Chris Mullin

Mullin was not a good athlete! He had good size was a great shooter and passer and did have great hands. Besides the shooting / passing his biggest strength was his Larry Bird like instincts for the game. He also had great endurance and was constantly moving. This was pretty incredible considering how he spent most of his time off the court. The endurance increased dramatically in the pros once he stopped drinking and remade his body. But under any criteria he was not a good athlete.
The guy who everyone including himself incorrectly refers to as being unathletic was Mark Jackson. It is true that he was slow but he was strong and in college and early in his career he could jump. Was a very good college dunker on breakaways. And in the Pros his second year he posterized Ron Anderson in the playoff sweep of the 76ers.
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I know this is a little late, but Mullin was a good athlete. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to do a fraction of what he did do. It's not like the guy sat on the perimeter and only shot feet-set treys. There are plenty of amazing three-point shooters that never leave the bench because they cannot hang athletically. Mullin could. He had a combination of quickness, coordination, and strength to get the separation he needed to score. He also wasn't embarrassing on the defensive end against all those freaks.

Just like Harrison isn't short compared to normal people, Mullin is not unathletic. Max Hooper is unathletic!
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You don't have to be a great athlete to shoot three pointers in college.
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I never said you did. I also never said Mullin was a "great athlete." I just think this talk of him being unathletic is absurd. There are ton of kids that can shoot lights out, but they can't get off the bench. There are also plenty of kids that have the skill to dribble, shoot, and pass that only have roles of shooters because they just can't handle it athletically. Mullin dominated at the college level and there wasn't even a three-point line. He did it all.

Again, compared to a normal person, Mullin was extremely athletic. Compared to guys like Jordan, obviously he wasn't in on that level.
 
Mullin was not a good athlete! He had good size was a great shooter and passer and did have great hands. Besides the shooting / passing his biggest strength was his Larry Bird like instincts for the game. He also had great endurance and was constantly moving. This was pretty incredible considering how he spent most of his time off the court. The endurance increased dramatically in the pros once he stopped drinking and remade his body. But under any criteria he was not a good athlete.
The guy who everyone including himself incorrectly refers to as being unathletic was Mark Jackson. It is true that he was slow but he was strong and in college and early in his career he could jump. Was a very good college dunker on breakaways. And in the Pros his second year he posterized Ron Anderson in the playoff sweep of the 76ers.
Click to expand...

I know this is a little late, but Mullin was a good athlete. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to do a fraction of what he did do. It's not like the guy sat on the perimeter and only shot feet-set treys. There are plenty of amazing three-point shooters that never leave the bench because they cannot hang athletically. Mullin could. He had a combination of quickness, coordination, and strength to get the separation he needed to score. He also wasn't embarrassing on the defensive end against all those freaks.

Just like Harrison isn't short compared to normal people, Mullin is not unathletic. Max Hooper is unathletic!
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You don't have to be a great athlete to shoot three pointers in college.
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I never said you did. I also never said Mullin was a "great athlete." I just think this talk of him being unathletic is absurd. There are ton of kids that can shoot lights out, but they can't get off the bench. There are also plenty of kids that have the skill to dribble, shoot, and pass that only have roles of shooters because they just can't handle it athletically. Mullin dominated at the college level and there wasn't even a three-point line. He did it all.

Again, compared to a normal person, Mullin was extremely athletic. Compared to guys like Jordan, obviously he wasn't in on that level.
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I agree. Mullin was a great player.
 
Mullin was not a good athlete! He had good size was a great shooter and passer and did have great hands. Besides the shooting / passing his biggest strength was his Larry Bird like instincts for the game. He also had great endurance and was constantly moving. This was pretty incredible considering how he spent most of his time off the court. The endurance increased dramatically in the pros once he stopped drinking and remade his body. But under any criteria he was not a good athlete.
The guy who everyone including himself incorrectly refers to as being unathletic was Mark Jackson. It is true that he was slow but he was strong and in college and early in his career he could jump. Was a very good college dunker on breakaways. And in the Pros his second year he posterized Ron Anderson in the playoff sweep of the 76ers.
Click to expand...

I know this is a little late, but Mullin was a good athlete. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to do a fraction of what he did do. It's not like the guy sat on the perimeter and only shot feet-set treys. There are plenty of amazing three-point shooters that never leave the bench because they cannot hang athletically. Mullin could. He had a combination of quickness, coordination, and strength to get the separation he needed to score. He also wasn't embarrassing on the defensive end against all those freaks.

Just like Harrison isn't short compared to normal people, Mullin is not unathletic. Max Hooper is unathletic!
Click to expand...

There wasn't a three point shot when he played, if there was his point total would have been much higher, but your point is well taken.
 
Mullin was not a good athlete! He had good size was a great shooter and passer and did have great hands. Besides the shooting / passing his biggest strength was his Larry Bird like instincts for the game. He also had great endurance and was constantly moving. This was pretty incredible considering how he spent most of his time off the court. The endurance increased dramatically in the pros once he stopped drinking and remade his body. But under any criteria he was not a good athlete.
The guy who everyone including himself incorrectly refers to as being unathletic was Mark Jackson. It is true that he was slow but he was strong and in college and early in his career he could jump. Was a very good college dunker on breakaways. And in the Pros his second year he posterized Ron Anderson in the playoff sweep of the 76ers.
Click to expand...

I know this is a little late, but Mullin was a good athlete. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to do a fraction of what he did do. It's not like the guy sat on the perimeter and only shot feet-set treys. There are plenty of amazing three-point shooters that never leave the bench because they cannot hang athletically. Mullin could. He had a combination of quickness, coordination, and strength to get the separation he needed to score. He also wasn't embarrassing on the defensive end against all those freaks.

Just like Harrison isn't short compared to normal people, Mullin is not unathletic. Max Hooper is unathletic!
Click to expand...

1.55 steals per game for his career, often among NBA leaders in steals. 4.1 rebounds per game. 0.6 blocks per game. All against some of the best athletes in the world. Could he jump through the roof? No. Could he run 100 meters in 11 seconds? No. Was he a great athlete still? Yes. Foolish to say otherwise.
 
Mullin was a HOF player. You can't achieve that if you're not athletic. He wasn't a high flyer like Jordan or, flashy like Magic but, he competed against them pretty evenly for most of their joint careers. Pippen , a great defensive player, never had much success against Chris and admitted so in the Dream Team book. Simply put, Chris could score on anyone, anytime, anywhere. Jordan also, a great defender rarely played Mullin defensivley, lest he get into foul trouble. Jordan also had the luxury of playing on well stocked Bulls Teams, Chris didn't have the support, even with Hardaway and Richmond in Golden State.

Bird wasn't a high flyer either and yet, these two guys are often maligned as being non -athletic? I don't get it. They both proved you don't have to be able to dunk from the foul line to be great. Plus, they were both, deadly from the free throw line. A skill many high flyers struggle with..
 
Mullin was a HOF player. You can't achieve that if you're not athletic. He wasn't a high flyer like Jordan or, flashy like Magic but, he competed against them pretty evenly for most of their joint careers. Pippen , a great defensive player, never had much success against Chris and admitted so in the Dream Team book. Simply put, Chris could score on anyone, anytime, anywhere. Jordan also, a great defender rarely played Mullin defensivley, lest he get into foul trouble. Jordan also had the luxury of playing on well stocked Bulls Teams, Chris didn't have the support, even with Hardaway and Richmond in Golden State.

Bird wasn't a high flyer either and yet, these two guys are often maligned as being non -athletic? I don't get it. They both proved you don't have to be able to dunk from the foul line to be great. Plus, they were both, deadly from the free throw line. A skill many high flyers struggle with..
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Fuschia's "racist" meter is probably about to break LOL.
 
I had numerous memories of Chris during his time at SJU but my best on-the-court memory was in a Villanova game in '84 or '85. I love basketball and have always called it "American ballet". I see something new in every single game.This was something I have seen only once,
In a game against Villanova, Mullin scored a lay up and caught the ball as it came through the hoop. He handed it to the ref who passed it to Ed Pinkney of VU for the in bounds pass. Mullin turned away to his right and started three steps down court. On his fourth step, without looking back, he turned to his left and picked Pinckney's inbounds pass out of the air and scored another lay up. I had never seen that before , a no look in bounds interception, and haven't seen one since. It was one of the best examples of Chris's court awareness and smarts in which he was the best in the game. I reminded him of the play some years ago at UCLA and was pleased and surprised that he remembered it as well. He was an amazing player.
When some say he wasn't a great athlete I am not sure of what the criterion is to be a great athlete. Give me Bill Bradley and Chris Mullin and any three guys off the subway and I'll give you a potential championship team.
 
I had numerous memories of Chris during his time at SJU but my best on-the-court memory was in a Villanova game in '84 or '85. I love basketball and have always called it "American ballet". I see something new in every single game.This was something I have seen only once,
In a game against Villanova, Mullin scored a lay up and caught the ball as it came through the hoop. He handed it to the ref who passed it to Ed Pinkney of VU for the in bounds pass. Mullin turned away to his right and started three steps down court. On his fourth step, without looking back, he turned to his left and picked Pinckney's inbounds pass out of the air and scored another lay up. I had never seen that before , a no look in bounds interception, and haven't seen one since. It was one of the best examples of Chris's court awareness and smarts in which he was the best in the game. I reminded him of the play some years ago at UCLA and was pleased and surprised that he remembered it as well. He was an amazing player.
When some say he wasn't a great athlete I am not sure of what the criterion is to be a great athlete. Give me Bill Bradley and Chris Mullin and any three guys off the subway and I'll give you a potential championship team.
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Great recollection! I remember that sequence. It was actually a classic Walt Frazier move, who would routinely feign sauntering up court immediately after a basket, only to seemingly have eyes in the back of his head, whip around with cat-like quickness, pick off the inbounds pass and score. Frazier may actually on occasion stolen successive inbound passes.

Do you remember this sequence against Nova? In one game sequence, Mullin, who always did very well head when attacking the basket vs. Pinckney, drove to the hoop and Pinckney blocked it. Mullin retrieved the ball and Pinckney blocked his shot again. Mullin again retrieved the ball, and Pinckney may have blocked it again, only to have Mullin again retrieve the ball, lay it in, and get fouled. Awesome inside play for an unathletic, plodding, cement shoed, gym rat.
 
He owned Ed Pinkney, who was considered, at that time, a great player in the same sentence with Ewing and Mullin. Mullin play against Ed was the primary reason we beat the eventual National Champions three times that season.
I do remember the offensive rebound sequence you described and the further remarkable thing was that Ed was so much bigger than Chris. Mullin just seemed to always know where the ball was. Few players are blessed with that ability.
 
What I remember was the win @ Georgetown in the 84-85 season that got us to #1. Back then, the clock didn't stop after baskets at game's end, G-town had come back and after they scored, I think Mullin just looked at the clock, saw there was 5 econds and simply laid the ball down, not throwing it in (or he gave it to the ref, can't remember). I have to see of I have that game on tape, have a few from back then, not sure of this one.
 
What I remember was the win @ Georgetown in the 84-85 season that got us to #1. Back then, the clock didn't stop after baskets at game's end, G-town had come back and after they scored, I think Mullin just looked at the clock, saw there was 5 econds and simply laid the ball down, not throwing it in (or he gave it to the ref, can't remember). I have to see of I have that game on tape, have a few from back then, not sure of this one.
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You are correct. I mention this on another thread recently. If I recall, he looked at the clock, just simply picked the ball up, strolled to the out bounds line, looked at the clock again and just stood there till time expired. Really smart and headed guy. But also down to earth with a great sense of humor.
 
I had numerous memories of Chris during his time at SJU but my best on-the-court memory was in a Villanova game in '84 or '85. I love basketball and have always called it "American ballet". I see something new in every single game.This was something I have seen only once,
In a game against Villanova, Mullin scored a lay up and caught the ball as it came through the hoop. He handed it to the ref who passed it to Ed Pinkney of VU for the in bounds pass. Mullin turned away to his right and started three steps down court. On his fourth step, without looking back, he turned to his left and picked Pinckney's inbounds pass out of the air and scored another lay up. I had never seen that before , a no look in bounds interception, and haven't seen one since. It was one of the best examples of Chris's court awareness and smarts in which he was the best in the game. I reminded him of the play some years ago at UCLA and was pleased and surprised that he remembered it as well. He was an amazing player.
When some say he wasn't a great athlete I am not sure of what the criterion is to be a great athlete. Give me Bill Bradley and Chris Mullin and any three guys off the subway and I'll give you a potential championship team.
Click to expand...

Great recollection! I remember that sequence. It was actually a classic Walt Frazier move, who would routinely feign sauntering up court immediately after a basket, only to seemingly have eyes in the back of his head, whip around with cat-like quickness, pick off the inbounds pass and score. Frazier may actually on occasion stolen successive inbound passes.



Do you remember this sequence against Nova? In one game sequence, Mullin, who always did very well head when attacking the basket vs. Pinckney, drove to the hoop and Pinckney blocked it. Mullin retrieved the ball and Pinckney blocked his shot again. Mullin again retrieved the ball, and Pinckney may have blocked it again, only to have Mullin again retrieve the ball, lay it in, and get fouled. Awesome inside play for an unathletic, plodding, cement shoed, gym rat.
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Not only do I remember that sequence, I have that game on tape and watch it from time to time. The look of bewilderment on Pickney's face after Mullin scored is classic. Far and away my favorite game that year was the Cuse game at the Garden which I attended and recorded to watch later. I would do that a lot back then. We were down about 10 points for most of the game and just when it looked like Cuse was going to put us away, we staged a furious comeback capped off by Berry's jumper(from the top of the key no less) at the buzzer to tie the score and send the game in to OT. Led by Mullin and Berry, we wound up winning in OT as Pearl missed a last second jumper that just rimmed out. Pretty sure Jack Rowan(old Columbia coach) and maybe Ronnie Perry called the game for the defunct USA network. Makes me want to break out my VCR and watch some of those old games.
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
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AD I'd be totally on board with. Not coach, though. What if he totally sucked? How do you fire the guy? Or even boo him?
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
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My recollection is that Mullin interviewed for the job that went to Roberts. Looie supposedly remarked to someone who had asked, :The job is his if he wants it." We know the rest of the story.

Great players don't always make great coaches. Obviously they are many exceptional coaches who were very good players as well. Most people are unaware the John Wooden was the first (and only?) in the basketball HOF as a coach AND player. http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/john-r-wooden-player
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
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My recollection is that Mullin interviewed for the job that went to Roberts. Looie supposedly remarked to someone who had asked, :The job is his if he wants it." We know the rest of the story.

Great players don't always make great coaches. Obviously they are many exceptional coaches who were very good players as well. Most people are unaware the John Wooden was the first (and only?) in the basketball HOF as a coach AND player. http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/john-r-wooden-player
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Larry Bird was a successful Coach and I think Mullin would be too. Judging from your comments, it appears Chris didn't want the job, at the time.. Is that correct?
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
Click to expand...

My recollection is that Mullin interviewed for the job that went to Roberts. Looie supposedly remarked to someone who had asked, :The job is his if he wants it." We know the rest of the story.

Great players don't always make great coaches. Obviously they are many exceptional coaches who were very good players as well. Most people are unaware the John Wooden was the first (and only?) in the basketball HOF as a coach AND player. http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/john-r-wooden-player
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Larry Bird was a successful Coach and I think Mullin would be too. Judging from your comments, it appears Chris didn't want the job, at the time.. Is that correct?
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I don't recall Bird being a successful college coach, though.
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
Click to expand...

My recollection is that Mullin interviewed for the job that went to Roberts. Looie supposedly remarked to someone who had asked, :The job is his if he wants it." We know the rest of the story.

Great players don't always make great coaches. Obviously they are many exceptional coaches who were very good players as well. Most people are unaware the John Wooden was the first (and only?) in the basketball HOF as a coach AND player. http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/john-r-wooden-player
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Mullin has never interviewed for our job
When Norm was chosen Mullin was so far removed from the program most would be shocked how far he was.
 
With NBA, NBA front office experience and how close he is with the University I have always wondered why St. John's has never offered Mullin a position either as Head coach, AD, or anything basketball or athletics related.
Click to expand...

My recollection is that Mullin interviewed for the job that went to Roberts. Looie supposedly remarked to someone who had asked, :The job is his if he wants it." We know the rest of the story.

Great players don't always make great coaches. Obviously they are many exceptional coaches who were very good players as well. Most people are unaware the John Wooden was the first (and only?) in the basketball HOF as a coach AND player. http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/john-r-wooden-player
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Mullin has never interviewed for our job
When Norm was chosen Mullin was so far removed from the program most would be shocked how far he was.
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Mullin has been far removed from the program for a very long time. Even while Louie was still coaching and despite his proclamations of admiration and respect for Louie. Not quite sure why. I've heard all about his busy schedule, etc, but other ex-players have busy schedules as well and manage to return to their alma maters quite often, at least for special events. In spite of all of his flaws, Jason Williams had managed to be one of the more visible ex-Redmen.
 
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