next »

[SHAQATTACK]

yeah..that poor guy...couldn't play in todays NBA.......

[GreenFaith1819]

It's been discussed on here before, and I tend to agree with poster "Who" (I believe)....Bill Russell could average 10-12 pts, 12-15 rebs, 3-4 blocks and probably 3-4 assists per game in today's NBA.

Not to what his leadership and bball IQ would bring to the table.

TP for the find, CC.

[Celtics17]

It is kind of amusing that so many young people think that athletes of 30,40, and 50 years ago were inferior. I once read that Russell was a top 5 high jumper in the world. The article said that Russ and the top jumper, again in the world, were competing against each other for fun. Both cleared a certain height, I believe it was 6'9" but I am may be off. Anyway, the top jumper wanted to call it a tie but Russ wanted both to try 7 feet. The top jumper in the world missed badly and Russ cleared it but on the way down caught his foot barely on the bar.

Athletic enough to compete in today's NBA? Now, that is funny!

[ram]

Russell qualified for the Olympics as a high jumper but gave up his spot to a friend because he was already going as a basketball player.

Also, both he and Wilt were excellent 440 runners on their college track teams.

Russell was the best winner ever and will never be surpassed by anyone.

[Lord of Mikawa]

A superior athlete, born winner, and model human being. Although some say he is stubborn and hard to deal with, Russell is one of my favorite people of all time. #6forever.

[syfy9]

It's been discussed on here before, and I tend to agree with poster "Who" (I believe)....Bill Russell could average 10-12 pts, 12-15 rebs, 3-4 blocks and probably 3-4 assists per game in today's NBA.

Not to what his leadership and bball IQ would bring to the table.

TP for the find, CC.

I disagree. If Rodman could get 18.7 rpg, I'm sure Russell could easily eclipse that.

[CelticConcourse]

It's been discussed on here before, and I tend to agree with poster "Who" (I believe)....Bill Russell could average 10-12 pts, 12-15 rebs, 3-4 blocks and probably 3-4 assists per game in today's NBA.

Not to what his leadership and bball IQ would bring to the table.

TP for the find, CC.

I disagree. If Rodman could get 18.7 rpg, I'm sure Russell could easily eclipse that.

I can't picture anyone averaging that many rebounds unless they had a realllllllllly good defense.

[syfy9]

It's been discussed on here before, and I tend to agree with poster "Who" (I believe)....Bill Russell could average 10-12 pts, 12-15 rebs, 3-4 blocks and probably 3-4 assists per game in today's NBA.

Not to what his leadership and bball IQ would bring to the table.

TP for the find, CC.

I disagree. If Rodman could get 18.7 rpg, I'm sure Russell could easily eclipse that.

I can't picture anyone averaging that many rebounds unless they had a realllllllllly good defense.

Well I hope it's unanimous that Russell's defense was one of the best of all time, arguably THE best.

[33_Larry Legend_33]

I'm looking forward to watching Russ in "Olympus Has Fallen"... 

(Not sure who might get this...)

How about you tell us so we can all get it.

This:

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2013-01-21/bill-russell-misidentified-morgan-freeman-abc-george-stephanopoulos-inauguration

(I guess I thought this was more common knowledge).

[CelticConcourse]

I'm looking forward to watching Russ in "Olympus Has Fallen"... 

(Not sure who might get this...)

How about you tell us so we can all get it.

This:

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2013-01-21/bill-russell-misidentified-morgan-freeman-abc-george-stephanopoulos-inauguration

(I guess I thought this was more common knowledge).

That was hilarious

[wahz]

It's been discussed on here before, and I tend to agree with poster "Who" (I believe)....Bill Russell could average 10-12 pts, 12-15 rebs, 3-4 blocks and probably 3-4 assists per game in today's NBA.

Not to what his leadership and bball IQ would bring to the table.

TP for the find, CC.

I know you are trying to be complimentary but you are still selling him way short on offense. 10-12 points?? I'd go with 16+, 15+ boards, 3+ blocks, 4+ assists.

He would have so many 20 boards nights against these soft guys. He'd also play 40-48 minutes. If he got tired he wouldn't come out. He would just periodically stay
back on d.

[OsirusCeltics]

It took him 5 dribbles to go full court.....WOW. 

And that rebound...oh my goodness, it makes me really wish I could've seen him play in real life...


I think that he is the best basketball player of all time.

yup, anyone claiming Jordan's the best hasn't seen Bill's efforts against a league that wasn't watered down and he was winning titles against the man who could arguably be called the second best player ever (Wilt).  Jordan didn't win anything until the previous greats, Bird and Magic, were in decline and he did it in a league with diluted talent.

not saying Jordan wasn't a great player, he was, but he's not in Russell's league.

Jeez Luweeze this is exact verbatim of what I always say to  prove Russell is the GOAT
TP

Russell won 11 titles in a 10 team league
Jordan won 6 titles in a 30 team league. Extremely watered down the talent in the 90s

Look at those teams Jordan faced in the Finals. (Lakers, Jazz, Suns, Blazers, Sonics) Were any of those runner-up  teams be considered an all time team if they had won? No way

[Moranis]

It took him 5 dribbles to go full court.....WOW. 

And that rebound...oh my goodness, it makes me really wish I could've seen him play in real life...


I think that he is the best basketball player of all time.

yup, anyone claiming Jordan's the best hasn't seen Bill's efforts against a league that wasn't watered down and he was winning titles against the man who could arguably be called the second best player ever (Wilt).  Jordan didn't win anything until the previous greats, Bird and Magic, were in decline and he did it in a league with diluted talent.

not saying Jordan wasn't a great player, he was, but he's not in Russell's league.

Jeez Luweeze this is exact verbatim of what I always say to  prove Russell is the GOAT
TP

Russell won 11 titles in a 10 team league
Jordan won 6 titles in a 30 team league. Extremely watered down the talent in the 90s

Look at those teams Jordan faced in the Finals. (Lakers, Jazz, Suns, Blazers, Sonics) Were any of those runner-up  teams be considered an all time team if they had won? No way

Have you seen some of the teams Boston beat during that run.  They all weren't against the best.  I mean the first title Boston beat a team that was 34-38 and had to win two tiebreakers just to make the playoffs and sure the Hawks had Petit, but that team was far from an all time great team.  They added some players and got more experienced and then beat Boston the next year, but again far from an all time great team.  After that Boston beat the Minneapolis Lakers, which was Elgin Baylor and a bunch of scrubs.  Then the Hawks two more times (much better teams than the first time, but far from all time greats). Then the Lakers twice with a very young West added to Baylor and a bunch of scrubs, but far from an all time great team.  By 63-64 they finally faced a Wilt led team, but that Warriors team was Wilt and a very young Nate Thurmond and not much else, again not an all time great team.  Lakers again, but still just Baylor and West and no one else.  Now the 65-66 Lakers team added Goodrich, but he missed 3 games in the playoffs and was a 22 year old rookie.  That was not an all time great team.  C's lost in 66-67 before reaching the finals to the Sixers team that is one of the best teams ever.  Beat the Lakers again in 67-68 but again just the 3 wings and Baylor was pretty old by then.  That was also a team that won just 52 games, so wasn't anywhere near an all time great team and the Sixers team that Boston beat in 7 in the east lost Cunningham in the playoffs (just 3 games played) so was essentially just Wilt and Greer and a bunch of scrubs.  68-69 was the only time Boston won a title against a team that could have potentially gone down as one of the all time greats had they won.  That was the year the Lakers still had Baylor and West and added Wilt (though didn't have Goodrich). 

[Moranis]

And people need to stop with this nonsense that the league was watered down and it wasn't back in the old days.  I mean have people actually looked at some of the teams from the 67-68 season.

The San Diego Rockets may be one of the worst teams ever from that year.  http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SDR/1968.html

How about the Seattle Supersonics http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1968.html

How about this 29 win team that actually made the playoffs that year http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1968.html

Or the Baltimore Bullets http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BAL/1968.html

In other words 4 of the 12 teams that year were just down right awful.  The Royals, Warriors, and Pistons had some good players, but had an awful lot of scrubs as well.  Now granted that was the first year of the ABA, but there wasn't much difference the prior year when there were 10 teams as the Bullets weer horrid in 66-67 and the Bulls and Pistons weren't much better (so 3 of 10 that weren't exactly stellar teams).  The reality is there will always be great teams and there will always be awful teams.  It is just the nature of sport.

[Donoghus]

And people need to stop with this nonsense that the league was watered down and it wasn't back in the old days.  I mean have people actually looked at some of the teams from the 67-68 season.

The San Diego Rockets may be one of the worst teams ever from that year.  http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SDR/1968.html

How about the Seattle Supersonics http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1968.html

How about this 29 win team that actually made the playoffs that year http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/1968.html

Or the Baltimore Bullets http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BAL/1968.html

In other words 4 of the 12 teams that year were just down right awful.  The Royals, Warriors, and Pistons had some good players, but had an awful lot of scrubs as well.  Now granted that was the first year of the ABA, but there wasn't much difference the prior year when there were 10 teams as the Bullets weer horrid in 66-67 and the Bulls and Pistons weren't much better (so 3 of 10 that weren't exactly stellar teams).  The reality is there will always be great teams and there will always be awful teams.  It is just the nature of sport.

Who cares?

I don't think it diminishess anything Russell & the Celtics accomplished during that time period.