forums

OT: Bill Russell still the GOAT

305to954 said:
I always bring him up first only because I disqualify bigs when it come to GOAT discussion only because imo wings effect the game more and bigs are dependent on good to great guard play at any level of b-ball
(why wilt never won more) But he still lands in my top 5 no question...but a name by uncle put me on, the genesis of mj, Kobe and Lebron..Oscar Robinson. All the old heads swear by him
Click to expand...

Big O was Russell Westbrook b4 Russell Westbrook, but actually have a ring to back up his claim to greatest combo guard.
 
Advertisement
giphy.gif
 
Larry Bird is the GOAT .If you look at how he improved the teams he was on Indiana State - NCAA finals , Celtics from bottom dwellers to NBA champs in 2 years. Next comes a tie for Michael and Kareem .
Bill Russel was a great fundamental defender was was very intelligent but he wouldnt dominate today. Larry Bird would, Micheal would and so would Magic Johnson.
 
TerragonSix said:
You can't knock a guy though just because he played in a different era. Dennis Rodman won multiple rings with his tenacious defense and rebounding titles.

The worm couldn't play in todays era. Doesn't dimminish how good he was, particularly with the Pistons.

BTW, Worm was the one guy I felt that could guard Lebron. If the no charge zone was eliminated and hand checking was allowed; Rodman could guard LBJ from the high post in.
Click to expand...

Greatness is greatness
 
All Bill Russell did was win. He was the greatest winner in team sports history.

He won 2 NC’s at friggin San Francisco.

Then won 11 NBA titles.

he had to deal with Wilt Chamberlin the greatest scorer in NBA history on a yearly basis so no freebies either.
 
Advertisement
TerragonSix said:
If you watch him before he was less focused on partying with the Bulls, you would see a 6'7, 225 lb power forward that could coast to coast, post defend elite big men of the era, and get in guys heads.



Tbh, as a kid, Rodman was the player I wanted to be. So my opinion is biased.

But if Rodman could give a prime, athletic magic era Shaq plenty of trouble, you don't think he could guard Lebron?
Click to expand...
do I think he could guard Labron... fvck yeah he could guard Labron. He would guard him as well as anyone ever has. I have an issues with “the only one” comment. I think on that particular Bulls team alone, there are three guys who wouldn’t only guard him, but would absolutely minimize his impact as much as anyone playing today. Rodman would be amazing. So too would Jordan and Pippen. Both of them would also give him a two way exercise that would make it that much harder for him to do what he does. Labron is a great player. But... There are plenty of great defenders that would have challenged him on the court.
 
Last edited:
305to954 said:
I swear Lebron gets sooooo much disrespect..nobody in history could shutdown Lebron..nobody in history could shutdown Kobe, AI, melo, Jordan, harden etc etc...great offensive players can not be stopped by one defender
Click to expand...
Lol backtrack much... “BTW, Worm was the one guy I felt that could guard Lebron.” Your quote.
You didn’t say shut down, you said guard. We agree on the shut down part. Especially with today’s soft shoulder rules that lend themselves to scoring and player longevity. On that bulls team alone, Michael, Scotty and the worm would “guard” Labron as well as anyone ever has.
 
305to954 said:
I swear Lebron gets sooooo much disrespect..nobody in history could shutdown Lebron..nobody in history could shutdown Kobe, AI, melo, Jordan, harden etc etc...great offensive players can not be stopped by one defender
Click to expand...
Melo? Ha dude is trash
 
Advertisement
Rellyrell said:
I respect Bill, I do, but he’s not even the greatest center of all time. Bill played in the layup era, few NBA teams, and athleticism was considered by how crisp the ball moved.

Give me the most under appreciated player of all time; Mr Abdul-Jabbar. 19x All Star, 6x MVP & NBA champion, 2x NBA scoring champion, 3x NCAA player of the yr & champion.
Click to expand...
Thank you @Rellyrell for stepping in...I didn't feel like being that Guy...Lol....I too respect tf out of Russell...even being a Lifelong Knicks Fan....but Absolutely NO way on earth is Russell GOAT....and certainly not GOAT Center....Kareem and Oljawon would have taken Bill apart....
 
Jordan
Magic
Bird
Gervin
Kareem.....Beat them 4 outta 7.....
(and yes Gervin is on CaneinOrlando's starting 5....completely unstoppable from 12ft in....)..the Iceman was no Joke...Dr J said he's the best he ever played against.
 
caneinorlando said:
Thank you @Rellyrell for stepping in...I didn't feel like being that Guy...Lol....I too respect tf out of Russell...even being a Lifelong Knicks Fan....but Absolutely NO way on earth is Russell GOAT....and certainly not GOAT Center....Kareem and Oljawon would have taken Bill apart....
Click to expand...

If Russell isn’t in your top 5 the list becomes irrelevant imo. He changed the game. He dominated his era. He did everything to win, not to bring attention to himself. Maybe the most unselfish player ever. He was the guy that if he was on your team, you’re going to win. If he was on the other team you were going To lose.

He was arguably the greatest defender, rebounder, shot blocker of all time, as well as the unquestioned greatest team basketball player of all time.

if you want a **** scorer lighting up the board maybe he wasn’t your guy, but at the end of the day if you want to actually own the game he was your guy.
 
gacaneaddict said:
If Russell isn’t in your top 5 the list becomes irrelevant imo. He changed the game. He dominated his era. He did everything to win, not to bring attention to himself. Maybe the most unselfish player ever. He was the guy that if he was on your team, you’re going to win. If he was on the other team you were going To lose.

He was arguably the greatest defender, rebounder, shot blocker of all time, as well as the unquestioned greatest team basketball player of all time.

if you want a **** scorer lighting up the board maybe he wasn’t your guy, but at the end of the day if you want to actually own the game he was your guy.
Click to expand...
Not in my Top 5....
 
Advertisement
Back in the '70's, he did a commercial with a teammate, Ron Watts, who lived near me a few years ago...might still be in the neighborhood (don't really know ...I don't know Ron).



Unfortunately Ron fell on hard times and was living in a long-term rehabilitation facility close by last I heard

http://www.celticslife.com/2011/07/what-****-happened-toron-watts.html?m=1
 
Advertisement
I always saw parallels between Russell in basketball and Ted Hendricks in football. Both dominated to the point they completely changed the way an opponent had to play a game. Ted seemed to just take over the whole side of a game. You just couldn't run your plays to that side of the field.

Whether the best or on a top five, I have no opinion. Don't know enough, haven't seen enough.
 
Go watch what Gervin did to the Lakers in the playoffs in 82....He made Magic and Kareem look foolish....or the 1980 All Star game...
 
People that think some of the old NBA stars couldn't play in today's game are crazy. Wilt was 7'1" and could bench 500. He was also clocked at 10.9 in the 100. Let that sink in. Dude also had the stamina to play 48 minutes a game, unlike the players of today. It is reported his vertical was somewhere between 48 and 54 inches. Again, just think about a dude 7'1" having the vertical of Michael Jordan.

Now, to think Bill Russell couldn't play in today's game when he had to go against Wilt several times a year, and win a good portion of those battles, tells me all I need to know. Great players can play in any era. Back then you had the best of the best on a small handful of teams. Imagine taking all the talent in the NBA and putting it all on 12 teams. It was a different era, alright. A tougher one, where they made rules to stop dominant players, not bend the rules to help the stars shine for ESPN highlight reels.
 
caneinorlando said:
You simply cannot put Russell over Kareem on an All Time starting 5....I don't give af what anyone says....
Click to expand...

Agree. I’ll take it a step further - Russell is probably the most overrated player of all time. He was very good but he’s not even top 4-5 center of all time.
 
Advertisement
Back
Top