Sidney Moncrief was on everyone’s list of most versatile
players of the 1980s. Knee injuries kept him from perhaps being one of the 50
greatest basketball players of all time.
Moncrief was the No. 5 overall pick out of Arkansas in the
1979 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks after a storied career at Arkansas. The
Lakers took Magic Johnson No. 1 – good choice – but then the Bulls (David
Greenwood), Knicks (Bill Cartwright) and Pistons (Greg Kelser) all somewhat whiffed
on their picks.
Moncrief was a solid contributor from the start who then
became a star. From 1981-1982 to 1985-1986, Moncrief made the all-star game every
season, averaging at least 19.8 points per game. He was even tougher on the
defensive end, being chosen to five NBA all-defense teams and twice being named
Defensive Player of the Year. In almost every bio of Moncrief, you’ll find this
quote from Michael Jordan.
“When you play against Moncrief, you’re in for a night of all-around basketball. He’ll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it.”
Moncrief knew early on that he had a degenerative knee condition and he was never the same after the 1985-1986 season. He retired the first time after 1988-1989 at the age of 31, then came back for one final season with Atlanta at 33. His relatively short career hurt him significantly in these standings.
Although Moncrief was a winner - his teams qualified for the playoffs every single year he was in the league - he only advanced as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice. Both times, the Bucks fell in five games. One reason Moncrief’s teams never made deep runs was Moncrief himself. Across the board, his advanced playoff statistics were significantly below his regular season levels.
“When you play against Moncrief, you’re in for a night of all-around basketball. He’ll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it.”
Moncrief knew early on that he had a degenerative knee condition and he was never the same after the 1985-1986 season. He retired the first time after 1988-1989 at the age of 31, then came back for one final season with Atlanta at 33. His relatively short career hurt him significantly in these standings.
Although Moncrief was a winner - his teams qualified for the playoffs every single year he was in the league - he only advanced as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice. Both times, the Bucks fell in five games. One reason Moncrief’s teams never made deep runs was Moncrief himself. Across the board, his advanced playoff statistics were significantly below his regular season levels.
His best season was 1982-1983 when he averaged a career-high
22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and led the Bucks to a first-round sweep
of Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, Milwaukee then ran into the
Moses Malone-Julius Erving 76ers, who were on their way to a 12-1 playoff run.
Milwaukee handed Philly its one loss.
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Sidney
Moncrief bio info
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Career
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1979-2001
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Games
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767
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Points
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15.6
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Rebounds
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4.7
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Assists
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3.6
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FG Pct.
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50.2%
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All-Star Games
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5
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MVPs
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0
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NBA Titles
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0
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Playoff seasons
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11
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Playoff games
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93
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Points
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16.0
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Rebounds
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5.0
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Assists
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3.4
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FG Pct.
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47.5%
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Hall of Fame
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2011
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Top 100
rankings
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||
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Points
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Top 100 ranking
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1-year
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296.92
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95th
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5-year
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1,337.93
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78th
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10-year
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2,303.57
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69th
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Career
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2,451.64
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92nd
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Sidney
Moncrief at his peak
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|||
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1982-1983
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Moncrief
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NBA Top 5
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Points
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PER
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22.6
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24.00
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Win Shares
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13.2
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13.22
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Box +/-
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4.8
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6.36
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VORP
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5.3
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5.90
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Total Advanced Stats
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42.6
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47.93
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88.88
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Playoff PER
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15.4
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24.10
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Win Shares
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0.9
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2.16
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Box +/-
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3.5
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6.57
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VORP
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0.5
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0.98
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Total Advanced Stats
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20.3
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33.81
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60.04
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Reg. Season Win %
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63.16
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63.16
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Playoff Win %
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55.56
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55.56
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MVP Voting (75 points)
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236/750
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23.60
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Finals MVP (25 points)
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0
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0
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Total Score
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296.92
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Moncrief’s 10 greatest seasons
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1982-1983
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296.92
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1983-1984
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274.77
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1984-1985
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273.79
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1985-1986
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250.41
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1981-1982
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242.03
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1980-1981
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232.10
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1979-1980
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216.83
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1986-1987
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202.07
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1987-1988
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163.80
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1988-1989
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150.83
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Career
winning percentage
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W
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L
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Pct.
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Regular Season
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486
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281
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63.36%
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Playoffs
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43
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50
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46.24%
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