This was Mahoney's most talented team.(Four future pros) He could never figure out which 5 fit best and team had disappointing season.
The problem with that team is that they weren't a team. Just a collection of all
stars meant to ooh and ahh at Lopez' presence. Lopez' getting his ass kicked all over the court in the BE was too much to overcome because the league had already figured how to stop him. It was really too easy.
After him, Hamilton was learning on the job. He was talented, but raw on defense, and unaware the rest of the time. But he was talented enough to get his own shot. Minlend did a lot of the dirty work. As did Rowan Barrett, but the older guys for the most part like James Scott and Derek Brown, resented the freshman, and a division formed immediately.
The season might have turned out differently if the freshman came off the bench, and earned their playing time by contributing off the bench. But patience was thin after such a poor second year under Mahoney. So, Mahoney began with Lopez and Hamilton in the starting line up. Mo Brown couldn't run the point. Turner wasn't ready either. That left Lee Green and Derek Brown.
It bombed miserably. The entire season was wasted.