Clarence Weatherspoon: He had to REPLACE CHARLES BARKLEY… But did he get a Fair Shot? | FPP

He was one of the greatest players in Metro Conference History, his four year NCAA career at Southern Miss saw the undersized forward dominate his competition by outmuscling and outhustling them. Clarence Weatherspoon was drew a lot of comparisons to the great Charles Barkley, due to their similar stature and play style; so it seemed like fate, but also high pressure when the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Weatherspoon just days after they traded Barkley to the Phoenix Suns. Weatherspoon’s time in Philly was spent on some very bad teams, but in the beginning he was their lone bright spot as they went through a full rebuild. Unfortunately, Weatherspoon went through coaching change after coaching and would be played more at small forward even though he was most effective at power forward. Once the Sixers got guys like Jerry Stackhouse and Allen Iverson, Weatherspoon’s usage saw a big drop, and for the next decade he would be an NBA Journeyman. He had some team success with the Miami Heat and one more good year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but overall, he would never get close to putting up the numbers he did during his first few years in Philly. He was a reliable rebounder and defender, and could give you points if he got opportunities. His decline hit hard later in his career as his weight became an issue and his great athleticism disappeared. But throughout his career “Spoon” was a reliable inside presence, and never complained about his role on the team. He look like an average player, but the expectations for the man nicknamed “Baby Barkley” were high coming into the league, especially with the situation he was placed in, yet as soon as he was playing his best, it seems he was given up on…

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