Talk:Nate Thurmond
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Who are the other 50 Greatest? --Rj 01:37, Jun 27, 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Points on Thurmond
First, basketball fans should know what a competitor and athlete this guy was. Think Bill Russell or Ben Wallace. Thurmond, however, wasn't shy about scoring 20 points a game if his team needed it. He was an underrated passer as well. Mostly, he is remembered for his intense defense, which once knocked Kareem Abdul Jabbar from the playoffs, his shot blocking and rebounding. Thurmond is one of the all-time greats in those three areas and definitely would still star today. In high school, he was in the shadow of upper classman Gus Johnson, then All-Ohio legend Jerry Lucas. He was a MAC star at Bowling Green while other schools and players again received more attention. He was not even on the radar when the vaunted 1960 U.S. Olympic team was put together. Drafted for the San Fransisco Warriors, who had just moved from Philadelphia, Thurmond became the protege' of Wilt Chamberlain, who worked the youngster hard in practice and introduced him to weightlifting. Thurmond's improvement made Chamberlain's large contract expendable. The Warrior club he inherited was hindered by ABA defections and injuries. Star performers paraded thru the roster over the late 60s and early 70s. Thurmond himself played so intensely at time, he was prone to injury. He was traded to Chicago for an inferior center, Cliff Ray. The Warriors then won the NBA title without him. Chicago had an opportunity to contend, but chose to start Tom Boerwinkle ahead of him in the playoffs against his old Warriors team. A chance in Cleveland showed Thurmond to still more fans, but the Cavaliers were eliminated by Boston. Goaltending was counted as a foul that year, and Thurmond was the victim of several very controversial calls during that playoff. He never got his ring but played like a champion. He was easily named one of the NBA's best ever in 1996. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.255.185.157 (talk) 02:14, 28 January 2007 (UTC).
