Caldwell Jones…R.I.P. From Pippen Ain’t Easy!

Former Chicago Bulls  center and power forward, Caldwell Jones who played with a rookie named Michael Jordan way back in 1984, passed recently last weekend. Mr. Jones suffered a heart attack while at a driving range Sunday in Stockbridge Ga. He was 64 years old.

I remember him best playing for the Philadelphia 76ers when he played in three NBA Finals. He was the defensive star playing alongside Julius Erving, Darryl Dawkins, World B. Free and  George McGinnis. As a Sixer, Jones made the All NBA defensive  team twice. His teams lost however in all three Finals series they were in. One was the miracle upset losing in six games to Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers after being up 2-0 in the series. The other two were losses in six  games to the Los Angeles Lakers led by Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson.

In his 17 year career that spanned tenures in the ABA and NBA, Jones was known for two things. One, he was known for his shot blocking ability. He blocked more than 2,200 in his career. Two, he was known as being part of the Jones clan with his three brothers Charles, Major and Wilbert who also played in the NBA. It got to the point that you could be confused which brother was which.

What made Caldwell Jones so special was that he was a professional basketball player. I know what some of you are thinking…”It’s the NBA everyone is a professional basketball player.”

No they’re not.

After Philadelphia traded Caldwell Jones to the Houston Rockets in a deal that brought in Moses Malone which netted the Sixers their NBA title in 1983, Jones became a mentor for prized rookies in the NBA.

First he started out mentoring Ralph Sampson during his rookie campaign.

Then the Chicago Bulls came calling.

The Bulls were a woefully underachieving team that finished below .500 six of the last seven seasons. They had just drafted Michael Jordan and were looking for high character, team first players to surround him. Ay that time the team was loaded with players that shot first, second third and passed the ball only after timeouts.

So Rod Thorn, who was the general manager at the time traded shooting guard Mitchell Wiggins  and a second round pick to Houston for Caldwell Jones. Considering that Wiggins got into drugs heavy a few years later that derailed Twin Tower championship dreams, it seemed now like it was a good move for the Chicago Bulls.

It goes unlooked that Caldwell Jones was a positive influence on Jordan who was coming to a team that was full of players with personal and substance abuse issues that struggled to even get to 30 wins the prior two seasons. He knew how to win and what it took to do so. He was part of the culture change that was the first step in the right direction for the Bulls.

Check out what Rod Thorn said in an interview on Monday…

"“Really low-key guy…Never a problem. A guy who never was involved in any drama, who came and played, just went about his business, a guy who was always about the team. The kind of player we wanted to have with Michael.”"

His professionalism was not lost on his teammates that year either…

"“Caldwell was the kind of teammate who always tried to do what was asked of him, whatever he could do to help the team.” said Sidney Green, a teammate on that 84-85 team and currently a Bulls ambassador. “He brought the experience of being in winning situations. But the lesson I learned most from Caldwell was being positive. Not to be negative, to support the team.”“Caldwell always said you play the season for all you can and once it’s over whether you win the title or no, all he wanted to do was go back home, do some fishing, spend some time with his family, go back to his hometown,” said Green. “That’s the kind of man he was.”"

Understand that Caldwell Jones made this type of impact on the Chicago Bulls franchise  in only one year. Unfortunately Jones missed two months with a broken hand and was released at the end of that season.

Jones was widely respected around the league as a player and a man on and off the court. This is how much he was respected by the 76ers and what he contributed to the franchise…

After Moses Malone led the 76ers to a championship in 1983, Billy Cunningham, the coach offered Jones his own championship ring. Caldwell Jones turned him down.

Caldwell being Caldwell.

Caldwell Jones is survived by his wife, the former Ms Vanessa Dorton. In addition he is survived by five brothers, Clint, Oliver, Charles, Wilbert and Major; and five daughters, Tanasha Polk, Leah, Jasmine, Zori, Maya and Leah Jones.

From the staff of Pippen Ain’t Easy to the Jones family, we extend all of our prayers to you and celebrate on of the unsung heroes that helped turn a franchise around.

Caldwell Jones R.I.P.

August 4, 1950 — September 21, 2014.