Magic Ex J.J. Redick In War of Words With NBA Legend: 'He Was Being Guarded By Plumbers and Firemen'
Since joining ESPN, J.J. Redick has become one of the rising stars in the sports media world.
He's qualified to talk about basketball, intelligent, and hardly minces his words when he makes an appearance. And once upon a time, he was a rising star for the Orlando Magic.
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In a segment shown on ESPN's "First Take" last month, Redick, 37, was debating with New York sports media personality Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, 62, about the greatest point guard in NBA history.
Russo stated that Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, Redick's former teammate with the Los Angeles Clippers, was not a transcendent player after losing Game 2 of his opening round series against the New Orleans Pelicans.
"He's not Bob Cousy," said Russo.
When Cousy entered the conversation, Redick began to discuss how the difficulty of the game has grown over time.
"Let's celebrate Bob Cousy in his era, but we can't compare pre-1980s NBA to now," Redick responded. "He was being guarded by plumbers and firemen."
Cousy, 93, came to the defense of the "plumbers and firemen" he played against in a radio interview earlier this week.
"I’ll just give you a few of the names of these firemen that I played with and against during those years. How about Bill Russell, the aforementioned, not too bad a player. Wilt Chamberlain, remember that guy? He wasn’t bad. I guess he must have fought fires as well. But in any event, Wilt Chamberlain.”
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Sure, the game quality has improved over time as the game expands globally. It's a different game than it was back in the 1950s when Cousy's Boston Celtics dominated the sport and won six titles in seven years. But, the players were the best in the country during the era.
Comparing players from different eras can spark an exciting conversation because there is no true correct answer.
