another off target throw from left-field by Mr. Rhoden's protege...

Great post, I grew up with that dude firing 3's. It always amazes me how the Bulls completely changed everyone from the 93 title to the 96 title. Longley replaced Cartwright. Kerr replaced Hodges. Rodman replaced Horace. Haper replaced BJ. It really was crazy how they just kept MJ and Scottie and no one else.

I disagree. Yes, Hodges did get traded once or twice because of his beliefs. But if you read "The Jordan Rules" book written as the 1991 season was happening, it's clear why he was on his way out of the league. He was a terrible defender who couldn't play point guard, couldn't gain assists (despite having MJ and Pippen on his team) and was too small to play shooting guard on most teams. Now, on the right team (the Knicks, for example) with a dominating inside presence, he still might have found a job, if he were younger. But he had already been in the league for 10 years, and he was a guard. It's not so unusual for a guard to be done after 10 years in the league (think Kevin Johnson). Sorry, but I believe Craig himself has spread this story, and that he is wrong. For the last four years of his career, Craig's minutes, ppg, and 3 point percentage decreased each year. (Actually, it's the last 6 years for ppg). See http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hodgecr01.html for details. I think that Craig was a man of true faith who tried to make changes, but I also think that he is trifling with the truth to make these discrimination stories up.

SML, good article and I did not know about this letter that Hodges slipped to the prez. Good researching.

MC, I would be inclined to give your stance more benefit of doubt except for the fact that hodges did not recive a TRYOUT. I mean, Master P was even granted a tryout. That fact spells b-l-a-c-k-b-a-l-l-e-d to me...

MC Bias: I was initially recollecting my memories on what had supposedly happened, and decided to research what had been written about Craig Hodges' accusations. All the quotes above are from other sources, some of which are pretty well respected publications - the Guardian, the NY Times, the American Prospect. Those are their words, not my own.

My view on the matter: Hodges was still in his prime (31, or same age as Ray Allen now), and playing a major role in the rotation of a 3-time championship team. He was an outstanding 3pt%, who shoot 48% from downtown just two seasons prior! He was also a great FT shooter, hitting 96% the season before. Those are impressive numbers. He was a great pure shooter, and he was a SG, not a PG (so assists wasn't he job; stretching the defense in the triangle offense was). Maybe not a starter in most leagues, but some team could have used him in their rotation.

The best analogy I can come up with is if the Heat had won three championship in a row, and all of a sudden Jason Kapano disappeared from the league.

I agree that Craig Hodges is the source of this story - he sued the NBA over the issue, unsuccessfully I might add.

Rickhouse: That was the most impressive thing about those teams... Horace Grant became Dennis Rodman; Will Perdue and Bill Cartwright become Luc Longley; Hodges becomes Paxson becomes Kerr. And Ron Harper replaced BJ. That's the true testiment to the greatness of both Jordan and Pippen.

He didn't get blacklisted. He just wasn't any good.

You think if a team thought he could help them he wouldn't be picked up??? This is a league that gives chances to anyone.

Hodges can blame it on anything he wants. He was just a one dimensional player with an attitude problem.

Bo: The NBA is full of "one-dimensional" players. Just yesterday Reggie Evans got traded. He has a four-year contract. And all he does is rebound. You have one-dimensional shot-blockers, 3PT shooters, defensive specialists, etc. Role players, especially championship-winning role player, have value.

You hit it right on the nail with the last part of your comment: "attitude problem". Indeed, that's why the NBA got rid of him. If he had a "good attitude", no doubt they would have found him work. And yes, if he had more value, like if he could hit home runs like a star, he would have been signed to another team (see Carlos Delgado, another example of a social activism in sports; he would probably have been run out of MLB if he wasn't a star).

"Attitude Problem"? Having watched those Bulls Championships with Hodges on the team he NEVER, EVER, EVER was a problem. He was a complete team player, who I will agree was one-dimesional, but hardly someone who disrupted the team. Its amazing when someone Black speaks out on issues he labeled a "militant" or someone having an "attitude"!!!

It certainly is an odd situation. On one hand, Hodges was cut when he could still play which suggests that maybe he was blacklisted. However, people that can play always get second (and third and fourth, etc.) chances. Even John Rocker who was about the biggest "villian" in sports history got more chances. That fact alone makes you think that this whole thing is made up. Hodges' problem is that he just wasn't good enough for teams to overlook his flaws (which describes everyone who isn't in the NBA). That's not being blacklisted, that's just reality.

Lousy attitude later in csreer, sometimes you need to keep your moth shut lest it screw up your livelyhood.

Bill

Craig Hodges made 19 in a row in the 3-point contest, a feat that will never be matched.

He was the greatest shooter I ever saw, hands down.

The fact that he stood up to that piece of shit bush, the iran-contra crook, makes him a hero to me.

Craig, if you are reading this, you are the best ever, both athleticly and politically.

Mike C.

One Sunday womens timberland boots morning, I was told that someone was waiting for me in timberland 6 boots office. The young person who answered the rectory timberland boots door said that it was "the woman who said she left all the notes." When I saw her mens timberland boots I was shocked, since I immediately recognized her from church but had no timberland boots outlet idea that it was she who wrote the notes. She was sitting in a chair in timberland roll top boots office with her hands folded in her lap. Her head was bowed and when she raised white timberland boots it to look at me, she could barely smile without pain. Her face was disfigured, and timberland classic boat skin so tight from surgical procedures that smiling or laughing was very difficult for her timberland kids waterproof boots . She had suffered terribly from treatment to remove the growths timberland shoes that had so marred her face. We chatted for a while that Sunday morning and agreed to meet for timberland womens premium boots lunch later that week. As it turned out we went to lunch several timberland boots women times, and she always wore a hat during the meal. I think that treatments of some timberland shoe company sort had caused a lot of her hair to fall out. We shared things about our lives. I told her about my women timberland shoes schooling and growing up. She told me that she had worked for timberland 6 inch years for an insurance company. She never mentioned family, and I did not ask. I have thought about her timberland mens custom often over the years and how she struggled in a society that places an incredible premium on looks, class, wealth and all the other fineries of life. She suffered from a disfigurement that cannot be made to look attractive. I know that her condition black timberland boots hurt her deeply. http://www.timberland6inch.com/

http://www.brandshoeshopping.com/ cheap air jordan shox

thank youcheap nfl jerseys

look like nike dunks

loveghd iv styler

Your article is ery good