| Dealing From The Top Of The Deck: The Top 52 Celtics Of All-Time Authored by Elrod Enchilada - October 9, 2005 - 12:01 pm
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So ss the 2005-06 season is upon us, it is a good moment to reflect upon the extraordinary history of the Boston Celtics. I have compiled the following list of the 52 best players in Celtics history, plus one joker. To qualify for consideration, a player had to be on the Celtics for four full seasons. (Chris Ford, for example, is bounced on a technicality; he played 3 games with the Pistons in 78-79. Likewise Sherman Douglas does not qualify.) Before you freak out when you see some of the dead weight at the bottom of the deck, understand that just about every Celtic who played for the team for four complete seasons is on this list. What players did with other teams is irrelevant. I list crucial statistics about each player following their name plus my own commentary.
Obviously there is my own perspective on the rankings, and I anguished over several of the decisions. I became a Cs fan in 1968 and have a special place in my heart for the last Russ teams and the 70s teams. I have tried not to let that warp my judgment too much. Some of the decisions are difficult, like nos. 6-8, and 10-12.
This is not simply an historical exercise. If we look at the current roster of Cs, we can speculate about where the players will get slotted once they have played four years for the Cs. As you will see, there is a lot of room for advancement on this list if you start from the bottom. If Danny’s program succeeds, I think in six or seven years we would have at the very least another half-dozen players on this list, and many of them will be in the top half. (Let’s hope at least one cracks the top 10.) If we do not, we are in for another stretch of mediocre basketball.
Enjoy.
1. Bill Russell…….. ..Hall of Fame…13 seasons….12 all-star games…..5 MVP awards… All NBA first team 3 times, All NBA second team 8 times…..11 championships……ELROD’S COMMENT: Simply the greatest team sport athlete in history. Bar none. The proof is in the pudding. The term living legend is used loosely in our culture. This is one of the very few living legends that actually is one. I became a Cs fan as the Russell coached team won flags in 68 and, especially, 69. That last Russell team, in 1969, was truly heroic, as it won the title over several vastly younger, athletic and more talented teams. Almost all the key players on that team, aside from Hondo and Nelson, were geezers who were effectively out of the league within two years.
2. Larry Bird……… Hall of Fame….13 seasons….12 all-star games….3 MVP awards….All NBA first team 9 times, All NBA second team 1 time…..3 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: One of the five greatest players in NBA history. Smartest player ever, best rebounding small forward in NBA history, all-world scorer, and a stunning passer. God I loved watching this man play basketball. He is the starting small forward on any all-NBA team worth its salt. He singlehandedly is probably responsible for more people over 30 being Cs fans today than all other players combined.
3. John Havlicek….. Hall of Fame….16 seasons….13 all-star games….. All NBA first team 4 times, All NBA second team 7 times…… 8 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Mr. Celtic. He came in during Cousy’s last season and the year he retired the Cs drafted Bird. So he connected 1950-92. Consistent excellence. Superior defender. For around five or six years, from 1968-74, he was one of the three-five best players in the league, and made first team all-NBA four consecutive years. Could have been MVP just about any of those years. Was true swingman. Had his best years at small forward, but was just as good a player at big guard in the 1960s.
4. Bob Cousy……… Hall of Fame…..13 seasons…..13 all-star games….1 MVP award…..All NBA first team 10 times, All NBA second team 2 times…..6 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: Revolutionized the game and single-handedly put the Celtics on the map. Rare point guard to win MVP award. For most of us who never saw him play, all we get to see are film clips and see his classy presence on occasional telecasts. A very cool guy.
5. Dave Cowens…… Hall of Fame…..10 seasons….7 all-star games….1 MVP award..….All NBA second team 3 times…..2 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: For the first six years of his career was a force of nature. Unmatched competitor. Could have been greatest power forward of his era; instead played center at 6-8. Had his career extended into his mid 30s, as should have been the case for a player of his talents, he would be considered one of 10 greatest players of all time. He was an absolute pleasure to watch play.
6. Robert Parish…… Hall of Fame….14 seasons….9 all-star games……All NBA second team 1 time, All NBA third team 1 time……3 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: In retrospect we can see what an astonishing career Parish had, while generally being regarded as the third member of the Big Three. Click on his career stats and consider what an unmatched record of consistent excellence he delivered. Had he played on a team that did not have Bird and McHale, he could have produced a lot more offense and had a lot more personal acclaim. It is hard to rack up all-NBA status at center since there is only one slot on the team. He had Moses and Hakeem and Ewing in the league at the same time. Check out how many times Dave Cowens or Bill Russell made first team all-NBA, and Russ is the greatest player in the history of team sports. No Parish, no championships for Larry Bird in all probability.
7. Bill Sharman……. Hall of Fame…..10 seasons…8 all-star games…..All NBA first team 4 times, All NBA second team 3 times….5 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: A player’s whose greatness is lost on most fans, like yours truly, who never saw him play. Great athlete, unreal shooter and all league defender. A recent analysis called him the second best 2 guard in NBA history, second to some guy who played for the Bulls.
8. Kevin McHale…....Hall of Fame….13 seasons….7 all-star games….All NBA first team 1 time…..3 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: He was Lou Gehrig to Larry’s Babe Ruth. In the mid-80s, before his succession of injuries, McHale played the 4 position better than it has ever been played, except now for Duncan or Garnett. His 86-87 season, when he was at the primetime age of 29, was simply off the charts. If Kevin had stayed healthy and stacked on three or four more seasons like his 86-87 season, the Cs would possibly have another flag or two. And Kevin McHale, not Karl Malone, would be considered the best 4 of all-time, until Duncan or Garnett retire. Or until Big Al Jefferson retires…. I can dream, can’t I?
9. Sam Jones………Hall of Fame….12 seasons…..5 all-star games……All NBA second team 3 times…..10 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: Arguably the best 2 guard of his era, and the second or third best player on maybe six championship teams. The only other persons who can make that claim are John Havlicek and Scottie Pippen.
10. Paul Pierce………7 seasons….4 all-star games…..All NBA third team 2 times….. ELROD’S COMMENT: His career is truly at the crossroads. He would be in the top 5 all but a few other teams in the league. Hard to see him advancing more than one slot on this list unless he plays another six years in Boston and wins a title. Look around: Paul is in tall timber. He and DJ are the only players in the top 16 not in the Hall of Fame. He probably will be there some day, unless his career takes a major and unexpected nosedive. Why do I rank him this high? Because I think if he played with the sort of talent around him that the next two guys had, they would be naming schools after him in Massachusetts. Most of his career in Boston he has had less support than Ozzy Osbourne’s buttcheeks.
11. Tom Heinsohn…. . Hall of Fame…..9 seasons….6 all-star games…. All NBA second team 4 times…..8 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Most know him as the entertaining semi-buffoon announcer. Some know him as the outstanding and intense coach of the Cs in the 70s. Few remember him as one of the best forwards in the league. Injuries prevented him from achieving his full potential. Only Elgin Baylor and Bob Pettit had more talent at the forward position in the late 50s and early 60s.
12. JoJo White………Hall of Fame…..9 ½ seasons…..7 all-star games……All NBA second team 2 times…..2 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: The guard who ran the team in the 70s when the Cs won two titles. Like Cowens, his career effectively ended prematurely at 30 or 31, which means his legacy does not do justice to how well he played in the 70s. Every bit as important to the success of those great 70s teams as Hondo and Cowens. Seven all-star games in a conference with the likes of Frazier, Monroe, Bing, Maravich, Carr & Chenier, to name but a few, is mind-boggling.
13. Ed Macauley…… Hall of Fame….6 seasons….6 all-star games….All NBA first team 2 times, All NBA second team 1 time….. ELROD’S COMMENT: A tremendous offensive center whose greatest legacy remains that he was the player who brought us Bill Russell.
14. Dennis Johnson……6 seasons….1 all-star game….2 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: In truth, DJ probably should not be ranked quite this high, but being the top guard on two titles cuts a lot of ice in my book. I also have a soft spot for DJ. I saw him play for his whole career and admired his play. He was a very good player for the Cs, but his best ball was played earlier in his career when he was an eye-popping athlete in Seattle. (He was probably the best player on Seattle’s 1979 NBA championship team at 24.) DJ’s ability to convert himself from jaw-dropping 2 guard to cerebral point guard was remarkable.
15. KC Jones……….Hall of Fame….9 seasons….8 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Great defender. The starting point guard on four NBA champions. Nuff said.
16. Frank Ramsey…….Hall of Fame…..9 seasons….7 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: Tough to evaluate because I never saw him play. He was not in a situation where he could pad his stats either. But the one stat he padded was championships. In effect, a swingman who picked up a lot of the Cs small forward minutes in the glory years.
17. Reggie Lewis…….6 seasons….1 all-star game….. ELROD’S COMMENT: This is still painful for me to write. In the playoffs in 1992, versus Cleveland, while Larry was hurt, Reggie at 26 played like one of the five best players in the league. He dominated. He was a revelation. (If you ever have a chance to see those games on ESPN Classic, put your TiVo on “save until I delete.”) A year later this lovely man was dead. The Cs went from a 48 win team with Reggie as the star to a lottery team that basically sucked for the next decade.
18. Paul Silas………..4 seasons….1 all-star game….2 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: Perhaps my all time favorite Celtic player. His arrival in 1972 in a deal for the rights to Charlie Scott lifted the Cs from being a very good team to one for the ages. The Cs won two titles during his four years, and would have won a third in 73 – when the Cs won 68 games! -- had Hondo not gotten hurt in the playoffs against the Knicks. He was the ultimate rebounding and defensive forward who put the team first. My God I loved those teams, which have gotten lost in the haze between the Russell years and the Bird years. His departure over salary in 76 led to the instant demise of the team. (Had the Cs kept Silas and not traded Paul Westphal, they might have won another title in the late 70s. But that is another article.) Silas went on to work his magic in Seattle and played the same role in leading the Sonics to the finals in 78 and a title in 79, at age 35.
19. Bailey Howell…… Hall of Fame….. 4 seasons…1 all-star game…. 2 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: A player who has not gotten his due. He was a star power forward on the two championship teams Russ coached in 68 and 69. On most other franchises, except maybe the Lakers, a guy like Howell would be memorialized. In Boston he is an afterthought. But I remember. A 20 ppg guy, who played tough defense. No Bailey Howell, and no titles in those two years.
20. Cedric Maxwell….. 8 seasons….2 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: A very solid player, but in my view a bit overrated. Not quite as valuable as Silas or Howell, though he played more years in Boston. Career ended too early because of injuries.
21. Nate Archibald……Hall of Fame….5 seasons…3 all-star games….All NBA second team 1 time…..1 championship…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Completely underrated as a C. Played five very good seasons with the Cs and made the all-star team three times. Overlooked to some extent because he was nowhere near the scorer for the Cs he had been in the first six years in the league – before a couple of serious injuries -- when he averaged 24 ppg or more four times. In one season he averaged 34 ppg and led the league in assists! Allen Iverson could only dream of doing that.
22. Antoine Walker……7 ½ seasons……..3 all-star games… ELROD’S COMMENT: I have always been disappointed with the fact that Antoine never developed his talents to the extent he could have. Had he committed to get in shape and work on his game he could have been in the top ten of this list by now. I am delighted he is no longer on the Cs, because his chance to become a true stud has long since passed; he is a journeyman now. But you can’t argue with three all-star appearances. The guy had talent. What made his lack of development into a superstar so disappointing is that he has an engaging and charismatic personality. A somewhat tragic figure. A very rich tragic figure, but somewhat tragic nonetheless.
23. Don Nelson……… 11 seasons…..5 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: solid player, never a star, who only started late in his career. But a very heady player who was glue on the late Russ and Cowens teams.
24. Tom Sanders…….. 13 seasons….8 championships….. ELROD’S COMMENT: defensive specialist. Never rebounded well enough to attain Silas status, but was ideal cog as 7th man in championship years.
25. Larry Siegfried…… 7 seasons…..5 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: starting point guard on two championship teams, in 68 and 69. How many players in NBA history can say that? No all-star, but no slouch.
26. Don Chaney……… 9 ½ seasons….3 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: Another favorite. (Can you tell I loved those 70s teams?) Great defender and underrated offensive player. Only person to play with both Russell and Bird.
27. Jim Loscutoff…….9 seasons….7 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Another guy who is hard to peg. I did not see him play. His stats hardly knock you over. But the flags and the respect of his peers get your attention.
28. Danny Ainge………7 ½ seasons…..1 all-star game…..2 championships…. ELROD’S COMMENT: I think Danny Ainge is a much better administrator than he was a player. He never became the superstar some anticipated after his dominant college career. But he was a good player, and his last year or two with the Cs he was an all-star caliber guard. Trading him for Pinckney and Kleine proved to be a bad move for the Cs.
29. Dee Brown………. 7 ½ seasons… ELROD’S COMMENT: For a brief moment, in the fall of 1991, in training camp, Dee Brown, entering his second season, looked like he would become an all-star point guard. Then he hurt his knee and when he returned he became a 2 guard. Played some nice ball for several years on some lousy teams. A very classy guy. Pitino dumped him, as one might expect, and the team lost its last link to Reggie, Larry and Kevin.
30. Kevin Gamble…….6 seasons…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Only the lunatic fringe (of which I am a charter member) will remember how Gamble got into the starting line-up when DJ got hurt for the last two weeks of the 89 season and played like an all-star. He never played that well again, but he was a fine solid player in the early 90s.
31. Gerald Henderson… 5 seasons….2 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: Solid swing guard on two NBA championships. Played serious minutes and started at times. Red wanted him to be another Ed Macauley, because he was the guy Red dealt to Seattle to get the no. 1 pick that became Len Bias. Had Bias lived, words that make us all shudder, he might be in the top 8 on this list, maybe higher. And we would all be much happier human beings.
32. Rick Fox…………..6 seasons…. ELROD’S COMMENT: An underrated player who was a casualty of Rick Pitino’s sheer and total idiocy. Should have played his entire career in Boston, and wanted to. There was actually a nice posse there in the early-mid 90s with Fox, Gamble, Radja and Brown. Too bad the team bottomed out with lousy drafting and management decisions from 93 until…Danny was hired in 2003.
33. ML Carr…………. 6 seasons….2 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: Was a fine player, a superb sixth man, for a year or two until he became the towel waving team mascot.
34. Dino Radja………..4 seasons… ELROD’S COMMENT: If, if, if, if and if. If Radja had come over at 22 and not 26. If he had played for a real coach and not ML Carr. If he had stayed healthy. As it developed he played some superb ball for a year or two, but had little impact on the franchise. Could have been a very different story.
35. Dana Barros………5 ½ seasons…. ELROD’S COMMENT: Great shooter off the bench who played his best ball before getting to Boston.
36. Ed Pinckney……… 5 ½ seasons… ELROD’S COMMENT: Never became a starting caliber player, but was a decent banger off the bench.
37. Eric Williams………6 ½ seasons… ELROD’S COMMENT: A fan favorite because of his smarts and hustle, but injuries robbed him of the athletic ability necessary to star. Pitino idiotically traded him (are you detecting a theme here?) and the only reason this is not a major blemish on the franchise is that Williams ripped up his knee shortly thereafter and never had his offensive game again.
38. Kenny Anderson…. 4 ½ seasons… ELROD’S COMMENT: The result of one of Pitino’s many amazingly stupid, arrogant, rash, thoughtless and short-sighted trades. He threw Billups overboard for a guy whose career had run out of gas, and who had a massive contract that no one else wanted. Anderson was atrocious for the most part, but did at least play passable ball by his final season in Boston. Then, to add insult to injury, we trade him for Vin Baker.
39. Tony Battie………. 5 ½ seasons… ELROD’S COMMENT: Not much of a player, but did find a niche under O’Brien for a year or two as an undersized defender.
40. Rick Robey……….. 4 ½ seasons….1 championship… ELROD’S COMMENT: Larry’s drinking buddy. Played OK early in career but game faded as his bar tab grew. He has the sort of body big white stiffs used to have before weightlifting became mandatory. Was out of the league by 30. He did bring us DJ in a trade. Good work, Red.
41. Joe Kleine………… 4 ½ seasons…. ELROD’S COMMENT: great guy who hustled but may have had the worst hands in NBA history. Prevented him from ever being more than a back-up.
42. Gene Conley……… 4 seasons….1 championship… ELROD’S COMMENT: a baseball player who was a solid bench guy in the 1950s.
43. Jack Nichols……… 5 seasons…1 championship ELROD’S COMMENT: Didn’t play baseball, but was similar to Conley otherwise.
44. Scott Wedman…….. 4 ½ seasons….2 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: Came to Cs on downside of fine career, and was solid bench guy in glory years of mid 1980s. A superb player earlier in his career.
45. Hambone Williams…….4 seasons….1 championship… ELROD’S COMMENT: super quick point guard – Heinsohn says the quickest player he ever saw -- who was a very good back-up. Didn’t enter NBA until late 20s. Had the talent to have a much better career.
46. Steve Kuberski……. 7 ½ seasons….2 championships… ELROD’S COMMENT: Hustling back-up forward on the 70s teams.
47. Henry Finkel……… 6 seasons….1 championship….. ELROD’S COMMENT: Answer to trivia question: who was the starting center on the Cs between Russell and Cowens. Actually a pretty decent back-up for a year or two, if not a starter.
48. Kevin Stacom….. 4 ½ seasons…..1 championship... ELROD’S COMMENT: Not bad back-up shooting guard who made the rotation for a few years in the mid 70s.
49. Mark Blount ……….4 ½ seasons... ELROD’S COMMENT: At this point I suspect many of you are thinking I should have only had 48 cards in the deck. As poorly as Blount played in 04-05, recall he played pretty well in 03-04. In fact, that Mark Blount would be much much higher on this list if he could do that for a few years.
50. Greg Kite…………4 ½ seasons….. ELROD’S COMMENT: A decent defender with no offense and never quite good enough even to make the Cs rotation as a steady back-up. Had one good stint for around 10 minutes against Kareem in the 87 playoffs, and that is probably the best personal memory from his career.
51. Walter McCarty…..7 ½ seasons….. ELROD’S COMMENT: Had two decent years with the Cs and five worthless years. I am not a fan.
52. Greg Minor……5 seasons…… ........ELROD’S COMMENT: This was a very smart pick-up by ML Carr in the mid 1990s. Got a low no. 1 pick for nothing. Minor showed more than a little promise as a swingman and then injuries, and a mano-a-mano competition with Shawn Kemp for the NBA heavyweight paternity title, cut into his career. He was out of the league at 27.
53. Pervis Ellison….….5 seasons….ELROD’S COMMENT: This deck’s joker. Rolled the best joint in Celtics history. Terrible knee injury prevented what might have been superstar career. First pick overall in the 1989 draft. If this guy had been injury-free and played 12 years in Boston, he’d probably be in the top ten on this list. He was that good. And look where he ended up. Take nothing for granted. |
