They should be referred to as the Bill Walton All-Stars.
I’m referring about a particular type of Boston athlete, a group of deserving athletes that we had the good fortune to call our own for a brief period of time but who contributed to making memories that will always be woven into the fabric of the local sports scene.
I am referring to the Boston short-timers who played a crucial role in championship victories.
A few were mercenaries of the most useful kind, dispersed. Some had come here scarred from being undervalued and cast aside elsewhere. Others were purchased since they showed up and turned out to be the missing component.
Most valued the Boston sports scene’s fervor. It was celebrated by many. In any case, they all learned how to navigate a duck boat during this century’s absurd run of 13 major professional titles since 2001. They must be referred to as Champ when they go back to Boston.
There are several reasons why this subject came to mind recently.
Walton, the happy sixth man on the 1986 Celtics, the best basketball team you, I, and Bob Ryan have ever seen, passed away from cancer at the age of 71 more than a year ago.
Over the past few weeks, Walton has been on a lot of people’s minds as they watched his old teammate Rick Carlisle, who talked so beautifully about Walton when he passed away last May, lead the underdog Pacers to the seventh game of the NBA Finals. Walton would have admired Carlisle’s Pacers’ style of play.
The other reason this was on my thoughts has to do with Walton. The Celtics started the painful but essential task of removing a couple of eight-figure yearly salaries from their payroll in order to avoid the harsh second apron tax and roster-building penalties, just days after the Thunder’s Game 7 victory officially ended their reign as NBA champions.
The two accomplished and exceptionally skilled veteran players, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who arrived via trade prior to the 2023–24 season and proved to be the ideal missing elements to the championship recipe, had to be said goodbye in quick succession.
Holiday is a born Celtic in every aspect, a cross between Dennis Johnson and K.C. Jones. It’s unfortunate that he only spent two seasons here. He also answers the question, “What would it look like if Marcus Smart embraced calm rather than chaos and could shoot?”
Porzingis was this Celtics era’s Walton. Because of what he had been through, he had a fantastic perspective, he gave a champion a superpower when healthy, and he liked being here. The fact that Walton played one more Celtics game than Porzingis (118-117, playoffs included) is both absurd and appropriate.
Based on our loose criteria of being a short-timer (let’s say three seasons in Boston or less) yet a significant player to a champion, Holiday and Porzingis are first-ballot Walton All-Stars.
Without the help of onesportsreference.comsite or another, you might not be able to identify all the players who fit the requirements.
The number of people who have contributed to the 13 winners described above—six Patriots teams, four Red Sox, two Celtics, and one Bruins—since the year 2000 is so great that we will continue to honor them today. The entrance of Tom Brady, on the other hand, is a far more significant cultural event.
Walton All-Stars were a part of the Celtics’ other banner-raising squad this century. As a lockdown defense player, a big 3-point shooter, and an A+ chemistry guy who shook hands with each teammate differently, James Posey was the perfect sixth man for the 2008 champions.
Posey and big man P.J. Brown were here for just one season. While you joyfully relive his pivotal jump shot from Game 7 against the Cavaliers in your head, I’ll pause.
What about that other winter squad that, with the Stanley Cup victory in 2010–11, earned a place of its own in the Garden rafters?The traditional seasoned leader Mark Recchi satisfies the requirements: After defeating the Canucks in the Cup Final, he retired after playing for the Bruins for three seasons.
These players are plentiful on the Patriots. In search of a ring, veterans wanted to come here and board the two-decade dynasty. Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 16 and then defeated them as an Eagle in 17, and Darrelle Revis, who demonstrated that one player can be an island for the 14 defense, are prime examples.
Corey Dillon, who rambled for a franchise-record 1,635 running yards, was brought in by the 2004 Patriots, who I believe won their best Super Bowl.Antowain Smith, who consistently got 3.5 yards when they needed three, was one of the many reliable veterans on the 2001 Patriots, who I believe won their most cherished Super Bowl.
Some of their Walton All-Stars are among the most memorable because the 2004 Red Sox made all of the previous 86 years of frustration worthwhile. I think it’s absurd that Orlando Cabrera, the Red Sox’s post-Nomar stabilizer, only appeared in 72 games. There are rumors that Dave Roberts had a significant theft; we’ll look into this more. So seamless on the field, Pokey Reese didn’t play in another Major League Baseball game following that season.
Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Ryan Dempster, Stephen Drew, and other veterans revitalized the 13 Red Sox and made them a cohesive team right away.
Numerous others may have been specifically highlighted. However, not every member of the first class receives a salute.
At some point, we might delve into the Walton All-Star recipients prior to 2000.I’m already wishing I could add Tom Seaver to the list.
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