There’s something about heat and basketball shooters coming off the bench, especially here in Detroit.
Fellow oldtimers like me will recall the exploits of George Trapp, a swingman from the 1970s. “Canned Heat,” they called George, because he entered games at Cobo Arena and, his lid removed, would rain jumpers down over his defenders. And a pity that the three-point line didn’t exist back then.
Then, of course, The Microwave — Vinnie Johnson. Did you know that it was Danny Ainge of the hated Celtics who gave Vinnie that nickname? It was a time when William “Refrigerator” Perry was making a name for himself in Chicago, with the Bears.
“If that guy on the Bears is the Fridge, then Johnson is the Microwave,” Ainge said after a playoff game in which VJ torched the Celtics. And the nickname stuck.
There isn’t a nickname yet, that I’m aware of, for Jarvis Hayes. He’s the newest Piston gunner off the bench, and it’s welcome to once again have a dude that can tear off his warmups and start dropping jumpers into the bucket.
Hayes is delirously happy to be a Piston, signing here as a free agent from the Washington Bullets, er Wizards. And after watching him for just three games, my feeling about him is mutual.
Hayes adds a dimension so badly needed on his new team. Bench scoring — consistent bench scoring, primarily from the shooting guard and small forward positions — has been such a struggle for the Pistons, even in their 64-win season a couple years ago. With Rip Hamilton finding himself in foul trouble more often these days, it’s especially important to have more shooters.
Hayes loves it in Detroit. He’s a real option now, something he never really experienced in Washington.
“And here,” he says, “it’s all about winning a championship.”
Trapp never got the chance in Detroit. His teams were nowhere good enough. Johnson’s buzzer-beater against the Trail Blazers in the 1990 Finals is legendary.
Now the Pistons have Jarvis Hayes — some more instant warmth. He should make the winters here that much more bearable.
Now, about that nickname dilemma…
