Bill Walton Appreciation Thread! (So what is with all the Bill Walton hate?)

[Orion Bailey]

Not speaking of anything recent or specific, other than I know many people who have said they just cant stand the guy in the past.


I don't know a ton about him because I never watched him play, but from what I have seen over the last decade has left me with nothing but respect for the guy.
I believe he did sue our organization because of improper physical training or something, complicating his injury?
Don't know if it is true or not, but if it was and it cost him his career he has a right for reimbursement.

He is open about him self and knows his flaws(talks too much) and is one of the most gracious guys Ive heard talk.

He was the biggest name on our championship team and all he does is give praise to his teammates.

When taking over the broadcast game during the third quarter, they put tape over his mouth on air and he was a great sport laughing it up.
He is a brilliant speaker with incredible descriptive abilities. Such a positive mentality and is always deflecting praise of him to others.

I'm doing more research on his post NBA career to just learn more about him.
The way he talked after the game the other night was special.
His smile is broad, his eyes sparkle with energy and enthusiasm for everything he is talking about and he seems to only want to uplift anyone and everyone around him and of whim he is speaking about or of.
Consummate professional ( even on the heels of wearing a Keith Richards bandana on tv) and a truly respectable person.

 

[Stevenson]

Love Bill, love how he played at my alma mater UCLA, love how he played here, love his commentary, and, frankly, no one speaks higher about the Blazers, Blazer fans, and Portland than Bill.

 

[Stevenson]

And his autobiography was a great read!

 

[Orion Bailey]

And his autobiography was a great read!

Link to the book?

Lets flood this place with all things Bill.

 

[tester551]

He's a blowhard windbag. He loves to hear himself talk and doesn't know when to shut up.... even when it obvious that he has no idea what he's talking about.

I can see how some in this forum can relate to him .

 

[jlprk]

Not your average windbag blowhard!

Most people who talk too much, praise themselves. Walton deflects all praise from himself.

 

[Spud147]

I'm old enough to have seen them win it all and it's as awesome as you think it is but I also saw Bill turn on Portland. By the time he left he hated the city and the fans. I was a kid and the memories aren't super clear but I remember being pretty crushed.

 

[Orion Bailey]

I'm old enough to have seen them win it all and it's as awesome as you think it is but I also saw Bill turn on Portland. By the time he left he hated the city and the fans. I was a kid and the memories aren't super clear but I remember being pretty crushed.

Eat some Ginsing root to spark some good memories. I would like to hear any type of specifics. Is it that the fans turned on him first for being injured? or...he was frustrated with the training staff and let loose on the organization?
They have obviously mended things if so.
I really don't know.

 

[ripcityboy]

Obligatory Conference of Champions Reference....

 

[Spud147]

I think as the years progressed people realized that he wasn't getting enough protein (he was a vegetarian right when it was becoming a thing). Sports nutrition would have been huge for him. Anyway, he was a young man when he said those things about Portland and, as the years went on, he had more clarity. I think he really does appreciate that time and the fans now... I was just telling you why some people may be hatin on him.

One of my most vivid memories is of the end of a game (couldn't even tell you the other team) and the team came back from like 7 down with 10 seconds left. The incredible team play on both ends, everyone committed and giving up their body, the play of the team had an incredible flow, truly a thing of beauty.

 

[Blazers Roy]

Everytime i think about Bill Walton i just hear Frank Caliendo in my head lol

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

I have had the misfortune of being directly behind Bill Walton at multiple Dead shows. It wrecks the view... that's all I've got.

Everything else is wicked respect.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Didn't he bash the 90s blazers and the Jailblazers quite a bit?

 

[Orion Bailey]

Didn't he bash the 90s blazers and the Jailblazers quite a bit?

the 90's Blazers would be a negative mark. that team was a VERY respectable team on and off the court.

However he would only be one of many regarding the jailblazers, no?

 

[Mediocre Man]

He's a National treasure.

 

[MARIS61]

Bill Walton is the reason our team still exists.

Without the Championship in our showcase this team would have folded in the eighties.

 

[jlprk]

In the early decades, he criticized all teams, not just the Blazers. I remember his disgust with George Karl's system pissing off some Sonic fans. (He was right, of course. I don't remember the details.)

Walton was so good as a color commentator because he was analytical and critical. Rick Barry was the same. Other commentators were 100% positive all the time because 1)they were afraid and 2)they weren't expert enough to pick things apart.

This made Walton enemies. As the years went on, he did a 180 defensive move into the all-positive caricature you see today.

 

[e_blazer]

Bill screwed up when he left the Blazers and I think he knows it and would admit it. He blamed the team doctor for his foot problems at the time and was getting some bad advice from some people he was hanging with. It's just a shame that team didn't get to be a dynasty, it was really a case of catching lightning in a bottle that championship year and the first 3/4 of the following season.

I love Bill. He's overly effusive, but that's just a part of his charm. He overcame a stuttering issue so props to him for his public speaking success.

 

[jlprk]

Bill screwed up when he left the Blazers and I think he knows it and would admit it. He blamed the team doctor for his foot problems

What evidence do you have that the doctor didn't screw him up? During the years we used that doctor, the Blazers had almost as many injuries as the rest of the league combined.

Before he was drafted, doctors said that Walton would last a long career despite his leg problems. Were they all wrong and the Blazer doctor right?

 

[MarAzul]

Bill screwed up when he left the Blazers and I think he knows it and would admit it. He blamed the team doctor for his foot problems at the time and was getting some bad advice from some people he was hanging with. It's just a shame that team didn't get to be a dynasty, it was really a case of catching lightning in a bottle that championship year and the first 3/4 of the following season.

I love Bill. He's overly effusive, but that's just a part of his charm. He overcame a stuttering issue so props to him for his public speaking success.

You are correct. He was unhappy, feet not working, so he left, blamed everyone. But I forgive him, he never was the Big Bill we knew again, so it goes.
I got a kick out of listening to him the other night, man the dude is half way to Shangri La now, but fun to hear him reminisce.

 

[42N8Bounce]

Quite a few years back the Blazers did a championship team reunion, but limited it to 20+ year season ticket holders. Pretty nice event since it was relatively small.

Most of the team showed up, with just a few missing - Herm Gilliam (passed away), Wally Walker, and Bill Walton. I got the autograph of everyone in attendance.

I tried to contact Bill Walton to see when he would be in Portland next. I was able to get in contact with a guy that did his scheduling. He kind of laughed at me, but said I had a good story, so he said he'd pass my contact info along to Bill. Right. I got blown off.

A few days latter I got an email with nothing in the body of the email, but the subject line said 'send me your address', and the email address had Bill Walton's name. What the hell. I replied, and gave him my home address.

About a week later a box was delivered to my door. It included a Bill Walton autographed basketball, 3 8x11 photo autographs, 2 basketball cards autographed, and a legends of basketball brunch program autographed. It's like he went to his back room and just scooped a bunch of stuff into the box.

He's a pretty goofy guy, but damn, I've got a soft spot for him now.

 

[MarAzul]

What evidence do you have that the doctor didn't screw him up? During the years we used that doctor, the Blazers had almost as many injuries as the rest of the league combined.

Before he was drafted, doctors said that Walton would last a long career despite his leg problems. Were they all wrong and the Blazer doctor right?

You might be correct also.

 

[Minstrel]

It's just a shame that team didn't get to be a dynasty, it was really a case of catching lightning in a bottle that championship year and the first 3/4 of the following season.

I don't think it was catching lightning in a bottle so much as Walton was a generational talent and he broke down, which ended the Blazers' run. Walton is arguably the most underrated pure talent in NBA history--because he didn't have a long run as a superstar, people forget what a brilliant talent he was while he was healthy. Had he been healthy for a normal length career, he would easily have ended up in the center pantheon with Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, Olajuwon, Shaq and Robinson.

 

[e_blazer]

I don't think it was catching lightning in a bottle so much as Walton was a generational talent and he broke down, which ended the Blazers' run. Walton is arguably the most underrated pure talent in NBA history--because he didn't have a long run as a superstar, people forget what a brilliant talent he was while he was healthy. Had he been healthy for a normal length career, he would easily have ended up in the center pantheon with Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, Olajuwon, Shaq and Robinson.

Catching that brief window when Walton was healthy, along with a really good supporting cast is the lightning in the bottle I was referring to. Too bad it couldn't have lasted longer. There are generations of Blazers fans who know nothing of the magic of Walton cleaning the glass and hitting a streaking guard with a pinpoint pass for a fast break basket.

 

[MarAzul]

I don't think it was catching lightning in a bottle so much as Walton was a generational talent and he broke down, which ended the Blazers' run. Walton is arguably the most underrated pure talent in NBA history--because he didn't have a long run as a superstar, people forget what a brilliant talent he was while he was healthy. Had he been healthy for a normal length career, he would easily have ended up in the center pantheon with Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, Olajuwon, Shaq and Robinson.

You don't need a long career to be in that position.

Walton was the best all around center to play the game in my not so humble opinion, until I saw a health Sabas play. Walton on defense was damn near as good, maybe as good as Russell.
On offense, he was good, but when he ran the plays in Dr. Jacks motion offense, he was a master, damn near as good as Sabas in that type of system.

 

[Boob-No-More]

When I was a kid, I wanted to be Bill Walton. In spite of the fact that I hated UCLA, Bill Walton was my favorite college player ever (followed by Larry Bird). He was such a complete player. He could could dominate a game at both ends of the floor, while also controlling the boards.

I still remember that record 44-point NCAA championship game performance when he made 21 of 22 field goal attempts. That has to be the greatest individual performance ever in a college game, which is somewhat ironic given that Walton was the ultimate team player. Memphis State just had no answer for him.

BNM

 

[riverman]

In the basketball world, Walton was to me...the natural...a huge reason I'm a basketball fan today...fortunate to have crossed paths with him over the years

 

[jlprk]

I still remember that record 44-point NCAA championship game performance when he made 21 of 22 field goal attempts. That has to be the greatest individual performance ever in a college game, which is somewhat ironic given that Walton was the ultimate team player. Memphis State just had no answer for him.

Remember how Walton was swinging his arms right before the game started, laughing to the ref about how good he felt? The ref was trying to appear neutral with a straight face and not converse much. Walton kept bobbing that red head and waving that super-flexible big body around, and saying how he was in the mood to play.

From the 21 for 22 shooting, one might think that his defender at Center was sub-par for a college player. Larry Kenon became an All-Star 3 times in the ABA and 2 more times in the NBA.

 

[riverman]

Larry Kenon

what a great flashback...that dude had the record for steals once as a Spur...I think it was eleven in a game

 

[Orion Bailey]

Quite a few years back the Blazers did a championship team reunion, but limited it to 20+ year season ticket holders. Pretty nice event since it was relatively small.

Most of the team showed up, with just a few missing - Herm Gilliam (passed away), Wally Walker, and Bill Walton. I got the autograph of everyone in attendance.

I tried to contact Bill Walton to see when he would be in Portland next. I was able to get in contact with a guy that did his scheduling. He kind of laughed at me, but said I had a good story, so he said he'd pass my contact info along to Bill. Right. I got blown off.

A few days latter I got an email with nothing in the body of the email, but the subject line said 'send me your address', and the email address had Bill Walton's name. What the hell. I replied, and gave him my home address.

About a week later a box was delivered to my door. It included a Bill Walton autographed basketball, 3 8x11 photo autographs, 2 basketball cards autographed, and a legends of basketball brunch program autographed. It's like he went to his back room and just scooped a bunch of stuff into the box.

He's a pretty goofy guy, but damn, I've got a soft spot for him now.

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Thats incredibly awesome!