In the spring of 1973, the nation's most-discussed basketball player might have been Ernie DiGregorio.
The 6-foot guard from Providence College was in the midst of having a magical senior season. A classic gym rat, DiGregorio seemed like the type of college player who would dribble a basketball to class. After all, he always seemed to have the ball when Providence played. DiGregorio was a positively brilliant passer, particularly on the open court. When necessary, he could hit the open jumper. DiGregorio was a step slow and not known for his enthusiasm on defense, but his other skills compensated for that.
Providence coach Dave Gavitt took a look at his team, that also included two other future pros in Marvin Barnes and shooting guard Kevin Stacom. Gavitt called DiGregorio into his office and told Ernie that he'd be in charge of the basketball that season.
"That was a heck of a thing for a coach to do," DiGregorio said later. "We didn't call a set play all year. We never came down the floor and yelled out 'one' or 'two' or 'three.' We just played."
Providence went all the way to the NCAA Final Four that season, but lost Barnes to an injury along the way and was eliminated despite DiGregorio's efforts. After UCLA claimed the national title, DiGregorio went on to play for the United States in an exhibition game against the Soviet Union. He was brilliant. The image of DiGregorio dribbling out the final seconds of a win in Madison Square Garden brought up images of Globetrotter Curly Neal running circles around the Washington Generals.
Every step of the way that year, DiGregorio's asking price to join a pro team was rising -- particularly for one that needed a gate attraction and a point guard. Would it be too much for the Braves, a team that fit that description, to ask for DiGregorio to slip down to third in the NBA draft?
No. Philadelphia, coming off the worst season in NBA history, had the first pick and opted for Doug Collins, a tall, quick guard who was the best player available. Cleveland opted for size in forward Jim Brewer. Buffalo went third and took DiGregorio. The next issue was signing him.
"That was when the ABA was going strong," said Bob Powell of the Courier-Express. "I think it was Kentucky -- John Y. Brown was negotiating for him. Ernie was hot at the time, and he was in the driver's seat. He let John Y. and Paul Snyder bid.
Two million, 300-thousand dollars or so later, DiGregorio was a Brave.
A guard like DiGregorio required a certain type of mindset and supporting cast. For the rookie to be effective, the Braves had to run and shoot. General manager Eddie Donovan, who really hadn't done much manuevering in his first three years in the job, finally sprung into action.
The Los Angeles Lakers had just lost Wilt Chamberlain to retirement, leaving a gigantic opening at center. So they gulped and traded one of their best young players, small forward Jim McMillian, to the Braves for Elmore Smith. McMillian had played in the league for three years and started for two, averaging 18.9 points per game in 1972-73. McMillian was a purist's delight, a smart player who was always in the right position and scored his points quietly but often. McMillian was a good match for two of the other small forwards in the Braves' division, Boston's John Havlicek and New York's Bill Bradley.
