Thoughts on Bill Russell, Kobe Bryant, and the different paths to immortality
Dec 082012
Oct 232012
After 14 illustrious seasons with the Boston Celtics, it is safe to say that Paul Pierce is forever enshrined in franchise history. With the likes of Larry Bird, Bill Russell and John Havlicek having come before him, Pierce’s name is amongst the franchise’s all-time greats.
To cement his legacy as one of the legends, however, Pierce must retire as a member of the Boston Celtics.
With an NBA championship, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP award, 10 All-Star Game appearances and five All-NBA selections, let’s just call this what it is: a Hall of Fame worthy career. Due to the franchise he plays for, however, there is more to it than said feats.
There is an aspect of loyalty that no other franchise values quite as much as the Celtics do.
This creates a dangerous situation for Pierce, who enters his 15th year in the league. Despite having spent his entire career with the C’s, there is a possibility that this year will be his last with the team.
Pierce has a player option at the end of this season and would become an unrestricted free agent in 2014.
For those who believe that it is a given that the former Kansas Jayhawk will be a Celtic for life, slow down and bear witness to a frightening reality. Pierce may actually end up wearing another uniform, despite the rapport he has developed with the Boston franchise.
In an interview with CSN New England, Pierce addressed that possibility. He also revealed that playing elsewhere has crossed his mind.
[Playing elsewhere] really did cross my mind because of the way things went with the trade rumors, the possibility of me being traded, possibility of us rebuilding. It’s like, it was hard not to think about that. Sometimes it wears on your mentally. You don’t know what your future is going to be or what’s your next step.
It would be difficult [to play elsewhere]…I was telling somebody the other day that I was pretty much institutionalized. If I go anywhere else — I couldn’t see it.
Breathe easy, Celtics fans. Pierce will be donning the storied Celtic green for at least one more season. For the sake of his legacy, however, Pierce must extend his tenure in Boston for as long as his body will enable him.
As for why, take a look at history and ask yourself a question.
What do Bill Russell, Larry Bird, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale and Tom Heinsohn have in common? For one, they’re all members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
They also spent the entirety of their career with the Boston Celtics.
For Pierce to find his name in their presence, it is imperative that he honors the Celtic way and remains a member of the franchise throughout the duration of his career. If he opts to sign elsewhere, a tainted legacy could be the result.
Now, there are clearly Celtics greats who have left the franchise.
Bob Cousy and Dave Cowens both came out of retirement to spend a season with new teams. Robert Parish and Tiny Archibald, meanwhile, each played for four total franchises.
Even still, those three players are revered as Celtics legends and are all members of the Hall of Fame.
Due to the loyalty aspect of the Boston franchise, however, there happens to be a different feel about those career-long members. Fortunately for Cowens and Cousy, they basically fall under the label of the greats.
When the Celtics look back on the greatest players in the history of their franchise, loyalty is one of the primary factors in the evaluation process. Although Pierce has been as loyal as any in this era of jumping ship, to depart at any stage of his career could damage his legacy.
Pierce deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest players in franchise history. Where exactly he places on the tiers of legends, however, depends entirely on the decisions he makes in the final years of his illustrious career.
Remain in town and become a legend. Leave and be remembered as just another great.
Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com
Sep 142012
Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell is cited for his gruff exterior as often as he’s noticed for his sense of humor and infectious cackle of a laugh. So when word hit a few weeks ago that the 78-year old Celtics legend underwent a significant and scary heart procedure to replace a valve, it was assumed by many that it would take a while for the 11-time champion to rebound back to full and (relative to Bill, of course) effusive behavior.
Apparently “a while” turned out to be just three weeks. Because Russell, in a revealing interview with NBA Entertainment’s John Hareas , seemed ebullient in nature and downright giddy at the prospects of the 2012-13 NBA season in an interview transcribed on NBA.com on Thursday.
Before getting into his thoughts on the upcoming season, Russell was asked to weigh in on the debate centering around the barroom talk of how the 2012 Team USA Men’s Basketball squad would fare against the 1992 “Dream Team” version of the same outfit.
Here’s Russell’s take :
I have this theory that it’s impossible to play against ghosts — past, present or future. That kind of discussion is that guy, I always thought that it was like playing against ghosts. Past, present and future and I never get into that discussion. You can only play against your contemporaries.
Sep 132012
His condition, he says, is not serious, because he does not drink or smoke, and has lived a very healthy life.
In the ensuing conversation, Russell discusses his health, his charitable efforts, and today’s NBA.
He quickly begins mocking the idea that one could compare players across generations — so no, he won’t pick sides in the Dream Team vs.
Jul 162012
Barring a miracle, LeBron James will not be able to overtake Michael Jordan as the greatest NBA player of all time. What Jordan did for the game of basketball was something any player—present or future—will be hard-pressed to match.
In the words of Magic Johnson: “There’s Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.”
If he can manage to win two or three more MVP awards and five more Finals MVP awards, then maybe it will be reasonable.
But for the sake of argument and the fact that is nearly impossible unless the Miami Heat pull out a three-peat and then some, the more realistic throne for LeBron James is right below Michael Jordan.
He has a lot of work still to do, but at the pace he is going, it is more than possible.
First, let’s qualify who is in the discussion for the No. 2 slot. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons ranks Bill Russell as No. 2 but Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain are the other players oft placed right below MJ.
Statistics are the best place to start because unless you watched Bill Russell play in the ’50s and ’60s, you don’t have a true grasp of how he impacted the game. Looking at the numbers he and other greats put up and awards that he won is the best place to analyze.
Numbers may not give you the entire story considering the different eras of basketball, but they don’t lie.
With that in mind, here is a comparison of the five players (including James) in the running for the No. 2 slot.
|
|
L. James |
M. Johnson |
K. Abdul-Jabbar |
W. Chamberlain |
B. Russell |
|
Points |
27.6 |
19.5 |
24.6 |
30.1 |
15.1 |
|
Rebounds |
7.2 |
7.2 |
11.2 |
22.9 |
22.5 |
|
Assists |
6.9 |
11.2 |
3.5 |
4.4 |
4.3 |
|
Steals |
1.7 |
1.9 |
1.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
FG % |
.483 |
.520 |
.559 |
.540 |
.440 |
|
Blocks |
0.8 |
0.4 |
2.5 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Years played |
9 |
13 |
20 |
14 |
13 |
|
MVP |
3 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
|
Finals MVP |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
N/A |
All statistics are per game unless otherwise noted. All awards are career totals.
Finals MVPs are a greater indicator of personal success on the NBA’s biggest stage, which is why I chose that as opposed to championship wins.
The only player who is at a disadvantage with this measurement is Bill Russell, but he would have won many Finals MVP awards had the award been around when he played.
He was the best player on a team that won 11 championships—and the Finals MVP trophy is named after him.
Looking at the stats, a couple categories jump out immediately: Chamberlain and Russell posted incredible rebounding numbers, Russell shot a relatively low FG percentage and every player except LeBron averaged some type of a double-double over their career.
So what does James have to do to overtake each as the (second) greatest of all time?
With regards to Magic, one or two more of both regular season MVP and Finals MVP would do it. His facilitating ability was second-to-none but even though Magic leads the NBA all-time in assists per game, scoring is a more treasured ability in a basketball player and the greatest player of all time only had 5.3 assists per game.
Looking at Kareem, again the main difference is awards. Although Kareem has a higher field goal percentage, it is a wash because big men shoot a higher percentage (which makes LeBron’s 48 percent even better considering he is a small forward).
If LeBron wins two or three more of both regular season MVP and Finals MVP, then he will have a strong case for being better than Kareem. He will need to play roughly 15 strong seasons and James probably has about a decade left of basketball in him.
And of course, the longer LeBron plays, the better chance he has of accumulating said awards.
Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell are two players that statistics aren’t as satisfactory in a complete comparison of greatness. They played in a different era, and the NBA wasn’t as strong of a league as it has become.
Bill Russell may have won 11 championships in the 60s but he would not have won that many in today’s game.
So how do you compare the three? James currently has the advantage in points and assists but is nowhere near Wilt and Bill in rebounds. Again, I think awards is a good place to turn to because it offers analysis of how the player compares to the league he was in.
Although Bill’s likely Finals MVP awards would blow the field out of the water, his five MVP awards are a good standard for comparison. Like the comparison to Kareem, two or three more of each the MVP award and Finals MVP award would give LeBron a very strong argument for No. 2 G.O.A.T.
As for what LeBron has done for the game, it is already up there with the greatest of all time. Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg said it best: LeBron James is the most gifted player in NBA history.
And as the NBA is a much stronger league, consistent distinction today is worth more as an individual than it was 50 years ago. I firmly believe that LeBron would succeed at least as much as Russell and Chamberlain did in the ’50s and ’60s, and those two big men would have less success in today’s game—particularly Bill Russell, who stands 6’9” tall and played center.
Two or three more of each the MVP award and Finals MVP award in conjunction with sustained excellence in PRA (points, rebounds and assists) would be enough for LeBron to sit next to Jordan.
Read more of my analysis on LeBron James at Bases and Baskets including a comparison of him to Kobe Bryant and expectations for the 2012-13 NBA season.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Jul 112012
When the 2012 NBA offseason officially began, Kevin Garnett was the top priority for the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics came through, inking Garnett to a three-year contract worth $34 million.
That’s three years and over $11 million per season for a 36-year-old power forward. Garnett will be 39 when it’s all said and done, assuming, of course, that he’s on the Celtics through the end of the contract.
Yes, Celtics fans, it’s time to come to terms with some hard facts.
There is a definite chance that the Boston Celtics end up amnestying Garnett before the contract has run its course.
I’m sure there are some Celtic fans that think this is blasphemous to suggest. They are correct in proclaiming Garnett as a cornerstone of the franchise and an extremely valuable member of the team.
Amnestying KG has nothing to do with what he has meant for the team.
If in 2014-15, Garnett is still playing at a high level, odds are general manager Danny Ainge will keep him around.
He’d retire as a Celtic legend. That’s a place occupied by names such as Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Dave Cowens, Sam Jones and Bill Russell, just to name a few.
That’s what we all want to see, but it doesn’t mean things will turn out that way.
At 36 years of age, Garnett could get injured. His skill level could also diminish over the course of the contract.
KG may not be amnestied, but don’t expect the Celtics to hand over the money regardless of the circumstances. It could happen if Garnett becomes a burden on the Celtics for a prolonged period of time.
It’s not something fun to think about, but it’s naive to think otherwise.
Read more Boston Celtics news on BleacherReport.com
Jun 292012
Maybe this article is coming a little bit late, but it’s something that has been on my mind since last week, when the Miami Heat closed out the Oklahoma City Thunder, in Game 5, for the 2012 NBA Championship.
It’s a topic that has been mentioned many times since LeBron James first arrived in Cleveland and possibly even before that: is LeBron the next Michael Jordan?
We, as fans and as people, crave the thought of having the “next big thing” which, in the case of basketball, is to have someone who measures up with the all-time greats in the sport. With the changes occurring according to the way the sport is played, it’s less and less likely that we will see another Wilt Chamberlain or another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
People know that. But another Jordan? Why not?
Kobe Bryant, for all his rings, all his points and all his swagger, still doesn’t seem to measure up to Michael in almost anybody’s mind. While we would definitely still consider him a top-10 all time, we don’t say that he was the next Jordan, nor do we start looking at the new players and ask who the next Kobe will be.
No, we want someone who will truly be, in our minds, just as unstoppable as Jordan was.
This is where LeBron comes in.
During these past playoffs, he showed us something we had seen in flashes before but never quite so sustained or quite so overpowering. He wanted to win so badly, and he did. Nothing that anyone else could do was capable of slowing him down.
People saw that, and now, there has been a resurgence of questions about whether LeBron can keep that up for a few more years, with the hope that in so doing, he will be “the next Jordan.”
I’m not buying it though.
Now, before everyone comes and starts hating on me for bashing LeBron here on the Heat page, just hold on.
I have nothing against LeBron. In fact, he’s one of my favorite players. I rooted for him to win a title throughout the playoffs, especially since my team wasn’t in it to begin with. I love his unselfishness and the way he can control a game in all aspects.
I just don’t think it’s fair to make that LeBron-Jordan comparison anymore, because LeBron is so different from Jordan. His game is different. His personality is different. His goals are different.
He might be just as talented, and possibly more so, than Jordan was. But people need to stop asking if LeBron will be the next Jordan, because the answer is no. He’s not. He’s something different.
Could LeBron ever be considered the best player in history? At this point, it could go either way. But I don’t think championships should be the deciding characteristic. If they are, then Bill Russell and his 11 rings should never be touched.
I’m happy LeBron won a championship. Next step will hopefully be to show everyone that he doesn’t need the Jordan comparisons—just being LeBron James is good enough.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Jun 282012
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a rivalry.
Bill Russell had Wilt Chamberlain. Larry Bird had Magic Johnson. Michael Jordan had… well, nobody really, and now, LeBron James has Kevin Durant.
Make no mistake, there is no bad blood between these two NBA superstars. In fact, James and Durant are good friends and even summer workout partners.
This friendly rivalry is set to shape the future of the NBA. King James and the Durantula, one humbled by poor “The Decision”s, another who has been unassuming and respectful from the moment he was drafted second overall.
So how did the 2012 NBA Finals change the debate between the two? Well, it quieted vehement Durant supporters for now, but they’ll be back—and so will Durant.
There’s no debate that James is the best player in the NBA, right now.
He made sure of that after his masterful playoff performance this year, which took off when he averaged 33.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the Eastern Conference finals against James’ arch nemesis Boston Celtics and culminated when James’ averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the NBA Finals, winning his first NBA championship and simultaneously destroying the monkey on his back.
When you compare the all-around game of James to the all-around game of Durant, the debate isn’t even close. James is far and away the more complete player at this juncture, but keep in mind that LBJ is a savvy veteran now.
At 27 years old, James is four years Durant’s senior. Durant has played five NBA seasons compared to LBJ’s nine seasons. They’re almost like two brothers squaring off, with the older, more experienced sibling coming out on top.
James took his game to a transcendent level this year. It appears as if he “gets it” and finally understands what it takes to win on the biggest stage.
Durant just isn’t quite there yet, and you know what? That’s absolutely fine.
James spent seven years in Cleveland and one in Miami before winning his first title. Oklahoma City Thunder fans are hopeful that Durant won’t take that same career path, but winning a title at just 23 years old would have been an amazing feat.
James, a three-time NBA MVP, and Durant, a three-time NBA scoring champ, are similar in a lot of ways.
In fact, I think that after the regular season, it could have been argued that Durant was a better player than James strictly on the offensive end of the court. However, the NBA Finals stifled that outlook.
While Durant got absolutely hounded by Shane Battier 25-28 feet away from the basket, frustrating Durant into having the quietest 28-point night and 32-point night we may ever see, James was thoroughly dominant.
Durant is without question the more consistent outside shooter, but James knocked down jump shots, attacked the basket, put on a passing clinic, included a deadly post game and even knocked down some threes of his own.
For now, there shouldn’t be an argument. LeBron James is the best player in the game.
Does that mean KD can’t compete with LeBron? Of course not, Durant is probably better suited than most to go toe-to-toe with James moving forward.
As Durant matures and gains more valuable postseason experience, he’ll be a bigger threat to James.
At this point, he just needs to keep working his butt off, add some muscle mass to prevent players like Battier from bullying him and let LeBron have his moment.
A memorable rivalry is unfolding in today’s NBA right before our eyes, and true basketball fans need to appreciate it.
You can follow me on Twitter @benlebo
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Jun 222012
The monkey is off his back and LeBron James is an NBA champion after leading the Miami Heat to a 4-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals.
Despite the burdensome expectations and the constant coverage, LeBron emerged with a ring and one of the best individual performances of all time. We all knew while we were watching him score, rebound, pass and defend that we were watching greatness personified.
So, how does James’ Finals performance stack up?
Over the following 10 slides you’ll find the 10 best performances since the ABA-NBA merger before the 1976-1977 season. The rankings, and much of the information, are taken from John Hollinger’s rankings of the NBA’s greatest Finals performances.
You won’t find Jerry West’s incredible scoring outbursts or Bill Russell’s exploits en route to his 11 rings, but you will find plenty of modern performances. I don’t mean to discount what happened in the past. As a student of NBA history, I have nothing but respect and admiration for the legendary feats of the earlier eras that the NBA had to offer.
However, players then didn’t face the same scrutiny that modern day players have had to deal with thanks to the 24/7 coverage by the media. They wanted to win just as badly, but it was a different time.
Once more, I’m not discounting their exploits.
The purpose of this article isn’t necessarily to rehash over what other players have done, but rather present the past performances as a means of context to better enjoy what LeBron James just did. Even though I disagree with Hollingers’ rankings in many areas, that’s not the focus here.
I’m not interested in debating the placement of performances by players other than LeBron. The only concern is how he stacks up.
Jun 222012
Let’s be honest: The videos produced by Taiwanese viral vid farm Next Media Animation — the NBA-related ones, at least — have kind of fallen off of late.
To some degree, that was to be expected — they can’t all be unquestionable winners like the mind-melting Yao Ming career retrospective or NMA’s explanation of how the NBA wound up locking out its players last summer. But more recent efforts like NMA’s take on Metta World Peace’s suspension for swinging a back-elbow at James Harden and Amar’e Stoudemire’s first-round TKO via fire extinguisher have felt kind of matter-of-fact. “Hey, here is a collection of weird images, buckets of cartoon blood and the occasional setting of a man on fire.” It’s been done, you know? If you’re going to hang your hat on your wackiness, you must continue to push the insanity envelope.
While the studio’s take on the Miami Heat’s five-game NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder likewise fails to really inspire with its zaniness and goofs, it does offer one pretty hilarious image — LeBron James falling short in last year’s NBA Finals matchup with the Dallas Mavericks due, at least in part, to the intercession of Jesus Christ.
You can see it right after the start of the video, and again at around the 32-second mark — James jacks a jumper over a Mavs defender (should’ve attacked the rim, ‘Bron-’Bron!), only to see if rejected by the levitating Son of Man, who swoops in from off-screen to swat the shot. Somewhat disappointingly, the Good Shepherd sends the ball careening toward the stands rather than merely directing it toward one of his teammates — while he is not wearing a jersey, we are left to assume he is a linchpin in Dallas’ defense (sorry, Tyson Chandler) — to start a fast break.
While we already knew Jesus is an accurate shooter and has “infinity rebounding stats,” thanks to an invaluable scouting report from the former Ron Artest , Christ’s approach to shot-blocking would probably irk 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell to no end; it appears that Jesus is a real JaVale McGee type.