Bob Cousy: "Whiteside reminds me of Russell"

[aj1987]

NBA Hall-of-Famer Bob Cousy says he's found someone who reminds him of legendary defensive player and league icon Bill Russell. And it's... Hassan Whiteside?

"I have never said this in the 40 years since I retired," Cousy said in a recent telephone interview, "but he is the first big guy, not (Patrick) Ewing, (Hakeem) Olajuwon, Shaq (O'Neal), who reminds me defensively and on the boards of Russell. He runs the floor well, he has excellent timing, he blocks shots and keeps them in play the way Russell did."

"That's a great honor," Whiteside said before the Celtics hosted Miami Wednesday. "Everybody knows that Bill Russell is probably one of the best shot blockers that ever lived. That's really a big honor that he thinks of me that way."

via Bob Cousy high on Heat's Hassan Whiteside - Worcester Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com.

So... that's a pretty strong take. I mean, Russell's widely regarded as a top-five player all-time despite playing in the 1960's. He's an icon of the defensive game. But you can kind of see what Cousy's talking about. Here, let's look at some video.

Try not to notice how low the vertical is on those guys. Russell's timing, strength, and explosiveness was still crazy.

The wingspan and elevation are pretty similar. We don't have block numbers for Russell, because he invented blocking shots.

But to put Whiteside in comparison, take a look at this list for players who played more than ten minutes per game, but less than 25, and blocked 5 shots per 100 possessions on the floor. There are some, uh, concerning names on there: Shawn Bradley (twice!), Tree Rollins and JaVale McGee. Not really encouraging. But with more minutes, it's entirely possible that Whiteside projects as a major long-term player.

But Russell? It provides a really interesting question of how you view Russell's game. Russell playing in an era of near non-existent athleticism, training, development, combined with how stiff the game was makes you wonder what Russell would be today. Would he be a defensive roleplayer? Would he be the franchise cornerstone he was back in the day? It's impossible to answer, but the fact that Cousy thinks so highly of the young man does need to be taken seriously.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-...f-bill-russell

[Ca$H]

LOL @ Russell being a top 10 GOAT. Russell is just Whiteside playing on a stacked team in a weak era.

[sd3035]

Whiteside would kill Russell

different eras

[swagga]

i can understand why he said that, whiteside reminds him of one of the two tall black players that were in the league during his playing days.

[Ca$H]

"But Russell? It provides a really interesting question of how you view Russell's game. Russell playing in an era of near non-existent athleticism, training, development, combined with how stiff the game was makes you wonder what Russell would be today. Would he be a defensive roleplayer? Would he be the franchise cornerstone he was back in the day? It's impossible to answer, but the fact that Cousy thinks so highly of the young man does need to be taken seriously."

Yes. Whiteside or DeAndre Jordan most likely. This top 10 GOAT stuff needs to stop.

[sd3035]

Deandre is a beast compared to Russell

[Ca$H]

Deandre is a beast compared to Russell

Yeah. Whiteside is the best case scenario for Russell.

[sd3035]

Yeah. Whiteside is the best case scenario for Russell.

Whiteside has already surpassed him

[LoneyROY7]

So Wilt essentially got owned by Hassan Whiteside? Where CavsFTW and LAZERUSS at?

[sd3035]

So Wilt essentially got owned by Hassan Whiteside? Where CavsFTW and LAZERUSS at?

Wilt got owned by a poor man's Whiteside

[Dresta]

Whiteside could easily end up the best defensive big in the game, and his blocks - because he keeps them in bounds, and so often finds teammates - have a big impact, frequently leading to a fast-break score. That's the way he compared the two.

So no, it's not that surprising that he compared the two, defensively.