Happy Birthday
Bob "The Dobber" Lanier
Bob Lanier was a Detroit Pistons legend. Averaging 20.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks over his career, Bob was inducted into the hall of fame. He was an offensive machine as he averaged over 22 PPG with the Pistons. His best offensive game was Nov. 28, 1972 against the Portland Trailblazers where he scored 48 points.
While Bob was a great offensive player, he was also very talented on the defensive end. He was very versitile and had very quick hands. In the 1973-74 season, he averaged 3.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. You might have thought that he would have won a defensive player of the year award, however, there was no award for playing defense back then.
While Bob was never a part of the Bad Boys, and he had never won a championship, he found himself playing a more team role for the Milwaukee Bucks as his points dropped. Bob was more team oriented as he lead the Bucks to the playoffs every year he played for them.
Bob was a great player. A balanced player on both offense and defense. A player that will always be known as a great. He played 14 seasons and almost played 1,000 game but only made it to 959. I really hope that people don't forget a player as talented as Bob Lanier because he will go down as one of the best combined offensive and defensive players in history.
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