Tommy Heinsohn once saw the future..and we all laughed at him

[threats13]

Tommy Heinsohn is known around the league as a full blown Celtics homer. But what the rest of the league didnt know, and quite honestly, neither did we, is that he is a full blown fortune teller as well.  It wasn't too long ago that Tommy called Greg Stiemsma the next Bill Russell and we were all making sly little comments about how off base that assumption seemed.  It seemed as though it was again Tommy's solid green glasses shining through during another Celtics home game.  But what we didnt understand when he made the comparison was that he was not simply offering up his opinion of the "old" rookie, he was telling the crowd a story of the most fantastic shot blocker in HIS cloudy memory. 

Fast forward a few months and here we stand..Greg Stiemsma, our most reliable big off the bench, and shot blocking machine, possibly saving our season minute by minute.  No one could have expected this kid to impact the game quite like he has so far..except for Tommy that is.  Greg's shot blocking instinct is second to none in this league.  He is far from the tallest guy in the league, and even farther from the most athletic guy in the league, but good god will he alter/block your shot.  His defensive prowess next to KG is a blessing for this years Celtics.  His Bill Russell-like shot blocking ability is uncanny and FERGODSAKES he's not missing rotations, and playing fantastic pick-and-roll defense.  Undoubtedly a big reason the Celtics have made a such stout defensive stand in the second half. 

Maybe labeling Stiemer as the next Bill Russell is still a bit oversimplified but after seeing Greg "steal" the ball by blocking the shot of a Magic player, it finally hit me...This guy is the closest thing we might ever see to Bill Russell when it comes to blocking shots efficiently and effectively.  Now if those [dang] zebras would just let him play a little.

[Fafnir]

Bill Russell won 55 straight games in college, two national titles, a gold medal, and 3 NBA titles by the time he was Greg's age.

The comparision was and is ridiculous. Greg's a nice backup C, which is a testament to his game's growth this season.

[threats13]

Bill Russell won 55 straight games in college, two national titles, a gold medal, and 3 NBA titles by the time he was Greg's age.

The comparision was and is ridiculous. Greg's a nice backup C, which is a testament to his game's growth this season.

Under no circumstances will Greg ever be the talent that Bill Russell was.  But, with regards to the comparison, I no longer see it as completely and utterly ridiculous.  They have the same nose for the ball on the defensive end of the court. Obviously, that does not make him half the player Russell was but the comparison at least warrants an acknowledgement of their similar defensive abilities.  Unfortunately, I am not old enough to have seen Russell play but from what I have heard, they are at least similar in that respect.

[indeedproceed]

Bill Russell won 55 straight games in college, two national titles, a gold medal, and 3 NBA titles by the time he was Greg's age.

The comparision was and is ridiculous. Greg's a nice backup C, which is a testament to his game's growth this season.

Under no circumstances will Greg ever be the talent that Bill Russell was.  But, with regards to the comparison, I no longer see it as completely and utterly ridiculous.  They have the same nose for the ball on the defensive end of the court. Obviously, that does not make him half the player Russell was but the comparison at least warrants an acknowledgement of their similar defensive abilities.  Unfortunately, I am not old enough to have seen Russell play but from what I have heard, they are at least similar in that respect.

They do not have 'the same nose of the ball on the defensive end of the court'. That's like saying Adam Morrison and Larry Bird both had the 'same scorer's mentality'.

[fairweatherfan]

I never heard the original quote - did Tommy actually say Stiemsma was the next Bill Russell, or did he say that aspects of his game reminded him of Russell? 

The first one's completely ridiculous, but the second kind of comparison often gets jumped on unfairly in my opinion.  Steamer can do specific things similarly to Russell without being remotely as good a player.

[CelticSooner]

He was talking primarily about Steamer's shot blocking timing.

[indeedproceed]

I never heard the original quote - did Tommy actually say Stiemsma was the next Bill Russell, or did he say that aspects of his game reminded him of Russell?  

The first one's completely ridiculous, but the second kind of comparison often gets jumped on unfairly in my opinion.  Steamer can do specific things similarly to Russell without being remotely as good a player.

I call foul here. That's keeping within the letter of the law but not the spirit. Gerald Green is one of the best dunkers in our era, Michael Jordan was one of the best dunkers of his era, but when looking for someone whose dunking ability to compare with Gerald Green's, it would follow you would not choose Michael Jordan, because Jordan is just one of those guys you can't just passively make a comparison to.

If he wanted to compare him to someone who blocks shots and holds down the paint, Ostertag, Shawn Bradley, Samuel Dalembert..i mean the list is endless. WHen you're comparing a guy to Bill Russell, you're by nature comparing him to the entirety of Russell, not just his proclivity for blocking shots.

[relja]

Steamer is good, better than I ever imagined he would be, but he ain't no Bill Russell. Nobody is even close to Bill today, and the question is will someone ever be.

[fairweatherfan]

I never heard the original quote - did Tommy actually say Stiemsma was the next Bill Russell, or did he say that aspects of his game reminded him of Russell? 

The first one's completely ridiculous, but the second kind of comparison often gets jumped on unfairly in my opinion.  Steamer can do specific things similarly to Russell without being remotely as good a player.

I call foul here. That's keeping within the letter of the law but not the spirit. Gerald Green is one of the best dunkers in our era, Michael Jordan was one of the best dunkers of his era, but when looking for someone whose dunking ability to compare with Gerald Green's, it would follow you would not choose Michael Jordan, because Jordan is just one of those guys you can't just passively make a comparison to.

If he wanted to compare him to someone who blocks shots and holds down the paint, Ostertag, Shawn Bradley, Samuel Dalembert..i mean the list is endless. WHen you're comparing a guy to Bill Russell, you're by nature comparing him to the entirety of Russell, not just his proclivity for blocking shots.

I guess that's why I take those kinds of comparisons less seriously.  I don't see anything wrong with comparing Gerald Green's dunking ability to Jordan's (except that I'd put his style as closer to Nique's). As long as you're clear that it doesn't extend any farther, it's a legit comparison as far as I'm concerned.  Any overgeneralization beyond that is on the listener, not the speaker.

Either way, would you agree that "Stiemsma's timing on his shotblocks reminds me of Russell's" and "Stiemsma is the next Bill Russell" are two very different statements?

[Fafnir]

Part of the reason we make fun of Tommy for this sort of thing is that he does it all the time with young guys, and most of the time it doesn't materialize. I know he gushed about Banks and several others at various points.

Greg is actually good at blocking shots at least.

[Employee8]

It's well established everywhere that Greg is no Bill Russell, and it's quite very offensive to Bill Russell that we're even discussing this in depth but I'll just say this piece and move on.

When Stiemsma does in fact, block a shot, there's only a "Bill Russell would be proud" thought that flashes in my mind and then it's done.

The accolades, the aura of Greatness that surrounds Bill, the defensive prowess, the utter and pure dominance that Bill imposed on the floor cannot be rivaled by anyone.  He can score no points but still change the whole outcome of the game.

Good grief, I still cannot believe there isn't a statue yet.  HURRY UP.

[indeedproceed]

I never heard the original quote - did Tommy actually say Stiemsma was the next Bill Russell, or did he say that aspects of his game reminded him of Russell? 

The first one's completely ridiculous, but the second kind of comparison often gets jumped on unfairly in my opinion.  Steamer can do specific things similarly to Russell without being remotely as good a player.

I call foul here. That's keeping within the letter of the law but not the spirit. Gerald Green is one of the best dunkers in our era, Michael Jordan was one of the best dunkers of his era, but when looking for someone whose dunking ability to compare with Gerald Green's, it would follow you would not choose Michael Jordan, because Jordan is just one of those guys you can't just passively make a comparison to.

If he wanted to compare him to someone who blocks shots and holds down the paint, Ostertag, Shawn Bradley, Samuel Dalembert..i mean the list is endless. WHen you're comparing a guy to Bill Russell, you're by nature comparing him to the entirety of Russell, not just his proclivity for blocking shots.

I guess that's why I take those kinds of comparisons less seriously.  I don't see anything wrong with comparing Gerald Green's dunking ability to Jordan's (except that I'd put his style as closer to Nique's). As long as you're clear that it doesn't extend any farther, it's a legit comparison as far as I'm concerned.  Any overgeneralization beyond that is on the listener, not the speaker.

Either way, would you agree that "Stiemsma's timing on his shotblocks reminds me of Russell's" and "Stiemsma is the next Bill Russell" are two very different statements?

Yeah, but even then there are just so many other players you could compare him to, that it would follow there is a real reason you chose Russell.

Personally, I try to never even say the word 'Russell' in common parlance. If someone is named 'Russell', I just call them 'guy' or 'brobeans'.

[ianboyextreme]

Tommy said he had the same timing as Bill. He said exactly "this kids timing reminds me of the guy i played with". Yall need to stop acting all indignified and acting like Tommy said hes the next bill russell. Stop looking for a fight.

[fairweatherfan]

Hang on, I want to test something out:

Steve Novak has at least as good a 3 pt stroke as Larry Bird.

Discuss!

[Lucky17]

Hang on, I want to test something out:

Steve Novak has at least as good a 3 pt stroke as Larry Bird.

Discuss!

You're dead to me, FWF.