Appreciating Some Older Players

[LA Bird]

I will shout out Paul Silas who is so overlooked he doesn't even make the overlooked lists.

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- He started his career coming off the bench for the Hawks but the one year Silas played starter minutes, they win 56 games for the 2nd best record in the league. They averaged 43 wins in the surrounding seasons.
- Adding Connie Hawkins and Silas, the Suns went from the worst expansion team in the league to reaching a Game 7 against the Wilt/West Lakers. They further improved to 5.6 SRS in 1972 despite Hawkins declining. Silas averaged 18 and 12 that year on +4.5% rTS with All Defense selection while leading the team in assists. But they miss the playoffs with 49 wins in the West when the Eastern champ Knicks only won 48.
- Silas goes to Boston and they win 68 games, one short of the NBA record at the time. He was 4th in the league in WS/48. Meanwhile, the Suns with the same roster as the previous year plus ABA scoring champion Charlie Scott fell by 6.5 SRS without Silas into the negatives.
- After winning two titles with the Celtics, Silas joins the Nuggets. Boston drop 4.15 SRS while the Nuggets had the 2nd best record in the league and the #1 defense. When Silas left Denver the following year, they also drop 4.15 SRS and their defense fell to below league average (15th out of 22).
- Silas going to the Sonics coincided with Sikma being drafted and DJ replacing Slick Watts as starter but they go on to make the Finals, win the title, and lose to the Kareem/Magic Lakers in WCF during Silas' 3 seasons there.

Throughout his career, Silas' teams consistently improved with him and fell off without him. He didn't miss many games for large raw WOWY samples but he peaked at almost 95th percentile in RWOWY. He was arguably the second best offensive rebounder of his time behind Moses, during a period where offensive rebounding correlated with championship success more than any of the other four factors. The Celtics rebounding differential immediately soared after he joined and the 73, 74, 76 team have the #1, #2, #4 highest rebounding differential in league history (post shot clock). He also had a strong reputation when it comes to leadership and intangibles.

Marvin Webster: He has been the heart and soul of this team. Our fans know No. 35, always battling for rebounds on both ends of the court, but that's only half the story, At practices, in locker rooms, on planes and in restaurants, Paul is the guy we look up to. He has become our teacher, our confidant, our inspiration.

John Havlicek: Paul is one of the best people I've played with. He's an individual who understands what his assets are and makes the most of them. A lot of people recognize players by points and statistics. You can't do that with Paul. Statistics do not list the picks he sets, the times he keeps the ball alive, his awareness and defense. When he left Boston he left a big hole in the Celtics. They had no one to replace him and do the things Silas did.

[One_and_Done]

I would say James Silas is the more forgotten Silas. Guy was one of the best players in the ABA, then has career altering injuries and is never the same again. Very Derrick Rose like.

[The Explorer]

Was watching Drazen Petrovic highlights. Guy was creative as it gets offensively. Very overlooked because of his short career.