Skip to main content

If They Played Today - Bill Russell

Former-Celtics great, Bill Russell, walked around with a chip on his shoulder, but he also played basketball with that same attitude. Russ has mellowed over the years, but the chip remains in place for anyone attempting to knock it off. Could he play - or even be a star these days? Here's my analysis.

Who am I to judge?

I lived down the street from Russell in Reading, Massachusetts during the 1960's and started following the NBA at the same time. Bill's second home in Reading was more upscale and private than his first residence on busy Main Street. A line of cedar trees all-but-shielded the Haverhill Street home from view. It was "Big Bill's" (as Johnny Most called him) play on the court that largely fueled my interest in the Boston Celtics, all the way to his final game, and triumph, when he led his team to its 11th Championship on May 5, 1969 versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

As Jim Murray, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning sports writer of the Los Angeles Times wrote decades ago, “Bill Russell’s skills don’t show in the record book, they show in the scorebook. His is the most extraordinary history of achievement in all of athletics. No one in the whole fabric of athletics dominates his event the way Russell does.”

His size

Russell was supposedly measured at 6' 9.6" in bare feet and probably should have been listed at 6' 10". But he apparently didn't like that idea.

In a 1955 Sports Illustrated it mentioned "gangling 6-foot 9 5/8-inch Bill Russell ("don't call me 6 foot 10, I'm enough of a goon as it is")"

His athleticism


In the above photo, that's Russ jumping over Johnny Mathis, legendary crooner and Bill's friend at USF. Russell was a superb high jumper, and at 220 pounds, he was lightning quick on the basketball court. He could grab a defensive rebound - throw an outlet before he landed - run the court - and be there for the offensive board, if needed.


Defense?

Need you ask? Russell may be the greatest defensive NBA center of all time. He could handle the big brutes (read Wilt Chamberlain) on the interior and the quick, crafty guards like Jerry West on the perimeter. He could switch from his man to take on Oscar Robertson 25-feet from the hoop and switch back to his man underneath without missing a beat. It is noteworthy that he only averaged 2.7 fouls per game in 42.3 minutes of play. He was a phenomenal defender.

Offense?

It needs to be understood that Bill was never a volume scorer. He didn't need to be. He had the likes of Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Willie Naulls and Tom Heinsohn to do that. Admittedly, in today's game he would need more offensive moves under the hoop and at least a reliable mid-range shot, but I firmly believe he could have added those skills if needed. He only averaged 15.1 points.game for his career but passed off for 4.3 assists per contest.

Rebounding?

We can add rebounding as another Russell specialty. he averaged 22.5 rebounds per game for his career, totaling more than 21,000 boards in that span. He took down 51 rebounds in a single game, and he grabbed 49 on two other occasions. Only Wilt Chamberlain competed with Russ for all-time NBA Board Man.

Basketball savvy

All of the above traits don't mean a damn if a basketball player lacks the intelligence and savvy to lead a team to victory. Russ had both in spades. He knew how to win, and he had a passion for winning. He championed the Celtics to 11 titles. That speaks for itself.

Conclusion

"Big Bill" Russell could play - and star - in today's NBA. Size, supreme athleticism, smothering defense, uncanny rebounding, basketball IQ, quickness and the will to win were all there. Russ has never achieved the recognition he earned and deserved, in part due to his outspokenness on racism and his ongoing squabbles with the Boston media. This man revolutionized the game of basketball when a boost in popularity was badly needed. I doubt former-opponent, Jerry West, would argue against Russell replacing his likeness as the NBA's logo. I will conclude with some words from the Boston Herald's John Sapochetti:

With that being said, if Red Sox great Ted Williams can have an entire tunnel named after him, and David Ortiz can have his own bridge and gate at our city’s airport, why can’t we do more for Bill Russell? Personally, I like the sound of Bill Russell International Airport.


Comments

  1. Thanks for publishing such great information. You are doing such a great job. This information is very helpful for everyone. Keep sharing about basketball predictions today. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much.Branded Sports Goods Online

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

 How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo