Leon Powe: The Next Bill Laimbeer?
by CelticsBandwagon on Mar 3, 2007 10:42 PM EST
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In his book, Chocolate Thunder, Darryl Dawkins expressed his disdain for Bill Laimbeer in an anecdote that involved an intentional punch to the testicles from the Pistons thug. I’ve always taken if for granted that Celtics fans hate Bill Laimbeer. We hate him for the logical reasons â€" his style of play, his on court demeanor and the way, to this day, he embraces the villain role. And we hate him for arbitrary reasons as well â€" the way he talks, his presence on Midway’s original NBA Jam, and the fact that he was born in Boston. Yet in reading Dawkins’ book it struck me that maybe everyone, minus Pistons fans of course, hates Bill Laimbeer.
And surprisingly Laimbeer’s bio from NBA.com does not even attempt to portray him in a positive light. In fact it adds fuel to the fire by celebrating the very things he is despised for, “In 14 bruising NBA seasons Laimbeer made up for his minuscule vertical leap, slow feet, and sluggishness by becoming a master of posturing, muscling, and anticipating -- plus fomenting trouble, pretending to be fouled, and drawing his opponents' ire. Laimbeer always seemed to be nursing a brawl-induced shiner or broken nose. He was punched by some of the league's best players, including Robert Parish, including Bob Lanier, including Larry Bird and including Charles Barkley."
Initially I was annoyed that NBA.com was blatantly praising Laimbeer’s nauseating behavior. But then it got me thinking. Will there ever be another Bill Laimbeer? Fans, scouts, reporters, authors, shoe companies, and other NBA lovers have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find the next Michael Jordan. There is a general unwillingness to accept the fact that a player with that combination of athleticism, work ethic, indomitable will, and marketability was a one time phenomenon. All the hype that surrounded Grant Hill, Harold Miner, Jerry Stackhouse, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, and whomever else ignores another more realistic scenario. Isn't it far more likely that another NBA player will overcome his physical limitations to become a key member of a franchise, alienating himself from opponents and every other NBA city in the process. Is anyone up to the challenge?
In looking over NBA players from the last 13 Laimbeer free seasons a few names emerge â€" Raja Bell, Manu Ginobli, Bruce Bowen, Danny Fortson, and…Leon Powe.
Raja Bell:
Pros â€" His flopping is comical at times. Close lined Kobe, in a playoff game no less.
Cons â€" He is a guard and his size does not let him live up to Laimbeer’s ways. For example, while Bell was willing to fight Ron Artest, realistically that would have ended poorly (search for the clip on YouTube if you can deal with aggressive Tupac). Finally, his three point shooting and the fact that he is likeable (read Jack McCallum’s Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin' and Gunnin' Phoenix Suns) derailed his rise to villain.
Manu Ginboli:
Pros - Easily sees Bell’s flopping and raises it to a new level. Has a "I could have been in Red Dawn even though my nationality was not represented" vibe about him.
Con â€" Not even the most hated player on his own team. And he’s too much of an offensive talent.
Bruce Bowen:
Pro â€" Now we’re getting somewhere. In the past he has angered Ray Allen, Phil Jackson, Isiah Thomas , Vince Carter, Michael Finley and countless others. His aggressive defense is the only thing that keeps him in the Association. Bonus points because he did not flourish until landing in San Antonio. Prior to that he played for three organizations including the Celtics, who simply were not good enough to maximize his talents. Similarly, do you think Laimbeer would have thrived with the Clippers? These guys need the right situations.
Cons - The fans just don’t seem to hate Bowen enough, as he took much less heat than I expected for kicking Ray Allen in the back. Also some people adhere to the line of thinking that Bowen’s dirty reputation is overblown and that players such as Allen only call him out to gain an edge.
Danny Fortson:
Pros - Stu Jackson once called him a gangster. Even some of his teammates dislike him. Has been on the cusp of the hallowed “Sheed territory†with technical fouls.
Cons - He has an atrocious injury history. Has been traded one too many times and spent more than his fair share of time on the bench. Has a female hairstyle.
And now my dark horse candidate â€" Leon Powe. Granted he has not seen enough time for anyone to know what he is truly capable of accomplishing on the court. Furthermore, by all accounts he is a likeable guy. However, Powe does have some elements working in his favor:
1. He plays the game with a homicidal glare and sprints up and down the middle of the court the entire time. He appears to be begging someone, anyone, to get in the way.
2. While he does not have the same physical limitations as Laimbeer, Powe is undersized for his position. He will always have to outwork people.
3. Earlier in the season the C's snapped an 18 game losing streak by defeating the Bucks and Powe got some garbage time. In the waning seconds he was the only Celtic still playing defense, desperately trying to prevent Milwaukee from cutting into a 20-point deficit. That kind of intensity is essential.
4. Finally, the smoking gun: "I'm going to play Leon a lot more because the one thing Leon does every night is he instigates. He's physical. I'm going to put him on the floor and I could care less about the other stuff he doesn't do. [Lamar] Odom wanted to fight him [playing the LA Lakers Friday night]. [Ronny] Turiaf wanted to fight him That's great. It's about time someone made the other team angry.†â€" Doc Rivers, by way of Shira Springer .
Ultimately we have not seen another Bill Laimbeer. He was a formidable package of cheap shots, whining, and over the top facial expressions. When it comes down to it, none of the aforementioned players make you wonder, “Who’s watching hell while he’s up here?†And that's not a bad thing. Leon Powe does not have to sell his soul to make an impact. At a time when Boston’s opponents are not afraid to sit their stars and openly coast during games, the Celtics desperately need an edge. If this is going to be a losing team, and there is little doubt about that, at the very least their opponents should leave the court knowing they had to fight for a W. Leon Powe might be able to help with that.
 {mos_smf_discuss:Celtics Talk}
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I love Powe. There is no way he is a Laimbeer though because he doesn’t play dirty like Laimbeer did. He just plays hard. Every minute and every second on the floor. It is his intensity and strength and not his nastiness that will make him a great player. He gets under players skins because he plays tough defense and won’t give up. At the end of the Bucks game he blocked that last shot in spite of the lead. He never gives up. You have to love that. Doc drives me crazy. He promises in that above quote that he is going to play Powe a lot more. Next game 24 minutes and he produces. Following game 3 minutes (and he had 1 rebound already), and after that, it was back to DNP’s in spite of Scal getting over 30 minutes. And yesterday, he got 5 minutes and had 3 rebounds and 2 steals in those 5 minutes. Then we don’t see him again the rest of the game. He deserves playing time.
by FLCeltsFan @ CelticsBlog on Mar 4, 2007 11:50 AM EST reply actions
Great article —
Of course it leaves me with mixed feelings: one of my current favorites compared to one of my least favorite non-Celtics players. By the way, nice use of the Doc quote: “I’m going to play Leon a lot more.” Can someone forward this to Doc? Leon has averaged about six minutes a game since Doc’s post Lakers quote…
Scal certainly hassled Garnett at some key points today. If veal could trim the fat & get lean, and chisled…
by TenaciousD on Mar 4, 2007 6:51 PM EST reply actions
..but no one is going to call Scal the next lambier!
by TenaciousD on Mar 4, 2007 7:20 PM EST reply actions
Leon goes afta it!…There’s no doubt, but I know Latmbeer, and he’s no Laimbeer…Hah!, No, he’s a guy who has had little given him on the surface in life and has had his dreams crushed or nearly crushed on a number of occasions…He knows how to “Overcome” and there’s nobody I’d rather see make it (except perhaps for Perk!)
It would be nice though if he developed that deadly three that Laimbasted use to gut us with though…Nice to see him getting some print, however…
I made the initial comparison because Doc praised Leon’s ability to instigate and pointed to the fact that Odom and Turiaf wanted to fight him. However, of course he’s not Laimbeer. Powe has a soul. And that’s how the post ended. The fact that Leon played just over 3 minutes in a game he started and had a DNP since Doc announced that he would be getting more time, is one of my favorite Doc moments of the year. But more importantly I do believe the C’s are in need of an edge. For example Paul Pierce takes a beating. It would be nice if opposing teams knew they had to answer to someone. Finally, Manu Ginboli is an embarrassing spelling mistake. You got me.
by CelticsBandwagon on Mar 4, 2007 10:36 PM EST reply actions
I would certainly love for Powe to achieve Lambeer’s numbres: 4 times All-Star; 2 NBA Title; Rebounding title in 1985-86. over 200 baskets from 3 point area. Used the pick and roll move with Issaiah and Dumars to perfection, as no team ever has; among leaders for many years in rebounding and free throws made; played in more than 600 consecutive games. On the downside, he plaed the Villain role as one of the component of the Detroit “3 bad boys” . Got into several fights with different players, including 2 Celtics, for which he should have been shot; had no soul, and thrived on playing his bad boy image. Cant be that bad altogether when he is the coach of the Detroit Shock proffesional women basketball team.
Comparing Leon to him: I wish Leon could play like him; we wouldnt need to go after Oden, as Oden will not have Lambeer’s numbers on the court. Ok- Leon has a soul and Lambeer not – lets see whare that will translate into Number 17 for us. I just dont see the reason for this comparison, except to creat needless controversy..
I have argued for playing Powe since Perk began having foot problems. He should start w Al. Gomes who is a 3 should play behind
PP..PP should be ordered to exhaust himself from the gun esp on defense(!!). Gerald should start the two w DW, Rondo as backup…Scalabrine, Kandi and Telfair get the scraps…Perk should heal that foot(surgery or otherwise…NOW!). We don’t have a meany…LOSCY! Cowens/Silas…Bird was a mean skunk..Perk is mean but wounded…Al lost too much weight…PLAY POWE! And it’s good to mention the subj of Laimbeer…BRING HIM IN TO COACH!! Basketball has never been a gentlemen’s game. PP’s whining about not getting calls will not do it…he’ll never get the calls cuz he’s not quick enuf…can’t jump high enuf. And for now, let’s stop these worthless moral victoies and develop Powe, Gomes and Rondo. Even give Telfair more time now..and Ray…The season is over..let’s devote the rest of it to development.
“And it’s good to mention the subj of Laimbeer…BRING HIM IN TO COACH!! Basketball has never been a gentlemen’s game.”
- I’m not sure what the track record is for guys who jumped from the WNBA to the NBA. But while we’re at it we can get Ulf Samuelsson to coach the Bruins and Jack Tatum to take over for Belichick.
That said, thanks for the comments everyone.
by CelticsBandwagon on Mar 5, 2007 6:33 PM EST reply actions
Laimbeer was a plain and out dirty player and flopper. I couldn’t stand him, but I do respect him for accomplishing what he did with his limitations as a player. Leon Powe is not close to Laimbeer for he is not a dirty player. He’s a tough-nosed player and there is a difference. Other players will respect Powe. Laimbeer was not respected by other players. Anyway this discussion is mute because of the NBA drive for a clean image that goes overboard when someone plays hard. Laimbeer would be on continuous suspension in this day and his value to a team would be totally negated.
you should be ashamed of yourself! comparing a current Celtics player to that dirty stain on the parquet floor? Laimbeer was a thug, pure and simple. other players hated him. HATED him. Leon is nowhere CLOSE to laimbeer’s league. Leon plays with heart and intensity, but he’s never played the thug in his life. and while he’s undersized for his position, he’s got physical gifts — long arms and notably huge hands, which made him a rebound vacuum in college. he’s gentle and extremely likeable off the court. if he was getting real minutes on the C’s, you would see enough of him to realize that he has absolutely zero in common with laimbeer. no offense but c’mon — you’re really reaching for material here.
(I just noticed you admitted as much; that you built the whole post around the Doc quote. sheesh.)
Let me interject my assessment of Leon.
I believe none of you all saw Paul Silas play? If you did you’d know that Leon is the clone of Silas. Silas was a poor shooter while at Creigton University but turned his NBA game around by hard everynight rebounding and getting his from 3 feet away.
Powe actually has shown a lot more skills than Silas ever had and if he becomes the next Silas he would be a piece of our puzzle. He would become the off the bench rebounder which we terribly lack now.
Doc is a fraud he says the nice things and never follows thru on his remarks. Powe should be out there not Veal—— he runs around and gets nothing accomplished. The fact that Veal has 103 Rebounds in 1,007 Min. played vs. Leon 136 Rebounds in 450 Min. played says it all. It’s a now brainer but Doc doesn’t have any coaching brains.
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