Willie "The Whale" Naulls -- Sam-- update on Naulls career since the 60s

Sam

http://www.celticslife.com/2012/02/what-hell-happened-towillie-naulls.html

Thought you might find this article of interest.

swish

Swish, thank you so much for forwarding that article. I always considered Willie an under-appreciated player. He tortured the Celtics for years as part of the next generation of Knicks that had always seemed to get the upper hand on the Green in the early fifties. Then he joined the Celts and was the perfect fit in a forecourt threesome including Heinsohn and Sanders. Then, after Heinsohn retired, Willie combined with another newcomer, Don Nelson, to provide a combined 20 PPG in a combined 43 MPG for another Championship.

You may recall that, when the Celts first acquired Willie, there were snickers around the league that Willie had "lost it." But being able to play a role rather than being a star was exactly what Willie needed at that point in his career.

Thanks again for the information. It's nice to know that Willie followed what he saw as his calling, and it's nice that we Celtics fans can claim him as yet another Celtic who has fashioned a substantial legacy.

Sam

Sam wrote:But being able to play a role rather than being a star was exactly what Willie needed at that point in his career.

The same could be said of Gerald Wallace for this year and maybe for the next few years as well.

gyso

Right you are, gyso. Here's hoping Gerald can be as consistent while he's with the Celtics as Willie was. Willie even played some center at 6' 6". Talk about going small.

Sam