Dunk History: A healthy Bill Walton meets Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the summit

I never saw Bill Walton play in person. If healthy for more than 10 seasons, would he be considered the best center of all time?

 

Probably not, but if his healthy prime had been 10 seasons, he'd probably be in the next tier after Chamberlain, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Olajuwon, with a chance at being in that tier.

 

He would in my mind. He was number one on Defense and pretty good on offense individually. He was the best at making a team click like a clock and just knew how to play the game of basketball.

The only guy I ever saw do it better was Sabas but he didn't have the team or the coach to make it work. You got to see just a touch of what he had his last year here with Mo Cheeks coaching.
Damn he was good! I saw him fairly early in Europe an there the thought came to me that I was watching the best Center I have ever seen. I watched all his games in the Seoul Olympic games. Geez, sometime he just would hold a clinic with guys cutting off him and him back passing to the other guy. We waisted him here for the most of his time.

 

Those guys where all good for sure, Chamberlain and Olajuwon and Jabbar where the best on Offense in the history of the game. Russell was Defender that set the standard for excellence..
Walton was right there with Russell and good enough as an individual offensive player.
He stood alone in the ability to run the team. Put the ball in Bills hands and start the modified Princeton, good stuff is going to happen.

 

Walton would have been the greatest ever. He was as great a defender as Russell. Chamberlain didn't focus on defense.

Abdul-Jabbar was great at both offense and defense. Nowadays they write only about his sky-hook, but that was only like 10% of his total game, which was more defense than offense. Jabbar was narrow and easily pushed around. The defender just put hands on Jabbar's narrow waist and rotated him as he shot. Jabbar compensated by counter-rotating his long arms in mid-air, and usually made the shot.

But Walton had a wide waist and couldn't be manhandled like that. He could have averaged 30 ppg like Kareem and Wilt, but was unselfish with the ball, preferring to make others look good. So he praised Lucas, Ramsay, Steele, Twardzik, everyone except Wilkens and especially Princeton Republican Petrie, who would cast off 25-footers after Walton had worked hard to get inside position to score. The team got rid of Petrie and Wilkens to mold the system around Walton.

The best part of Walton was his strong spirit, still visible now. Compare his personality to Russell, Jabbar, and Chamberlain. Walton was an amazingly strong leader and they were comparative followers. He dragged Ramsay, Lucas, and the rest into what were by far the best seasons of their careers. Sabonis? You compare that quiet non-leader to the ferocious spirit of Walton?

 

Have you heard of the rare charismatic, inspirational general for whom the troops say, "Lead me into battle, SIR!!" Chamberlain, Russell, Jabbar, Olajuwon...just didn't have that "It" factor. They didn't have it.

To those who came along later, and have only stats to evaluate Walton: Notice how enraptured by Walton are Marazul, maxiep, I, and OldManGrouch (I think in another thread)? You had to see him play (on TV or in person). He had iconic signature moves never since duplicated (like his outlet pass). His body bent fluidly--he was no stiff--like a great 6-5 guard. He was The Boss and all his teammates knew it as he yelled at them when they erred. If you combine Rasheed Wallace with Akeem Olajuwon, insert John Wooden's calm intellectualism and Michael Jordan's ferocious killer will to win, you have Bill Walton.

 

Yes, it was refreshing how much calm intellectualism he brought as a TV analyst.

I'm kidding, I'm sure Walton was a smart guy. His mouth tended to run away with him while talking during basketball games, though.

I'd actually probably choose Olajuwon as the best center of all-time, amazing offensive player, arguably the greatest defensive player in history, very smart guy. But there are other good choices.

 

Have to disagree. "IF" healthy, both Walton and Sabonis were easily in that group.

And Oden (ducks...LOL).

 

I actually agree with you on Oden (assuming you were serious), because he was already a great defensive player and rebounder, and an efficient offensive player, other than the turnovers, with the tools to be excellent with some further development. It's pretty interesting how many very talented centers have come through Portland but unable to fulfill their destiny as long-term amazing centers in Portland (though in Sabonis' case, it's just because he got to Portland too late in his career).

 

WTF? Oden? In this conversation!

I remember Bill Russell putting a quarter on top of the backboard in Gill Colosseum rather than submit to a vertical jump measurement. Then ask if there was anyone there that could go get it. If Oden had been there,
I suspect he sure would have tried. But I fear he would have torn down the backboard, missed the quarter and would need help finding it, if he didn't break an appendage in the process.

 

Yeah, Oden was really talented and displayed it in the brief time he had before injuries essentially ended the competitive phase of his career.

I have no problem inserting Oden into "what if?" discussions, which is what this is...what if Walton had had a healthy prime. I think the same about Oden. Obviously, in the real world, Walton still occupies a major place in NBA history while Oden does not (outside of the ill fatedness of that draft for Portland).

 

Did you ever see Bill Russell or Walton play?