- Pat Cummings
Pat Cummings (born
July 11 ,1956 inJohnstown, Pennsylvania ) is an American former professionalbasketball player.A 6-foot-9½ center with an accurate shooting touch, Cummings spent the most productive stretch of his 12-year career with the
New York Knicks and theDallas Mavericks , averaging better than 12 points and 8 rebounds for four straight campaigns.A product of
Greater Johnstown High School and theUniversity of Cincinnati , Cummings was drafted by theMilwaukee Bucks as a junior-eligible in 1978 (the yearBoston Celtics used the same rule to draftLarry Bird ). After playing out his senior season Cummings came to the Bucks in 1979. Over the next three seasons he saw limited action in a frontcourt that already included Bob Lanier andHarvey Catchings . Nevertheless, Cummings shot better than 50 percent from the floor and averaged more than 6 points each year.NBA career
In 1982 the 2-year-old Dallas Mavericks acquired him for a pair of draft choices. Cummings became the Mavs’ starting center and averaged 12.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. After putting up similar numbers the following season he signed with New York as a free agent.
In 1984–85 Cummings notched the best scoring average of his career, 15.8 points per contest. In 1985–86 he finally succumbed to the foot problems that had been nagging him for years. After averaging 15.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in 31 games, Cummings bowed out for the season and had surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.
Cummings never quite returned to form. He spent two more seasons with the Knicks, sharing time in the frontcourt with
Bill Cartwright andPatrick Ewing , before signing as a free agent with the expansionMiami Heat in 1988. After two seasons as a backup toRony Seikaly , Cummings was waived late in the 1989–90 campaign.After a four-game stint with the
Utah Jazz in 1990–91, Cummings retired at age 34.In 12 NBA seasons he averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds
External links
*basketball-reference
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
