Category — Bill Walton

Some of you youngsters might not realize that Dr. Jack Ramsay engineered and coached the Portland Trail Blazers, with a redheaded center name Bill Walton dominating the paint (Memphis Coach Lionel Hollins also was on that club), to the NBA title in 1977 in an upset of Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers.
No NBA announcer possesses the knowledge of Dr. Jack, who is famous for many things in the NBA, trading the greatest of all time, Wilt Chamberlain, being among them. And none is more easy on the ears than the 88-year-old wonder of the game, who apparently has announced his last game due to health reasons.
As much as we like Hubie Brown, he’s no Dr. Jack. No one is. He will be sorely missed for his insight and commentary, particularly on radio, where he was at his best, on the greatest game in the world.
Miami Herald

The Clip Joint is smoking out of the gate. With a strong lineup, and unlike the Lakers, a productive bench, they are off to a 6-2 start and lead the Pacific Division. Led by the pickup of the year, Jamal Crawford, who finished with 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting to beat the Heat Wednesday night, they have instant offense and a significant up-tempo attack.
LeBron went for 30 against the Clippers, but D-Wade, who is hurting again, managed just 6 points on 2 of 10 attempts and ate some leather when Eric Bledsoe rejected a layup.
Five Clippers scored in double figures, including Blake Griffin, who had 20, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks.
It’s early, but we like what we see from 2nd city.

Not sure what’s up with that right hand.
Forty years ago, the Lakers won 33 in a row. It’s 1 of the greatest streaks of all time and another reason why Wilt also was the greatest of all time.
NBA.com

Before Michael Jordan, there was the high-flying David Thompson. Coke and alcohol supposedly led to the grounding of his game, but at the top of it, no player flew higher and few could ball like Thompson. The 6-4 Thompson also was the player who led a North Carolina State team to a surprising national championship in 1974, ending a run of John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins, who happened to have center then named Bill Walton.
Grantland.com

The Memphis basketball legend passed Saturday after fighting health problems for years. He had suffered a series of strokes since 2001. He was only 60.
As a player, Finch, who also coached at Memphis, led the Tigers to the 1973 national championship game, losing to Bill Walton and UCLA.
Memphis Commercial Appeal

See how fast we get things done? That statue we mentioned Jerry West deserved at Staples Center? Done.
In a sometimes moving ceremony, attended by several Laker legends, the “Logo” gets his due with a statue outside the house that Shaq built. Among the star-studded attendees: Jerry and Jeanie Buss; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; Magic Johnson; Bill Russell; Elgin Baylor; Pat Riley; James Worthy; Bill Walton; Shaq; Pau Gasol; David Stern; Mitch Kupchak; and Bill Sharman. Jim Hill served as MC.
For whatever reason, Kobe Bryant couldn’t attend. Shame, shame, shame.

There have been some great stories written and told about Maurice Lucas, the former NBA great who passed Sunday night from bladder cancer at age 58, during the past 24 hours.
Lucas, who played for Al McGuire at Marquette, was a rough-and-tumble power forward who started his pro career in the ABA with the Spirits of St. Louis, who also had another bad ass named Marvin “Bad News” Barnes, and then with the Kentucky Colonels.
Artis Gilmore, who was Lucas’ teammate with the Colonels, surely had some flashbacks yesterday and today about the time Lucas, who was then playing with the Spirits, dropped the 7-2 Gilmore with one punch.
Another great story was in the Oregonian today. It recalled how Lucas, then an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers, watched in amusement as Kevin Garnett barked and barked all night at an intimidated Greg Oden and his Blazer teammates during a loss in Boston one night in 2008. After the game, Lucas told the young Blazers how no player talked that much shit and got away with it during his playing days. “Back then, it was only a $50 fine for punching a guy in the mouth,” Lucas said.
Portland Tribune

Bill Walton tells Jay Paris suicide crossed his mind, but it wasn’t for him. Still, he would have done anything to end the excruciating back pain he experienced more than a year ago. Thank goodness the big redhead, father of Laker forward Luke, has a more positive outlook about life now.
He also believes the Lakers will march to the NBA Finals, not that he’s opinionated about anything. Phil Jackson is the major reason, Walton says.
N.C. Times