There's a longstanding Keith Van Horn obsession in my household, so I was thrilled to learn that someone put this highlight reel together:
He is missed.
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Your Moment of Zen
16 Sep 2007 09:00 pm
Comments (22)
Also, I would be remiss in not noting that KVH is part of one of the longest-running debates among pro hoops fans.
Among all the white guys who played college ball in Utah and were the #2 overall draft pick by the 76ers in the '90's before finishing their career with Mark Cuban's Mavs, which was a bigger waste of the #2 pick: Shawn Bradley or Keith Van Horn?
Much like the endless Chamberlain/Russell debates, the Bradley/KVH debate will likely never be resolved.
You know, there's really no excitement in the world like watching a montage of still photos of a basketball player showing his moves.
"You know, there's really no excitement in the world like watching a montage of still photos of a basketball player showing his moves."
While I fully understand your confusion, that montage was video of KVH's moves, not still photos. Dude just wasn't the speediest player on the court, which can sometimes make it look like he's standing still.
Much like the endless Chamberlain/Russell debates, the Bradley/KVH debate will likely never be resolved.
Funny, but KVH is way better.
"Funny, but KVH is way better."
Don't sell the Stormin' Mormon short due to his lack of an offensive game. Dude averaged 3.6 OREB and 4.5 BLK per 40 min for his career. Not too shabby.
Both Bradley and KVH were perfect 7th or 8th men for a good but not championship type squad. Not as clear cut a choice between the two as you think.
He inspired what may have been John Hollinger's best line ever (back in the days when you could buy his books): "There have been guys with bad hair, and there have guys with bad socks, but never has someone combined the two as sublimely as Van Horn has."
As a Nets fan, I also have a soft spot for KVH, who had a few good years in NJ. Unfortunately, my lasting memory of KVH is of him fouling Reggie Miller behind the 3-point line in the waning seconds of Game 5 of the great Nets-Pacers series in 2002. Luckily, Miller only it 2 of 3 and just tied the game rather than winning it (which, I'd argue, was the beginning of the end for Reggie Miller, since prior to that season, he'd certainly have nailed all 3 FTs to take the lead and send the Nets home early). He was nearly, nearly the goat.
BTW, this video is really odd. I mean, why so many photos of him in Dallas and NY, when he wasn't good, instead of photos of him in NJ when he was? And why is the second half of the song just a blank screen? I mean, even if they couldn't get more photos, couldn't they leave the photos on the screen twice as long, so that there's be something to watch all the way through?
"And why is the second half of the song just a blank screen?"
To give an accurate representation of KVH's game.
Where's the Steve Kerr YouTube highlight reel? Also, can it get any whiter in here?
Well, at the 3:15 mark of the video, Jason Terry can be seen with similarly knee-high socks. Is it a Texas thing?
Well give KVH credit. He sucked for a lot of different teams.
Both Bradley and KVH were perfect 7th or 8th men for a good but not championship type squad. Not as clear cut a choice between the two as you think.
Dude, put the pipe down. Take a look at Van Horn's numbers his first seven seasons. 15-20 pts and 7-8 rebounds a game ain't a 7th or 8th man on any squad. Ever.
"Take a look at Van Horn's numbers his first seven seasons. 15-20 pts and 7-8 rebounds a game ain't a 7th or 8th man on any squad. Ever."
None of those squads were very good. The more responsibility given to KVH, the less likely you are going to have a winning squad. Similar situation to someone like Antawn Jamison or Jerry Stackhouse, (who are both significantly better players than KVH, but you get the idea.)
KVH in his prime would be a nice additional weapon to space the floor and draw a tall defender out to the perimeter to cover his three point shooting ability. But he doesn't bring much more than that on the offensive end, and he's inept on the defensive end. Again, think of him as a poor man's Tim Thomas, or perhaps as a rich man's Donyell Marshall.
Rely heavily on KVH in his prime, and your team ain't going far. Put him as your 7th man on a good team, and he can provide some limited benefits.
Rely heavily on KVH in his prime, and your team ain't going far. Put him as your 7th man on a good team, and he can provide some limited benefits.
Really? I recall a NJ Nets team with KVH as its 3rd best player going to the Finals.
"Really? I recall a NJ Nets team with KVH as its 3rd best player going to the Finals."
Of course, the following year they ditched KVH and went right back to the Finals. And they even managed to win a couple of Finals games once they'd ditched him. That ought to give one kind of measure of his value.
I'm not a hater. KVH was the best KVH he could be. But lets not confuse decent offensive numbers with value to a winning team.
Of course, the following year they ditched KVH and went right back to the Finals.
Meanwhile, Van Horn went to Phil., who went to the Eastern semi's. The year before? Lost first round. Not sure what definition of "ain't going far" you're working with here.
Also, I'd like to know why Matthew has neglected to cover the blockbuster Reggie Evens for Steven Hunter trade.
We've just witnessed an exchange of the poor man's Dennis Rodman for the poor man's Dikembe Mutumbo and Matthew feels it's worth no coverage whatsover?
KVH was the man when I was at Utah. He had exceptional athleticism, but he suffered a strange crisis of confidence in the pros. He'd go between tentative and out-of-control manic. (This was sometimes true at Utah too.) You could see it in the way his shooting arc changed from game to game.
I should add that the first three times I read MY's caption, I saw, "He missed." I thought maybe he had been in a horrible accident, and this was his eulogy.
Man we traded Spree for this guy...
Worst. Iverson. Sidekick. Ever.
That would be the Big Dog the following year. The 76ers threw in a #1 with Van Horn in that trade. Ugh.
Van Horn played very well during the 2002-03 regular season (averaged 16 & 7, shot 48%). The reason he had to be escorted out of town in a Brinks truck was his total disappearing act in the playoffs (averaged 10 a game on 38% shooting while Iverson was getting triple-teamed.)
The Shawn Bradley era on the other hand, was as ugly as the moonbeam jerseys the 76ers wore at the time.
Comments closed September 30, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
Thank god for KVH. Without him, there would be no answer to the question: name the poor man's Tim Thomas.
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Worst. Iverson. Sidekick. Ever.
Van Horn's brief tenure made the Matt Harpring era bright by comparison.
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And finally, even money says the dude will play again in the association. He's still young, he's still tall, and the ability to knock down the 3 doesn't diminish with age.
Posted by Petey | September 16, 2007 9:20 PM