Bucks: Marking 40 years since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade changed 2 franchises

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Elmore Smith, shown on a 1976 Topps basketball card.

Elmore Smith was better than we thought

No one had it tougher after the trade than Elmore Smith, the 26-year-old center from Division II Kentucky State who found himself thrust into the spotlight as the man to replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the center for the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the annals of thankless gigs, this one had to be right up there.

Smith had a solid season in 1975-76—averaging 15.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 1.2 assists and one steal in 36 minutes a game, shooting a respectable 51.8 percent from the floor and making 63.2 percent of his free throws.

But the Bucks acquired former All-ABA center Swen Nater in the ABA dispersal draft following the merger of the two leagues in the summer of 1976 and Nater and Smith were thrust into a uncomfortable time-sharing arrangement at center.

The experiment ended in January 1977, when Smith and guard Gary Brokaw were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Rowland Garrett, a first-round pick in 1977 who turned out to be Ernie Grunfeld and a 1978 first-rounder used to take George Johnson.

Smith knew about tough gigs, though—he was also the guy the Lakers picked up to replace Wilt Chamberlain in 1973.

Here are Smith’s per-game numbers with both the Lakers before the trade and the Bucks afterward. In retirement, Smith has hit it big with his Elmore Smith’s All-Natural BBQ Sauces.

Season Tm G MP FG% FT% TRB AST STL BLK PTS
1973-74 LAL 81 36.1 .457 .590 11.2 1.9 0.9 4.9 12.5
1974-75 LAL 74 31.6 .493 .485 10.9 2.0 1.1 2.9 10.9
1975-76 MIL 78 36.0 .518 .632 11.4 1.2 1.0 3.1 15.6
1976-77 MIL 34 23.2 .447 .581 6.1 0.9 0.6 2.0 8.4
Career 562 31.8 .482 .579 10.6 1.4 0.8 2.9 13.4
2 seasons LAL 155 34.0 .472 .540 11.1 1.9 1.0 3.9 11.7
2 seasons MIL 112 32.1 .503 .621 9.8 1.1 0.9 2.7 13.4

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/16/2015.

Next: An All-Star In The Return Package