Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. Walton, along with George Mullen, penned an op-ed in San Diego Times, in which he advocated for . As the man himself put it in Basketball: A Love Story: Basketball is a symphony, and we could take that ball and become artists ourselves. Itd be cool to hear what kind of music hed make today. The Walton-led Blazers rampaged through their first 60 games with a 50-10 record. Career Stats Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey also react to the announcement that the fourth season of HBOs Succession will be the final one, Justin and Micah return to discuss some of the things theyve caught up with over the past few weeks, including You, Tr, and Hogwarts Legacy, Jason also discusses Brandon Miller and Alabama NFL draft prospects with Charlie Potter, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Time Machine All-Stars: Five Centers Who Would Have Dominated 2020. 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? They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. Position C/PF. Maybe I just kind of miss perennial playoff performers who looked like theyd just smoked half a pack of Camel Wides before the start of the third. Find the latest Bollywood News and Celebrity Gossips from Latest In Bollywood. Before he got to the NBA, McGee wasnt even aware of his wingspan. 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. (Walton had played drums with the Dead at a show in Egypt, and he sometimes took teammates to shows and brought band members to team practices.). FantasyPros considers the best player values for DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS. In recent seasons, Warriors high-scoring All-Star Kevin Durant has become more determined to use his 7-5 wingspan to make more of an impact on defence. Its legit. While at Helix High School in La Mesa, Calif., Walton broke an ankle, a leg, and several bones in his feet and underwent knee surgery. 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. Walton signed a then-record seven-year, $7 million contract to play with the Clippers, who had played just over .500 ball the year before. Bill Walton was one of the best-passing big men in NBA history, able to facilitate championship-caliber offense. Walton is in the Hall of Fame, but he never had his arms measured end to end. They can control the basketball, they can do things with it. 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. Ive always been tall. Im a big believer in that., More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball, This March 25, 2018, photo shows Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert in action during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif. From executives and scouts to coaches and analytics types, teams are paying closer attention to wingspan when considering players _ especially with what long arms can mean making a defensive impact. He is very tall with 6 feet and 11 inches height and his total body weight is 95 kg. 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. The mind reels at all the possibilitiesand at all the vitriol his burner accounts might unleash. But when you have the great game of basketball with all the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery its not how high you jump, its where you are and when you jump.. But when you have the great game of basketball with all the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery its not how high you jump, its where you are and when you jump.. Bill Walton is an American sportscaster and former professional retired basketball player. That is not the case for young players. "I think it's something that makes a big difference, especially defensively," he said. Portland's entire offense ran through him because he was such an exceptional passer for a center and he was a terrific defensive anchor. Off the floor I worried. If youre wondering what it might look like, the Big Baryshnikov has a comp handy. Wingspan is one detail Warriors coach Steve Kerr takes seriously and might consider when deciding on lineups and rotations for the defending champions. One of the benefits is his ability to corral and slam home lob passes that are high and might be off target. But a version of Perkins who starts spreading his wings a bit earlier, when he still had the athleticism to be a problem on the offensive glass and explode for tip dunks, and even the quickness to be a threat running off of pindown screens for catch-and-shoot looks, might have been more than a role playerand maybe even quite a bit more. Glass Onion Brought Knives Out to the Next Level. The controversies that had embroiled Walton up to this point were mild compared to what would follow. Oakland, Calif. 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. Center Bill Walton played 10 seasons for 3 teams. He was named to the Pacific 8 All-Conference first team 3 times and was Pac-8 Conference Player of the Year for three consecutive years. Hakeem likely couldve become a passable 3-point shooter with enough commitment. Bill Walton owns a house in San Diego, California where he currently resides with his wife and 4 sons. The staggering array of injurieswhich would require some three-dozen surgical procedures over the yearscost Walton three full seasons in what should have been his prime and kept him from ever experiencing the sort of professional success for which he seemed destined while starring for John Wooden. 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. With the arrival of Ramsay from the Buffalo Braves, the Blazers built a precision offense around playmaker Lionel Hollins and the awesome frontcourt of Walton and intimidating Maurice Lucas. Celebrity Fan Photos and Agency Pictures of stars are to their respective owners. 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. Its legit. He wasnt just a lumbering giant, either: Chamberlain could sky to block shots and snare rebounds, and sprint the length of the court to fill the lane on the break. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. After his arrest as a junior, Walton issued a statement that read: Your generation has screwed up the world. OAKLAND, Calif. 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. But I've grown into it." Photos by PR Photos 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. You look at size of hands, wingspans. Some of the best players Kerr faced had incredible reach. In 1976-77, with Walton peaking, Blazermania hit Portland like a flash flood. A lot of basketball players dont, though, they have wider wingspans. His arms are long and he can block shots. He called on two of the leagues premier teams, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. But when he was right man, was he right: At his peakthe 1976-77 season in which the Blazers won the title, and the 1977-78 campaign in which Portland was 50-10 when Walton broke his foot (he won MVP that year despite missing the final 22 games)Walton averaged 24.9 points, 18.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 3.8 blocks per 100 possessions. 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. I was born tall, he said. In the following 1977-78 season, Walton played 58 games in which he averaged career-high 18.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, five assists and 2.5 blocks. Here was a man who once claimed to have bested a mountain lion in single combat. But several NBA players pop off the chart because of their long arms. It destroys the team, the Clippers Lloyd B. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . Once limited to descriptions of birds, wingspan has become one of the most important measurements for basketball prospects over the past decade. ), People dont understand that when he was younger, Sabonis was a perimeter player and he played facing the basket, longtime NBA coach George Karl, who had gotten an up-close look at him during two stints coaching in Europe, told Abrams. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. Walton, having lost all faith in Portlands medical team, demanded a trade, sat out the entire 1978-79 season when one wasnt granted, and left to sign with the San Diego Clippers. But Walton can do it all.. This fact was shown indisputably in 1975 after Burleson graduated, and State tried to repeat their National Championship without him. Coaches marvel at players with long arms, figuring they will more easily grab rebounds, block shots, steal passes and shoot over defenders. TV Schedule Home Bio Walton Gallery Wooden News Speaking Grateful Dead Duane Roth Best of Recently Book List Latest News TV Schedule PDF Barton joins the Raptors after he was waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21. Look at John Stockton's arms or Avery Johnson's arms and they're very long, and their hands are very big. The average man has a wingspan about 2 inches more than his height. The wingspan sure helps a lot of people, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said . Walton enjoyed a blazing start as a rookie, averaging 16.0 ppg, 19.0 rpg, 4.4 apg and 4 bpg in his first seven contests. 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. After sitting out the entire 1978-79 season, Walton headed to San Diego and strife followed him there. This does not change the fact that, shortly after he won MVP honors, Dream summarily digested him.). 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. The most accurate reports found that West had an 81 inch wingspan, which would translate to 6'9. You remember him: the irresistible force who tipped the scales after adding all that bulk to withstand the legions of Hack-a-Shaq implementers, the immovable object whom noted giant Yao Ming described in 2003 as like a meat wall, and the mountainous MVP who Juggernauted his way through the league to the tune of 27-and-12 on 57.5 percent shooting for a smooth eight years. Look at John Stocktons arms or Avery Johnsons arms and theyre very long, and their hands are very big. 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. While playing only 19.3 minutes per contest, he averaged 7.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.33 bpg. Walton once again had the chance to play for a world champion, and his childhood hopes of playing for the Celtics were realized. 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. "You make up a lot of ground. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. 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. 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. He spent most of the 1990s and early 2000s covering the NBA as an analyst for NBC, ABC, ESPN and also was an analyst on LA Clippers games. Weve seen him block guys at the rim and also get his hands on some basketballs off the dribble.. Those are my five, but theres always room for more time travelers, so lets hit a few honorable mentions: Vlade Divac (1989-2005): Bigs who can pass, forever and ever, amen. Something about Hakeems game always seemed to bridge eras; sure, he was a rim-rocking dunker and an aggressive shot-swatter, like centers of the past, but damn, since when did 7-foot, 250-pounders move and shake like that? 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. Walton is in the Hall of Fame, but he never had his arms measured end to end. The idea was to expose the bones to less stress when Waltons feet hit the ground, particularly after skying high for a dunk or rebound. I'm a big believer in that.". With one of the strongest lineups in NBA history, Boston steamrolled through the regular season, compiling a 67-15 record. A lot of basketball players dont, though, they have wider wingspans. Weirdly, though, I can see the older Vlade nestling snugly into the ecosystems of good present-day teams that emphasize passing and defend smartlyoffering, say, a rough approximation of what Marc Gasol gave the Raptors last season? . 2x NCAA Champion. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. At one time, they were long enough, and I can still put my own shoes and socks on, he quipped. "It's nothing that I heard about until I got to the league, or right before I got into the league, they're like, 'We'd like to measure your 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. In 49 playoff games he averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds. The operation worked. 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 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.. But when you have the great game of basketball with all the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery its not how high you jump, its where you are and when you jump.. 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