kings.
Bottom Line: Wilson looked solid, averaging 10.2 points in those five games. He went on to average 8.0 points per game for the Kings before seeing a significant drop the following season. Wilson never regained the touch, and played only four NBA seasons.
Travis Knight, 1996-97, 1998-2000: The former UConn star put in two tours with the Lakers, both of which resulted in minimal playing time. As a 7-footer, he provided a big body off the bench but, unfortunately, not much else. Clean-cut and cherubic while with the Lakers, Knight later went with the Teen Wolf look while playing with the Knicks. More hair did not equal more talent and Knight exited after a 7-year career.
Bottom Line: Averaged 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in three seasons in Los Angeles. If you look closely at his picture, you can see our next Laker scrub in the background. None other than...
Isaiah "J.R." Rider, 2000-01: Most people forget he was even on the Lakers. I know I did. Rider took the NBA by storm when he became the first to complete a between-the-legs dunk in the NBA Dunk Contest. When Rider arrived in L.A. he was averaging nearly 20 points a game for his career. When he left he was a benchwarmer and only played one more season in the league. Things have only gotten worse for Rider, who was arrested this spring on charges of grand theft auto.
Bottom Line: Rider averaged 7.6 points in his sole campaign with the Lakers. He also averaged 0.0 between-the-legs dunks.
John Celestand, 1999-2000: Despite playing in only 16 games in his only NBA season, the 6'4" guard has become a legend by allowing himself to get crossed up and dunked on by the greatest dunker of all-time, Vince Carter. That was, unfortunately, his only career highlight.
Bottom Line: Averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 assists in 16 games for the Lakers. Apparently Celestand does a better job talking about the game than playing it. He is now writing for Hoopville.net and broadcasting Big East basketball games for ESPN.
Mike Penberthy, 2000-02: Penberthy was an immediate fan favorite. He was a short, white point guard who looked like he came straight out of Hoosiers. Add to that the fact that he was a former UPS worker that had finally made it to the big time, and Penberthy could do no wrong in Los Angeles. He lasted for a couple of years with the Lakers and that was it for his NBA days. No word on whether or not his job at UPS was still waiting for him.
Bottom Line: Mighty Mike averaged 4.9 points and shot 39.6% three-pointers in his 56 games with the Lakers. Oh yeah, and he picked up a ring.
Mark Madsen, 2000-03: You knew the Mad Dog would be on the list somewhere. Madsen is clearly the best dancer in Laker history despite having the worst on-court footwork the league has ever seen. The 6'9" forward also put his Stanford education to use with his eloquent, bilingual speech at the Lakers Championship Parade.
Bottom Line: Averaged a robust 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in three seasons with the Lakers. Apparently those numbers impressed the Timberwolves enough to STILL be paying him over $2 million a year. Personally I think it was the dancing.
Soumalia Samake, 2002-03: While Samake didn't gain much attention on the court, he got more than he wanted when he was suspended for testing positive for steroids at the beginning of the 2002-03 season. While Sammy Sosa and other beefcakes were blasting homeruns at a historic pace, the MLB did nothing. When a back-up center accidentally took a supplement containing nandrolone, David Stern and the NBA put their foot down. What's wrong with this picture?
Bottom Line: The steroids didn't seem to help, as Samake averaged a feeble 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in just 13 games for the Lakers. That was the last action Samake would see in the NBA. Maybe he should have used the cream instead of the clear.
Well folks, I hope that was a nice trip down memory lane. I'm sure you're all as excited as I am to see who the Lakers decide to keep Tuesday. Maybe whoever they choose will join Penberthy, Madsen, Celestand, and Knight on the list of players that have more NBA Championship rings than Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Reggie Miller.
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