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The All-Time Non-All-Stars January 11, 2006 by Tim Adams Every year around the All Star game discussions are held on which players made the big game and which unfortunate ones were left out. The following is a list of players who never made it, and not just any players, but some of the most productive at their respective positions. Sort of an all time snubs list. In selecting the team, prime consideration has been given to career output, but some players stated their cases with specific seasonal production. Consideration for the 12 man team was also made so as to create a proper balance of position players. Without further ado.... Eddie Johnson - 6'7" - Forward - Illinois - 17 seasons (1981-98) An Eddie Johnson was an All Star in the '80s, but that was the 6'2" Atlanta Hawk guard who was a three time All Star (80-82). That's a shame because this Eddie J. is the most prolific scorer to never make an All Star game. In seventeen seasons Johnson put up 19,202 points, which is 35th on the career scoring list, the most ever by a non All Star. Of 115 players enshrined in the Hall of Fame, only 17 have more career points. He averaged 16 ppg over seventeen seasons, showing a level of endurance and skill truly amazing for a non-center. It was Johnson's consistency though which may have been his own All-Star barrier. His highest scoring output came in the 84-85 season when he averaged 22.9, but with such big time scorers as George Gervin, Adrian Dantley and Alex English lighting up the Western Conference, Johnson was stuck on the outside looking in. Derek Harper - 6'4" - Guard - Illinois - 16 seasons (1983-99) Harper is second only to his former Illinois teammate Johnson on the career scoring list for a non All Star with 15,997 points. He also racked up 6,571 assists, good for 17th on the career list. Harper also ranks 11th on the career steals list with 1,958. He was a great combination of lead guard and scorer. Harper had seven seasons with scoring averages of at least 16 per game. His highest output came in the 1990-91 season with 19.7 ppg and 7.1 apg. One big reason Harper never made it to the All Star game was that he played alongside four time All Star guard Rolando Blackman in his first nine seasons with the Mavs. In '93 he was traded to the Knicks and helped them make it to game seven of the NBA Finals before losing to the Houston Rockets. Purvis Short - 6'7" - Forward - Jackson St. - 12 seasons (1978-89) Purvis Short not making an All-Star appearance seems truly inexplicable based on some of his numbers. Here's a guy who averaged 22.8 ppg in 1983-84 and didn't get a nod from the coaches. Now that may not be the worst All Star snub of all time or anything, but when Short came back for the 84-85 season, averaged 28 points and was snubbed again; that was. And then he followed up that phenomonal season with a 25.5 scoring average in 85-86. Yet the guy never made the big game. Short's career stats are impressive as well. He is the sixth non All Star on the career scoring list with 14,607 points. He averaged 17.3 points over 12 seasons and apparently he doesn't hold a grudge against the basketball world as he is now the director of the National Basketball Players Association's Player Services Department. Byron Scott - 6'3" - Guard - Arizona St. - 14 seasons (1983-96) The 1987-88 Lakers are remembered as one of the great Showtime squads. There was Magic, Kareem and Worthy, all bonafide Hall of Famers. There was also Byron Scott, who happened to lead this championship squad in scoring at 21.7 a game. It's somewhat odd to call the leading scorer a role player, but that's what Scott's career will best be remembered for. Along with Michael Cooper, Scott was the Lakers main three point weapon. Scott averaged 14 ppg over 14 seasons and ended up with 15,097 points. He was a main ingredient on three championship teams. He spent a couple years with Pacers and one with Grizzlies before ending his career back on the Lakers in '96. Ron Harper - 6'6" - Guard - Miami (Ohio) - 15 seasons (1986-00) Ron Harper could have spent his entire career on the Clippers and would probably have challenged Eddie Johnson for the highest career scoring mark. Instead he has five NBA titles to his name, and was still able to put up 13,910 career points. He averaged over 20 ppg three times early in his career with the Cavs and the Clippers before winning three titles with the Bulls. He rejoined Phil Jackson on the Lakers and helped that team win two champioships. He will go down in history as one of the great complimentary players and rightfully so. Harper was an all around talent. He ranks 81st on the career assists list as he averaged over 4 apg eight different seasons. He also hauled in at least 5 rpg in five seasons, and with 1,716 steals Harper ranks 14th on the career steals list. Rod Strickland - 6'3"- Guard - DePaul - 17 seasons (1988-04) Eddie Johnson is the most prolific scorer of this team and Rod Strickland is his compliment at the point guard spot. Strickland is the highest ranking member of the non All Stars, as well as non Hall of Fame eligible players on the career assists list with 7,987 which ranks seventh all-time. His 6,404 assists during the 1990s ranks him thrid behind only the #1 and #2 assist men of all time; John Stockton and Marc Jackson. He also ranks 20th on the career steals list with 1,616. Over the course of his 17 seasons Strickland also maintained an impressive scoring average for a point guard at 13.2. For comparisons sack, Stockton played 19 seasons and averaged 13.1 ppg. One problem for Strickland in terms of being an All Star was that he played on nine different teams and was never able to endear himself to a fan base or the coaches. As most players are remembered by the primary team they played with, Strickland's name may fall through the cracks of basketball's collective consciousness, but let it be known he was one of the best points of his era. Sam Perkins - 6'9" - Forward - North Carolina - 17 seasons (1984-00) Perkins put up very solid numbers while playing at North Carolina and he helped the Tarheels win an NCAA title in 1982. Perkins however was never the lone superstar at UNC and knew how to share the ball with guys like James Worthy and Michael Jordan. Worthy and Jordan led the Heels in scoring three out of the four years Perkins was in college. Perkins' NBA career was not too dissimilar as he never led a team in scoring, but was usually a top three or four scorer. Perkins may have never been a hot candidate for All Star games, but he was as consistent as they come. He averaged at least 11 points in 13 different seasons. His 15,324 career points is third, below only Johnson and Harper on the non All Star team. Perkins also snatched down 7,661 rebounds, good for 56th on the career list. Seikaly was another consistent performer. He never averaged less than double figures in scoring in any of his 11 seasons, and for his career averaged nearly 15 and 10 rebounds a game. He finished in the top eight in rebounds per game four straight seasons. His 872 blocks ranks 85th on the career list. Seikaly's All Star chances suffered quite a bit from bad timing. He played in the midst of such great (potential Hall of Fame) centers as Ewing, Olajuwon, David Robinson, Shaq, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutumbo. If Seikaly were in his prime today he would probably get an appearance or two. Elmore Smith - 7'0" - Center - Kentucky St. - 8 seasons (1971-78) Smith only played eight seasons so his career totals don't stand out, but he did average a double double for his career with 13.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg, and he was a true defensive force. He ranks 40th all time in career blocks with 1183, which may not sound too impressive, but he his the third player on the list with less than ten years experience. He led the league in blocks (4.85) in 1974, the first year the stat was officially kept. His 4.85 average has only been surpassed twice. Smith also holds the record for blocks in a game with 17. Kevin Porter - 6'0" - Guard - St. Francis - 10 seasons (1972-81) Like Elmore Smith, Porter had a short career compared to most others on this list, but his assists numbers are up there with the greatest of Hall of Fame point guards. Porter is the only player, along with Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and John Stockton to average 13 assists per game for a season. He also joins Magic, Stockton, Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy as the only players to have led the league in assists four different years. He ranks tenth all time with an 8.1 apg career average, and also averaged 11.6 ppg for his career. He broke Cousy's single game assists record with 29 in 1978. Kendall Gill - 6'5" - Guard - Illinois - 15 seasons (1990-04) Gill, the third former Illini on this team, like Strickland played on a multitude of teams, and their paths actually crossed several times. Gill's best statistical season came in 1996-97 with the Nets when he averaged 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4 assists a game. Gill led the league in steals in 1999 with 2.6 a game and is 29th on the career steals list with 1,519. He also holds the single game steals record (tied with Larry Kenon) with 11. Gill's All Star teammates during his career reads like a who's who of basketball in the '90s and '00s: Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Ricky Pierce, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Kenny Anderson, Jayson Williams, Glen Rice, Sam Cassell, Chris Gatling, Stephon Marbury, Kenyon Martin, Eddie Jones, Kevin Garnett, Wally Szczerbiak, Marc Jackson and Michael Redd. Orlando Woolridge - 6'9" - Forward - Notre Dame - 13 seasons (1981-93) Woolridge was drafted by the Bulls in 1981 and led the team in scoring the year before Michael Jordan came along. He was Jordan's original right hand man and they combined to average 51 points a game Jordan's rookie year. He could have been more well known these days if he had stuck around in Chicago a few more years, and probably would have had a bit more All Star exposure. He did get to the NBA Finals with the Lakers 1988-89 team, and was a valuable contributer off the bench. Woolridge averaged over 20 points a game four different seasons with a high of 25.1 in 1991-92 with the Nuggets. Along with Scottie Pippen, he is the only Bulls teammate of Jordan's to have averaged at least 20 points. Woolridge averaged 16 points over 13 seasons and has a career total of 13,623. 12 More Worthy Candidates James Edwards - 7'0" - Center - Washington - 19 seasons (1977-95) Wayman Tisdale - 6'9" - Forward - Oklahoma - 12 seasons (1985-96) Toni Kukoc - 6'11"- Forward - Croatia - 12 seasons (1993-active) Chuck Person - 6'8" - Forward - Auburn - 13 seasons (1986-1999) Armen Gilliam - 6'9" - Forward - UNLV - 12 seasons (1987-1999) Darrell Griffith - 6'4" - Guard - Louisville - 10 seasons (1980-1990) Mychal Thompson - 6'10" - Center - Minnesota - 12 seasons (1978-1990) Mickey Johnson - 6'10" - Forward - Aurora Univ. - 12 seasons (1974-1986) Jalen Rose - 6'8" - Guard/Forward - Michigan - 11 seasons (1994-active) Mike Newlin - 6'4" - Guard - Utah - 10 seasons (1971-1981) Jim Jackson - 6'6" - Guard - Ohio State - 12 seasons (1992-2204) Nick Anderson - 6'6" - Guard - Illinois - 13 seasons (1989-2001) Just in case there might be a player you thought deserved to be on the team but wasn't, here's a list of players who were, in fact one time All-Stars, beginning with the 2002-03 game: Jamal Mashburn (02-03), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (01-02), Elton Brand (01-02), Wally Szczerbiak (01-02), Antonio Davis (00-01), Anthony Mason (00-01), Allan Houston (99-00), Theo Ratliff (00-01), Antonio McDyess (00-01), Vlade Divac (00-01), Dale Davis (99-00), Rik Smits (97-98), Jayson Williams (97-98), Steve Smith (97-98), Nick Van Exel (97-98), Christian Laettner (96-97), Tom Gugliotta (96-97), Chris Gatling (96-97), Juwan Howard (95-96), Dana Barros (94-95), Tyrone Hill (94-95), Cedric Ceballos (94-95), B.J. Armstrong (93-94), Kenny Anderson (93-94), John Starks (93-94), Derrick Coleman (93-94), Horace Grant (93-94), Mookie Blaylock (93-94), Charles Oakley (93-94), Clifford Robinson (93-94), Terry Porter (92-93), Reggie Lewis (91-92), Michael Adams (91-92), Kevin Willis (91-92), Jeff Hornacek (91-92), Otis Thorpe (91-92), Ricky Pierce (90-91), Hersey Hawkins (90-91), A.C. Green (89-90), Mark Jackson (88-89), Dale Ellis (88-89), Mark Eaton (88-89), Danny Ainge (87-88), Doc Rivers (87-88), Xavier McDaniel (87-88), James Donaldson (87-88), Norm Nixon (84-85), Calvin Natt (84-85), Kelly Tripucka (83-84), Rickey Green (83-84), World B. Free (79-80), Kermit Washington (79-80), Campy Russell (78-79), Lionel Hollins (77-78), Don Buse (76-77), Scott Wedman (75-76), Alvan Adams (75-76), Curtis Rowe (75-76), Jim Price (74-75), Sam Lacey (74-75), Steve Mix (74-75), John Block (72-73), Butch Bear (71-72), Flynn Robinson (69-70), Bob Rule (69-70) Tim Adams
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