Bob Cousy rates Celtics’ Kyrie Irving as best ball-handler in NBA

http://www.telegram.com/news/20180226/bob-cousy-rates-celtics-kyrie-irving-as-best-ball-handler-in-nba




Bob Cousy rates Celtics’ Kyrie Irving as best ball-handler in NBA




By Bill Doyle
Telegram & Gazette Staff



Posted Feb 26, 2018 at 8:52 PM
Updated Feb 26, 2018 at 10:58 PM
 



Celtics legend Bob Cousy was the NBA’s first great ball-handler and he wholeheartedly supports the belief that Kyrie Irving is the best at that skill in the league today.

“I’m on his bandwagon,” the Worcester resident said from his winter home in West Palm Beach, Florida. “He’s very impressive.”

Cousy said he loved Isaiah Thomas and admits he had to be sold on Irving, but he’s grown to appreciate Irving even more.

“This guy in my judgment,” Cousy said, “is even more effective taking it to the basket. There isn’t anyone in the league that I can see who takes it as effectively. Maybe (Russell) Westbrook, but not with the same panache and creativity. Westbrook kind of overwhelms, overpowers you with his physical game. This kid just gets it in there and gets by anybody who tries to guard him. He also sees the floor. I always thought Thomas’s deficiency, one of them, was his passing game. This kid really can make the play, he sees the play, he knows what to do, and defensively he’s a force.”

“Very appreciative, very appreciate,” Irving said after the Celtics handed Memphis its 10th consecutive loss, 109-98, at the Garden on Monday night. “We all know what Mr. Cousy gave to the game, to the Celtics tradition. It’s pretty awesome.”

Cousy said he wished Irving would drive even more than he does.

“He takes it in against anyone,” Cousy said, “and he can get his shot off any time he chooses and that’s part of his ball-handling, but the passing game, he doesn’t look for it, but he’ll go to it. The only negative I see is he has such confidence in that perimeter shot he’ll occasionally take a shot that I say, ‘Oh, god, don’t take that shot,’ because in his case, he can always get something better.”

Against Memphis, Irving took the ball to the basket, but he also made five of eight 3-point attempts and ended up with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists before sitting out the final 16 minutes.

During Cousy’s playing days, there weren’t any 3-point shots, and he doesn’t like that NBA teams take so many of them nowadays.


“I just shake my head. I don’t understand that,” he said. “I know the computers tell them that’s the way to do it, but I’ll go to my grave making the same kind of speech.”

Irving said shooting 3-pointers draws the defense away from the basket and allows him to drive or find open teammates.

“Also, it conserves a little energy, honestly,” he said, “not necessarily have to break down your defender every single play.”

Cousy compared Irving favorably to Tiny Archibald, who he coached with the Cincinnati Royals in the early 1970s.

“I remember,” Cousy recalled, “saying to him, ‘Tiny, in your entire career you’re going to be a great, great player. You should never take one single, bad shot because there isn’t a defender in the league that’s going to be able to come up and guard you from outside.’ And Kyrie I would say the same thing to. He should never take a bad shot because his skills enable him, if the guy comes up, whoever it is, he’s going to go by him.”

Under Cousy’s tutelage in 1972-73, Archibald became the only player to lead the league in scoring and assists. As far as taking the ball to the basket, Cousy said he’d rank Irving with Archibald.

“Although Tiny used to do it with explosive speed,” Cousy said. “In Kyrie’s case, he just puts it to the floor and is able to maneuver and finish. I’ve never seen anyone stop him.”


“He’s the best we’ve ever had at getting where he wants to get to when he wants to get there,” said Celtics TV analyst Tommy Heinsohn, who like Cousy is a Holy Cross and Celtics legend.

Cousy helped Holy Cross win the 1947 NCAA championship and the Celtics earn six NBA titles. He was a 13-time All-Star and the 1957 NBA MVP. At 89, he realizes the NBA has changed a great deal since he retired in 1963 and admits he wasn’t a great jumper or efficient shooter, but he still thinks his greatest skill would hold up in today’s game.

“I would put today,” he said, “my creatively and my passing skills on a par with still anyone that’s played the game frankly.”

Check out YouTube for videos of him dribbling out the clock in a 110-107 overtime victory in Game 7 of the 1962 NBA Finals with the frustrated Lakers unable to catch up to him. Cousy also dribbled out the clock the following year in a 112-109 win over Lakers in the clinching Game 6 before heading into retirement.

“I’ve seen it a few times,” Irving said. “It’s part of history. I’m just always showing respect and paying homage to those who have come before me. A lot of their talents during their generations were something that people had never seen before. That’s what made them legends. They did it consistently over and over again. Legends, they’ll live forever. So glad to get a compliment from him like that. Pretty awesome.”

During Cousy’s first four years in the NBA, there was no shot clock so coach Red Auerbach would have him begin dribbling out the clock with several minutes remaining if the Celtics led by eight or so points. Opponents had to foul him to get the ball back.

“I’d get hammered from pillar to post,” Cousy said. “I would never have played 13 years if that hadn’t put that (24-second clock) rule in.”


Cousy remembers Baltimore guard Paul Hoffman guarding him one night in the non-shot clock era.

“They could have blindfolded me,” Cousy said, “and he wouldn’t be able to take the ball away from me.”

So near the end of a game in Baltimore, an exasperated Hoffman tackled Cousy. When the two teams played the next day in Boston, Hoffman tried to bull his way to the basket. Cousy heard teammate Bob Brannum behind him say, “Let him through, let him through.” So Cousy stepped out of the way and Brannum stepped in front of the on-rushing Hoffman with his forearms crossed. He caught Hoffman in the neck and sent him backwards onto the floor.

“The piano played and the building shook,” Cousy said. “Brannum just stood over him and everybody quieted because they thought the guy was dead.”

Brannum assumed Hoffman would go after him, but when Hoffman got up he ran to the Celtics bench and attacked Auerbach because he knew he had sent Brannum after him.



bob
MY NOTE: Can you imagine tackling an All-Star like Cousy in today's game? What would happen? And then for a beast like Brannum put both of his forearms into his throat first chance? AND THEN getting up and charging the opposing coach!!!? If you thought the league was small back then imagine how much smaller it would have been if they suspended players for doing stuff like that like they do today?



.

A superstar in his day - his shooting, defense and foot speed would make him quite doubtful as a modern day NBA point guard. In a league that was featured as a non contact sport (and it was) - those moments of violence were very infrequent, unless you were listening to Johnny Most doing the play by play.

swish

Great post. The anecdote at the end is beyond classic. Although I think Cousy is a little off regarding the three ponter (and that's a generational thing), everything else he said is so smart and insightful. I hope I am that sharp at 89...

I think Cousy makes some very good points.

Other than the fact that he told us something we already knew (Kyrie is the best ball handler) he is correct in his assessment about Irving taking some ill advised 3 point shots.

He is also correct that Irving is not a pass first point guard. Cousy in his younger days however was actually a gunner just like Kyrie. As a matter of fact Cousy career FGA of 17.8 per game mirrors what Kyrie has done at 17.4 FGA. You would think that given the high number of FGA back then he would have had more assists. Cousy averaged 7.5 assists and his best year was the 59-60 season where he averaged 9.5 assists.

Also Cousy only played 13 seasons and is currently in 17th place all time assist leader. I think Rajon Rondo will pass him within a year and a half as he is only 534 assists behind the Cooz with 6,421.

Kyrie is a dynamic scorer and will never be a top assist guy unless he focuses more on getting the ball to his teammates.

Cousy is old school and since he did not play in an era where there was an opportunity for 3 point FG's he does not like the number of 3 pointers being put up in today's game.