How good was Bill Walton?

 
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madsen35
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:45 pm    Post subject: How good was Bill Walton?

I found Bill Walton's biography at the library and just got done reading it. I'm only in my 20's so I never got to see him play.

Just how good was he? When he was healthy, could he compete with Jabbar? Was he really that big of an impact on the Celtics?

He seems like an intriguing player. Seems like he could do a little of everything.
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MJST
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 10:08 pm    Post subject:

One of the greatest of all time. Had he remained healthy he could have been even greater,
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 11:09 pm    Post subject:

A recent thread on the Senior Walton

http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=174210
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 10:22 am    Post subject:

Great college player. Great outlet passer to start break. Could rebound and go coast to coast. Played above the rim. In the pros when healthy, one of the best in the game during his Trailblazer years.

Personality the same all through life.
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Omar Little
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:52 pm    Post subject:

Top 5 center of all time when healthy.
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 2:28 pm    Post subject:

Better than any center in the league today
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frijolero01
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 2:59 pm    Post subject:

One of the greatest players in the history of western civilization.
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Wilkes52
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 4:06 pm    Post subject:

frijolero01 wrote:
One of the greatest players in the history of western civilization.


Oh yes, and nice to see it framed in the words of the master himself.
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MIZ83
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 10:27 am    Post subject:

Wilkes52 wrote:
frijolero01 wrote:
One of the greatest players in the history of western civilization.


Oh yes, and nice to see it framed in the words of the master himself.


And unlike the playful and humorous hyperbole Walton uses, Walton actually was one of the greatest players in the history of western civilization. It is a shame we didn't get to see a healthy career from him, but that Blazers championship showed what a brilliant center he was.

To the OP's question, "Could he compete with Jabbar?" the answer is "yes." They played differently, and I always thought Jabbar was a little better. The real answer would have been answered in their teams' results if Walton had stayed healthy. Walton was more integrated into an offensive system, whereas Jabber was an unstoppable force and clutch, too. Jabbar would have better stats, but Walton's impact was obvious. He made players around him better.

As it turned out, obviously, a reasonable argument can be made the Jabbar is the GOAT, although I don't know how one can really compare players of different eras. The game changes.
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Wilkes52
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 7:31 pm    Post subject:

I think John Wooden's assessment (from "They Call Me Coach") of the two players (Abdul-Jabbar, Walton) was pretty spot-on. Essentially, CJW said that they may have been college basketball's two greatest centers.

He opined that Kareem was the more devastating of the two men in certain ways. Cap could dominate the game in ways that were more difficult to deal with as an opposing coach or player. Kareem (Lewis, as Coach actually wrote at the time) was as intimidating a figure to guard or compete against as ever existed. He was almost always healthy and he made very few mistakes. He kept emotions in check, something Wooden liked a great deal.

He wrote that Walton was the most complete player to have played the center position (as of 1999). He though that Walton could play high and low post equally well, and he could shoot and dribble with either hand. He could run the floor with guards and forwards, and he defended in either man and zone coverage equally well. He called out defensive assignments on switches, on cutters, and on ball penetration. He passed better than Kareem, probably as well as any big man ever, and he specialized in the fast outlet pass to a breaking team mate. Walton was the more enthusiastic player day in and out, which Wooden enjoyed. He also he said he's not saying Walton was a better player than Kareem, only that the two men were different.

"It would be hard to argue that Kareem wasn't the greatest college player of all-time. Perhaps that makes him the greatest center too. I don't like putting one ahead of the other."
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Dylandogg
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:50 pm    Post subject:

Chick was once asked, "who is the greatest center of all time, Wilt or Kareem". Chick replied, "Hey, I might say Walton".

Chick of course did not pick Walton, but he said it was because of all the injuries.
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Tark the Shark
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:51 pm    Post subject:

Walton and Sabonis get left out of the top 5 centers conversation at times but they are two of the best ever. Walton was done in by injuries, and by the time Sabonis came over, he was on the wrong side of 30 with bad knees.
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Nightwalker
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:45 am    Post subject:

Walton is one of the greatest players in the history he could of been much great historically if it wasn't for injuries cut his career short.
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pio2u
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:31 am    Post subject:

One of the greatest college players of all-time.

Great NBA player until injuries set in. Bill could score, pass, rebound and was a pretty good defender.

Off the court he was/is a larger than life figure. Very social conscious, intelligent & witty.
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70sdude
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:08 pm    Post subject:

Bill Walton was terrific, healthy. So versatile. If he'd been able to stay healthy, wow, he'd been in the conversation for best center ever. I think Jim Murray said it best:

"... he was as skilled as any center ever, but he played on your grandmother's feet."

In terms of playing head to head against Kareem, Walton himself admitted that Kareem usually bested him - and beat his teams. He's called KAJ the greatest center of the modern game, reserving the higher praise - greatest center ever - for Bill Russell.

Here's a short clip with images of Bill playing and comments about Walton's college playing days, from HBO's "The UCLA Dynasty":

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jodeke
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:45 pm    Post subject:

Walton was a child of the hippy generation. He was rebellious. got arrested in a anti Vietnam protest. Wooden had to bail him out.

Coach Wooden was going to put him off the team if he didn't get it together. He had long hair. Wooden told him to get it cut or fuggedaboutit. Walton stormed out but came back with a hair cut.

I think he credits John Wooden for his maturing and success. If you have a conversation with him and he doesn't quote Wooden it would be odd.

Off the top of my head I don't think he lost a game in college. Again off the top of my head, I think he won 3 straight national championships.

I could research to be sure but I'm too lazy.

When the Blazers won the championship in 77 against Philly it was like a layup drill. He was one of if not the best passing C I've ever seen.
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activeverb
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 3:15 pm    Post subject:

jodeke wrote:
Walton was a child of the hippy generation. He was rebellious. got arrested in a anti Vietnam protest. Wooden had to bail him out.

Coach Wooden was going to put him off the team if he didn't get it together. He had long hair. Wooden told him to get it cut or fuggedaboutit. Walton stormed out but came back with a hair cut.

I think he credits John Wooden for his maturing and success. If you have a conversation with him and he doesn't quote Wooden it would be odd.

Off the top of my head I don't think he lost a game in college. Again off the top of my head, I think he won 3 straight national championships.

I could research to be sure but I'm too lazy.

When the Blazers won the championship in 77 against Philly it was like a layup drill. He was one of if not the best passing C I've ever seen.


David Halberstam wrote about this in his great book. Walton was part of a new generation and Wooden had trouble adjusting to it. Yup, Walton cut his hair, but Walton acquiesed to his need to smoke pot after games to wind down -- something Walton regretted. The first two seasons Walton's Bruins were undefeated. In his third season, they did not win the championship game. A key passage from the book:


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