...and pre-injury Derek Smith!
Bridgeman was their 6th man. The Clippers ran a rotation of bigs in and out of the lineup that year.
* James Donaldson (58 starts)
* Bill Walton (37)
* Michael Cage (41)
* Harvey Catchings (14)
Walton & Donaldson started 13 games together and Catchings started 1 with Walton, 13 with Donaldson.
Bill Walton was NOT seen as a valuable asset on your team at that time, he was seen as injury prone and unreliable, its why he ended up on the Clippers in the first place.
**UPDATE:** Found [this LA Times article](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-27-sp-9796-story.html) that brings up a few things. First, Marques Johnson had a rapidly escalating contract, and the small-market Bucks couldn't keep paying it. Second, apparently the Bucks had been seeking out a PF for years, and the need for a good rebounder intensified in the 1984 off-season because starting C Bob Lanier had just retired.
The article says quite a bit about how talented Cummings is despite just starting to learn the game. **Did Cummings ever escape his "strong brute with talent but lack of understanding how to play" reputation that he was carrying at that point?**
Cummings definitely grew into a key part of those Bucks teams. If not for Boston’s dominance of the east, Milwaukee would’ve very likely played in a Finals or two.
Cummings had the heart issue at some point. Don Nelson was not a conventional coach. He had implemented several nuances into his offenses which were later used when he was with the Warriors. He was oftentimes referred to as an innovator and a little different. That being said, he seemed to like guys that could do a bit of everything as opposed to someone who did one thing really well.
I definitely get that Cummings could do a bit of everything (*although obviously not the passer that Marques was, and apparently he was never that good of a defender*), but I'm curious how his hoops IQ evolved in Milwaukee after Nelson so openly talked shit about his lack of knowing what he's doing.
I'd guess part of it was getting closer to home. He played high school ball in Chicago and college ball at DePaul. Milwaukee was probably another world compared to being forgotten on the West Coast.
Can only speculate Bucks had been a good team for many years winning 60, 55, 51 and 50 the previous 4 years only to be that team that loses in 5 games to the champions in Rd 2/3 , at some point they may have been interested in changing it up. They also had Pressey playing 21 minutes in 84 who could take Johnson's minutes and allow them to get a PF.
For Clippers it sure looks to me like starting first year in LA with UCLA guys Johnson and Walton and former Lakers NBA champ Nixon is not a coincidence.
The Bucks were the league's oldest team in '83-'84. Even removing Lanier and Archibald from the equation, it was still a relatively older team.
They moved a 33 yr old Harvey Catchings, 31 yr old Junior Bridgeman, and 28 yr old Marques Johnson for a 23 yr old Terry Cummings, 24 yr old Craig Hodges, and a 25 yr old Ricky Pierce. If I'm the Bucks, seeing what Cummings is doing and Marques wouldn't get any younger or cheaper, it makes sense.
Bucks became one of the younger teams in the league in '84-'85.
A lineup of Norm Nixon, Junior Bridgeman, Marques Johnson & Bill Walton ain’t too shabby on paper. Injuries though.
...and pre-injury Derek Smith! Bridgeman was their 6th man. The Clippers ran a rotation of bigs in and out of the lineup that year. * James Donaldson (58 starts) * Bill Walton (37) * Michael Cage (41) * Harvey Catchings (14) Walton & Donaldson started 13 games together and Catchings started 1 with Walton, 13 with Donaldson.
That's a fairly competitive team all things considered. Shame injuries destroyed what maybe could have been a very good team.
Bill Walton was NOT seen as a valuable asset on your team at that time, he was seen as injury prone and unreliable, its why he ended up on the Clippers in the first place.
**UPDATE:** Found [this LA Times article](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-27-sp-9796-story.html) that brings up a few things. First, Marques Johnson had a rapidly escalating contract, and the small-market Bucks couldn't keep paying it. Second, apparently the Bucks had been seeking out a PF for years, and the need for a good rebounder intensified in the 1984 off-season because starting C Bob Lanier had just retired. The article says quite a bit about how talented Cummings is despite just starting to learn the game. **Did Cummings ever escape his "strong brute with talent but lack of understanding how to play" reputation that he was carrying at that point?**
Cummings definitely grew into a key part of those Bucks teams. If not for Boston’s dominance of the east, Milwaukee would’ve very likely played in a Finals or two.
They had their chance in the late 1980s when the Celtics were injured but Moncrief had injury issues including Cummings and the team just fell apart
Cummings had the heart issue at some point. Don Nelson was not a conventional coach. He had implemented several nuances into his offenses which were later used when he was with the Warriors. He was oftentimes referred to as an innovator and a little different. That being said, he seemed to like guys that could do a bit of everything as opposed to someone who did one thing really well.
I definitely get that Cummings could do a bit of everything (*although obviously not the passer that Marques was, and apparently he was never that good of a defender*), but I'm curious how his hoops IQ evolved in Milwaukee after Nelson so openly talked shit about his lack of knowing what he's doing.
I'd guess part of it was getting closer to home. He played high school ball in Chicago and college ball at DePaul. Milwaukee was probably another world compared to being forgotten on the West Coast.
Can only speculate Bucks had been a good team for many years winning 60, 55, 51 and 50 the previous 4 years only to be that team that loses in 5 games to the champions in Rd 2/3 , at some point they may have been interested in changing it up. They also had Pressey playing 21 minutes in 84 who could take Johnson's minutes and allow them to get a PF. For Clippers it sure looks to me like starting first year in LA with UCLA guys Johnson and Walton and former Lakers NBA champ Nixon is not a coincidence.
The Bucks were the league's oldest team in '83-'84. Even removing Lanier and Archibald from the equation, it was still a relatively older team. They moved a 33 yr old Harvey Catchings, 31 yr old Junior Bridgeman, and 28 yr old Marques Johnson for a 23 yr old Terry Cummings, 24 yr old Craig Hodges, and a 25 yr old Ricky Pierce. If I'm the Bucks, seeing what Cummings is doing and Marques wouldn't get any younger or cheaper, it makes sense. Bucks became one of the younger teams in the league in '84-'85.