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Best Outlet Passer ever...
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 12:24 am
by rrravenred
Who (both historically and currently) has been the best at igniting the fast break?
Some thoughts:
- Bill Russell: He defends, he rebounds, he blocks and he can also pass! The key in the starter of Red's green machine...
- Magic: Showtime was Showtime because of him. Enough said.
- Kidd: has made more career-years than almost any other player. His facility in the open court speaks for itself
- Pressey: Don Nelson's point forward hit the upcourt streaker with monotonous regularity
Any thoughts?
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 12:30 am
by a-rod
Wes Unseld, bill Wolton.....
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 12:44 am
by tsherkin
Bill Russell, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton...
Magic, Kidd and even Pressey, yeah.
Kareem was pretty good at throwing the outlet pass (all those Wooden-era UCLA boys, really).
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 12:53 am
by yehyeh82
Kevin Love
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 1:34 am
by Nolan
^
He's amazing at it but he's not in the league yet lol
Russel would have to be my answer.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 1:35 am
by miller31time
Bill Russell.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 1:58 am
by Patterns
De ja vu? I swear we had this thread a couple of days ago.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 2:22 am
by dockingsched
yehyeh82 wrote:Kevin Love
took my answer
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 2:24 am
by NO-KG-AI
Gotta show some KG love.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 2:25 am
by Hendrix
What's Yao like normally in this department? I don't get a lot of Houston games broadcasted, but the games I saw him play this year he made some fantastic outlet passes.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 2:40 am
by Jordan23Forever
Russell
Unseld
Oakley
Rodman
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 3:31 am
by hermes
russell
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 3:32 am
by Harry Palmer
Wilt.
Lead the league in assists one year, mostly on outlets.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 3:46 am
by DanLanghiOwnsAll
CWEBB
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 4:32 am
by tsherkin
Harry Palmer wrote:Wilt.
Lead the league in assists one year, mostly on outlets.
Eh, I wouldn't say "mostly." I'd say MOST of his passes come off what he was found later doing in L.A., working as a low post passing hub and then supplementing with outlets and such.
Can't believe I forgot about him and C-Webb.
Vlade, of course, deserves mention.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 4:54 am
by penbeast0
One that wasn't mentioned that was fantastic was Connie Hawkins. The Hawk could thread the needle with a football style outlet pass with his huge hands . . . and he could do something I've never seen done well by anyone else . . . . he could pump fake the outlet convincingly with one hand, then throw it while the defender was still recovering . . . it was sick.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 4:55 am
by penbeast0
That said, I'd still go with Wes Unseld for the outlet pass; Walton, Wilt, Russell, Webber, etc. may have been better post passers but no one made the outlet like Wes.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 12:15 pm
by Point forward
Bill Russell, homer pick but reasonable IMHO.
[Opposing guy misses shot or gets his shot blocked]
[Rebound Russell]
[Outlet pass Russell to Cousy]
[3-on-2 fastbreak with Cousy, Russell and Heinsohn]
[Heinsohn scores on an easy layup, assist Cousy]
That is how the Cs won 8 consecutive rings.
Not to put down Russell as a passer in any way shape or form, but think about this. If Heinsohn and Cousy were getting so many easy buckets on the break, think how bad they must have been in the half-court game since they averaged career efg% of .405 (as a PF) and .375 respectively. I've argued many times that those two especially of the Celtics were overrated; that (and their less than stellar defense) are the main reason.
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 5:23 pm
by tsherkin
It's not a homer pick, Russell was the iconic example of a fastbreak center outletting to the Cs, it's a great thought.
EDIT: As an aside, half the time his BLOCKS were outlet passes...
Posted: Fri Mar 7, 2008 5:28 pm
by mudyez
It has to be Russell!!