The Power of Ten: Sam Cassell’s Legacy

This past Saturday night, the Milwaukee Bucks added another piece to team history by retiring Bob Dandridge’s number 10.  It was a great sight to see and while he may not have the same legacy of his teammates like Oscar Robertson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it was very evident how integral Dandridge was in contributing to the Bucks’ lone championship in 1971.

While Dandridge deserves the honor of having his number retired, I couldn’t help but think about another significant player in Bucks history that wore the same number while it was in use.

Before arriving to Milwaukee, Sam Cassell had his share of ups and downs.  He was an NBA champion in his first two seasons upon entering the league, but he could never find his footing as a starting point guard on a team, being traded four times in his first five years.

He came to a Milwaukee team that had face of the franchise-type players with Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson and sharpshooter Ray Allen, but when Cassell arrived, the Bucks transformed itself into a force to be reckoned with and the Bucks “Big 3” era was born.

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Under coach George Karl, Cassell established himself as a floor general, willing to distribute the ball as well as becoming a mid-range marksman and post up threat.  At the peak of the “Big 3” era, the Bucks established themselves as one of the best offensive teams in the league.

Of course, we know the end of the story.  After going the full distance but losing to the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, team chemistry and increasing issues in the front office would derail the Bucks playoff bid at the end of the season, losing 16 of their last 22 games in the 2001-2002 season.

Robinson was traded to Atlanta the following offseason and at the trade deadline during the 2002-2003 season, a blockbuster trade would see Ray Allen go to Seattle for 9-time all-star Gary Payton and Desmond Mason.  At the end of the season, Karl, Payton and Cassell would leave the team and the “Big 3″era was over.

What’s amazing about looking back at Cassell’s career is how much better he got as he got older.  Playing for the Timberwolves, Cassell went on to become an All-Star, have his best shooting season (49 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range) and helped lead the team to the Western Conference Finals in 2004.

He eventually went on to go to the Clippers, where he played well but eventually got bogged down by injuries and finished his career with the Celtics, winning his third championship in 2008.

While he played 15 seasons in the NBA and played for 8 teams in total, Cassell’s longest home was in Milwaukee.  In his 4 and a half seasons in Milwaukee, Cassell was never an All-Star, but he helped create All-Stars in his teammates, Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen, and most importantly, he established himself as a valuable point guard on a winning team.

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As the Bucks try to establish a new era of Bucks basketball, it’s hard to not look at the “Big 3” era as a measuring stick.  The Bucks haven’t won a playoff series since the 2001 season and while the loss of Ray Allen still stings to this day, Cassell leaving Milwaukee almost stings as much.  The Bucks certainly have had quality point guards since then, but no one has stayed in Milwaukee as long as Cassell did since he left.

Some of that is due to injury (T.J. Ford), some due to good players becoming bad fits (Brandon Jennings) and some due to looming salary issues (Mo Williams, Brandon Knight, Ramon Sessions, Luke Ridnour), but the bigger issue is the Bucks haven’t been able to sustain a winning team and having a good point guard usually helps create a winning formula.

Like Dandridge, Cassell was the sidekick.  Although both were great players, they had better players around them.  But they were better when Dandridge and Cassell were around them, respectively.

They both played to their strengths and while they found success elsewhere, each of them helped create their own eras of Bucks basketball, though only Dandridge has a championship to show for it.

As of Saturday night, Dandridge’s name hangs from the rafters, along with the number he helped immortalized, but Cassell will forever be linked to the number 10 in Milwaukee.

Next: Bucks Legend Bob Dandridge Was One Of NBA's Great Sidekicks