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Brooklyn Nets: 10 best players from 1st NBA decade (1976-86)

By Phil Watson

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - MAY 1984: Buck Williams #52 of the New Jersey Nets shoots during the 1984 NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks in May 1984 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - MAY 1984: Buck Williams #52 of the New Jersey Nets shoots during the 1984 NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks in May 1984 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /
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Brooklyn Nets
PISCATAWAY, NJ – CIRCA 1977: Bernard King #22 of the New Jersey Nets shoots over Glen Gondrezick #44 of the New York Knicks during an NBA basketball game circa 1977 at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. Kings played for the Nets from 1977-79. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

SF. 1st round, 7th overall from Tennessee, 1977 NBA Draft. Bernard King. 6. player. 147.

Bernard King had been an All-American at Tennessee as both a sophomore and junior before declaring for the NBA Draft in 1977.

He fell to the New York Nets with the seventh overall pick and, after the club moved to Piscataway, N.J., for the 1977-78 season, proceeded to put on a scoring display.

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    • King averaged 24.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals in 39.1 minutes per game as a rookie, shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 67.7 percent from the line, while earning first team All-Rookie honors.

    In 1978-79, King shot less, but was more efficient. He put up 21.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 34.9 minutes a night on 52.2 percent shooting from the floor, even as his foul shooting dipped to 56.4 percent.

    The Nets, looking for added size, sent King, backup center John Gianelli and rookie guard Jim Boylan to the Utah Jazz in October 1979 to get back center Rich Kelley.

    Coach Kevin Loughery said at the time that King’s off-court issues had nothing to do with the trade.

    King had been arrested in December 1978 and wound up on probation after pleading to possession of a small amount of cocaine (a league-wide problem in those days) and driving without a license.

    King had major off-court issues in Utah, was traded to the Golden State Warriors and then returned to Gotham to star for the Knicks. After a stint with the Washington Bullets, King finished his career with the Nets in 1993.

    He was 10th in the league in scoring as a rookie, finishing third in the voting for Rookie of the Year behind Walter Davis of the Phoenix Suns and Marques Johnson of the Milwaukee Bucks.

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