The Forgotten Dallas Mavericks: Roy Tarpley

Unlike Brad Davis, many of those who remember Roy Tarpley would probably be glad to forget the heartache he caused the team during his tenure with the Mavs. Still, many do not remember just how good the late Tarpley was for the Mavs during those few years.

Let’s start off by addressing the bracket. Roy Tarpley was a 7-seed in the Dallas Mavericks Fan Favorite Bracket that we have been working through over the past week. He was upset in the first round by 10-seed, Marquis Daniels. Part of the reason why is undoubtedly voters not knowing who Roy Tarpley was.

And the other reason why is because of the voters who know exactly who he was.

In Dallas Mavericks history, there are very few players who were more athletically gifted than Tarpley. Roy was drafted by the Mavs 7th overall in the 1986 NBA Draft. At 6’11”, Tarpley was the leading rebounder for three of the four seasons he was with the team.

During his time with the Dallas Mavericks, Roy Tarpley was an animal. His NBA averages were 12.6 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, as well as shooting 48.3% from the field. He was part of the All-Rookie first team in 1987 and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the year in 1988. He is one of three Mavs who have won the award (Antawn Jamison and Jason Terry).

Unfortunately, Tarpley played games in only six seasons for the Mavs, two of which he played in less than 20 games each. He was a key part of the 1988 playoffs in which Dallas made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, pushing the LA Lakers to a 7-game series before being eliminated. Aside from those playoffs, Tarpley had limited impact in the postseason.

Now, lets talk about the bad side of Tarpley.

After four really good seasons with the Mavericks, Tarpley was arrested for a DUI and resisting arrest only a few games into the 1990-91 season. He was suspended by the team at that time and, over the next few months, accrued a few more violations, leading the NBA to ban him from the league indefinitely.

In 1994, Tarpley made a short comeback, playing in 55 games and averaging 12.6 points per game during that stretch. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as Tarpley violated the terms of a court-mandated personal aftercare program and subsequently received a lifetime ban from the NBA.

So yeah, there is plenty of reason to dislike Tarpley, but you cannot deny his skill.

Next: The Forgotten Dallas Mavericks: Brad Davis

Tarpley passed away in 2015 at the age of 50 due to liver failure. Although he fell from grace early in his career, there is no doubt that he was a force to be reckoned with in the few years he had on the court.