Dr. J Documentary on NBA Channel Premieres Tonight @ 8:00 PM CST

[CaribouJim]

For those youngsters (and old farts like me) on the board, this is must see TV. Sounds like there will be some footage never seen before. Dr. J's coming out party in college was in a game against MU in MU's NIT run - see link below for a mention. Didn't Al have some funny quote about that game?

http://www.streetandsmiths.com/images/editorial_imgs/100_greatest/JuliusErving.pdf

This author thinks they could have delved into his real life a little more:

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/49921724/

The picture in column was from the Trailblazers championship season with Mo Lucas on the roster - the same season MU won theirs.

In any event, Dr. J was pure entertainment. I remember my parents taking some of us younger kids to NYC in the spring of '75 or '76 during the ABA championship series that the Nets were in and watching a game on the crappy hotel TV and watching in amazement.

[IWB]

And yes, Dr. J did take a recruiting visit to MU.

[TheSultan]

It's too bad that history has kind of shrugged off Dr. J. He was at his best when the NBA was struggling, and while he had a game like Jordan, it wasn't quite at that level. But growing up in the 70s he was *the* NBA player that you wanted to watch and pretend to be.

I am really glad they are doing this documentary because he deserves more praise than he has gotten.

[CaribouJim]

And yes, Dr. J did take a recruiting visit to MU.

Are you serious? Good gracious that would have been something.

[Nukem2]

MU defeated Dr. J and UMass in the first round of the 1970 NIT on the way to MU's NIT championship that season. Al's old adage in play here.

[Goose85]

Drafted by the Bucks but opted to play in the ABA.

The 12th pick in the 1972 draft. Bucks actually chose Russel Lee with the #6 pick.

Oh what could have been for us Buck fans. Kareem, Dr. J and The Big O.


http://www.mynbadraft.com/1972

[Phantom Warrior]

If memory serves, during the game against UMass, All turned to Hank and asked, "Who in the hell is this guy?" or something to that extent.

It's hard to believe going into the game that MU hadn't watched Dr. J. on film and knew little or nothing about him. It's also hard to believe that if Al recruited him, he had no idea who he was a few years later.

But that's supposedly what Al said during the game. Could just be an urban legend.

[CaribouJim]

Drafted by the Bucks but opted to play in the ABA.

The 12th pick in the 1972 draft. Bucks actually chose Russel Lee with the #6 pick.

Oh what could have been for us Buck fans. Kareem, Dr. J and The Big O.


http://www.mynbadraft.com/1972

LaRue Martin - one of the worst ever #1 picks. Ralph Simpson went on to have a few nice years in the ABA - drafted right before Dr J. Must have been horrifically bad scouting back then although McAdoo turned out to be a stud.

[MUMac]

Drafted by the Bucks but opted to play in the ABA.

The 12th pick in the 1972 draft. Bucks actually chose Russel Lee with the #6 pick.

Oh what could have been for us Buck fans. Kareem, Dr. J and The Big O.


http://www.mynbadraft.com/1972

He was already with the Virginia Squires in the ABA at that time. The Bucks drafted him to get his NBA rights. The hope was he would move to the NBA or through the NBA/ABA Merger, they would have his rights. I remember something quirky involving the Atlanta Hawks signing Erving in '72. The Bucks argued that was they had the rights as that was the first year he was eligible to be drafted in the NBA.

[Warriors69]

If memory serves, during the game against UMass, All turned to Hank and asked, "Who in the hell is this guy?" or something to that extent.

It's hard to believe going into the game that MU hadn't watched Dr. J. on film and knew little or nothing about him. It's also hard to believe that if Al recruited him, he had no idea who he was a few years later.

But that's supposedly what Al said during the game. Could just be an urban legend.

Al grabbed Dean Memminger and asked him who he was.

[CaribouJim]

Al grabbed Dean Memminger and asked him who he was.

Didn't Huggy do that to some of his coaches when he was at Cinci when John Cliff went off on them? At least a I recall a story like that.

[IWB]

Great line from Mike Deane stemmed from that.

Huggy - "Who in the hell is that?"

Assistant - "John Cliff."

Huggy - "Why don't I know who he is?"

Deane - "You wouldn't know because you don't have any - he's a freshman!"

Something like that, Fr. Dan's Camera may be able to confirm.

[sailwi]

As IIRC the Dr. J AL quote went something like this.

Dr. J was going nuts in the first few minutes of the game and AL calls a TO. In the huddle Al asks who in the hell is this guy and one of the players says it's Julius from the projects and he is good. Al lamented why didn't someone tell me about him and everyone shrugged their shoulders. Al made some defensive adjustment and 'contained" Julius for the rest of the game. I know my writing doesn't do the discussion justice.

[Gato78]

I thought Al asked Hank who he was and Hank gave him an "I told you he was good".

[sailwi]

Gato: May have been as you said it was a few years ago that I read the story. Still my favorite Al quote after beating LSU w/ Pistol Pete in the 70 NIT semi's; Press Maravich (LSU coach and Pistol's dad) was asked something about MU's defense and he answered defense is like watching grass grow. They asked Al to comment on Press's comment and AL said well I guess we just cut his lawn.

[BLT]

Story at the end.

http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012601aad.html

Edit: More from Wayne Embry's book, that confirms both Hank and Dean stories. Too funny. I do remember Al telling the NIT story, that Dr. J would have cost him his job if MU lost in the opener after snubbing the NCAA. The story seemed to grow with time.

http://books.google.com/books?id=3RTT9Z8QaPMC&pg=PA200&lpg=PA200&dq=al,mcguire,+julius+erving&source=bl&ots=Kf47eDrLIt&sig=zeJKCq2vuUNQESR7eud34NkikPk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ooy2UbGnIIe5yAHUhICoAw&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=al%2Cmcguire%2C%20julius%20erving&f=false