Author: David Shama

The NBA’s greatest players were showcased in Las Vegas on Sunday in the league’s annual All-Star game, but none of them earn a place on Tommy Heinsohn’s all-time team.  There’s no room for Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, either. 

Heinsohn played on eight NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics from 1956-1965.  The Celtics forward was chosen for six All-Star games, later coached Boston to two world championships, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 and now is a color commentator on Celtics telecasts. 

Heinsohn, who was here last week for a Celtics-Timberwolves telecast, thinks the best players came from his generation.  During an interview with Sports Headliners he chose five players from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as the best of all-time.  Not only are these players the best, Heinsohn believes, but they proved it against better competition because the NBA then had only eight teams versus 30 today.  The theory is more teams, more jobs, more diluted talent. 

Here’s Heinsohn’s Fab Five:  forwards Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit, center Bill Russell, guards Jerry West and Bob Cousy.  Baylor played for the Minneapolis Lakers and West joined the Lakers the first season after the team moved to Los Angeles (1960-61).  Cousy and Russell were Heinsohn’s teammates in Boston.  Pettit and his St. Louis Hawks defeated the Celtics for the NBA championship in 1958, the only time Boston didn’t win the title from 1957-1966. 

Cousy, known as the “Houdini of the Hardwood” for his extraordinary playmaking, is the point guard on Heinsohn’s dream team, although West played both that position and shooting guard.  Heinsohn recalled that the Celtics had just six plays.  “Everything else happened because Cousy was a great player,” he said. 

Russell played on all the Celtics NBA championship teams during an incredible run of 11 titles in 13 years from 1957-1969.   Although Russell was only 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, the shot-blocking, rebounding marvel is Heinsohn’s choice as the all-time center.  “Absolutely.  There was a guy that was a winner,” Heinsohn said. “That’s what this is all about.  This isn’t all about who does what to whom, (or) how many points you get. He was as competitive as anybody you would ever hope to play with, and he was propelled to deliver and he did.” 

Heinsohn talked about the two former Lakers.  He said the acrobatic Baylor is the best forward of all time, although there have been more than a few great forwards during the last 25 years including Bird and Julius Erving.  He admired the versatility of West including his defense.  “You can talk about Bird, you can talk about Dr. J, you can talk about them all but Elgin Baylor was the best,” Heinsohn said.  “Go look at his records (career averages of 27.4 points per game, 13.5 rebounds) against top flight competition.  Jerry West was a two position player (known as Mr. Clutch, averaged 27 points per game and almost seven assists).  A lot of people didn’t know he was a point guard. He was a terrific defensive player.” 

Pettit, 6-foot-9, was the NBA’s first superstar power forward.  He was named all-NBA first team 10 times and won two league MVP awards. 

Heinsohn acknowledges Jordan as one of the NBA’s all-time best but left him off his team because Jordan didn’t compete head-to-head against great enough players.  It’s an argument that’s been made before about Jordan who some experts also insist benefited more from NBA and Madison Avenue hype than any player ever.  

What’s Heinsohn’s view of the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett?  “They haven’t quite, to my way of thinking, quite found a way to exploit him without everything having to rely on his shoulders,” Heinsohn answered. “He’s not the focus entirely of the offense.  He’s not the focus of their defense. He has to fit himself into what they’re doing.  He’s a very competitive guy.  He’s got a lot of skills.  I think he’s pretty good.”

Doug Risebrough told Sports Headliners recently the Minnesota Wild is “meeting” his expectations.  The Wild’s president and general manager was asked to assess his team now that it is closing in on the end of the regular season schedule (April 7).  The Wild is in third place in the Northwest Division with 69 points, just three points behind Vancouver.  The Wild have 22 games remaining on the regular season schedule. 

Risebrough’s meeting expectations statement relates to changes the Wild experienced dating back to last summer.  The changes were player acquisitions and losing players to injury including star performers Marian Gaborik and Manny Fernandez .  Those changes tempered expectations.

Risebrough graded the team with mostly high marks in various aspects of play.  Goal tending: B+.  Goal scoring:  A. Power play: D on the road; A at home.  Defense: A.  

He said Fernandez has “maybe played more inconsistently” than last season but grades the goalie’s more recent games this season as an A.  The play of Niklas Backstrom, who recently replaced the injured Fernandez, has been a “real positive,” according to Risebrough. 

Team goal scoring has been what Risebrough expected, even though some media and fans thought the Wild might be even more effective offensively.  Gaborik’s extended absence because of injury has been one factor.  In just 25 games Gaborik has 18 goals and 11 assists.   Risebrough added another thought about the team’s scoring.  “This team is being checked more than in the past,” he said.  The Wild’s goals per game average of 2.70 is better than nine teams in the NHL, but only 11 teams are averaging three goals or more. 

During past seasons the Wild lost a lot of close games but this season the team has been more successful in shootouts and overtime.  Risebrough gave the Wild an A+ in those two categories.    

He describes the Wild’s inconsistencies on the power play as “perplexing.”  The Wild ranks fourth in the NHL at home in power play efficiency at 22.2%, but 28^th on the road at 11.5%. 

Defense?  Through the years solid or exceptional defense has been part of the franchise’s DNA and while Risebrough said the defense is “not equal” to last season it still rates high.

Condolences to WCCO Radio’s Dark Star whose mother, Phylliss Chapple, passed away last week. 

Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman asked about whether taking over the team before training camp instead of in January would have allowed him to make major changes to the the offense and defense: “You can’t have the players playing in a state of confusion while they are out on the floor.  I’ve got to be careful not to add a lot of new stuff because of the time factor.” 

The University honored players and coaches from the Gophers’ 1982 Big Ten championship team on Sunday.  It was a fun reunion for the group including head coach Jim Dutcher.   He overcame NCAA violations that occurred under coach Bill Musselman and made the Gophers a Big Ten Conference contender.  He is also one of the finest gentlemen ever to be part of the local sports scene. 

Starting with last weekend when the Wild played two games on the road and then looking at the schedule through March 17, the team plays only four of 15 games at home.  The long road stretch is caused by the Xcel Energy Center hosting a series of high school tournaments and also the WCHA tournament.  The Wild’s road record is 12-18-2 but 7-3 in the last 10 games.   “I would rather be going on the road now than two months ago because I think our road game is a lot better,” Risebrough said. 

During a 30 day period, a total of 41 hockey games (including the Wild), 33 wrestling matches, six dance team events, four gymnastics competitions and two lacrosse games (Minnesota Swarm) will be played at Xcel or the nearby Roy Wilkins Auditorium. 

The results figure to be different this weekend than last fall when the Gophers play St. Cloud State.  The two teams played consecutive ties against one another back in October.  Tie games are dramatic but so too are the rewards in this weekend’s series.  The Gophers are two points from winning the WCHA title.  The championship would give Minnesota its first consecutive WCHA titles since 1989.