Big Shot Bob, an All-Time Great?

Yesterday I was watching a game from that controversial 2002 Western Conference Finals series between the Kings and Lakers.  At first, (spoiler alert?), Sacramento was on the verge of blowing the Lakers out, in Los Angeles.  But by the time all was said and done, the day was saved by a clutch shot made by Robert "Big Shot Bob" Horry.  In fact at the end of the game, he was the one who the broadcaster interviewed, not Shaq or Kobe.

Robert Horry has more championship rings than any player in NBA history outside of the 1950-60s Celtics, who won like every year.  He has more than Jordan, more than Magic, and by looks of things, neither Lebron or Steph are going to catch up with Big Shot Bob.  Yet, you never hear Horry's name mentioned when it comes to all-time greats or even in terms of being considered for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, where even the likes of Tim Hardaway, who like never won jackshit, have made it.

I think part of the reason is because Horry was never a franchise player or even considered like the second-best player on the various teams he played for.  But if you don't know his history and see this relatively-unknown dude's name up there higher on the championship list than Kareem or Pippen, you'd probably think that he was riding the bench and was jut fortunate enough to find himself on good teams.  But even then, how many benchriders have seven championships, in any sport and furthermore amongst three different teams?  If such a person exists, you'd have to conclude that he or she is at least a good luck charm or something.

But that wasn't the case with Big Shot Bob.  He was a starter with the Rockets when they won championships in 1994 and 1995.  He was primarily a bench player during the Shaq + Kobe threepeat, as he was when he won championships with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007.  But he played a key and sometimes even savior-like role with all of those franchises.

For instance, it is widely considered that the NBA rigged Game 6 of that 2002 series between the Kings and Lakers.  But let me say, if that is in fact the case, that the NBA would have never been in a rightful position to do so if Horry didn't make that clutch shot in Game 4.  Because if he had missed it, Sacramento would have had a 3-1 lead over LAL.  And you know, it's a lot easier to pull off the rigging of one nationally-televised game that everyone is watching than having to do two in a row.

Horry may not have gotten sneaker deals and commercials and allstar nods and shit like that, but he was one of the more popular players of his day to actual NBA fans, as he was the most clutch shooter of the 2000s.  And his ability to make clutch shots was, I believe, founded in his overall fearlessness.

It takes a high degree of courage, for lack of a better way of putting it, to consistently make three-pointers during some of the most-crucial moments in NBA history.  But that same 'fearlessness' sometimes resulted in Big Shot doing dumb shit, like that time he threw a towel in the face of Danny Ainge, who's not only respected in NBA circles but also was Horry's coach at the time.  And it's like to this day, he still doesn't give AF.

CONCLUSION

So we may never see Horry in the Hall of Fame.  If you were a superstar player, you'll definitely make it into the Hall.  If you were a player with mainstream name recognition  who hasn't won any championships, you can also make it.  But if, as a key role player, you won two championships with one team, three championships with another and yet two more with a different franchise, obviously that's not good enough.

Karma Is a B*tch? (Phoenix Suns Edition)

You may be looking at the title and think that his post is about Robert Sarver, but it isn't.  The focus is on Jae Crowder and JaVale McGee, two players that I'm not exactly sure why the Suns haven't made more of an effort to hold onto.  And I can't say that karma is coming for Phoenix, since the squad is still mad deep.  But the way that team from Australia bust their asses in a 'meaningless' preseason game did raise some alarms, at least with me.

And I can understand why now Cam Johnson may be preferable over Crowder, because Cam's look is a more marketable.  Everytime I see his face, I feel like pinching his cheeks or some shit.  But Crowder is like as near to a real rasta as you're going to get in the NBA.  He has straight-up dreadlocks and have been maintaining them for years.  And yes, there's a lot of funky hairdos in the associations these days, but few straight-up dreads.

In the old days, dreadlocks were associated with Rastafarianism, which is like a peaceful spiritual movement.  These days, as far as celebrities go, they're mostly worn by these low-morality rappers.  And you know, there's a big difference between, say Bob Marley wearing dreadlocks and Chief Keef.  And I personally don't believe the powers-that-be approve of true dreadlocks, like Jae Crowder's own.  And this is a belief I held onto ever since the NBA totally allowed the Cavs to abuse the hell out of Crowder some years ago, you know, like some baldheads vs. rasta type shit:

And since we're on the topic I also believe that one of the reasons the NBA hasn't favored the Suns, as good as they are, is because of Jae's look coupled with the prominent role he plays for the team, and I think this is something the Sun's braintrust eventually picked up on also.  So now he's looking for a new home, and he needs to go to one who is able to bear the brunt of his image.  And I personally think the best choice would be to go back to the Celtics.

And as far as Cam Johnson goes, I understand he's an exceptional shooter, but I wouldn't say he's a better shooter than Jae, not at this point.  Crowder has developed into one of the coolest-under-pressure shooters in the NBA, because, as verified above, he's seen it all.  And if Johnson ever gets there, it may take some time.  Like he really benefited coming off the bench last season, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up back there sooner than later.

JaVale McGee, he's like the present-day version of Robert Horry.  I don't know if Horry will ever make it into the Hall of Fame, even though he won more championships than any other modern player.  But what I do know is that every team Robert played on, he noticeably made them better, and the same can be said for McGee of the last few years, who won three championships and was placed on the gold-winning US National Team of 2020.

So what's happened is that the Suns lost a starter as well as a key bench player, and who knows exactly what they got in return?  There's this saying in the NBA, a quote that coaches and GMs used to throw around, that goes something like like standing pat is the same as moving backwards, or some shit like that.  I don't necessarily agree, but I will say that losing two keys players with nothing to show in return, no matter how good your bench may be, definitely isn't progress.  But it's like Crowder is still set to be traded, so it remains to be see what they get in return, if anything substantial considering how fucked up the relationship has now become.

CONCLUSION

Last season's Suns were like the perfect balance of vets and young players.  But it's like DeAndre Ayton may have already just about hit his ceiling, and as for Booker and CP3, they ain't getting no younger.  And there's other guys who can represent, though outside of Bridges and perhaps Biyombo they're all like offense.  So Crowder and McGee will be missed.  And no matter who they get back for Crowder, since good perimeters defenders especially are so rare it's likely, if it is a guard, it's going to be another offensive-minded player, unless maybe they go after somebody like Thybulle, who I don't think the Sixers would want to trade anyway.

The Suns almost lost Ayton because they didn't want to pay up, and they did lose McGee because he wanted more dough.  That was while Sarver, who's supposed to be some type of legendary cheapskate or something, was in office.  But now, money is also part of the reason why Jae Crowder is currently bouncing.  So now you see that the penny pinching wasn't all Sarver's doing.