Are You Experienced?

Posted by Neil Paine on August 14, 2009

Here's a fun Friday data dump: Since 1968 (the advent of the modern 82-game schedule), which team assembled the most experienced roster? How about the least experienced roster?

The first question, though, is this: how exactly do you quantify "experience"? Well, maybe it's average career NBA games (going into the season) played by members of the team. In which case you'd see this list for the most experienced teams...

Player	Year	Ag	Tm	Pos	PrvG
TreeRollins	1991	35	DET	C	922
JamesEdwards	1991	35	DET	C	871
VinnieJohnson	1991	34	DET	G	842
JohnLong	1991	34	DET	G	836
GeraldHenderson	1991	35	DET	G	832
BillLaimbeer	1991	33	DET	C	815
IsiahThomas	1991	29	DET	G	716
MarkAguirre	1991	31	DET	F	680
ScottHastings	1991	30	DET	F	435
JoeDumars	1991	27	DET	G	387
DennisRodman	1991	29	DET	F	323
JohnSalley	1991	26	DET	F	313
WilliamBedford	1991	27	DET	C	130
LanceBlanks	1991	24	DET	G	0
					578.7
DetlefSchrempf	2001	38	POR	F	1110
ScottiePippen	2001	35	POR	F	965
RodStrickland	2001	34	POR	G	873
ShawnKemp	2001	31	POR	F	829
WillPerdue	2001	35	POR	C	779
DaleDavis	2001	31	POR	F	646
GregAnthony	2001	33	POR	G	639
StaceyAugmon	2001	32	POR	G	628
SteveSmith	2001	31	POR	G	610
GaryGrant	2001	35	POR	G	548
DamonStoudamire	2001	27	POR	G	350
RasheedWallace	2001	26	POR	F	334
ArvydasSabonis	2001	36	POR	C	331
AntonioHarvey	2001	30	POR	F	166
BonziWells	2001	24	POR	G	73
ErickBarkley	2001	22	POR	G	0
					555.1
BuckWilliams	1998	37	NYK	F	1266
TerryCummings	1998	36	NYK	F	1081
HerbWilliams	1998	39	NYK	C	1069
PatrickEwing	1998	35	NYK	C	913
CharlesOakley	1998	34	NYK	F	889
ChrisDudley	1998	32	NYK	C	643
JohnStarks	1998	32	NYK	G	556
LarryJohnson(II)	1998	28	NYK	F	453
AnthonyBowie	1998	34	NYK	G	434
PeteMyers	1998	34	NYK	G	368
ChrisMills	1998	28	NYK	F	319
AllanHouston	1998	26	NYK	G	318
ChrisChilds	1998	30	NYK	G	196
CharlieWard	1998	27	NYK	G	151
BrooksThompson	1998	27	NYK	G	138
BenDavis	1998	25	NYK	F	20
					555.1
JohnStockton	2000	37	UTA	G	1176
KarlMalone	2000	36	UTA	F	1110
JeffHornacek	2000	36	UTA	G	1000
OldenPolynice	2000	35	UTA	C	893
ArmonGilliam	2000	35	UTA	F	879
PeteChilcutt	2000	31	UTA	F	552
AdamKeefe	2000	29	UTA	F	488
BryonRussell	2000	29	UTA	F	402
HowardEisley	2000	27	UTA	G	328
GregOstertag	2000	26	UTA	C	245
JacqueVaughn	2000	24	UTA	G	64
QuincyLewis	2000	22	UTA	F	0
ScottPadgett	2000	23	UTA	F	0
					549.0
JohnStockton	2001	38	UTA	G	1258
KarlMalone	2001	37	UTA	F	1192
OldenPolynice	2001	36	UTA	C	975
DannyManning	2001	34	UTA	F	747
JohnStarks	2001	35	UTA	G	725
BryonRussell	2001	30	UTA	F	484
DavidBenoit	2001	32	UTA	F	443
JohnCrotty	2001	31	UTA	G	393
DonyellMarshall	2001	27	UTA	F	380
GregOstertag	2001	27	UTA	C	326
JacqueVaughn	2001	25	UTA	G	142
QuincyLewis	2001	23	UTA	F	74
ScottPadgett	2001	24	UTA	F	47
DeShawnStevenson	2001	19	UTA	G	0
					513.3
DaleEllis	1998	37	SEA	G	1040
SamPerkins	1998	36	SEA	F	1012
JeromeKersey	1998	35	SEA	F	977
DetlefSchrempf	1998	35	SEA	F	905
NateMcMillan	1998	33	SEA	G	778
HerseyHawkins	1998	31	SEA	G	731
DavidWingate	1998	34	SEA	G	654
GaryPayton	1998	29	SEA	G	572
GregAnthony	1998	30	SEA	G	427
VinBaker	1998	26	SEA	F	324
JimMcIlvaine	1998	25	SEA	C	217
EricSnow	1998	24	SEA	G	157
GeorgeZidek	1998	24	SEA	C	129
StephenHoward	1998	27	SEA	F	107
AaronWilliams	1998	26	SEA	F	54
JamesCotton	1998	22	SEA	G	0
					505.3
JeromeKersey	2000	37	SAS	F	1059
TerryPorter	2000	36	SAS	G	1054
AveryJohnson	2000	34	SAS	G	755
DavidRobinson	2000	34	SAS	C	685
SteveKerr	2000	34	SAS	G	683
SeanElliott	2000	31	SAS	F	671
ChuckyBrown	2000	31	SAS	F	587
MarioElie	2000	36	SAS	G	585
FeltonSpencer	2000	32	SAS	C	564
JarenJackson	2000	32	SAS	G	325
MalikRose	2000	25	SAS	F	154
TimDuncan	2000	23	SAS	F	132
SamakiWalker	2000	23	SAS	F	123
AntonioDaniels	2000	24	SAS	G	121
DerrickDial	2000	24	SAS	G	0
					499.9
JamesEdwards	1995	39	POR	C	1112
BuckWilliams	1995	34	POR	F	1040
OtisThorpe	1995	32	POR	F	839
ClydeDrexler	1995	32	POR	G	826
JeromeKersey	1995	32	POR	F	768
TerryPorter	1995	31	POR	G	723
HarveyGrant	1995	29	POR	F	442
RodStrickland	1995	28	POR	G	438
CliffordRobinson	1995	28	POR	F	410
ChrisDudley	1995	29	POR	C	400
MarkBryant	1995	29	POR	F	382
NegeleKnight	1995	27	POR	G	267
SteveHenson	1995	26	POR	G	174
TracyMurray	1995	23	POR	F	114
JamesRobinson	1995	24	POR	G	58
AaronMcKie	1995	22	POR	G	0
					499.6
SamPerkins	2000	38	IND	F	1141
ReggieMiller	2000	34	IND	G	932
MarkJackson	2000	34	IND	G	926
ChrisMullin	2000	36	IND	F	919
DerrickMcKey	2000	33	IND	F	798
RikSmits	2000	33	IND	C	788
DaleDavis	2000	30	IND	F	572
JalenRose	2000	27	IND	G	358
TravisBest	2000	27	IND	G	266
ZanTabak	2000	29	IND	C	174
AustinCroshere	2000	24	IND	F	53
AlHarrington	2000	19	IND	F	21
JeffFoster	2000	23	IND	F	0
JonathanBender	2000	19	IND	F	0
					496.3
EddieJohnson(II)	1998	38	HOU	F	1121
ClydeDrexler	1998	35	HOU	G	1016
HakeemOlajuwon	1998	35	HOU	C	978
CharlesBarkley	1998	34	HOU	F	943
KevinWillis	1998	35	HOU	F	939
CharlesJones	1998	40	HOU	F	692
MarioElie	1998	34	HOU	G	465
MattBullard	1998	30	HOU	F	359
BrentPrice	1998	29	HOU	G	239
MattMaloney	1998	26	HOU	G	82
OthellaHarrington	1998	24	HOU	F	57
EmanualDavis	1998	29	HOU	G	13
JoeStephens	1998	25	HOU	F	2
RodrickRhodes	1998	24	HOU	G	0
					493.3
JohnStockton	2003	40	UTA	G	1422
KarlMalone	2003	39	UTA	F	1353
MarkJackson	2003	37	UTA	G	1172
CalbertCheaney	2003	31	UTA	F	568
TonyMassenburg	2003	35	UTA	F	505
GregOstertag	2003	29	UTA	C	481
JohnAmaechi	2003	32	UTA	C	244
MattHarpring	2003	26	UTA	F	191
ScottPadgett	2003	26	UTA	F	149
DeShawnStevenson	2003	21	UTA	G	107
AndreiKirilenko	2003	21	UTA	F	82
JarronCollins	2003	24	UTA	F	70
CarlosArroyo	2003	23	UTA	G	37
					490.8
SamPerkins	1999	37	IND	F	1093
ReggieMiller	1999	33	IND	G	882
MarkJackson	1999	33	IND	G	877
ChrisMullin	1999	35	IND	F	869
DerrickMcKey	1999	32	IND	F	785
RikSmits	1999	32	IND	C	739
DaleDavis	1999	29	IND	F	522
AntonioDavis	1999	30	IND	F	371
JalenRose	1999	26	IND	G	309
TravisBest	1999	26	IND	G	217
FredHoiberg	1999	26	IND	G	127
MarkPope	1999	26	IND	F	28
AustinCroshere	1999	23	IND	F	26
AlHarrington	1999	18	IND	F	0
					488.9
RobertParish	1997	43	CHI	C	1568
MichaelJordan	1997	33	CHI	G	766
DennisRodman	1997	35	CHI	F	741
ScottiePippen	1997	31	CHI	F	707
RonHarper	1997	33	CHI	G	689
BillWennington	1997	33	CHI	C	566
SteveKerr	1997	31	CHI	G	507
JudBuechler	1997	28	CHI	F	339
RandyBrown	1997	28	CHI	G	327
LucLongley	1997	28	CHI	C	314
BisonDele	1997	27	CHI	F	277
ToniKukoc	1997	28	CHI	F	237
DickeySimpkins	1997	24	CHI	F	119
JasonCaffey	1997	23	CHI	F	57
MattSteigenga	1997	26	CHI	F	0
					480.9
KareemAbdul-Jabbar	1989	41	LAL	C	1486
MichaelCooper	1989	32	LAL	G	713
MychalThompson	1989	34	LAL	C	713
MagicJohnson	1989	29	LAL	G	639
JamesWorthy	1989	27	LAL	F	471
OrlandoWoolridge	1989	29	LAL	F	448
ByronScott	1989	27	LAL	G	394
JeffLamp	1989	29	LAL	F	254
A.C.Green	1989	25	LAL	F	243
MarkMcNamara	1989	29	LAL	C	204
TonyCampbell	1989	26	LAL	F	191
DavidRivers	1989	24	LAL	G	0
					479.7
TerryCummings	1997	35	SEA	F	992
SamPerkins	1997	35	SEA	F	931
DetlefSchrempf	1997	34	SEA	F	844
CraigEhlo	1997	35	SEA	G	811
NateMcMillan	1997	32	SEA	G	741
HerseyHawkins	1997	30	SEA	G	649
DavidWingate	1997	33	SEA	G	589
ShawnKemp	1997	27	SEA	F	544
GaryPayton	1997	28	SEA	G	490
LarryStewart	1997	28	SEA	F	200
GregGraham	1997	26	SEA	G	173
SteveScheffler	1997	29	SEA	C	167
ElmoreSpencer	1997	27	SEA	C	156
AntonioHarvey	1997	26	SEA	F	141
JimMcIlvaine	1997	24	SEA	C	135
EricSnow	1997	23	SEA	G	43
					475.4

And the most inexperienced rosters by the same metric...

Player	Year	Ag	Tm	Pos	PrvG
ClydeMayes	1977	23	IND	F	70
JohnWilliamson	1977	25	IND	G	42
FreddieLewis	1977	33	IND	G	32
JeromeAnderson	1977	23	IND	G	22
BillyKnight	1977	24	IND	G	0
DanRoundfield	1977	23	IND	F	0
DarnellHillman	1977	27	IND	F	0
DarrellElston	1977	24	IND	G	0
DaveRobisch	1977	27	IND	C	0
DonBuse	1977	26	IND	G	0
LenElmore	1977	24	IND	C	0
MelBennett	1977	22	IND	F	0
MikeFlynn	1977	23	IND	G	0
RudyHackett	1977	23	IND	F	0
SteveGreen	1977	23	IND	F	0
WilJones	1977	29	IND	F	0
					10.4
LouieNelson	1977	25	SAS	G	187
MikeD'Antoni	1977	25	SAS	G	128
AllanBristow	1977	25	SAS	F	127
MackCalvin	1977	29	SAS	G	29
BillyPaultz	1977	28	SAS	C	0
CobyDietrick	1977	28	SAS	C	0
GeorgeGervin	1977	24	SAS	G	0
GeorgeKarl	1977	25	SAS	G	0
HenryWard	1977	25	SAS	G	0
JamesSilas	1977	27	SAS	G	0
LarryKenon	1977	24	SAS	F	0
LouieDampier	1977	32	SAS	G	0
MarkOlberding	1977	20	SAS	F	0
MikeGale	1977	26	SAS	G	0
					33.6
RonMercer	2001	24	CHI	F	189
FredHoiberg	2001	28	CHI	G	170
BryceDrew	2001	26	CHI	G	106
BradMiller	2001	24	CHI	C	93
EltonBrand	2001	21	CHI	F	81
CoreyBenjamin	2001	22	CHI	G	79
RonArtest	2001	21	CHI	G	72
MichaelRuffin	2001	24	CHI	F	71
A.J.Guyton	2001	22	CHI	G	0
DaliborBagaric	2001	20	CHI	C	0
DraganTarlac	2001	27	CHI	C	0
JakeVoskuhl	2001	23	CHI	C	0
JamalCrawford	2001	20	CHI	G	0
KhalidEl-Amin	2001	21	CHI	G	0
MarcusFizer	2001	22	CHI	F	0
SteveGoodrich	2001	24	CHI	F	0
					53.8
JimPrice	1978	28	DEN	G	352
DarnellHillman	1978	28	DEN	F	127
RalphSimpson	1978	28	DEN	G	109
BobbyJones	1978	26	DEN	F	82
DavidThompson	1978	23	DEN	G	82
DanIssel	1978	29	DEN	C	79
BobWilkerson	1978	23	DEN	G	78
MackCalvin	1978	30	DEN	G	76
BrianTaylor	1978	26	DEN	G	72
NormCook	1978	22	DEN	F	25
JackyDorsey	1978	23	DEN	F	4
AnthonyRoberts	1978	22	DEN	F	0
BoEllis	1978	23	DEN	F	0
RobertSmith	1978	22	DEN	G	0
TomLaGarde	1978	22	DEN	C	0
					72.4
DonKojis	1969	30	SDR	F	350
TobyKimball	1969	26	SDR	F	119
JimBarnett	1969	24	SDR	G	95
HankFinkel	1969	26	SDR	C	80
PatRiley	1969	23	SDR	G	80
ArtWilliams	1969	29	SDR	G	79
JohnBlock	1969	24	SDR	F	74
ElvinHayes	1969	23	SDR	F	0
HarryBarnes	1969	23	SDR	F	0
JohnTrapp	1969	23	SDR	F	0
RickAdelman	1969	22	SDR	G	0
StuLantz	1969	22	SDR	G	0
					73.1
GeorgeJohnson(III)	1984	27	IND	F	326
ButchCarter	1984	25	IND	G	210
JerrySichting	1984	27	IND	G	176
HerbWilliams	1984	25	IND	C	160
TracyJackson	1984	24	IND	G	127
ClarkKellogg	1984	22	IND	F	81
BrookSteppe	1984	24	IND	G	62
KevinMcKenna	1984	25	IND	G	36
BruceKuczenski	1984	22	IND	F	0
GranvilleWaiters	1984	23	IND	C	0
JimThomas	1984	23	IND	G	0
LeroyCombs	1984	23	IND	F	0
SidneyLowe	1984	24	IND	G	0
SteveStipanovich	1984	23	IND	C	0
					84.1
MoLayton	1978	29	SAS	G	223
AllanBristow	1978	26	SAS	F	209
BillyPaultz	1978	29	SAS	C	82
CobyDietrick	1978	29	SAS	C	82
GeorgeGervin	1978	25	SAS	G	82
JimEakins	1978	31	SAS	C	82
MarkOlberding	1978	21	SAS	F	82
MikeGale	1978	27	SAS	G	82
LouieDampier	1978	33	SAS	G	80
LarryKenon	1978	25	SAS	F	78
MikeGreen	1978	26	SAS	C	76
GeorgeKarl	1978	26	SAS	G	29
JamesSilas	1978	28	SAS	G	22
ScottSims	1978	22	SAS	G	0
					86.4
DerekHarper	1993	31	DAL	G	707
RandyWhite	1993	25	DAL	F	199
TerryDavis	1993	25	DAL	F	186
MorlonWiley	1993	26	DAL	G	178
DougSmith	1993	23	DAL	F	76
MikeIuzzolino	1993	25	DAL	G	52
DonaldHodge	1993	23	DAL	C	51
TracyMoore	1993	27	DAL	G	42
WalterPalmer	1993	24	DAL	C	28
BrianHoward	1993	25	DAL	F	27
TimLegler	1993	26	DAL	G	21
LamontStrothers	1993	24	DAL	G	4
SteveBardo	1993	24	DAL	G	1
DexterCambridge	1993	23	DAL	F	0
JimJackson	1993	22	DAL	G	0
RadisavCurcic	1993	27	DAL	C	0
SeanRooks	1993	23	DAL	C	0
WalterBond	1993	24	DAL	G	0
					87.3
GregKelser	1985	27	IND	F	295
JerrySichting	1985	28	IND	G	256
HerbWilliams	1985	26	IND	C	229
ClarkKellogg	1985	23	IND	F	160
BillGarnett	1985	24	IND	F	155
SteveStipanovich	1985	24	IND	C	81
GranvilleWaiters	1985	24	IND	C	78
JimThomas	1985	24	IND	G	72
DevinDurrant	1985	24	IND	F	0
KentonEdelin	1985	22	IND	F	0
RalphJackson	1985	22	IND	G	0
StuartGray	1985	21	IND	C	0
TerenceStansbury	1985	23	IND	G	0
TonyBrown	1985	24	IND	F	0
VernFleming	1985	22	IND	G	0
					88.4
PaulSilas	1977	33	DEN	F	927
JimPrice	1977	27	DEN	G	271
ChuckWilliams	1977	30	DEN	G	44
GusGerard	1977	23	DEN	F	41
BobbyJones	1977	25	DEN	F	0
ByronBeck	1977	32	DEN	C	0
DanIssel	1977	28	DEN	C	0
DavidThompson	1977	22	DEN	G	0
FattyTaylor	1977	30	DEN	G	0
MackCalvin	1977	29	DEN	G	0
MarvinWebster	1977	24	DEN	C	0
MonteTowe	1977	23	DEN	G	0
TedMcClain	1977	30	DEN	G	0
WillieWise	1977	29	DEN	F	0
					91.6
BenoitBenjamin	1990	25	LAC	C	296
RonHarper	1990	26	LAC	G	221
WinstonGarland	1990	25	LAC	G	197
SteveHarris	1990	26	LAC	G	192
KenBannister	1990	29	LAC	F	154
KenNorman	1990	25	LAC	F	146
ReggieWilliams	1990	25	LAC	F	130
JoeWolf	1990	25	LAC	F	108
JimLes	1990	26	LAC	G	82
CharlesSmith	1990	24	LAC	F	71
GaryGrant	1990	24	LAC	G	71
TomGarrick	1990	23	LAC	G	71
DavidRivers	1990	25	LAC	G	47
AndreTurner	1990	25	LAC	G	27
DannyManning	1990	23	LAC	F	26
MichaelYoung	1990	29	LAC	F	4
CarltonMcKinney	1990	25	LAC	G	0
JayEdwards	1990	21	LAC	G	0
JeffMartin	1990	23	LAC	G	0
TorgeirBryn	1990	25	LAC	C	0
					92.2
WaltWesley	1972	27	CLE	C	366
LutherRackley	1972	25	CLE	C	202
BingoSmith	1972	25	CLE	F	152
RickRoberson	1972	24	CLE	C	139
JohnWarren	1972	24	CLE	G	126
DaveSorenson	1972	23	CLE	F	79
ButchBeard	1972	24	CLE	G	72
JohnJohnson	1972	24	CLE	F	67
BobbyWashington	1972	24	CLE	G	47
GregHoward	1972	24	CLE	F	44
AustinCarr	1972	23	CLE	G	0
CharlieDavis	1972	22	CLE	G	0
JackieRidgle	1972	23	CLE	G	0
StevePatterson	1972	23	CLE	C	0
					92.4
SamLacey	1977	28	KCK	C	482
OllieJohnson	1977	27	KCK	F	311
ScottWedman	1977	24	KCK	F	162
BillRobinzine	1977	24	KCK	F	75
GlennHansen	1977	24	KCK	G	66
BobBigelow	1977	23	KCK	F	31
AndreMcCarter	1977	23	KCK	G	0
BrianTaylor	1977	25	KCK	G	0
JimEakins	1977	30	KCK	C	0
MikeBarr	1977	26	KCK	G	0
RichardWashington	1977	21	KCK	F	0
RonBoone	1977	30	KCK	G	0
					93.9
MikeBantom	1978	26	IND	F	308
RonBehagen	1978	27	IND	F	287
RickySobers	1978	25	IND	G	157
DaveRobisch	1978	28	IND	C	135
AdrianDantley	1978	21	IND	F	133
BobbyWilson(II)	1978	27	IND	G	131
MikeFlynn	1978	24	IND	G	73
JohnWilliamson	1978	26	IND	G	72
SteveGreen	1978	24	IND	F	70
EarlTatum	1978	24	IND	G	68
MelBennett	1978	23	IND	F	67
JohnnyNeumann	1978	26	IND	G	63
DanRoundfield	1978	24	IND	F	61
BobCarrington	1978	24	IND	G	37
LenElmore	1978	25	IND	C	6
WillieSmith	1978	24	IND	G	2
JamesEdwards	1978	22	IND	C	0
					98.2
JonSundvold	1991	29	MIA	G	475
BillyThompson	1991	27	MIA	F	226
GrantLong	1991	24	MIA	F	163
KevinEdwards	1991	25	MIA	G	157
RonySeikaly	1991	25	MIA	C	152
ShermanDouglas	1991	24	MIA	G	81
GlenRice	1991	23	MIA	F	77
TerryDavis	1991	23	MIA	F	63
MiltWagner	1991	27	MIA	G	40
AlanOgg	1991	23	MIA	C	0
AlecKessler	1991	24	MIA	F	0
BimboColes	1991	22	MIA	G	0
KeithAskins	1991	23	MIA	G	0
WillieBurton	1991	22	MIA	F	0
					102.4

It's no surprise that the list is littered with ABA refugees from 1977, '78, etc. They simply retained most of the players they had used during the final pre-merger season, players who had ABA experience but technically no NBA games played to their name. But what's the excuse for some of these other teams?

Here's one more way of looking at experienced/inexperienced teams: why don't we use the same method, but instead of averaging career games played by roster members, we average career NBA minutes? That would yield this list:

Player	Year	Ag	Tm	Pos	PrvMP
BuckWilliams	1998	37	NYK	F	41726
PatrickEwing	1998	35	NYK	C	33403
TerryCummings	1998	36	NYK	F	31960
CharlesOakley	1998	34	NYK	F	28793
HerbWilliams	1998	39	NYK	C	28272
LarryJohnson(II)	1998	28	NYK	F	17248
JohnStarks	1998	32	NYK	G	15399
ChrisDudley	1998	32	NYK	C	13368
ChrisMills	1998	28	NYK	F	11063
AllanHouston	1998	26	NYK	G	9268
AnthonyBowie	1998	34	NYK	G	8125
PeteMyers	1998	34	NYK	G	5999
ChrisChilds	1998	30	NYK	G	5505
CharlieWard	1998	27	NYK	G	2594
BrooksThompson	1998	27	NYK	G	1547
BenDavis	1998	25	NYK	F	98
					15898.0
ScottiePippen	2001	35	POR	F	34617
DetlefSchrempf	2001	38	POR	F	33200
RodStrickland	2001	34	POR	G	28640
ShawnKemp	2001	31	POR	F	25345
SteveSmith	2001	31	POR	G	21391
DaleDavis	2001	31	POR	F	19084
StaceyAugmon	2001	32	POR	G	15831
GregAnthony	2001	33	POR	G	13480
DamonStoudamire	2001	27	POR	G	13060
GaryGrant	2001	35	POR	G	12585
WillPerdue	2001	35	POR	C	12302
RasheedWallace	2001	26	POR	F	10835
ArvydasSabonis	2001	36	POR	C	8867
AntonioHarvey	2001	30	POR	F	1803
BonziWells	2001	24	POR	G	1197
ErickBarkley	2001	22	POR	G	0
					15764.8
BillLaimbeer	1991	33	DET	C	26873
IsiahThomas	1991	29	DET	G	26269
JamesEdwards	1991	35	DET	C	23390
MarkAguirre	1991	31	DET	F	22227
JohnLong	1991	34	DET	G	22054
TreeRollins	1991	35	DET	C	22020
VinnieJohnson	1991	34	DET	G	20568
GeraldHenderson	1991	35	DET	G	18368
JoeDumars	1991	27	DET	G	12114
DennisRodman	1991	29	DET	F	7887
JohnSalley	1991	26	DET	F	6838
ScottHastings	1991	30	DET	F	4781
WilliamBedford	1991	27	DET	C	1523
LanceBlanks	1991	24	DET	G	0
					15350.9
WiltChamberlain	1972	35	LAL	C	40848
ElginBaylor	1972	37	LAL	F	33624
JerryWest	1972	33	LAL	G	30171
LeroyEllis	1972	31	LAL	C	18336
HappyHairston	1972	29	LAL	F	15726
GailGoodrich	1972	28	LAL	G	14123
KeithErickson	1972	27	LAL	F	10358
FlynnRobinson	1972	30	LAL	G	9932
PatRiley	1972	26	LAL	G	3270
JohnTrapp	1972	26	LAL	F	3247
JimMcMillian	1972	23	LAL	F	1747
JimCleamons	1972	22	LAL	G	0
					15115.2
KarlMalone	2000	36	UTA	F	41661
JohnStockton	2000	37	UTA	G	38094
JeffHornacek	2000	36	UTA	G	31831
ArmonGilliam	2000	35	UTA	F	25639
OldenPolynice	2000	35	UTA	C	21434
BryonRussell	2000	29	UTA	F	9072
AdamKeefe	2000	29	UTA	F	8894
PeteChilcutt	2000	31	UTA	F	8140
HowardEisley	2000	27	UTA	G	5360
GregOstertag	2000	26	UTA	C	5107
JacqueVaughn	2000	24	UTA	G	506
QuincyLewis	2000	22	UTA	F	0
ScottPadgett	2000	23	UTA	F	0
					15056.8
SamPerkins	2000	38	IND	F	33979
ReggieMiller	2000	34	IND	G	32086
ChrisMullin	2000	36	IND	F	31207
MarkJackson	2000	34	IND	G	29932
DerrickMcKey	2000	33	IND	F	24824
RikSmits	2000	33	IND	C	21248
DaleDavis	2000	30	IND	F	16957
JalenRose	2000	27	IND	G	8064
TravisBest	2000	27	IND	G	5225
ZanTabak	2000	29	IND	C	2716
AustinCroshere	2000	24	IND	F	492
AlHarrington	2000	19	IND	F	160
JeffFoster	2000	23	IND	F	0
JonathanBender	2000	19	IND	F	0
					14777.9
KareemAbdul-Jabbar	1989	41	LAL	C	55751
MagicJohnson	1989	29	LAL	G	23531
MychalThompson	1989	34	LAL	C	22810
MichaelCooper	1989	32	LAL	G	19841
JamesWorthy	1989	27	LAL	F	15009
OrlandoWoolridge	1989	29	LAL	F	13683
ByronScott	1989	27	LAL	G	11909
A.C.Green	1989	25	LAL	F	6418
JeffLamp	1989	29	LAL	F	3295
TonyCampbell	1989	26	LAL	F	2491
MarkMcNamara	1989	29	LAL	C	2186
DavidRivers	1989	24	LAL	G	0
					14743.7
SamPerkins	1999	37	IND	F	33190
ReggieMiller	1999	33	IND	G	30299
ChrisMullin	1999	35	IND	F	30028
MarkJackson	1999	33	IND	G	28550
DerrickMcKey	1999	32	IND	F	24580
RikSmits	1999	32	IND	C	19977
DaleDavis	1999	29	IND	F	15583
AntonioDavis	1999	30	IND	F	9380
JalenRose	1999	26	IND	G	6826
TravisBest	1999	26	IND	G	4182
FredHoiberg	1999	26	IND	G	1531
AustinCroshere	1999	23	IND	F	243
MarkPope	1999	26	IND	F	193
AlHarrington	1999	18	IND	F	0
					14611.6
HakeemOlajuwon	1998	35	HOU	C	36833
ClydeDrexler	1998	35	HOU	G	35064
CharlesBarkley	1998	34	HOU	F	34941
EddieJohnson(II)	1998	38	HOU	F	31096
KevinWillis	1998	35	HOU	F	28644
CharlesJones	1998	40	HOU	F	13330
MarioElie	1998	34	HOU	G	11652
MattBullard	1998	30	HOU	F	4907
BrentPrice	1998	29	HOU	G	4326
MattMaloney	1998	26	HOU	G	2386
OthellaHarrington	1998	24	HOU	F	860
EmanualDavis	1998	29	HOU	G	230
JoeStephens	1998	25	HOU	F	9
RodrickRhodes	1998	24	HOU	G	0
					14591.3
KarlMalone	2003	39	UTA	F	50543
JohnStockton	2003	40	UTA	G	45489
MarkJackson	2003	37	UTA	G	37077
CalbertCheaney	2003	31	UTA	F	16191
TonyMassenburg	2003	35	UTA	F	10005
GregOstertag	2003	29	UTA	C	9311
MattHarpring	2003	26	UTA	F	5332
JohnAmaechi	2003	32	UTA	C	4337
AndreiKirilenko	2003	21	UTA	F	2151
ScottPadgett	2003	26	UTA	F	1854
JarronCollins	2003	24	UTA	F	1441
DeShawnStevenson	2003	21	UTA	G	1427
CarlosArroyo	2003	23	UTA	G	371
					14271.5
KarlMalone	2001	37	UTA	F	44608
JohnStockton	2001	38	UTA	G	40526
OldenPolynice	2001	36	UTA	C	23253
DannyManning	2001	34	UTA	F	22256
JohnStarks	2001	35	UTA	G	20463
BryonRussell	2001	30	UTA	F	11972
DonyellMarshall	2001	27	UTA	F	9974
DavidBenoit	2001	32	UTA	F	8868
GregOstertag	2001	27	UTA	C	6713
JohnCrotty	2001	31	UTA	G	4549
JacqueVaughn	2001	25	UTA	G	1390
QuincyLewis	2001	23	UTA	F	896
ScottPadgett	2001	24	UTA	F	432
DeShawnStevenson	2001	19	UTA	G	0
					13992.9
SamPerkins	1998	36	SEA	F	31515
DaleEllis	1998	37	SEA	G	31043
DetlefSchrempf	1998	35	SEA	F	27031
HerseyHawkins	1998	31	SEA	G	25490
JeromeKersey	1998	35	SEA	F	25146
NateMcMillan	1998	33	SEA	G	20183
GaryPayton	1998	29	SEA	G	19612
DavidWingate	1998	34	SEA	G	12564
VinBaker	1998	26	SEA	F	12399
GregAnthony	1998	30	SEA	G	10105
JimMcIlvaine	1998	25	SEA	C	3206
EricSnow	1998	24	SEA	G	2008
GeorgeZidek	1998	24	SEA	C	1306
StephenHoward	1998	27	SEA	F	731
AaronWilliams	1998	26	SEA	F	647
JamesCotton	1998	22	SEA	G	0
					13936.6
BuckWilliams	1995	34	POR	F	36136
OtisThorpe	1995	32	POR	F	28252
ClydeDrexler	1995	32	POR	G	28068
JamesEdwards	1995	39	POR	C	27816
TerryPorter	1995	31	POR	G	23208
JeromeKersey	1995	32	POR	F	20617
HarveyGrant	1995	29	POR	F	13048
RodStrickland	1995	28	POR	G	12990
CliffordRobinson	1995	28	POR	F	11057
ChrisDudley	1995	29	POR	C	7359
MarkBryant	1995	29	POR	F	5783
NegeleKnight	1995	27	POR	G	4414
SteveHenson	1995	26	POR	G	1812
TracyMurray	1995	23	POR	F	1315
JamesRobinson	1995	24	POR	G	673
AaronMcKie	1995	22	POR	G	0
					13909.3
GaryPayton	2007	38	MIA	G	45614
ShaquilleO'Neal	2007	34	MIA	C	34792
EddieJones	2007	35	MIA	F	30261
AntoineWalker	2007	30	MIA	F	28821
AlonzoMourning	2007	36	MIA	C	24015
JasonWilliams	2007	31	MIA	G	17438
JamesPosey	2007	30	MIA	F	14810
DwyaneWade	2007	25	MIA	G	7992
MichaelDoleac	2007	29	MIA	C	7836
UdonisHaslem	2007	26	MIA	F	6961
JasonKapono	2007	25	MIA	F	2583
WayneSimien	2007	23	MIA	F	414
DorellWright	2007	21	MIA	G	159
EarlBarron	2007	25	MIA	C	45
ChrisQuinn	2007	23	MIA	G	0
RobertHite	2007	23	MIA	G	0
					13858.8
KarlMalone	2004	40	LAL	F	53479
GaryPayton	2004	35	LAL	G	37943
HoraceGrant	2004	38	LAL	F	37515
ShaquilleO'Neal	2004	31	LAL	C	28030
RickFox	2004	34	LAL	G	22877
BryonRussell	2004	33	LAL	F	17830
KobeBryant	2004	25	LAL	G	16827
DerekFisher	2004	29	LAL	G	11127
DeveanGeorge	2004	26	LAL	G	4310
StanislavMedvedenko	2004	24	LAL	F	1387
KareemRush	2004	23	LAL	G	872
JanneroPargo	2004	24	LAL	G	757
MauriceCarter	2004	27	LAL	G	60
JamalSampson	2004	20	LAL	F	8
BrianCook	2004	23	LAL	F	0
ImeUdoka	2004	26	LAL	F	0
LukeWalton	2004	23	LAL	F	0
					13707.2

And this one for the least experienced rosters since '68:

Player	Year	Ag	Tm	Pos	PrvMP
JohnWilliamson	1977	25	IND	G	1426
ClydeMayes	1977	23	IND	F	972
FreddieLewis	1977	33	IND	G	334
JeromeAnderson	1977	23	IND	G	126
BillyKnight	1977	24	IND	G	0
DanRoundfield	1977	23	IND	F	0
DarnellHillman	1977	27	IND	F	0
DarrellElston	1977	24	IND	G	0
DaveRobisch	1977	27	IND	C	0
DonBuse	1977	26	IND	G	0
LenElmore	1977	24	IND	C	0
MelBennett	1977	22	IND	F	0
MikeFlynn	1977	23	IND	G	0
RudyHackett	1977	23	IND	F	0
SteveGreen	1977	23	IND	F	0
WilJones	1977	29	IND	F	0
					178.6
LouieNelson	1977	25	SAS	G	4484
MikeD'Antoni	1977	25	SAS	G	1849
AllanBristow	1977	25	SAS	F	1744
MackCalvin	1977	29	SAS	G	625
BillyPaultz	1977	28	SAS	C	0
CobyDietrick	1977	28	SAS	C	0
GeorgeGervin	1977	24	SAS	G	0
GeorgeKarl	1977	25	SAS	G	0
HenryWard	1977	25	SAS	G	0
JamesSilas	1977	27	SAS	G	0
LarryKenon	1977	24	SAS	F	0
LouieDampier	1977	32	SAS	G	0
MarkOlberding	1977	20	SAS	F	0
MikeGale	1977	26	SAS	G	0
					621.6
RonMercer	2001	24	CHI	F	6590
EltonBrand	2001	21	CHI	F	2999
FredHoiberg	2001	28	CHI	G	2463
RonArtest	2001	21	CHI	G	2238
BryceDrew	2001	26	CHI	G	1734
BradMiller	2001	24	CHI	C	1430
CoreyBenjamin	2001	22	CHI	G	1182
MichaelRuffin	2001	24	CHI	F	975
A.J.Guyton	2001	22	CHI	G	0
DaliborBagaric	2001	20	CHI	C	0
DraganTarlac	2001	27	CHI	C	0
JakeVoskuhl	2001	23	CHI	C	0
JamalCrawford	2001	20	CHI	G	0
KhalidEl-Amin	2001	21	CHI	G	0
MarcusFizer	2001	22	CHI	F	0
SteveGoodrich	2001	24	CHI	F	0
					1225.7
DonKojis	1969	30	SDR	F	6970
TobyKimball	1969	26	SDR	F	2741
JohnBlock	1969	24	SDR	F	1923
ArtWilliams	1969	29	SDR	G	1739
JimBarnett	1969	24	SDR	G	1451
PatRiley	1969	23	SDR	G	1263
HankFinkel	1969	26	SDR	C	1257
ElvinHayes	1969	23	SDR	F	0
HarryBarnes	1969	23	SDR	F	0
JohnTrapp	1969	23	SDR	F	0
RickAdelman	1969	22	SDR	G	0
StuLantz	1969	22	SDR	G	0
					1445.3
GeorgeJohnson(III)	1984	27	IND	F	7042
HerbWilliams	1984	25	IND	C	4790
JerrySichting	1984	27	IND	G	3685
ButchCarter	1984	25	IND	G	3423
ClarkKellogg	1984	22	IND	F	2761
TracyJackson	1984	24	IND	G	1787
BrookSteppe	1984	24	IND	G	606
KevinMcKenna	1984	25	IND	G	237
BruceKuczenski	1984	22	IND	F	0
GranvilleWaiters	1984	23	IND	C	0
JimThomas	1984	23	IND	G	0
LeroyCombs	1984	23	IND	F	0
SidneyLowe	1984	24	IND	G	0
SteveStipanovich	1984	23	IND	C	0
					1737.9
WaltWesley	1972	27	CLE	C	6993
BingoSmith	1972	25	CLE	F	3530
LutherRackley	1972	25	CLE	C	3308
RickRoberson	1972	24	CLE	C	2914
JohnWarren	1972	24	CLE	G	2882
JohnJohnson	1972	24	CLE	F	2310
DaveSorenson	1972	23	CLE	F	1940
ButchBeard	1972	24	CLE	G	941
BobbyWashington	1972	24	CLE	G	823
GregHoward	1972	24	CLE	F	426
AustinCarr	1972	23	CLE	G	0
CharlieDavis	1972	22	CLE	G	0
JackieRidgle	1972	23	CLE	G	0
StevePatterson	1972	23	CLE	C	0
					1861.9
EmBryant	1971	32	BUF	G	8091
GeorgeWilson	1971	28	BUF	C	5055
FreddieCrawford	1971	29	BUF	G	4844
BobKauffman	1971	24	BUF	F	2435
DickGarrett	1971	24	BUF	G	2318
NateBowman	1971	27	BUF	C	1688
MikeDavis	1971	24	BUF	G	1330
HermGilliam	1971	24	BUF	G	1161
DonMay	1971	25	BUF	F	798
BillHosket	1971	24	BUF	F	586
MikeLynn	1971	25	BUF	F	403
PaulLong	1971	26	BUF	G	223
CornellWarner	1971	22	BUF	F	0
JohnHummer	1971	22	BUF	F	0
MikeSilliman	1971	26	BUF	F	0
					1928.8
JimPrice	1978	28	DEN	G	9679
DarnellHillman	1978	28	DEN	F	3522
DavidThompson	1978	23	DEN	G	3001
DanIssel	1978	29	DEN	C	2507
BrianTaylor	1978	26	DEN	G	2488
BobbyJones	1978	26	DEN	F	2419
RalphSimpson	1978	28	DEN	G	2336
BobWilkerson	1978	23	DEN	G	1552
MackCalvin	1978	30	DEN	G	1438
NormCook	1978	22	DEN	F	138
JackyDorsey	1978	23	DEN	F	51
AnthonyRoberts	1978	22	DEN	F	0
BoEllis	1978	23	DEN	F	0
RobertSmith	1978	22	DEN	G	0
TomLaGarde	1978	22	DEN	C	0
					1942.1
MoLayton	1978	29	SAS	G	3931
AllanBristow	1978	26	SAS	F	3761
LarryKenon	1978	25	SAS	F	2936
GeorgeGervin	1978	25	SAS	G	2705
BillyPaultz	1978	29	SAS	C	2694
MikeGale	1978	27	SAS	G	2598
MarkOlberding	1978	21	SAS	F	1949
MikeGreen	1978	26	SAS	C	1928
CobyDietrick	1978	29	SAS	C	1772
LouieDampier	1978	33	SAS	G	1634
JimEakins	1978	31	SAS	C	1338
JamesSilas	1978	28	SAS	G	356
GeorgeKarl	1978	26	SAS	G	251
ScottSims	1978	22	SAS	G	0
					1989.5
DerekHarper	1993	31	DAL	G	22774
TerryDavis	1993	25	DAL	F	4029
RandyWhite	1993	25	DAL	F	3629
MorlonWiley	1993	26	DAL	G	2266
DougSmith	1993	23	DAL	F	1707
MikeIuzzolino	1993	25	DAL	G	1280
DonaldHodge	1993	23	DAL	C	1058
TracyMoore	1993	27	DAL	G	782
BrianHoward	1993	25	DAL	F	318
TimLegler	1993	26	DAL	G	231
WalterPalmer	1993	24	DAL	C	85
LamontStrothers	1993	24	DAL	G	17
SteveBardo	1993	24	DAL	G	1
DexterCambridge	1993	23	DAL	F	0
JimJackson	1993	22	DAL	G	0
RadisavCurcic	1993	27	DAL	C	0
SeanRooks	1993	23	DAL	C	0
WalterBond	1993	24	DAL	G	0
					2120.9
HerbWilliams	1985	26	IND	C	7069
JerrySichting	1985	28	IND	G	6182
GregKelser	1985	27	IND	F	5918
ClarkKellogg	1985	23	IND	F	5437
BillGarnett	1985	24	IND	F	2940
SteveStipanovich	1985	24	IND	C	2426
JimThomas	1985	24	IND	G	1219
GranvilleWaiters	1985	24	IND	C	1040
DevinDurrant	1985	24	IND	F	0
KentonEdelin	1985	22	IND	F	0
RalphJackson	1985	22	IND	G	0
StuartGray	1985	21	IND	C	0
TerenceStansbury	1985	23	IND	G	0
TonyBrown	1985	24	IND	F	0
VernFleming	1985	22	IND	G	0
					2148.7
McCoyMcLemore	1969	26	PHO	F	7590
DickVanArsdale	1969	25	PHO	G	7529
GailGoodrich	1969	25	PHO	G	4845
GeorgeWilson	1969	26	PHO	C	2373
DickSnyder	1969	25	PHO	G	2298
BobWarlick	1969	27	PHO	G	1463
NeilJohnson	1969	25	PHO	F	808
StanMcKenzie	1969	24	PHO	F	653
JimFox	1969	25	PHO	C	624
DaveLattin	1969	25	PHO	F	257
EdBiedenbach	1969	23	PHO	G	0
GaryGregor	1969	23	PHO	F	0
RodKnowles	1969	22	PHO	F	0
					2187.7
MikeBantom	1978	26	IND	F	7701
RonBehagen	1978	27	IND	F	7167
AdrianDantley	1978	21	IND	F	4801
RickySobers	1978	25	IND	G	3903
DaveRobisch	1978	28	IND	C	2645
JohnWilliamson	1978	26	IND	G	2481
DanRoundfield	1978	24	IND	F	1645
BobbyWilson(II)	1978	27	IND	G	1412
MikeFlynn	1978	24	IND	G	1324
EarlTatum	1978	24	IND	G	1249
BobCarrington	1978	24	IND	G	1032
JohnnyNeumann	1978	26	IND	G	937
SteveGreen	1978	24	IND	F	918
MelBennett	1978	23	IND	F	911
LenElmore	1978	25	IND	C	46
WillieSmith	1978	24	IND	G	11
JamesEdwards	1978	22	IND	C	0
					2246.1
ReggieWilliams	1993	28	DEN	F	7422
ScottHastings	1993	32	DEN	F	5315
ToddLichti	1993	26	DEN	G	3362
MahmoudAbdul-Rauf	1993	23	DEN	G	3043
TomHammonds	1993	25	DEN	F	2812
DikembeMutombo	1993	26	DEN	C	2716
MarcusLiberty	1993	24	DEN	F	2698
MarkMacon	1993	23	DEN	G	2304
RobertPack	1993	23	DEN	G	894
GaryPlummer	1993	30	DEN	F	702
KevinBrooks	1993	23	DEN	F	270
BryantStith	1993	22	DEN	G	0
LaPhonsoEllis	1993	22	DEN	F	0
RobertWerdann	1993	22	DEN	C	0
					2252.7
BenoitBenjamin	1990	25	LAC	C	9074
RonHarper	1990	26	LAC	G	7745
WinstonGarland	1990	25	LAC	G	5674
KenNorman	1990	25	LAC	F	4455
KenBannister	1990	29	LAC	F	2939
SteveHarris	1990	26	LAC	G	2747
ReggieWilliams	1990	25	LAC	F	2702
JoeWolf	1990	25	LAC	F	2587
CharlesSmith	1990	24	LAC	F	2161
GaryGrant	1990	24	LAC	G	1924
TomGarrick	1990	23	LAC	G	1499
DannyManning	1990	23	LAC	F	950
JimLes	1990	26	LAC	G	781
DavidRivers	1990	25	LAC	G	440
AndreTurner	1990	25	LAC	G	214
MichaelYoung	1990	29	LAC	F	13
CarltonMcKinney	1990	25	LAC	G	0
JayEdwards	1990	21	LAC	G	0
JeffMartin	1990	23	LAC	G	0
TorgeirBryn	1990	25	LAC	C	0
					2295.3

Again, lots of overlap, and a lot of former ABA teams being called "inexperienced" perhaps unfairly (ABA experience may not have been as good as NBA experience, but it was better than nothing, right?). Also, can you spot the flaw in the "most experienced" lists? They're very much biased toward modern teams, and it's not because today's players have so much more longevity than past eras, either. It's because there are more teams now than ever before -- 30, to be exact -- whereas there were only 12 teams at the start of the 82-game schedule in 1968, and even in the 80s there were only 23 franchises for the majority of the decade.

Expansion creates more roster spots, which in turn means more opportunities to accumulate NBA games and minutes than ever before. You can argue that the talent pool has increased dramatically since 1968 -- and you'd get no argument here (the influx of foreign-born players and preps-to-pros/one-and-dones has certainly added a great deal of talent that would not have been available back in the sixties) -- but I still wonder if it truly has increased almost threefold in the past 40 years, or if it's just comparably "easier" to get NBA experience now than ever before.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 4:41 am and is filed under General, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

6 Responses to “Are You Experienced?”

schtevie Says:
August 14th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Neil,

Wouldn't a better approach to expressing the concept of team experience be to weight individual players' past experience by the reference season's actual minutes played? Having various éminences grises riding the pines might be good for mentoring and all that, but that is a different concept than what I think you are trying to get at.
Neil Paine Says:
August 14th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
That's definitely something I'll do as a sequel. This time around, though, I wanted to capture what kind of experience the coach had at his disposal, regardless of whether he was inclined to actually play the guy or not.
Jason J Says:
August 14th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
The two NBA champions on the "experienced" list measured by total games, the 1997 Bulls and 1989 Lakers, were both mature clubs, but they were also made much more mature by their very old centers Kareem and Parish, who had more than twice as many total games as any one else on their respective teams. That said there are some pretty strong teams of old guys out there including a few conference finalists as well.
Chuck M Says:
August 15th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Just to clarify, the 1989 Lakers did not win the NBA title. The Pistons beat them in the Finals.
Jason J Says:
August 15th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
good call, chuck. got my '88 and '89 mixed up. so the only title winners were the '97 bulls, and the old man who may have got them onto this list was parish who very rarely played.
MCT Says:
August 18th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Note that the '77 Kings, who appear on one of the "least experienced" lists, are also here for ABA-related reasons, even though they had not come from the ABA. Of the six players they used with zero games of NBA experience, four had come from the ABA.

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