Bob Kauffman

Biography

• Picked No. 3 overall in the 1968 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics.

The 6' 8 245-pound New Yorker, had starred at little Guilford and so had plenty of skeptics when he was drafted so highly in 1968, just after Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld. But Kauffman was the real deal. Strong on the boards, a good shooter with range and a solid passer, he only needed a chance to star in the NBA. After both Seattle and Chicago dismissed the young prospect, he join the expansion Buffalo Braves. Naturally strong as well as skilled, Kauffman ended up the team's center. PF was his natural position. For three seasons, Kauffman was the team's NBA All-Star, eventually sliding back to forward with the arrival of Elmore Smith and Bob MacAdoo. When he was traded for Garfield Heard, that was largely the end of both the Braves and Kauffman. No longer getting opportunities to play, Kauffman retired young. Later he briefly coached the Detroit Pistons.

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