Philadelphia 76ers (1997-2001)

Theo Ratliff - Sixers


Theo Ratliff played superb defense for the 76ers 

Theo Ratliff was thrilled when he was traded from Detroit to the 76ers in 1997, seeing it as a marvelous opportunity. He was less thrilled last Thursday (Feb.22nd, 2001) when he was traded from the Sixers to Atlanta one day after undergoing surgery on his right wrist, calling it "a dirty business."

 

On Dec. 18, 1997, Theo Ratliff and Aaron McKie were traded from the Pistons to the Sixers for Jerry Stackhouse and Eric Montross. Ratliff, unhappy and uncomfortable being in and out of the Pistons' lineup, embraced the move.

Ratliff knew it was time to blossom. He developed a soft jump hook from the baseline, a nice medium-range jump shot and he has shown an old-fashioned rolling hook.

 

Before the 1998-99 post-lockout NBA season, Ratliff signed a massive seven-year contract that pays him more than $7.8 million this season and more than $39 million over the next four seasons. It includes a bonus of $1 million for becoming an All-Star and a similar bonus based on the number of games the Sixers win.

 

His major effect on the team with the league's best overall record (36-14) and best road record (21-6) in 2000-2001 has been at the defensive end: He has blocked five shots or more in 18 games, including a season-high nine against Washington on Nov. 29 and three performances of eight. 

 

He has flirted on several occasions with a triple-double that would include 10 or more points, rebounds and blocks. His current total of 187 blocks is the sixth-highest single-season total in the franchise's history. The Sixers have kept opponents under 100 points in 42 of their 50 games, allowed 90 or fewer in 27 games and 80 or fewer in 11.

 

All this and he was a fan favorite. But despite his great career and potential, the 76ers traded Theo Ratliff  to the Atlanta Hawks along with Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed, and Juan "Pepe" Sanchez for Dikembe Mutombo and Roshown McLeod on 02/22/01.

 

It's tough because I have watched Theo come in as an afterthought and then blossom to an All-Star. It hurts to no longer have Theo Ratliff in a 76ers uniform.

Theo Ratliff played more than 3 Seasons for the 76ers
 S I X E R S   A V E R A G E S  REBOUNDS
YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DFF TOT APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
97-98 Phi 58 55 32.1 .512 -- .706 3.00 4.30 7.30 0.7 0.66 3.50 1.41 3.6 11.2
98-99 Phi 50 50 32.5 .470 -- .725 2.8 5.4 8.1 0.6 0.90 2.98 1.8 3.6 11.2
99-00 Phi 57 56 31.5 .503 -- .771 2.5 5.2 7.6 0.6 0.56 3.00 1.9 3.2 11.9
00-01 Phi 50 50 36.0 .499 -- .760 2.5 5.8 8.3 1.2 0.60 3.74 2.52 3.3 12.4
  
 S I X E R S   T O T A L S  REBOUNDS
YEAR TEAM G GS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
97-98 Phi 58 55 1861 249-486 0-0 154-218 175 251 426 42 38 203 82 209 652
98-99 Phi 50 50 1627 197-419 0-0 166-229 139 268 407 30 45 149 92 180 560
99-00 Phi 57 56 1795 247-491 0-0 182-236 140 295 435 36 32 171 108 185 676
00-01 Phi 50 50 1800 228-457 0-0 165-217 125 288 413 58 30 187 126 165 621

1999-2000 SEASON

Ratliff began the season on the injured list because of a stress fracture to his left ankle and played in only nine of the first 34 games, then did not miss a game from Jan. 9 through the end of the season.

He played in 57 games, all but one as a starter, and ranked fourth in the NBA with 3.00 blocked shots per game. He also averaged 11.9 points and 7.6 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game and shot .503 from the field and .771 from the free throw line. He led the team in shotblocking, was second among players in the regular rotation in field goal percentage and ranked third in rebounding and fourth in scoring and free throw percentage.

He blocked at least three shots in 34 of his 57 games, with five or more blocks 13 times and a season-high eight blocks at Orlando on April 9. He also had 13 rebounds and 10 points in that game.

He recorded 18 double-doubles, second-most on the team, twice posting three double-doubles in a row. He tallied a season-high of 25 points at Dallas on Feb. 1 and matched that figure in his next game, at Houston on Feb 3. He grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds twice, against Orlando on Jan. 14 and against Boston on March 24.

Ratliff started all 10 playoff games and averaged 13.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.00 blocks in 37.4 minutes per game, shooting .475 from the field and .723 from the free throw line. He had 26 points and nine rebounds in Game 5 of the Conference Finals at Indiana on May 15 and 10 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in Game 3 of the First Round against Charlotte on April 28.

1998-99 SEASON

Ratliff posted career-highs in scoring and rebounding and ranked third in the NBA in shotblocking, starting all 50 games for the 76ers, the only player to do so. He averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.98 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game, shooting .470 from the field and .725 from the free throw line. 

He led the team in rebounding (20th in the NBA) and shotblocking and was third on the club in scoring. He set a franchise record with at least one block in 68 consecutive games dating back to the 1997-98 season, a streak that came to an end at Washington on March 1, when he played only 23 minutes. 

He led the team in blocks in 40 of the 50 games and rejected a career-high nine shots at Vancouver on March 24. He scored a season-high 21 points, with 13 rebounds, against Milwaukee on February 16, and took down a season-high 15 rebounds, with 15 points, against Indiana on April 16. 

He scored in double figures 29 times and grabbed at least 10 rebounds 16 times, producing 11 double-doubles. Ratliff averaged 7.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and a team-high 2.57 blocks in 29.1 points per game in his seven playoff outings. He ranked third on the team in rebounding and sixth in scoring.

1997-98 SEASON

Seeing nearly twice as much playing time as in either of his first two seasons, Ratliff emerged as a premier NBA shotblocker in his third season, ranking fourth in the NBA with 3.15 blocks per game. He also averaged career-highs of 9.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. 

He began the season with Detroit and played in 24 games, making 12 starts and averaging 6.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.29 blocks in 24.4 minutes per game. On December 18 he was obtained by the Philadelphia 76ers, along with Aaron McKie and a first-round pick, for Jerry Stackhouse, Eric Montross and a second-round choice. 

Ratliff provided a much-needed defensive presence in the middle for the Sixers, playing in 58 games, 55 of them as a starter. With Philadelphia he averaged 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and a whopping 3.50 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game. 

His field goal percentage of .513 was tops on the Sixers. Twice in a span of 15 days Ratliff rejected a career-high eight shots-at the Lakers on January 4 and against Sacramento on January 19, both while with Philadelphia. 

He blocked at least one shot in a league-high 55 consecutive games with the Sixers and blocked at least three shots in 51 games. 

Ratliff scored in double figures 45 times, tallying a season-high 27 points for Philadelphia at Boston on March 22. He hauled down a season-high 14 rebounds for the Sixers against Atlanta on March 13.