NBA: The 25 worst players to ever win Rookie of the Year: 3. Monk Meineke
In 1952 the Fort Wayne Pistons took a forward out of Dayton named Don Meineke; he went by “Monk.” Monk was born in Dayton, he played college basketball in Dayton, and in 2013 he passed away in Dayton. Going to play in Fort Wayne, Indiana was not so far of a drive.
Most of the players on this list won the Rookie of the Year award because they put up huge counting stats in their first season. That was not so for Monk Meineke, who averaged just 10.7 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from the field. He managed to lead the league in personal fouls as a rookie, and he was disqualified 26 times, still the NBA single-season record. Yet he won the Rookie of the Year award. What happened?
No one else stepped up in the fledgling NBA to seize the award. Danny Finn and Dick Groat (what names there were in the prehistoric NBA) averaged more than Meineke, but neither more than 11.9 points per game. Eddie Miller had a similar 10.5 points per game but had a beefy 9.6 rebounds. Jim Baechtoid shot a comparatively scorching 39 percent from the field. Mark Workman had the most lunch-pail name in American history. Zeke Zawoluk got some playing time.
Sorting through the incredible names and mediocre stats, it’s not clear why Meineke won out over his compatriots. The Fort Wayne Pistons did make the postseason that year and won a series before losing in the maximum five games to the Minneapolis Lakers.
As far as career stats, that rookie class doesn’t look any more impressive. Meineke’s five career seasons actually ranks third among the class, with Jack McMahon leading the class with eight years and 524 games. This was an entire class peddling in mediocrity, and Meineke managed to earn the hardware.