Recent developments in Seattle suggest that the SuperSonics may soon be departing. As an economist I should say something about what Seattle should do to keep this team (Seattle shouldn’t do much) or what Oklahoma City should be willing to do to attract this franchise (again, not much), but today I want to take a more optimistic and uplifting look at Seattle sports. Specifically, I want to take a look back at the first team in Seattle professional sports history to play for a title.
The Association – a league driven by stars with mass appeal both around the country and the world – really began when Magic and Bird joined the league in the fall of 1979. Just prior to this event — in the summer of 1979 — Seattle and the Washington Bullets met in a re-match of the 1978 championship series.
About two weeks ago I observed that the 1978 Bullets were perhaps the worst NBA champion in history. The Sonics of 1978-79 had an efficiency differential – offensive efficiency minus defensive efficiency – of only 2.5. Since 1974, only three teams won a title with a worst mark (Bullets of 1978, Celtics of 1976, and Rockets of 1995). Just focusing on the Sonics, there have been eleven teams in the history of this franchise who posted a better efficiency differential than the 1978-79 squad. Still, none of those teams won the title.
The Top 10 Centers in 1977-78
The story of 1978-79 begins the previous season. And the story of 1977-78 campaign begins in the middle. Table One reports the top centers in the NBA – in terms of Wins Produced per 48 minutes [WP48] – in 1977-78.
Table One: The Top 10 Centers from 1977-78
I was only eight years old at the time, but having collected basketball cards in the late 1970s I am somewhat familiar with many of these names. Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wes Unseld, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Moses Malone, Marvin Webster….
Marvin Webster? Okay, you got me with that one. I had never heard of Marvin Webster. And here he is on a list of top centers from 1977-78 before such names as Dave Cowens and Swen Nater. Table One only reports the top ten centers, but I can tell you a few names not reported who also rank behind Webster. This list includes Darryl Dawkins (ranked 13th) , Bob McAdoo (ranked 14th) , Dan Issel (ranked 16th), Alvan Adams (ranked 18th) and Robert Parish (ranked 19th). And yet, before I looked at this season, I had never heard of Marvin Webster.
Marvin the Magnificent – the Early Years
Basketball Reference.com tells us that Webster was known as both Marvin the Magnificent and The Human Eraser. He was drafted with the third pick in the 1975 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. But he began his career in the ABA with the Denver Nuggets, who took him with the first overall pick in the 1975 ABA’s draft (a fact I discovered when I looked him up in the Sporting News NBA Register from 1987). His first season in the ABA he only played 398 minutes, but still managed to grab 174 rebounds and block 52 shots. These numbers tell us that per 48 minutes he was capturing 21 boards and blocking more than six shots.
In 1976-77 the Nuggets and Webster joined the NBA. That season Webster played 1,276 minutes and per 48 minutes, grabbed 18.2 boards, blocked 4.4 shots, and produced a 0.279 WP48. Again, average is 0.100, so the Human Eraser was pretty good.
Despite this performance, Denver traded Webster to the Sonics. With Webster on board the Sonics improved from 40 wins in 1976-77 to 47 wins and a trip to the NBA Finals in 1977-78. Table Two, where the Wins Produced and WP48 for each member of the Sonics in 1977-78 is reported, indicates the impact Webster had on this team.
Table Two: The Sonics in 1977-78
Webster was the top player on a team that reached the NBA Finals. Of the 45.3 Wins Produced created by Seattle’s players, 15.7 were attributed to Webster. Certainly Gus Williams, Downtown Freddie Brown, and Dennis Johnson also played well. But it was Webster that led the way.
And in the playoffs, the story was the same. In 22 playoff games, Webster averaged 13.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots while leading the Sonics to game seven of the NBA Finals.
Despite this performance, Webster was allowed to depart for the New York Knicks as a free agent in 1978. And given the loss of this talent, one would expect this team to decline. But that’s not what happened. Without Webster, as Table Three indicates, the Sonics actually improved. And when the season was over, this team had won an NBA title. So what happened?
Table Three: The Sonics in 1978-79
The Latter Years of the Human Eraser
My plan was to close this post with the tale of this championship team and how it managed to overcome the loss of the Human Eraser. But as I was writing the story I could see that this one post was going way too long.
So let me hold off on the story of the 1979 champions for tomorrow. For today, let me close with what else I have learned about Marvin Webster.
As noted, Webster signed with the Knicks in 1978. He played six seasons in New York, but as Table Four indicates, his productivity was nowhere near what we saw in Denver or Seattle.
Table Four: The Career of Marvin Webster
Webster’s decline can apparently be attributed to injury. He was above average his first season in New York. But in 1979-80 he only played 298 minutes, which suggests a significant injury. One of my co-authors, Rich Campbell (who is a bit older than me), told me that he remembers Webster suffered a serious knee injury. If this is the case, it apparently destroyed what looked to be a promising career in 1977-78.
After leading the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1978, Webster only produced 17.3 additional wins in his career. Yes, he produced almost as many wins in 1977-78 with the Sonics as he produced the last seven years he played.
In the story of the Human Eraser we see that performance can be changed dramatically due to player injury. Looking back at Tables Two and Three we see that Jack Sikma performed quite differently his first and second season in the NBA. What caused Sikma’s sudden change in productivity? It is this story I will tell tomorrow.
In the meantime, if you know anything more about Webster, please let me know in the comments. It’s interesting that a player who was this good has become almost forgotten in NBA history. Or in my case, never known about in the first place.
– DJ
Our research on the NBA was summarized HERE.
Wins Produced and Win Score are Discussed in the Following Posts
Simple Models of Player Performance
What Wins Produced Says and What It Does Not Say
Wages of Wins Journal 
slackerjoe
August 28, 2007
I found a couple of NY Times articles referencing Webster. It’s strange to read that he missed so much time to hepatitis.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9A03EEDC123BF930A35753C1A962948260
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9503E4D61739F93BA25753C1A962948260
Joe B
August 28, 2007
The nickname “the human eraser” has survived to today. Bob Sanders, the free safety for the Indianapolis Colts, is called the eraser by his coaches and teammates. His speed and powerful tackling erase the mistakes made by the players in front of him.
brook hardy
September 2, 2007
I knew marvin Webster from his early days with the knicks(78-79) when I was in New York City growing up, he also lived in Manhatten in the same building as I did, I would sometimes see him on the elevator. My friend, Randy(Dash) hoving was a ballboy for the knicks at this time. Marvin never was in to rehabilitating himself after he finally had knee surgery for his tendonitus. After he was unable to ever regain his form, he suffered from depression and anxiety from the garden fans. His wife, Maderia, left him and one of the last times I saw him in new york was in 1984 in Westhampton Beach on Labor Day weekend. He was drunk, out of shape and quite loud and bitter. When Patrick was drafted, Marvin made his now infamous remark even though he was not an active Knick player and the team had no intention of re-signing him. Marvin now from what I understand is very ill with Hepatitus C and diabities. I believe he lives in Tampa, though he may be in Georgia. The last time I saw him was in 1988 in Pensecola, Florida when I traveled up from Palm Beach to see him make his” comeback”! It was embarrasing: he must have weighed 300 lbs and was as slow as molasses! He only played about a total of 15 minutes that game because of being out of shape. “the human eraser” was quite a nice guy with the knicks,and according to Randy never did any coke in his period with the Knicks. He is sort of an example of how certain athletes should never play for New York, especially a devout Baptist whose father was a minister. On the cover of Sports Illustrated in the summer of 1977 was a picture of old Marvin in a Knick uniform, holding a basketball with the caption “can webster save the Knicks” The answer was NO , though he did have his momments and he was not as bad as 80% of the current crop of “Isah losers”!!
dberri
September 2, 2007
Brook,
That is a fascinating (although somewhat sad) story. Thanks for posting this.
tstar
November 1, 2007
Marvin Webster had a son, Marvin Jr., who played basketball for Temple University. He died his sophmore year of college from an appearent heart condition in 1997. He was a sweet, well spoken gentle young man. Much like his father.
S. Graham
November 2, 2007
I remember Marvin Webster in the 1980’s playing against the Pistons (I’m from the metro area), and I remember him as a very good shotblocker and rebounder and I remember George Blaha (the voice of the pistons) calling him the “Human Eraser” which was apparently his nickname. He was a very good player for those early 80’s Knick teams. Hope he’s O.K.
Dr.Dave
December 24, 2008
I knew Marvin when he first came to NY. I ran a facility that handled his early rehab for his tendonitis. I knew Madera and their daughter. He was a great guy, well balanced in those days though he struggled with the pain. I did not see him after that.
Rocky
April 8, 2009
as a follow-up to this story, Marvin Webster died today.
Family 2
April 8, 2009
He died on April 4th not April 8th.
Rudene Scales
April 10, 2009
I met Marvin when he married his present wife, Laudess Scales Webster, my sister in law in the early 1990’s. He was loving gentle man. I will always remember his love for God. The last words I heard him say was “When the saints go marching in”. I hoped he has marched in with the saints. God bless and rest in peace Marvin. We love you. Will, Rudene and Anthony Scales