| Revision as of 16:10, 23 October 2005 edit RenamedUser jaskldjslak904 (talk | contribs)24,239 edits Stated Page Will finish soonNext edit → |
| (No difference) |
Revision as of 16:10, 23 October 2005
Rod Strickland (Born July 11, 1966) is a former basketball player for the NBA last playing for the Houston Rockets.
A native of South Bronx while a junior he led Truman High School to the state championship and was ranked as one of the top 10 high school recruits in the nation. Strickland became a college star at the DePaul University where he apperared in 87 college games. In his three years there he averaged 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists while shooting .534 from the field. As a junior, he was a First Team All-American after averaging 20.0 points and 7.8 assists.
He was drafted in the first round of the 1988 NBA Draft where he backed up Mark Jackson, the 1988 NBA Rookie of the Year, as the Knicks point guard. Jackson and Strickland shared time this season. Strickland played in all 81 games and averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 assists in 16.8 minutes per game where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Knowing that playing which both Jackson and Strickland would't work so in the middle of the 1989-1990 the Knicks dealt Strickland to the San Antonio Spurs for veteran Maurice Cheeks. Strickland flourished in San Antonio, as the Spurs went 18-6 with him in the starting lineup. He led the club in assists 26 times and averaged 12.3 points and 11.2 assists in 10 playoff games.
In the 1990-91 season Strickland lived up to his expections as an exciting performer when he was healthy. He missed 24 games that year because of a sore ankle and a broken bone in his right hand. In the 58 games he played, Strickland averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 assists, shooting .482 from the field and .763 from the free-throw line. He led the Spurs in assists 46 times and in steals 30 times. Strickland finished the year tied with Terry Porter for 12th in the NBA in assists. And in a four-game series loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1991 NBA Playoffs, he posted decent numbers: 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.25 steals in 42.0 minutes per game.
Starting the 1991-92 season in a contract despute with the Spurs management, Strickland didn't play in the first 24 games of the season. He finally signed on December 23, then started 54 of 57 games and averaged 13.8 points, 8.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.07 steals in 36.0 minutes per game. He scored in double figures 48 times and scored 20 or more points on eight occasions. He notched a then career-high 28 points against the Indiana Pacers on February 6 and made a career-high 19 assists versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 3. Strickland started two playoff games against the Phoenix Suns before missing the third with a broken bone in his left hand. The Suns swept the series, three games to none.