I remember it like it was yesterday. The 1999-2000 NBA finals when Austin Croshere went from an under sized back up power forward to a clutch performing hot commodity.
Flash bulbs pop and here we are in 2009 and Glen "Big Baby" Davis fits that same mold.
In the finals versus the Lakers, Croshere played like an emerging star averaging 15.2 points and 6.0 rebounds, including a career playoff high 24 points in 25 minutes in Game Two. Most of those came while the Pacers went small and Shaq was forced to guard him.
He was an absolute match up problem for those Lakers and he consistently exposed slower defenders on the perimeter, getting to the basket and finishing as well as hitting his trade mark corner jumper.
Croshere was in his third season in the NBA and his contract was up after the 2000 Finals.
By the way in the previous two seasons he averaged a little over 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds a game in injury shortened seasons.
So impressed were the Pacers brass with the 6'8" Croshere that they promptly offered him a seven year, $51 million contract.
At the turn of the century, this set a new standard for rewarding players for playoff performance.
If you are a basketball fan, I don't have to remind you how this story played out for the Pacers and Mr. Croshere. Croshere started 72 games in the next six years, with career high averages of 10.1 pts and 6.4 rebounds in the season following the contract, respectable but not $51 million worthy.
He'd never average double figures after 2001.
He quickly became the figure head for over paid players in the NBA. The Pacers front office never escaped the scrutiny for that contract and they paid dearly in the years to come as they were saddled with this huge deal for a guy who didn't produce.
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