In 1989-90 Rick Mahorn had one of the more forgotten roster years ever seen in the NBA. Mahorn, part of the original “Bad Boy” group in Detroit, had just won his one-and-only NBA championship with his Piston bretheren in the spring of ’89 and was riding high. Oh, how quickly things change.
During the 1989 expansion draft Mahorn was taken by the Timberwolves. As the TWolves were sure to be one of the worst teams in the league that year, Mahorn must’ve been devastated. His luck would change just a few months later when, in October of 1989 Mahorn was traded to Philadelphia for three draft picks – a completely (in theory) great move by the Timberwolves turning an aging NBA champion into more picks while getting Mahorn out of jail.
Mahorn was heading towards a 76ers team that went 46-36 the previous year and had Charles Barkley, Scott Brooks, Maurice Cheeks, Hersey Hawkins, Cliff Robinson and the immaculately shaped mullet of Mike Gminski. Indeed, in 1989-90 the Sixers would finish first the Atlantic division and finish 53-29, eventually getting ousted by the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Rick Mahorn saw his best statistical year in six years averaging 10.8 PPG and 7.6 REB. His stats in the playoffs were the third-best of his career and he was named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd team.
After a few years in Philly Mahorn would sign a free agent contract with New Jersey, bouncing back through Detroit and Philadelphia for a second time before finally retiring in 1999 and punching some girl. Although he was an NBA champion and in this picture, he’s doing his best Kid In Play impression (not to mention being guarded by Larry Bird) I’ll always remember Mahorn for one thing: The time he yelled at a 12-year old Dane Carbaugh because he was too shy to ask for his autograph, mocking him and asking if he was disabled.
Yeah. I hate Rick Mahorn.
Dane Carbaugh is a published research author and can be found writing about the NBA all over the Internet. He can be found on Twitter at @DaneCarbaugh
