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

[18isGREATERthan72]

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.

This.  It seems like Tommy compares every single Celtic rookie to a Celtic legend.  Often times, it ends up being nothing.  Yes, Greg is a great shot blocker, which Tommy did say his shot blocking reminded him of Russell's, however I still think Tommy is blowing out of his nose 90% of the time in that regard.

[ballin]

I am sure there have been people with even better timing than Russell that have played in the NBA but they didnt have the rest of the package so they never presented with the overall greatness that Russell did.

Why are you so sure of this? If they had that unique and elite of a skill don't you think it would have shown up in some way and been recognized by the various people who have covered and watched the NBA?

I'm not sure I have ever seen a shooting stroke as perfect as Ray Allen's.

I'm not sure I have ever see a competitive spirit as strong or basketball talent great as Michael Jordan's.

I'm not sure I have ever seen the raw strength in anyone as much as I have in Shaquille O'Neal.

I'm not sure I've seen shot blocking ability and timing as great as that of Bill Russell.

Some people just have the great skill ever. It really is that simple.

Mark Eaton was named Defensive Player of the Year twice after blocking 3.84 and 5.6 blocks per game. He's still the all-time leader in blocks per game with a career average of 3.5

Not saying that Mark Eaton was necessarily better at blocking shots than Russell, but it's possible

[myteamisbetterthanyours]

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'.

HAHAHAH Guy or Brobeans. Brilliant.

[myteamisbetterthanyours]

Greg Stiemsma isn't even as good at blocking shots as Theo Ratliff, never mind Bill Russell.

The comparison is ridiculous. Some estimates put Russell's shots blocked per game near 10 for some seasons. I can't even imagine what his block percentage would have been.

And if this comparison goes any farther than comparing shot blocking ability, like comparing total defense, then the OP owes Bill Russell an apology for insulting him.

Yea but Bill Russell played against small white guys... Greg Stiemsma's playing against really athletic tough players.

[Celtics4ever]

No, Tommy wasn't saying that Stiemsma is as good as Russell overall.  However, even when talking specifically about shot-blocking, the comparison doesn't hold up.  Greg Stiemsma doesn't share technique with Bill Russell when it comes to shot-blocking, or timing, or anything else.  He's simply not in the same class.  That's shown in the block rate of both players (from everything I've read, Russell was much more proficient), as well as foul rates, etc.

Relax, dude.   Look at the source.   I thought what Tommy said was he waits for it leave the shooter's hand then goes up for it like Russell did and taps it to his team mates.   This is similiar to what I have seen and read about Russell.  But of course, he is not the athlete Russell was or close to the player and Tommy goes overboard.  I did not take it too seriously as I concur with you.  I mean it's Tommy.  Sadly some took him literally.

Yea but Bill Russell played against small white guys... Greg Stiemsma's playing against really athletic tough players.

Yep, this is true like Wilt and Nate Thurmond.   They were white and non athletic and no good.  JK.   I smell a troll here.

[myteamisbetterthanyours]

No, Tommy wasn't saying that Stiemsma is as good as Russell overall.  However, even when talking specifically about shot-blocking, the comparison doesn't hold up.  Greg Stiemsma doesn't share technique with Bill Russell when it comes to shot-blocking, or timing, or anything else.  He's simply not in the same class.  That's shown in the block rate of both players (from everything I've read, Russell was much more proficient), as well as foul rates, etc.

Relax, dude.   Look at the source.   I thought what Tommy said was he waits for it leave the shooter's hand then goes up for it like Russell did and taps it to his team mates.   This is similiar to what I have seen and read about Russell.  But of course, he is not the athlete Russell was or close to the player and Tommy goes overboard.  I did not take it too seriously as I concur with you.  I mean it's Tommy.  Sadly some took him literally.

Yea but Bill Russell played against small white guys... Greg Stiemsma's playing against really athletic tough players.

Yep, this is true like Wilt and Nate Thurmond.   They were white and non athletic and no good.  JK.   I smell a troll here.

lol... i was being sarcastic too.. no troll here 

[Moranis]

I am sure there have been people with even better timing than Russell that have played in the NBA but they didnt have the rest of the package so they never presented with the overall greatness that Russell did.

Why are you so sure of this? If they had that unique and elite of a skill don't you think it would have shown up in some way and been recognized by the various people who have covered and watched the NBA?

I'm not sure I have ever seen a shooting stroke as perfect as Ray Allen's.

I'm not sure I have ever see a competitive spirit as strong or basketball talent great as Michael Jordan's.

I'm not sure I have ever seen the raw strength in anyone as much as I have in Shaquille O'Neal.

I'm not sure I've seen shot blocking ability and timing as great as that of Bill Russell.

Some people just have the great skill ever. It really is that simple.

By most accounts from those old enough to have watched basketball back in the day, Wilt Chamberlain would be the all time leader in both total blocks and blocks per game by a fairly wide margin.

[LeoMoreno]

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.

I remember he first said at the end of last season that he loves Bradley and that AB is gonna be a good player. At the start of this season he once screamed: BOY I LOVE WATCHING THIS KID PLAY, HE'LL BE A SUPERSTAR ONE DAY! All I could think was: I wonder how hard are the fans laughing at him right now...

[RAcker]

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.

Voice of reason.  This comparison by Tommy (as much as I love him) is even more ridiculous in my opinion than the Dirk / Larry Legend talk.

Sometimes, we need to calm down before comparing certain players from different generations. Whether we agree with it or not, at least Kobe / Jordan is a discussion due to style and championships.  Russell should not be compared with any center without the winning track record no matter how good they are at one aspect of the game (such as shot blocking).

[Carhole]

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.

Voice of reason.  This comparison by Tommy (as much as I love him) is even more ridiculous in my opinion than the Dirk / Larry Legend talk.

Sometimes, we need to calm down before comparing certain players from different generations. Whether we agree with it or not, at least Kobe / Jordan is a discussion due to style and championships.  Russell should not be compared with any center without the winning track record no matter how good they are at one aspect of the game (such as shot blocking).

That wasnt the comparison Tommy made, it was the misguided position put forth by the op but tommy said he had "timing like russell" (relatively specifically to meeting the ball as it is coming of the players hand)

It is like saying that some rb, has the feet of emmitt smith. Yeah he very well may but if he doesnt have the vision, power, balance or acceleration it isnt putting him on the same planet as a player.

If the voice of reason at least had what Tommy said right, it would help.

Side note: Just out of curiosity, who do you regard higher Magic or Bird?

[Celtics4ever]

My bad, myteamisbetter

sorry, nice sarcasm faceslap!