5. Alex English — 1990–1991 season
For 11 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Alex English became one of the most skilled pure scorers from the 1980s. He averaged 25.9 points per game in Denver and earned eight All-Star selections. Even in a stacked Western Conference, English was up there with other prominent scorers as a superstar in the league.
Following the 1989–1990 season, both sides moved on. English came off a 17.9 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting season, so it had seemed like only a matter of time before a team signed him.
And that team turned out to be the Mavericks. They signed English with the hopes that he could replace Sam Perkins’ scoring production, who left Dallas to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Over the first half of the season, English played as if he had just picked off from where he left off in Denver. While the volume of shots drastically fell, he averaged a modest 11.0 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting before the All-Star break. He had vintage performances here and there, such as his season-high 27-point showing against the New Jersey Nets in an overtime win.
But time eventually caught up to the 37-year-old. After earning several starts over the first half of the season, his performances dwindled over the second half and he looked far from his old self. He averaged 7.9 points per game on 41.6 percent shooting following the All-Star break. For a player who could once drop 20-plus with ease, English showed that he was not as prolific as during his prime days.
The Mavericks ended up missing the playoffs, and English retired from the NBA shortly after.
While he did not live up to initial expectations, the future Hall of Famer managed to still be a quality bench scoring option over the season.