THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, MAURICE LUCAS

Maurice Lucas

Maurice Lucas is one NBA player that is hard to forget. The 6-9 former Marquette University star is one of the best known enforcers in the NBA during the 70’s era. I can still clearly recall how he squared off with Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1977 finals. But beyond his physical defensive game is a nice-looking, sweet-shooting jumpshot. Lucas will also be best remembered as the frontline partner of Bill Walton during the Portland Trailblazers title run in 1977. “Luke” played a total of 1,021 games in his storied 14-year ABA/NBA career with career averages of 14.6 ppg and 9.1 rpg. Lucas died last Sunday at the age of 58 due to bladder cancer. During one of his last interviews, Lucas is a picture of a man with strong will in his battle with the dreaded “Big C”, according to Yahoo!Sports. Thanks for the memories and may you rest in peace, Luke.

“The one thing that I'm finding is an issue for me is learning patience, being patient with myself. I'm trying to understand what this process is all about. It takes a little longer amount of time than I'd like it to take in order to recover. But it is what it is and I'm not in charge of it. I've just got to play my role, be patient, feed myself well, take the right meds and see if I can get back on track.”