Little-known fact: His contract included a clause that put him out to stud when his playing days were over.

never heard of him

One of the great players of the 70's, though an egomaniac and a jerk. His sons are decent players. On a totally unrelated note, why isn't David Thompson available for commentary on this list?

Not as good as Bird, the statistics and Championships show it. Cerebral, yes. Moody, egotistical and lacking in humility. Bottom line is he is not likeable. Never got an NBA caoching job despite being top fifty NBA players of all time. I put Bird, Baylor, Dr. J and Connie Hawkins ahead of Mr. Perfect.

Second only to Larry Bird at the forward spot--ever!! One of the greatest clutch players and eloquent speakers, Rick not only scored from the outside and shot 90% plus at the f/t line, he was the only non-guard to rank in the top 5 for steals/assists per game year after year. As for leadership, Rick led a cast of unknowns to the NBA title. Lack of recognition likely due to resentment by those in power; for overly expressing his views, questioning authority (refs), jumping to the ABA--5 years (in his prime) and for being too cerebral, a prisoner of his own perfection. As for his intensity level, just look at the old-timers all-star game in which Rick participated, he played to win--always!