The Worst Of The Best

Even the greatest teams of all time are not completely compromised of Hall of Famers and All-Stars. In fact, if you look back at some of the starting rosters for NBA championship teams there are a few head scratchers among some of the lineups. "That guy was a starter for them?" kind of guys. So who were the worst of these, the worst starters on the best teams in NBA history? Well, no need for suspense, here they are:

James Posey, 2005-2006 Miami Heat
Posey started 63 of the 67 games he played for Miami in their championship season and his impact was...less than stellar. Posey only averaged 7.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and had a PER of 9.8. Say what you will about his three point shooting, but there is no denying that Posey was not holding his weight on the court and that Shaq and D-Wade won the title in spite of Posey rather than with his assistance.

Bruce Bowen, 2002-2003, 2004-2005, and 2006-2007 S.A. Spurs
Before anyone starts yelling, yes, I understand that Bruce Bowen is a cheap dirty overrated elite defender, but how does that excuse the fact the Bowen does nothing else on the court? It might just be me, but I don't see how a man that has career averages of 6.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 AST, and .9 SPG has such a great reputation. (No, that is not a misprint on the steals number. The mighty Bruce Bowen has indeed averaged less than a steal per game for his career, and in fact has never averaged more than 1.4 in any single season.) In the Spurs three championship years Bowen's PERs were 9.1, 9.5, and 7.1.

Lindsey Hunter, 2001-2002 L.A. Lakers
No, this is not a misprint. Hunter did indeed start well over half of the Lakers' games during the final leg of their three-peat. In his only season with the Lakers Hunter was used primarily for his defensive and three point prowess, but his overall averages of 5.8 PPG, 1.6 AST, 1.5 RPG, and a PER of 9.4 give him a worthy spot on this list.

Bill Cartwright, 1992-1993 Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan's legacy is cemented by the fact that he was able to win a championship with the 35 year old Cartwright manning the pivot all season. Cartwright boasted a PER of 8.3 for the season, mainly due to his oddly low number of blocks, .2 BPG, and his awful FG% for such a big man, 41%.

Marc Iavaroni, 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers
Before Iavaroni was a hot head coaching candidate he was a terrible NBA player. In his rookie season with the 76ers Iavaroni started 77 games and posted averages of 5.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1 AST. His PER for the season was a lowly 7.3, but sadly for Iavaroni this season was not an abberation: Iavaroni never had a season with a double-digit PER and for his career had a 7.9 PER.

Chris Ford, 1980-1981 Boston Celtics
When you think of the great Celtics teams of the 80's famous names come to mind. Bird. Parrish. McHale. Ford? Indeed, Chris Ford started 75 games for the Celtics 1981 championship team, chipping in 10.7 PPG and 4.3 AST while playing over 33 MPG. For the season Ford had a PER of 8.8, and saw his minutes cut nearly in half the following season.

Slater Martin and Jack McMahon, 1957-1958 St. Louis Hawks
Oh yeah, it is old school time now. The fact that the Hawks were able to win the NBA championship starting these two guys only solidifies the fact that Bob Petit does not get nearly enough credit as an all-time great player. Martin posted averages of 12 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.6 AST while only shooting 34% from the floor. The frightening part is that Martin actually looked like a stud when compared to McMahon. McMahon's numbers: 7.9 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.6 AST, and 30% shooting from the floor. Martin and McMahon posted PERs that season of 9.3 and 7.1 respectively.

(Hat tip to Basketball-Reference.com for all of the stats.)