His foot deadened by a painkilling injection, Walton attempted a comeback in the playoffs against the Seattle SuperSonics. This does not change the fact that, shortly after he won MVP honors, Dream summarily digested him.). Bill Walton's unique style and skills led him to 2 NBA championships during his Hall of Fame career. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. That would be pretty rad, because Orlando Shaq could fuckin move, man: Maintaining that staggering combination of power and quickness would be critical for a modern-day ONeal. He could pass and run the floor, dribble. Neither knew their wingspans then, and they still dont. He left the game with 6,215 points (13.3 ppg), 4,923 rebounds (10.5 rpg), and a .521 shooting percentage in 468 regular-season contests. One of the benefits is his ability to corral and slam home lob passes that are high and might be off target. Foot problems limited Walton to only 35 games as a rookie and a meager 12.8 ppg. Walton inducted himself into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. All rights reserved. Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP , is quick to point out that his length allows him to make up for other areas, including being far leaner than most NBA players. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. Its much more important than your height, Kerr said. I also think Steve Kerr wouldve done horrible, unspeakable things to get someone like Vlade operating in that Andrew Bogut/Anderson Varejao/David West playmaking pivot role as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson run all those split actions, flinging passes all over the place: I dont know. The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. How Tall Is Bill Walton? 1 to play a stretch-5 against him to try to draw him out of the middle and keep him from walling off the paint, or run dozens of pick-and-rolls aimed at getting him switched onto guards and forcing him to defend in space. Oops. Olajuwon had an excellent midrange game, with incredible touch on those turnarounds and fadeaways out of the block, and shot a crisp 50 percent between 16 feet and the arc during the 1998-99 season, his final healthy run before the wheels started to come off. He played without pain for the first time in years, and he seemed happier than ever. Its nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, theyre like, Wed like to measure your wingspan. They dont really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. Once he hit the other side of 30, thoughand once he got with George Karl, Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, and the gang in SeattlePerkins started more aggressively stretching his game out to the perimeter, becoming one of the first full-fledged floor-spacing bigs in the game. Like many other NBA greats, Walton went on to call games on television in 1991. I think hed do just fine now, too. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is nicknamed the "Greek Freak" in part because he stands 6-11 with a 7-3 wingspan and giant hands. Given his love for the spotlight, his polarizing on- and off-court presence, and his sensitivity to blowback, how would a figure as towering as Wilt Chamberlain play in the social media era? "It's legit. But I've grown into it." Photos by PR Photos Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. He embodied the best of the positions present while hinting at an even brighter future. A steady vet who knows his role on defense, whos good in the locker room, and whose heart wont start racing in the postseason would make an awful lot of money sticking around these days. When I think of Shaqs playing days, I immediately flash to the version that dominated in Los Angeles in the late 90s and early aughts. NBA legend Bill Walton co-authored a byline explaining why one plot of land outside San Diego could be a way to help end the homeless crisis in the city. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Not until Nate McMillan began being fitted for custom-made suits a few years into his NBA career three decades ago did he understand just how far his arms reached. Take a look back at the late 1970s Blazers and the impact Bill Walton had on them. And they're able to get their hands on balls or shots or loose balls. Fewer possessions means fewer shots, rebounds, assists, and block opportunities to go around. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. I do think, though, that hed probably become an even more useful piece to deploy in a spread-it-out-and-bomb-away offense and that, on occasion, yes, he might even be construed as A Problem. Its not how big you are, its how big you play. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. Whether he could stay nimble enough to meet that kind of challenge would go a long way toward determining how effective hed beand how much damage he could do on the other end. Rewards Domination Rewards. That is not the case for young players. You make up a lot of ground. Its not like adjusting for pace and contemporary minutes management would make Wilt just another dude, though. I think its something that makes a big difference, especially defensively, he said. That reaction underlines another reason Id love to see him now: Hed be an unbelievably alluring subject for modern media coveragea larger-than-life character whose outsize public figure would be rivaled only by his raw-nerve sensitivity. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. There will be some statistical cherry-picking, because cherries are delicious, and there will be some decisions made purely on aesthetics, because we hold it as true that things that look dope should be prioritized. Wellat the risk of disrespecting a stand-up dude for the second time in the space of one columnlets ask David Robinson, against whom Sabonis held his own when the Soviet Union nearly knocked off Team USA in the gold-medal game of the 1986 FIBA World Championship, and when the USSR did defeat the Americans in the semifinals of the 1988 Summer Olympics (despite Sabonis playing shortly after recovering from his first Achilles rupture): Legendary big-man coach and talent evaluator Pete Newell told Sam Toperoff of The Atlantic Monthly in 1986 that he thought Sabonis could conceivably become the greatest player in the game and he would have taken the Lithuanian over Patrick Ewing in the 1985 draft if he had played for an American team. How much better could he have been before the injuries? You look at size of hands, wingspans. I see opportunities that should be rejected, but it scores. That might seem like a bit of an exaggeration: After all, Sabonis still starred in the States, averaging a double-double in Year 3, posting a player efficiency rating over 20 in six of his seven NBA seasons, and playing an integral role on Trail Blazers teams that went to consecutive Western Conference finals, including one that came within a hellacious fourth-quarter comeback of beating Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers in 2000. A wingspan always helps people, whether its blocking shots or deflections on defense.. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. Wingspan. At 7-foot-3, the pre-injury Sabonis had the springs to tip-dunk all over The Admiral and swat shots from the weak side with reckless abandon, plus the touch to step out on the floor and drain NBA 3-pointers. The NBA's Noches ne B A celebration starts in March, where teams will commemorate fans and players across Latin American and U.S. Hispanic communities. In his 58 regular-season appearances, Walton averaged 18.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.52 bpg. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. Theres a lot of guys, Draymond (Green) is the same way, small, undersized power forward but can guard plenty of guys because of his length. Walton emerged as the MVP of the Finals, overshadowing the electrifying Dr. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday, and an extra inch of reach can lead to a blocked shot or steal that might alter a series or a season. Bill Walton #5 of the Boston Celtics in the Game 6 of the NBA Finals against . If your wingspan is more than your height, thats kind of abnormal. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Tuesday night's 10 game slate. After his arrest as a junior, Walton issued a statement that read: Your generation has screwed up the world. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. He led the league in both rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 14.4 and 3.25, respectively. He had the athleticism of Kareem, and he could shoot the 3-point shot. A lot of basketball players don't, though, they have wider wingspans. Every game was a challenge, and he didnt let any of us forget that.. It feels kind of hard to divorce Walton from the era in which he playedfollowing the Grateful Dead to protesting the Vietnam War to rolling with radical activists associated with the Symbionese Liberation Army. He even broke a toe on a water sprinkler and hurt his leg in a jeep accident. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasn't even aware of his wingspan. Type above and press Enter to search. K.C. While at UCLA in the early 70s, he was arrested during an anti-Vietnam War rally, publicly criticized Richard Nixon and the FBI, and reportedly flirted with leaving basketball to pursue spiritual enlightenment. Decades before Shaquille ONeal ripped mics with Fu-Schnickens, the Dipper was out here crooning, dog. Its no coincidence that Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who stands 7-1 and led the NBA in blocks last season, has the longest wingspan in the league at 7 feet, 9 inches. The Trail Blazers finished the season 58-24 and Walton received the NBA MVP award. He claimed to be around the 6ft 11 mark, and on his twitter in 2015 still saying "I am 6'11"" .. "I love it now.it took me a while to get used to standing out in the crowd, looking awkward, feeling uncomfortable. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. He spoke only to reporters he knew would present him favorably, while shunning the others, who were mostly Portland locals. Praise came quickly. At age 34, Walton retired after playing 10 games of the 1986-87 season. Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP , is quick to point out that his length allows him to make up for other areas, including being far leaner than most NBA players. A two-time NBA champion, Bill Walton could do it all -- and often did -- throughout an injury-plagued career. The lower body injuries turned catastrophic late in the 1977-78 season, when Walton, already dealing with right foot pain, suffered a sprained left ankle that sidelined him for weeks. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Not until Nate McMillan began being fitted for custom-made suits a few years into his . Give It the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. Ive always been tall. Portland fell to the bottom of the Pacific Division in 1975-76, though Walton started to come into his own, scoring 16.1 ppg, pulling down 13.4 rpg and demonstrating excellent passing skills from the low- or high-post in 51 contests. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. Its nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, theyre like, Wed like to measure your wingspan. They dont really bring it up to us about that in college or high school.. Its possible that version of Sabonis wouldnt be a generational sensation in the modern game. 2x NCAA Champion. "You look at size of hands, wingspans. The operation worked. He is also one of the greatest college . Offense 91. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is nicknamed the Greek Freak in part because he stands 6-11 with a 7-3 wingspan and giant hands. 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