I know it's been a long while since I posted a profile here, so let me explain. The 2009 playoff bracket got screwed up when I tried editing it on my computer, so I'll have to go to a faster connection to do that bracket. And I thought it was unfair to the people who actually like this page to go on without a full playoff bracket. But today, the profiles are back with a profile of the all-time great power forward of the Washington Bullets and Houston Rockets, Elvin Hayes.

Elvin Hayes was born November 17, 1945 in Rayville, Louisiana. Hayes initially wasn't spectacular at basketball in high school, but eventually he developed into an elite talent in leading Britton High School to a state championship in 1964, averaging 35 PPg during his senior year. He then moved on to the University of Houston, where he and Don Chaney were the school's first ever black basketball players. Hayes averaged 31 PPG and 17.2 RPG over his college career, and led the Cougars to three NCAA tournament appearences and two Final Fours, and he was a central figure in the first-ever nationally televised college basketball game, scoring 39 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in leading Houston to a 71-69 win over UCLA and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to end the Bruins' 47-game winning streak. After graduating, Hayes was chosen first overall in the 1968 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets, and he chose to sign with them instead of the ABA's Houston Mavericks.

Hayes made an immediate impact on the second-year Rockets; Hayes helped San Diego win 22 more games than in their expansion debut, and the 37-45 record was good enough to make the playoffs for the first time. Hayes led the league in scoring (28.4 PPG, 2,327 points), the first rookie to do so since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960, and was fourth in rebounds. Things looked bright for the young team, but the Rockets never returned to the playoffs with Hayes, even as he continued to fill the stat sheet. In 1969-70, Hayes led the NBA in rebounds, and in 1970-71, he averaged 28.7 PPG (a career best) and 16.6 RPG. But the Rockets struggled at the box office, and even a move to Houston in 1971 did little to help. After the 1971-72 season, a disgruntled Hayes was traded to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin and future considerations.

The trade worked brilliantly, as Hayes moved from center to power forward alongside future Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld. Hayes helped the Bullets win the Central Division title in his first season with the team, averaging 21.2 PPG and 14.5 RPG. The following season, after the Bullets moved to Washington D.C. and became the Capital Bullets (they were renamed the season after to the Washington Bullets), Hayes led the NBA in rebounds for the second time  with 18.1 RPG (the average is the third highest in the years since Wilt Chamberlain retired in 1973), leading the Bullets to another division title.

In 1974-75, Hayes helped the Bullets reach their second NBA Finals in team history, averaging 25.5 PPG in the postseason, but the Bullets were swept by the Golden State Warriors in a major upset. Hayes continued to play well the next two seasons, but the Bullets never got past the second round of the playoffs. Finally, in 1977-78, the Bullets broke through, beating the Seattle Supersonics for the NBA title. Hayes averaged 21.8 PPG during those playoffs, and after ten seasons of frustration, he finally had an NBA title.

Though Hayes and the Bullets never repeated as champions (losing the 1979 Finals in a rematch to Seattle), Hayes played well in his final three seasons in Washington; at age 35 in 1980-81, he led the Bullets in scoring (17.8 PPG), rebounding (9.7 RPG), and blocks (171 blocks). After that season, Hayes finished his career where it started, as the Bullets traded him to the Rockets for two second-round draft picks. Hayes played his final three seasons with Houston before retiring after the 1983-84 season. He finished with 27,313 points (21.0 PPG; seventh all-time entering the 2009-10 season) and 16,279 rebounds (12.5 RPG; fourth all-time). He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989, and in 1996, he was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Season-by-Season Statistical Review:
1968-69: 82 GP, 28.4 PPG, 17.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 44.7 FG%, 62.6 FT%
1969-70: 82 GP, 27.5 PPG, 16.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 45.2 FG%, 68.8 FT%
1970-71: 82 GP, 28.7 PPG, 16.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 42.8 FG%, 67.2 FT%
1971-72: 82 GP, 25.2 PPG, 14.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 43.4 FG%, 64.9 FT%
1972-73: 81 GP, 21.2 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 44.4 FG%, 67.1 FT%
1973-74: 81 GP, 21.4 PPG, 18.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 42.3 FG%, 72.1 FT%
1974-75: 82 GP, 23.0 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 44.3 FG%, 76.6 FT%
1975-76: 80 GP, 19.8 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 47.0 FG%, 62.8 FT%
1976-77: 82 GP, 23.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 50.1 FG%, 68.7 FT%
1977-78: 81 GP, 19.7 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 45.1 FG%, 63.4 FT%
1978-79: 82 GP, 21.8 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 48.7 FG%, 65.4 FT%
1979-80: 81 GP, 23.0 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 45.4 FG%, 69.9 FT%
1980-81: 81 GP, 17.8 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 45.1 FG%, 61.7 FT%
1981-82: 82 GP, 82 GS, 16.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 47.2 FG%, 66.4 FT%
1982-83: 81 GP, 43 GS, 12.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 47.6 FG%, 68.3 FT%
1983-84: 81 GP, 4 GS, 5.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 40.6 FG%, 65.2 FT% 

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