Trivia Question

Which four NBA players have lead their team in all five major statistical categories in a single season? (Points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals)

Hint: I'm now lobbying for one of them to become a Celtic.....again.

Sam

Pippen, Garnett, Lebron and Cowens. Great question Sam, I must admit I didn't know this until I saw it on a repeat episode of Stump the Schwab a few weeks ago on ESPN Classic. My guess then was Wilt, the Big O, Lebron and Cowens.

Sorry for the delay, Will. This thread dropped from sight so quickly, I forgot about it. You got it right.

Actually, Cowens was the one who surprised me. He did it at least in the 1977-78 season. They only count the totals. Kermit Washington actually had more blocks per game than Cowens, but Kermit played many fewer games.

Sam

Sam
I would love to see Dave Cowens in some capacity as a coach or management,he could only be a very positive influence in any capacity.
cow

Cow,

You've probably seen my posts lobbying for Cowens as a replacement for Clifford Ray if he doesn't come back. There's just an indefinable something that would make me like to see Cowens instill some of his philosophies in Erden and see what happens. Also, I'd be more comfortable with a Celtics legend in the coaching mix—especially one noted for his energy, hustle, toughness and for not backing down to anyone. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see what Cow might do to create a more sure-fisted Perk.

Now that I think about it, Dave Cowens could be a prime candidate for the title of most underappreciated Celtics super-legend---well, maybe tied with my boy, Sam Jones.

I always remember what Red Auerbach said in Cowens' heyday. "You'll know he's had it when he can't jump any more." Red felt that his jumping ability was the key to Cowens' success. One can only dream that he might be able to impart some of that to Perk.

Sam

Sam

A bit of flubber on Perks sneaks might help.......Fred MacMurray in the house?

beat

No problem Sam, actually I knew that Cowens was one of the 4 right off, one of my all-time favorite books is "The Short Season" by John Powers. It is a "Diary" of the 1977-78 season which was when Dave accomplished the feat. The book was actually written to chronicle Hondo's last year and it still makes for a great read.

Sam

I would love to see Dave Cowens working with Erden,Perk and Baby,hell I'm sure he could give KG and Shaq some useful wisdom.Cowens invented the jumphook and had a great running hook shot.One thing about Cowens,he played hard and he played fair,he wasn't a cheapshot artist like some lowlifes.I would like him to teach Perk how to effectively play hard and stay poised and on the floor.Perk always gets a few cheap fouls,sometimes its not all his fault,some calls are just by his reputation.If Cowens could teach all the young BIGS how to play with intentsity and proper poise,not the too much utter stupidity we've seen,would be huge.Perk always gets great rebounding position on the offensive boards,sometimes he does it right,many times he gets caught doing too much in fighting or grabbing.I suspect Perk could get all his in fighting position techniques refined perfect by Cowens and KG and Shaq could use a review too.

cow

Cow,

It would be interesting. I''m afraid the pivotal point would be Perk's inability to jump (as I hinted earlier). He tries to compensate by stretching and rebounding one-handed, which is a lost cause. If Dave could do something about that, while lengthening Perk's fingers about an inch, we'd really have something.

Sam

Sam

Alot of great rebounders were not great leapers,Silas and Oakley come to mind,Perk has enough physical attributes to rebound and more effectively,he has had 20 rebound games in the past.Hes got to be more savy,both those guys knew positioning and how to get away enough with all the give and take.I don't know how he can become a better quicker leaper,hes made alot of progress from his earlier years.If he could just rebound more consistantly and cut out the dumb fouls with his great physical defense,we'd really have something.....a bigger Ben Wallace?

cow

Don't forget the captain of the all no jump rebound team, Bill Laimbeer!

John Havlicek's college teammate Jerry Lucas was 6' 8" and 230 lbs. He couldn't jump 3 inches in the air, yet he was one of the great rebounders of all time. I haven't checked this but apparently only three NBA players averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds in a season. Lucas was one of them. You can probably guess who the other two were. He was also one of only four players ever to get 40 rebounds in an NBA game. More chances to guess.

Here's what Jerry Lucas had to say about rebounding: "I was absolutely manic about rebounding. I had great timing and a sixth sense. I knew where the ball would come off the board when a guy shot it, because I had studied tendencies - where certain rebounds went when they were shot from certain areas of the floor. About everyone could outjump me, and they would just rely on their legs to get rebounds. But that wasn't good enough. I always could outrebound guys who just lived off their legs."

In one of Bill Russell's books or interviews, he talked about how at USF he and K. C. Jones would practice jumping (and landing). Russ said that, from the time he was about twelve, he started practicing jumping and touching the top of the rim, over and over again, until he could do it twenty or more times in a row, the idea being that sometimes you had to jump three, four or more times for a single contested rebound. Maybe we could hire Russ as the big man coach.

rick

not to question what was said about Russ and touching the rim, but doesn't 20 times in a row seem a bit low for a guy 6-9 and in good shape? I know it says (20 OR MORE) I would think twice that number or beyond would seem more in order for a workout.

And just a side light most rebounds are taken well below rim level so positioning is more important than jumping ability anyway.

beat

Beat,

I did a quick search and couldn't find Russell's explanation of the drill, but here's what I remember about it:

-- Jump up and touch what you can. Start out with the bottom of the backboard, work up to the rim, then go higher if you're able. If the bottom of the backboard is too high for the drill, hang a piece of string or find something to be the target you reach for. The objective is to touch the same target each and every time during the drill and to move the target higher as your jumping improves.

-- Do the drill with the right hand, then the left hand, then both hands. If you're doing reps of 20, that's 20 x 3, which is 60 total reps.

-- Always keep your hands up. Do not drop your hands down to get momentum for your jump. (Perk needs to work on this.)

It's a difficult drill requiring effort, technique, and concentration. Most people lower their arms to gain momentum they jump, and it's much harder to do when you keep your hands high. Doing the drill the proper way is very difficult but eventually ingrains the muscle memory needed for repetitive, quick jumps.

Also, Russell's quote about most rebounds being taken below the rim offers insight into why some players who are poor leapers can be good rebounders, through the "mental" aspect -- technique, anticipation, and effort. He also said that many guys who were great leapers relied too much on their leaping ability and didn't develop the mental aspect of rebounding. But when you combine the mental assets with someone who also jumps well -- that's the best combination. Russell worked at both parts.

Outside

Outside

thanks and I fully agree to keeping the hands up. McHale was such a good what I call "Ankle" jumper. Kept the hands up and just bounced from the ankles. Esp when he got an offensive rebound.

As for jumping soon as I find it I'll post the story about a certain "nail" that was only touched by 2 players.

beat

This the full peice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Johnson_(basketball)

here is the part about the "nail"



"The Nail"
While Gus Johnson played basketball at Idaho in 1962-63, he earned a reputation as a leaper of the highest order. On one evening at the "Corner Club", a tavern on north Main Street in Moscow, Johnson was challenged by Herm Goetz, the owner, to demonstrate his outstanding jumping ability to the assembled patrons. The "Corner Club" was a modest establishment, converted from a small white stucco chapel built in the 1940s, with hardwood floors and substantial beams on its ceiling. [4] From a standing start near the front bar, Johnson leapt to touch a spot on a beam 11' 6" (3.51 m) above the floor level. The spot on the beam was marked with a ceremonial nail by Goetz, who next proclaimed that anyone who could duplicate that leap could drink for free, something that he knew was highly improbable. A 40-inch (1 m) diameter circle was painted on the floor below that beam, and any potential duplicator of the leap had to have both feet on the floor, within this circle, to ensure a standing start. Twenty-three years elapsed, with a considerable number attempts to touch Gus Johnson's Nail, including some by the 6' 11" UCLA All-American Bill Walton during the summer of 1984. But not even Walton, then a pro at age 31, could touch that high up ("...too much pizza and beer tonight..").

That was until January 1986, when the team bus of College of Southern Idaho, a junior college in Twin Falls, stopped in Moscow, en route to a game against North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene. Joey Johnson, the younger brother of the NBA star Dennis Johnson, was brought into the closed bar by his coaches for a try, before opening time. The 6' 3" (1.90 m) guard had already recorded a remarkable 48" (1.22 m) vertical leap during basketball practice.

Joey Johnson laced up his game shoes and touched "The Nail" on his first try, but this attempt was disqualified because he did not start with both feet inside the given circle. His next attempt came from a legal static start, but was slightly short. On his third try, Johnson leaped, grabbed, and bent the legendary nail, a landmark event in local sports history. Mr. Goetz next pulled "The Nail" out of its beam, and he pounded it back in, a half inch (1 cm) higher. [5]

Due to road reconstruction on north Main Street during the 1990s, the entire front (west) portion of the Corner Club was demolished. Unfortunately, the condemned portion of the establishment included the original location of "The Nail."


beat

Wesley Unseld was another good example of how positioning (and, in his case, bulk) can often be more important than jumping ability in rebounding.

We all know that Russ could jump to the moon. But, to the extent that jumping did play a role in both rebounding and shot-blocking, I submit that it wasn't how high he could jump but how quickly he could jump. The spring for his jumping seemed to come more from his feet and ankles than from his knees and thighs. That's why his secret to shot-blocking was to refrain from leaving the floor until the shooter was already in the air. The quickness of Russ' leap meant (1) Russ was always on target and (2) Russ seldom (if ever) went for upfakes.

His quick jumping ability also helped in his rebounding because, while some guys would be caught jumping too early for a board (it looks flashy but is very ineffective), Russ could get to the apex of his jump more quickly and didn't leave the floor too soon. His quick jumping ability was the reason why he was so great at jumping three or four times for the same rebound. He was also much less likely to misjudge the geometry of the bounce of the ball off board and/or rim because he could wait so long to judge the bunce. Moreover, the lengths to which he went in studying the geometry of basketball are lengendary.

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that, if Russ were playing today, he'd grab in excess of 20 rebounds per game. In fact, since I feel the science of positioning was more universally practiced back in the 50s and 60s than it is today, I wouldn't be shocked if he got a larger percentage of the available boards today than he did back then. Being age 76 might be an impediment, but probably not (LOL).

There's no such thing as perfection. But I believe Russ came closer to it than any other rebounder who has ever lived in terms of positioning, quickness, form, timing, brains, and protecting the ball once he got it (and quite possibly in terms of outlet passing too).

Wilt may have averaged more boards than Russ in his career (a scant 22.9 to 22.5 advantage), but Russ "competed" for rebounding stats with better-rebounding teammates than Wilt did. I took the 1961-62 season as an example, and Russ's teammates averaged 54 rebounds a game while Wilt's averaged 49 a game.

Wondering whether I might have selected an unrepresentative season, I checked the seasons immediately before and after that one. In 1960-61, Russ's teammates averaged 53 RPG and Wilt's 48 RPG. In 1962-63, Russ's teammates averaged 50 RPG and Wilt's 43 RPG.

Why can't we get rebounders like that any more?

Sam

Sam

Just a couple of reasons. Overall the shooting is a bit better now thus less chances for rebounds. Plus Russ played darn near every minute of every game and nowadys bigs might play mid 30's on average at best.

Plus no big since had the heart Russell did. (although Cowens comes close)

beat

one other now with the trey more shots will bounce further from the rim than when there was no three either. Thus spreading out the rebounds that are available more than back in the 60's