the last of the 80's players is.....

[Matt]

Clifford Robinson.....interesting read

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5053258

[.]

I remember his Portland games. He was a pretty good shotblocker and everytime he came off the bench the crowd would put a headband on.

[Indy]

My favorite non-pacers game I have ever been to was a Nuggets/Suns game in Phoenix in either 1999 or 2000 where big Cliff scored 50 points. What a great game.

[Matt]

2000 it was, i think they mention the date in the article. It'll be sad to see Cliff go when he does....

[Malfa]

50 vs. Denver 01/16/00

[Fresh8]

Great article. What a champ.. lasting since 199\89 (even if there was only two months of 80's action...). And it's pretty cool he's older than Frank!

[Andrew]

Good read, and it brings up an interesting point.

What I'm noticing is a trend that the players that stick around 17-years or so are more likely to be non-centers. All of a sudden, Mark Jackson's teardrops are sticking around. Reggie Miller's thin body took the pounding. Pippen lasted. Gary Payton is in his 16th year.

At the end of the 1992 season, the only players that hung around that long were the big dinosaurs. Robert Parish, Moses Malone, Tree Rollins, and James Edwards were all 37 or older with 15-plus years of experience.

It's true that big men tend to last longer, most likely because the loss of footspeed doesn't affect them as much since their size allows them to retain a certain presence as well as absorb the physical punishment of pro sports, not to mention the fact the lack of capable, legitimate post-orientated big men raises their stock even when they've passed their prime. But it does seem that smaller players are enjoying longer careers, perhaps due to the improvements in sports medicine as well as a focus on making professional athletes more comfortable in their occupation.