Basketbawful

Friday, February 03, 2006

Our continuing series continues as the Basketbawful staff explains how you can love the sum of a team's parts while still hating some of those parts.

It was a good idea at the time
by The Statbuster

The Pacers were fresh off nearly being swept by the Knicks in the 1st round, allowing 108 ppg to one of the league's worst offensive teams. It was obvious the Pacers D had more holes than the plot of Big Momma's House 2. Something had to be done.

Detlef Schrempf was demanding more money every year, and was understandably frustrated with a Pacers post-season slump that would make Kevin Garnett cringe. Donnie Walsh popped two pimples at once and shipped Cocktail Schrempf off to Seattle for a name I quickly learned to despise...Derrick McKey.

On paper, McKey had plenty of upside. McKey was young, had posted consecutive 15 and 6 compaigns, great feel for the game, and played D...only if the Pacers knew his best years were already behind him.

This picture represents the only time McKeyever actually played defense for the Pacers.
Derrick McKey played with the intensity of Ned Flanders. His talent kept him in Larry Brown's favor, but Mckey would sleepwalk for minutes at a time. At one point, he averaged nearly 4 turnovers a game, an insanely high number for someone who doesn't score, rebound, or put the ball on the floor.

McKey enjoyed postseason success in the following years, despite his worst efforts. Fans had the pleasure of watching this drowsy peanut-head put up increasingly anemic numbers while the long-gone Detlef made trips to the All-Star Game.

Derrick McKey will probably be best remembered by non-Pacermanics for forcing a late turnover on Michael Jordan in the '98 playoffs, forcing a Game 7 against the Bulls. The replay clearly showed McKey's "clutch stop" was Jordan tripping on McKey's foot. McKey once again reaps the benefits of simply being there.

And that head. That freakish head.

It's freaky. Trust us.

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