![]() ![]() He topped the ABA in field goal percentage with a. His defense was spectacular, and his leaping ability amazed everyone. Jones gradually gained the attention of the entire league during his rookie year. Rookie Bobby Jones (above left) arrived from the North Carolina Tarheels, choosing to sign with the Nuggets instead of the Houston Rockets of the NBA. But they did so for good reason.įeisty guard Mack Calvin (above middle, #20) had one of his best years ever, averaging 19.5 points and a league-leading 7.7 assists per game. ![]() The 1974-75 Denver Nuggets surprised everyone by running away with the ABA Western Division crown. Virtually every home game in their small arena (the downtown Auditorium Arena) was a sellout. With Jones and Calvin, plus the same cast of players that had achieved a disappointing 37-47 record the year before ( Byron Beck, Ralph Simpson, Dave Robisch, Claude Terry, and Mike Green), the Nuggets became the best team in the ABA. All-Star guard Mack Calvin also followed Brown and Moe from Carolina to the Nuggets. Jones chose the Nuggets above the Houston Rockets of the NBA. With the North Carolina connections of Moe and Brown, the Nuggets were able to accomplish something significant: they drafted and signed defensive-minded Bobby Jones from Dean Smith and the North Carolina Tarheels. In one summer, Brown and Moe transformed the Nuggets from a problem franchise to a red-hot commodity. Incredibly, due to the presence of Brown and Moe, they were. This was a subtle suggestion to Denver residents that their "New Denver Nuggets" were suddenly different and interesting. The new logo was an excited miner ("Maxie the Miner," above) who had apparently just discovered an ABA Ball. A contest was held to find a new nickname for the franchise-the name "Nuggets" won, the same name that had belonged to Denver's short-lived NBA franchise in the 1940's. Brown also brought along Carl Scheer, as the general manager, and Doug Moe, as assistant coach. Brown was willing to leave North Carolina because the Carolina Cougars franchise was moving to St. The new coach was suddenly Larry Brown, who had played for Denver from 1970-72. In the summer of 1974 new owners bought the team and got rid of Alex Hannum as the franchise's coach and general manager. ![]() Many Rockets fans had become disenchanted with the team when super-rookie Spencer Haywood abandoned Denver for the Seattle Supersonics of the NBA in 1970. The Rockets occasionally had good attendance, but rarely succeeded on the court. The Rockets had existed since the beginning of the ABA. The Denver Nuggets were "born" in the summer of 1974, from the disarray of the Denver Rockets. Nuggets ABA Ownership History and Rostersĭid you see an ABA Nuggets game? Or, did you have a favorite ABA Nuggets player? Contribute to this web page by describing your favorite ABA Nuggets memories. Index of All 2012 NBA/ABA Throwbacks Years of existence: 1974-75 & 75-76Įxterior | Interior 1 | Interior 2 | Interior 3Ĭoach: Larry Brown Nuggets ABA Fan Memories () Denver Nuggets (ABA) 2012 NBA/ABA Throwback Uniforms. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |