Because someone brought up the name of Bill Lainbeer it made me curious about his stats. He was actually quite good a tremendous rebounder and shooter. But I noticed that even with ALL-TIME white greats such as Bob Pettit many of their bios would indicate theywereclods barely able to walk without falling over. It's unbelievable. Examples below. These are supposed to be tributes?
Dan Issel initially didn't seem to have the physical abilities[/B] required for stardom in the NBA. He wasn't particularly quick on his feet, he wasn't that strong, and he didn't have a great vertical leap. Because he wasn't big enough or strong enough to go toe-to-toe with most of the league's centers, he did his damage with a smooth, accurate outside shot and by outrunning his counterparts on the floor. He had an awkward but effective head fake, a clumsy but capable drive to the hoop, and an incredible work ethic Bart: Come on now...an awkward but effective head fake...clumsy but capable drive to the basket? Who writes this stuff?
When Bob Pettit came out of college in 1954, no one thought he was talented enough to make it as a professional basketball player. Although he had been a prolific scorer at Louisiana State University, the tall, thin forward was deemed too slight at 200 pounds to survive the pounding of an NBA season. However, the scouts failed to factor in Pettit's willingness to work harder than anyone else on the court in order to succeed. And succeed he did
In 14 bruising NBA seasons Bill Laimbeer made up for his minuscule vertical leap, slow feet, and sluggishness by becoming a master of posturing, muscling, and anticipating -- plus fomenting trouble, pretending to be fouled, and drawing his opponents' ire. Laimbeer was one of the most notorious players ever to throw an elbow, thrust a hip, or feign being fouled. Certainly, no player was ever showered with more boos or unflattering nicknames. Laimbeer was called "the prince of darkness," "a street thug," "an ax murderer," and "His Heinous." Bart:: My god, he is the most evil talentless beast who ever lived!
http://www.nba.com/history/players/index.htmlhttp://www.nba.com/history/players/index.html
Dan Issel initially didn't seem to have the physical abilities[/B] required for stardom in the NBA. He wasn't particularly quick on his feet, he wasn't that strong, and he didn't have a great vertical leap. Because he wasn't big enough or strong enough to go toe-to-toe with most of the league's centers, he did his damage with a smooth, accurate outside shot and by outrunning his counterparts on the floor. He had an awkward but effective head fake, a clumsy but capable drive to the hoop, and an incredible work ethic Bart: Come on now...an awkward but effective head fake...clumsy but capable drive to the basket? Who writes this stuff?
When Bob Pettit came out of college in 1954, no one thought he was talented enough to make it as a professional basketball player. Although he had been a prolific scorer at Louisiana State University, the tall, thin forward was deemed too slight at 200 pounds to survive the pounding of an NBA season. However, the scouts failed to factor in Pettit's willingness to work harder than anyone else on the court in order to succeed. And succeed he did
In 14 bruising NBA seasons Bill Laimbeer made up for his minuscule vertical leap, slow feet, and sluggishness by becoming a master of posturing, muscling, and anticipating -- plus fomenting trouble, pretending to be fouled, and drawing his opponents' ire. Laimbeer was one of the most notorious players ever to throw an elbow, thrust a hip, or feign being fouled. Certainly, no player was ever showered with more boos or unflattering nicknames. Laimbeer was called "the prince of darkness," "a street thug," "an ax murderer," and "His Heinous." Bart:: My god, he is the most evil talentless beast who ever lived!
http://www.nba.com/history/players/index.htmlhttp://www.nba.com/history/players/index.html
