Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=Mr. I'm So Rad]No surprise. If given the choice, Phil would also take Shaq over MJ.[/QUOTE]
Until he comes out and says so himself, let's not put words in his mouth or act like we're privy to his thoughts he hasn't divulged.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=Shade8780]The only reason I really think Russell has a case over Kareem is that Bill had such heart and was obsessed with winning. It was almost scary :lol I never really saw that killer instinct in Kareem.[/QUOTE]
True. Bill Russell is easily my favorite big man. He was like a created character in a videogame, if you raised all his stats to 99 on the defensive side, and intangibles.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=tikay0][B][U][COLOR="Green"]Not even close my friend[/COLOR][/U][/B]. The only player that has a case for clear cut 2nd best, and arguably tied with MJ is Kareem.
[B][U][COLOR="DarkGreen"]Bill Russell was like Dwight Howard[/COLOR][/U][/B] with b-ball IQ, much better defender, rebounder, shot blocker, and overall intangibles.
He was Dennis Rodman mixed with Barkley, and a dash of Howard, but better than all 3.[/QUOTE]:coleman:
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=teddytwelvetoes]:coleman:[/QUOTE]
OK, I exaggerated with not even close. You know what I meant with the Dwight Howard comparison. Just imagine Dwight Howard being 100x better, and you got Bill Russell.
P.S. Depending on what mood I'm in, Russell is easily my favorite player of all time.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
Wow did I change your mind about Bill that much?! :lol You changed your avatar to him.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=teddytwelvetoes]:coleman:[/QUOTE]
Howard was the latest in a long line of "next Bill Russells" which has spanned from Nate Thurmond to Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel, but this season should definitively put a permanent moratorium on Howard ever being put in the same sentence as Russell again.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=Shade8780]Wow did I change your mind about Bill that much?! :lol You changed your avatar to him.[/QUOTE]
YES. :D
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
Comment:
[QUOTE]Kobe had a higher ceiling but lower floor than Jordan but Jordan was more consistent, it really is a toss up.
[/QUOTE]
Its funny that this is the compromise Kobe stans have settled for now, but no. I'm sorry, the answer's still no. Not even close.
For the record, Kobe taking more difficult shots only means he wasn't talented enough or smart enough to create better shots. Either way, its not a good thing.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=tikay0]YES. :D[/QUOTE]
:applause:
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=ThaRegul8r]Howard was the latest in a long line of "next Bill Russells" which has spanned from Nate Thurmond to Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel, but this season should definitively put a permanent moratorium on Howard ever being put in the same sentence as Russell again.[/QUOTE]
Howard lacks the intelligence, game, and mentality to even be compared to Russell.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
As a Jordan fan, I have no problem PJax picking Russell over MJ. I rank MJ, KAJ, Bird and Magic over Bill but that's my opinion.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=ThaRegul8r]Howard was the latest in a long line of "next Bill Russells" which has spanned from Nate Thurmond to Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel, but this season should definitively put a permanent moratorium on Howard ever being put in the same sentence as Russell again.[/QUOTE]
Did Walton ever get any 'next Bill Russell' hype? Everything I've read has painted him as a different player than Wilt or Russ, but I feel like it must've been there to some extent.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=tikay0]Howard lacks the intelligence, game, and mentality to even be compared to Russell.[/QUOTE]
True, but that didn't stop people from comparing them anyway. I keep track of this stuff, and there was a lot of talk about Howard possibly being the next Bill Russell, with Matt Guokas famously saying he was better, a statement which seems even more silly now.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
[QUOTE=ThaRegul8r]True, but that didn't stop people from comparing them anyway. I keep track of this stuff, and there was a lot of talk about Howard possibly being the next Bill Russell, with Matt Guokas famously saying he was better, a statement which seems even more silly now.[/QUOTE]
Who do you think is the closest representation of him ATM?
Noah? A super, super, super bootleg version of Russ.
Re: Phil Jackson picks Bill Russell over MJ & basically says MJ or Kobe is a pick 'em
The ring argument on its own is ridiculous. In that case, Phil would pick Sam Jones as his second choice?
HOWEVER, there is a legitimate argument for Russell. Russell's offensive deficiencies are well documented, but it doesn't tell the story. Russell sacrificied his offensive game (for the most part) in favour of doing the things that WON all those championships: defense. He was the one consistent factor in all 11 rings because he modelled his game perfectly for his team mates to succeed. And, ultimately, the weak era argument is quite meaningless because you can only defeat what's in front of you - the ultimate purpose of basketball is to win, and that's exactly what he did. For eleven out of those thirteen seasons.
When he was needed to play offense, he did. I do recall seeing that he had some pretty big offensive games when the situation called for it, but he was a true pioneer of the game.
He focused on the unflashy things and didn't lose sight of what he had to do to bring success. That is an attitude and mindset that might be unparalleled in the history of game.