New Hall Of Famer Payton Names Rondo One Of Three True Point Guards

In case you missed it amidst all of your hand-wringing about your fantasy football fails and "pick 'em" faux pas, this little gem from newly minted Hall Of Fame Point Guard Gary "GP" Payton was reported by The Springfield Republican's Tom King via MassLive's Twitter feed:

Gary Payton, a 2013 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and one of the greatest point guards since the ABA/NBA merger, told reporters Saturday that there are only three point guards in the NBA today.

“We don’t really have point guards in the NBA now. We really have (shooting) guards – and that’s a fact,” Payton said. “I think there’s only three true point guards that play like point guards. I think Chris Paul is one, I think (Rajon) Rondo is one, and I think Tony Parker is the other.” 

Payton will be introduced at his enshrinement on Sunday by John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time assists leader. The nine-time NBA All-Star, known as “The Glove,” ranks eighth in career assists with 8,966.

“John Stockton was the hardest player for me to play against because he wouldn’t talk trash,” Payton said. “I could talk to Michael (Jordan) and maybe get under his skin a little, but Stockton never talked back.”

Coming from one of THE preeminent points the game has ever seen, particularly one who holds down the 8th spot all-time in assists, this ought to give Rondo-haters pause the next time they attempt to leave him off the list of top-three PG's (especially for the likes of Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose!).

I've long argued that Rondo is one of the few true points left in the game (and have a running battle with friends about him being THE best today when one considers what the job of a PG is actually supposed to be -- hint: it's not to be the primary scorer), and GP's assessment will only serve to fuel the fire that rages within.

But, that's a post for another time.

For now, let's just take this little bit of love from The Glove, cherish #9 a little bit more and hope that he comes back soon.

Legendary Oscar Schmidt Scores Big At Hall Of Fame Induction

 

I know I'm dating myself here (now THAT's true self love!), but I have been a fan of the "Brazilian Bird" Oscar Schmidt since he burst upon the international basketball scene back in the late 1970's and through the 80's. He beat the U.S. entry almost singlehandedly in the 1987 Pan Am Games, scoring a whopping 46 points; he averaged 42.3 in the 1988 Summer Olympics; and he became known well enough around the world to only need one name -- "Oscar." Nuff said!

 

You can check out his Hall of Fame Induction speech here, and I strongly encourage you to do so. In my humble opinion, his was the most entertaining and heartfelt presentation of the day. Oh, and also...Oscar's sponsor into the Hall was a certain well-known green-teamer who was so aptly described by the honoree thusly: "He doesn't run...he doesn't jump, but he plays the best of everyone here." 

But, if you're asking why Oscar's induction is relevant to Greenheadz everywhere, it's not just because his presenter was one Larry Joe Bird (who happened to be one of the three other Celtics hitting the stage in some fashion this year. Bob Cousy, John Havlicek and Bill Walton were the others. Rick Pitino doesn't count cuz he wasn't a "true" Celtic! But, I digress). 

Oscar's induction should be relevant to all because he was one of the best, if not the best, shooters the international game has ever seen...reminiscent of our own "greatest shooter ever," #33, and Celtics fans tend to appreciate great basketball players wherever they might come from and whomever they may have played for.

So, check Oscar out and watch as the Basketball Hall of Fame pays tribute to one of the true greats to have ever played the game.

Okay, fine...if you really want to, you can check out Coach Pitino here, but, if you do that, then you should also watch the rest of the festivities here with Gary Payton, Dawn Staley,  Bernard King, Richie Guerin and the rest.