Robert Horry = Greatest Role Player Ever

[George O'Brien]

My memory might be a little hazy due to how young I was during the Showtime Lakers era, but I recall Cooper making some big buckets to go along with his superb defense in the mid 1980s. I could be confusing with him Byron Scott though.

I thought Cooper was one of the most underrated guys of his era. He was the Laker's best man defender and their best three point shooter coming in off the bench.

 

[Errntknght]

Confusing Byron Scott and Michael Cooper does indicate a pretty hazy memory. Cooper was like an athletic version of Bruce Bowen, maybe a little less annoying. He even guarded some big players well - like Larry Bird. And like Bowen his half court offense was mostly 3 pointers but he ran out on the break well. Byron on the other hand wasn't noted for his defense, though he wasn't terrible. I don't think Byron was particularly good at the 3 pt shot, but I wouldn't argue if some Laker fan with a long memory insisted he was.

George, I never thought Cooper was greatly underrated - certainly knowledgeable fans appreciated his game and I remember him getting good press.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Confusing Byron Scott and Michael Cooper does indicate a pretty hazy memory.

My memory is hazy on who was hitting a lot of big shots for those Laker teams, not the differences between the two players. I recognize the difference between a versatile swingman like Cooper and a pure scorer like Scott.