Red Mosquito

4/5 wrote:

verb_to_trust wrote:I'll come up with a Smits nickname during my rewatch. I want it to be organic.

Looking forward to it, but I mean what was his actual nickname? (Basically my friend and I disagreed, we each had a different version of the nickname and thought the other person was insane. We ended up googling it and found both. Just curious what other people remember his nickname being.)

He was the "dunking Dutchman" wasn't he?

Crap. Yeah that's definitely the right answer. I remember him being the Flying Dutchman, though. You can find references to him being the Flying Dutchman, but Dunking Dutchman was what he was best known as. I really only remember Rik Smits from '98 on, I wonder if there was a commentator in some of those games that used flying instead of dunking and got me all twisted.

According to Basketball Reference Smits has these nicknames : the dunking Dutchman, Dutch boy in the paint and just good old fashioned "Dutch".

He was 7-4. Retired at 33. Remarkably consistent ppg from his rookie year (88-89) on, solid teens every night on 50% shooting and PG percentage from the line. His career high rebounding avg was only 7.7 (wtf!?).

He only made the all star game once (1998)

He only had two seasons in the top 20 for blocks as a 7-4 dude playing 30 minutes a night. Weak af.

Apparently after Ric retired he got into competitive motocross and even won a race. He was even competitive nationally in his age group.

Watched game 6 Bulls/Suns. What an insane 4th quarter. Talk about stealing a game, wow. Kinda heartbreaking watching Chuck, knowing that was as close as he'd ever get.

4/5 wrote:Watched game 6 Bulls/Suns. What an insane 4th quarter. Talk about stealing a game, wow. Kinda heartbreaking watching Chuck, knowing that was as close as he'd ever get.

I should have fond memories, but #FIREGARPAX

verb_to_trust wrote:According to Basketball Reference Smits has these nicknames : the dunking Dutchman, Dutch boy in the paint and just good old fashioned "Dutch".

He was 7-4. Retired at 33. Remarkably consistent ppg from his rookie year (88-89) on, solid teens every night on 50% shooting and PG percentage from the line. His career high rebounding avg was only 7.7 (wtf!?).

He only made the all star game once (1998)

He only had two seasons in the top 20 for blocks as a 7-4 dude playing 30 minutes a night. Weak af.

Didn’t he have a three point shot and played around the perimeter
on offense a lot? Might mean fewer offensive boards.

He never attempted more than .2 threes a game. He probably did play away from the basket a lot with his mid range jumper. He never averaged more than 2.5 offensive and 5.2 defensive boards a game though. Just seems a little weak.

verb_to_trust wrote:He never attempted more than .2 threes a game. He probably did play away from the basket a lot with his mid range jumper. He never averaged more than 2.5 offensive and 5.2 defensive boards a game though. Just seems a little weak.

Yeah mid range sounds right. And he wasn’t a banger under the hoop iirc, just a big tree that clogged the lane due to size not defensive aptitude.

I seem to remember Shaq calling him his toughest match up.

Edit:

Yep

"Rik destroyed me every time. Oh, my God. Pick-and-pop, jump hook in the post, I couldn't stop that kid. If it wasn't for his foot problems," he said. "I probably [never would] have been able to stop him. When we played them in the [2000] Finals, I had to go back to some old tape. I saw that this guy used to kill me, so now that I'm here in the Finals, I got to kill him immediately so he understands this is a different Shaq."

I miss the Bucks.

ghost wrote:I miss the Bucks.

I know Cuban said if the over under on the season starting again was June 1 he'd take the under (without fans in attendance), but that's just not going to happen. The season is over. Our lives are over. Nothing in our lives ever meant anything.

verb_to_trust wrote:I know Cuban said if the over under on the season starting again was June 1 he'd take the under (without fans in attendance), but that's just not going to happen. The season is over. Our lives are over. Nothing in our lives ever meant anything.

Best of 3 for the first round, best of 5 for the second, and then best of 7 in the final two. Play in empty arenas. Sequester the players. Make it happen!

Monkey_Driven wrote:

verb_to_trust wrote:I know Cuban said if the over under on the season starting again was June 1 he'd take the under (without fans in attendance), but that's just not going to happen. The season is over. Our lives are over. Nothing in our lives ever meant anything.

Best of 3 for the first round, best of 5 for the second, and then best of 7 in the final two. Play in empty arenas. Sequester the players. Make it happen!

When though? Late July?

Dolan is COVID19 positive. He should rewrite his will and leave the team to Oakley.

The Last Dance baybeeeeeee!!

April 19

Still have to get through the 98 Finals but I've been really struggling lately and haven't been able to sit down and focus on anything. My live blogging will return though.

Alright boys,

Bulls vs Pacers game 7, 1998

Smits was bald in 98. Not a good look. Not good at all. He also has high white socks on a la Keith Van Horn.