Elvin Hayes Bio

Elvin Hayes

- Devin Gray

"The Big E"

San Diego/Houston Rockets, Baltimore/Washington Bullets – 16 Years, 1303 games

6’9” – 235 lb – 21.0 pts – 12.5 reb – 1.8 ast – 2.0 blk – .452 fg%

SLAM #130 “The New Top 50” June 2009 Ranking: 23

“Book of Basketball”- Bill Simmons’ Ranking: 49

The only players to score more career NBA points than Elvin Hayes' 27,313 were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan. Big E sits in good company. He was recently surpassed by Kobe Bryant on February 27, 2011 and now sits seventh place all-time, a testament to his skills and dedication to basketball.

     Elvin Hayes is fifth in games played, and third in total minutes in an iron man career where he missed only nine games in sixteen professional seasons. Standing 6'9", 235 pounds, a turnaround jumper and aggressive defense were his trademark style. As a rookie for the Rockets in 1968-69 he was an athletic force and led the league in scoring with 28.4 ppg, ranked fourth in rebounding with 17.1 rpg, averaged 45.1 minutes per game (out of 48, a rookie record) and started at center for the West in the NBA All-Star Game, but did not win rookie of the year. Wes Unseld won both ROY and MVP that season. Throughout his career he made 12 All-Star teams (his first 12), six All-NBA teams (3 first-team selections), and the all-defensive second team twice. He was never considered clutch and had a penchant for disappearing in the fourth quarter. It was his stubborn nature that kept him playing and placed him in the record books amassing many points over exactly 50,000 minutes (he planned it that way).

 

     Big E had a Jeckyl and Hyde personality and his never-ending desire for singularity, and demand for respect distanced him from teammates and coaches. After attending the University of Houston, he was drafted first overall by the San Diego Rockets who moved to Houston after three years. Elvin was where he wanted to be, but he and coaches Alex Hannum and Tex Winter never saw eye to eye. Although statistically dominant and consistent, the Rockets were at best a mediocre team and missed the playoffs three straight years. Elvin was always blamed for this and his critics ran him out of town. Soon, Elvin was traded to the Baltimore Bullets. With the relocated Washington Bullets, Elvin found his first (and only) NBA championship, ten years into his professional career in 1978. He ended his career back in Houston over his final three seasons. 

   Youtube clip, one minute summary of his career

   

Raptors Coverage: Feb 25, Phoenix. Feb 27, Dallas

Game 58 – Phoenix (L 110-92 / 16-43 / streak L1) Friday February 25, 2011

Watched live at ACC

Easily the worst game I have ever been to. The Raptors were exposed on all of their offensive and defensive weaknesses and the Suns pressed them. Steve Nash ran the pick and roll to perfection all game (11 assists, 1 turnover) and we could seemingly do nothing to stop it. The Raptors never once got the clue that Steve Nash is the pick-and-roll god and will use screens like no other guard in the history of the NBA. Did you think the coaching staff could get a clue though? Triano and the coaches called two coaches-only timeouts and never adjusted to take away the pick-and-roll. Bargnani proved that he is an offensive weapon with 24 points, but his defense was sorely lacking with four rebounds. Sonny Weems looked lost and a fragment of the talent and promise he showed earlier this season. Calderon shares the ball and facilitates well, but can’t find the basket on his shot. In the first play of the game Steve Nash catches the Raps napping and tosses an alley-oop to Vince Carter cutting in from the right baseline for a reverse jam. At least things couldn’t get any worse, right? They got worse throughout the game, the Suns led by 21 after the first quarter, it was ugly, DeMar and Triano both picked up technical fouls and the Raps put up a stinker on Canada night at the ACC. Awful, but a trial of fandom.

Game 59 – Dallas (L 114-96 / 16-44 / streak L2) Sunday February 27, 2011

Watched about 50%

I can live and die by the Raptors. On Wednesday, the Raps used the adrenaline of new player James Jones to counter the Bulls and surprise a much better team. Games like that one are the reason that Toronto can be so fun to watch. They are so unpredictable and inconsistent that some games they’ll hold their own with the best teams in the league and the next minute they’ll look totally lost and out of their league. In this game the Raps gave us the best of both worlds. Triumph and heartbreak. After Dirk starts the game with a field goal, the Raptors go on an energetic, dominating 18-0 run. The Raptors look like a championship team and lead 22-3 at one point against one of the best teams in the league, but they let it slip away. Amir Johnson had a team-high 21 points to go along with 7 rebounds. James Johnson had a great double-clutch dunk, while DeMar put on perhaps his highlight of the year with a block on Shawn Marion on the defensive end and a two-handed cram through the lane on the ensuing offensive possession. DeMar had 19 points, but Shawn Marion had 20 in a return to Toronto where he spent nearly one entire NBA season. Jason Terry always seems to kill the Raptors and he had 19 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, while Dirk grabbed 31 points, 13 rebounds. The Raptors were outscored 64 – 39 in the second half and lose a game they probably could have won.

Special Edition: Trade Capper DEADLINE

 New Jersey gets: Deron Williams
Utah gets: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, 2011 first-round pick, 2012 first-round pick via Golden State


Utah ships out Deron Williams just a few games removed from the Williams-Jerry Sloan drama. Utah is left a shadow of what it was just a week ago without coaching legend Sloan and their All-Star guard. The Nets make a deal out of nowhere after failing to lure Carmelo for the past few months, both teams needed to get a deal done. The Jazz aren't too poorly off either with legitimate value for one of the best PGs in the league.


Atlanta gets: Kirk Hinrich
Washington gets: Mike Bibby


Cleveland gets: Baron Davis
LA Clippers get: Mo Williams and Jamario Moon

Phoenix gets: Aaron Brooks
Houston gets: Goran Dragic and first-round pick (lottery protected)


Many more deals finish up the changing of the guard for NBA teams who swap floor-leaders like Pokémon cards before you could read. Some strange deals, Hinrich is a minor improvement, but not the ultimate fix the Hawks had in mind at PG. Baron Davis bucked his way to LA to pursue his personal interests in his hometown and has documented motivation issues... welcome to post-LeBron Cleveland and good luck! And Blake Griffin gets a new highlight buddy, but it will never be the same, Mo just isn't the passer Boom Daddy is. Brooks was displeased with the Houston situation and last year Most Improved Player moves into the backup/ offguard spot until Steve Nash's tenure in Phoenix closes.


Charlotte gets: Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, two future first-round picks
Portland gets: Gerald Wallace


Wallace is a tough guy and surprising iron man despite his playig style that has earned him the nicname 'crash.' Let's hope the Blazers curse doesn't take his luck away. With so many injuries, the Blazers needed to make a move and the gritty Wallace will be a good fit. After becoming the Bobcats' first ever all-star one season ago, Wallace dipped in production slightly this year and says goodbye to the franchise that took him in their expansion draft.


Oklahoma City gets: Nazr Mohammed, Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson
Boston gets: Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic
Charlotte gets: DJ White, Morris Peterson


Perkins was the Boston rock on defense, but with Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal in the post and Krstic in return, Boston remains strong and grabs Jeff Green whom the initially drafted and traded for Ray Allen on draft night. Nate Robinson will be missed for his antics, but Jeff Green is a young and underrated stud. Perk should anchor the defense in OKC and give them a post presence with Nazr, that they didn't have before.

Raptors Coverage: Feb 23, Chicago

Game 58 – Chicago (W 118-113 / 16-42 / streak W1) Wednesday February 23, 2011

Didn’t watch

Wished I could have, but I was out on the town in T.O. Walking along Queen’s Park, I could see the lights next to the ACC dancing against the CN Tower and didn’t need to check my score tracker to know that the Raptors had won. The first time the Raps ever beat the Bulls, in a meaningless regular season contest, the city rocked harder than was necessary to the tune of fireworks, streamers, confetti and rushing the court in Skydome in ’96. Times have changed since then, and both teams have dipped to new lows to secure a number-one overall draft pick, and reinvent their basketball culture. Toronto is centred around speed and grace with European stars and youthful talent and athleticism, but without toughness or defensive intensity. The Bulls have a defensive-minded coach, super-star point guard, and yin and yang post players to provide a scoring punch and a shot-blocking presence. 

Two different teams met in Toronto tonight and one man made all the difference. James Johnson was traded to the Raptors by the Bulls, just one day previous to this game, and stepped into the Raps starting lineup against his former squad. His energy and adrenaline made up for his inexperience and unfamiliarity with the Raptors offensive and defensive schemas. And he brought a little bit of what the Bulls had in plenty, and the Raptors desperately seeked, toughness. The trivia tidbit that had followed James Johnson throughout his professional career is that he possesses a ‘blackbelt.’ Whether this translates to in-game toughness is yet to be seen, but the thought is nice, and maybe he’ll wrestle Bargnani into submission in the dressing room for good measure. Nonetheless, this was Johnson’s night and he performed well enough to ensure a story-book ending. The Raptors, under his guidance, prevailed at home against the Bulls who, although they are not in the midst of a 72 game season, have emerged as an Eastern conference powerhouse, with Derrick Rose as potential league MVP.

As for the game itself, Joachim Noah returned after missing 31 games with thumb surgery, and had ten rebounds in the first quarter en route to 7 points and 16 rebounds in his return. Rose looked like an MVP with his control of the game and 32 point, 10 assist double-double, including a clutch three that had Raps fans gasping for air. Carlos Boozer flushed out the trio with 24 points and 6 rebounds. A Bargnani reverse dunk and DeRozan clear-path one-handed dunk overshadowed what probably should have been the highlight of the night, with DeMar serving it up top to James Johnson for the big alley-oop throwdown. The winner of this game though, was the Raps dependable big man (and original Johnson) Amir who posted up Boozer for the game-sealing bucket with 11 seconds remaining in the game, and blocked Rose on the other end. The Johnson’s had three blocks apiece, Amir finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds while James finished with 9 points and 5 boards. Calderon had 17 assists and continues to pile up the dimes, although his scoring woes continued. Bargnani and DeRozan each had 24 points and Bargs collected a respectable 8 rebounds. Weems, Barbosa and Davis played strong off the bench and secured a strong Raptors win, and a new beginning, for at least one new Raptor.

"James Johnson catches the DeMar alley, throws it down"

Raptors Coverage: Feb 22, @ Charlotte

Game 57 - @ Charlotte (L 114-101 / 15-42 / streak L2) Tuesday February 22, 2011

Watched whole game

This is a game the Raps should be able to win, but always seem to get out-gritted by the Bobcats. Sandwiched between the All-Star festivities of the weekend and the impending trade deadline and Carmelo trade to New York, this game was an afterthought in the NBA season picture. Raptors were able to cut it to eleven late but that wasn’t very exciting. The Raps gave up a 50% shooting night to the Bobcats and allowed them to reach the free-throw line twice as much as they got there. Many turnovers in the first half, but not the fault of José, who has 57 assists and only 5 turnovers over a stretch that covers the last few games, yet has struggled to score or shoot a high percentage. Sonny had 19 points, Bargs had 18 and 8 rebounds, Calderon had 6 and 11 assists, while Bayless had 11 and 10 assists, DeMar had a solid 14 points. Of note, the Raptors also picked up James Johnson prior to the game from Chicago and he should play tomorrow against the…Bulls (who will also welcome back Joachim Noah).

Special Edition: Trade Capper

Knicks get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter, Corey Brewer

Nuggets get: Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Knicks 2014 first-round pick, two second-round picks from New York via Golden State, and $3 million dollars

Timberwolves get: Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry

The Knicks gave up quantity, not necessarily quality. Getting Carmelo is a big steal no matter how you look at it. Some say the Knicks gave up too much but what they forget is that the league/ world will not end after this season. If not this season, then next year or the next, the NY star-power will draw other players to the Big Apple like a magnet. Players always seem to follow the stars. NY will fill out its roster, and Mike D'Antoni has some real firepower to work with (the 2nd and 5th leading scorers this NBA season). They're not expected to win this season anyways but should make the playoffs interesting if they can gel quick enough. At the same time, the Nuggets don't lose too much steam despite losing their franchise leader. Impressive deal by both sides, T-Wolves an afterthought.

"Hi Friend"

Raptors get: James Johnson

Bulls get: 2011 first-round pick via Miami

I only remember jumping out of my seat when LeBron stared down the poor rookie, then dunked on him which may be the best dunk I have ever watched happen live, I'm not even exaggerating. He's a solid sophomore that fits the Raptors youth movement, and could thrive if given time in the Raptor rotation. Raps don't give up much either, sending Miami's first round pick the had acquired in a previous deal (would've been late first-round anyways).

All-Star Weekend Reflections

This'll be brief

Dunk Contest
- DeMar was robbed, the off-the-stanchion to between-the-legs gets only a 44? While Blake's off the side of the backboard gets a 46? Are you kidding me?
- The "Showstopper" was the dunk of the night, and DeMar pulled it off first try.
- Ibaka made the free-throw line dunk look easy, and only gets a 45? for one of the most legendary dunks in NBA history (MJ, Dr. J?) he got ripped off. AND Dr. J was a judge and only gave a 9...
- JaVale dunked with his baseball-mit sized hands, who cares how many balls you can hold JaVale? Give me athleticism any day!
- Blake jumped over the hood of a car; plain dunk weak, the two-handed 360? soft, any of the participants could have done that, the side of the backboard windmill was alright, but the off-the backboard to arm in the rim was off the chain. I'm surprised he didn't rip his arm off. So strong and powerful.
- Blake was always going to win this contest and it came down to a fan vote, just wish JaVale hadn't have given up when he still had the last dunk of the tournament...
- Always makes me wonder what dunks DeMar was saving for the second round, in fact he says he is done with 'prop' dunk contests and will enter next year if the judges and fans reward true creativity and athleticism. Here's the showstopper in Slooooooo-Mo.

"Soft"

All-Star Game
- Kobe took it to the East early
- All the commentators were picking LeBron fo game MVP and Kobe didn't want that to happen
- the onus of the league has lately been on young talent, but Kobe came out and proved he is still the player to beat and took home game MVP with 37 points
- the highlight of the night was Kobe looking back then dunking with LeBron helplessly chasing hoping for a block, followed by Kobe's butt-slap on Bron. Jordanesque some would say, I say Kobesque
- Kobe 37 and 14 rebounds > LeBron 25, 12, and 10 assists
- a close game late thanks to LeBron's leadership both vocally and on the floor. He yelled at teammates, ran the timeout huddle, barreled through the lane like a true "L-Train," he forgets it's an All-Star game, but ultimately makes this a better, more enjoyable game (All-Star or not)
- A real Kobe-LeBron showdown has me aching for it in the finals... (love Boston though)
- when Doc put in the "big 4 Celtics" the crowd went wild with boo's, it was funny
- all of the East threw up the talcum powder with LeBron, it was sad
- Durant and Westbrook both have huge highlight dunks, but Kobe lights up LA with a reverse and an under-the basket dunk that he crams with two hands
- Blake remembers to put on a show as well with a HUGE oop from Deron Williams
- Ray Allen had a huge three at the end of the game to keep the east in it, it made up for his first-possession airball at the start of the game... kinda
- Kevin Love gets some highlight-reel rebounds
- One of the best games I remember, good last year too

"You can't beat me in June"