RIP WES UNSELD. | The Boneyard

RIP WES UNSELD.

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jibsey said:
Remember him well, a big fella. Was it Corona?
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Unseld's family said he passed away surrounded by relatives and following lengthy health battles, most recently with pneumonia.
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Can anyone who watched him play give me a modern day player comparison?
 
Always thought of him as a heavy dude but he weighed 245. Now days that wouldn't be an exceptionally big guy, solid but not that huge. Great player. Had a great ride. RIP.


He was Barkley-like.
 
RichZ said:
Wes was 2 months my junior. Tried to model my rec league game after him.
Never really succeeded.
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I asked the friend who txted me the news and he agreed with my impression that he was the first great "undersized" center (6'7"), which probably also ends up meaning best ever, because the Barkley would be the next in height/toughness/rebounding mix and didn't play center.

Does that sound right to you as well, or who am I forgetting?
 
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One of my coaches on my American Legion team was the head basketball coach at Randolph-Macon in Ashland, Va. Wes came to his summer clinic one year and came to one of our Legion games with the coach. In those days, we drove cars to our games and I happened to ride in the back seat of the coach's car. Wes was in front seat and I had never seen a wider human in my life. His shoulders covered about half of the front seat. We were in awe being in the same car with a NBA star, but he was interested in our athletic accomplishments, where we were going to college, etc. A great night I will never forget. Rest in peace Wes.
 
Pawsox said:
One of my coaches on my American Legion team was the head basketball coach at Randolph-Macon in Ashland, Va. Wes came to his summer clinic one year and came to one of our Legion games with the coach. In those days, we drove cars to our games and I happened to ride in the back seat of the coach's car. Wes was in front seat and I had never seen a wider human in my life. His shoulders covered about half of the front seat. We were in awe being in the same car with a NBA star, but he was interested in our athletic accomplishments, where we were going to college, etc. A great night I will never forget. Rest in peace Wes.
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That reminds me. He was occasionally called Wes "the wall" Unseld.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
I asked the friend who txted me the news and he agreed with my impression that he was the first great "undersized" center (6'7"), which probably also ends up meaning best ever, because the Barkley would be the next in height/toughness/rebounding mix and didn't play center.

Does that sound right to you as well, or who am I forgetting?
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League MVP as a 6-6 center. He always liked to have two targets down court by the time his feet hit the ground coming down with a defensive board. He definitely didnt mind contact, because if it came down to core strength he'd already won the battle before you even knew there was one.
 
Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson on the Bullets had some great playoff series with the Knicks. Wes was a 6'6" fire hydrant. Amazing how long he stayed with one team during and after his playing days.
 
jdb50 said:
Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson on the Bullets had some great playoff series with the Knicks. Wes was a 6'6" fire hydrant. Amazing how long he stayed with one team during and after his playing days.
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Phil Chenier underrated player too. Fun team to watch in the day.
 
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Hans Sprungfeld said:
I asked the friend who txted me the news and he agreed with my impression that he was the first great "undersized" center (6'7"), which probably also ends up meaning best ever, because the Barkley would be the next in height/toughness/rebounding mix and didn't play center.

Does that sound right to you as well, or who am I forgetting?
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Willis Reed might also be in the mix.
 
Pawsox said:
One of my coaches on my American Legion team was the head basketball coach at Randolph-Macon in Ashland, Va. Wes came to his summer clinic one year and came to one of our Legion games with the coach. In those days, we drove cars to our games and I happened to ride in the back seat of the coach's car. Wes was in front seat and I had never seen a wider human in my life. His shoulders covered about half of the front seat. We were in awe being in the same car with a NBA star, but he was interested in our athletic accomplishments, where we were going to college, etc. A great night I will never forget. Rest in peace Wes.
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That's awesome.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
I asked the friend who txted me the news and he agreed with my impression that he was the first great "undersized" center (6'7"), which probably also ends up meaning best ever, because the Barkley would be the next in height/toughness/rebounding mix and didn't play center.

Does that sound right to you as well, or who am I forgetting?
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Another undersized center who occasionally played PF at 6'8"-6'9" was Dave Cowens of the Celtics..Never forget the NBA exhibition game at the XL Center(then the Civic Center) in Hartford.. Celtics vs 76ers.. Chocolate Thunder's(Darryl Dawkins) first NBA game.. Cowens is playing C.. DD comes into the game as a sub..Is in the game for no more than 30 seconds.. Ref calls an injury timeout..DD is down on a knee holding his face.. Cowens had broken his nose with an elbow to his head as he was battling him for a rebound..Welcome to the NBA young fella..LOL..Cowens was a tough dude..
 
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Only Wes and Wilt won both MVP and ROY awards in the same year. Tough and nails and a great rebounder, but what I remember most about Wes were his outlet passes that were on the mark and made immediately after he had the rebound. No wasted effort, just great timing and awareness. RIP Wes.
 
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I remember Unseld being interviewed after a Finals game the year they won by a younger Brent Musberger. Musberger says, "I saw you hitchin' up your shorts a few times while runnin' up the court! Whaddya, losin' some weight there, big fella?" Unseld doesn't change his game face at all and says, "Big shorts."
 
mauconnfan said:
Effortless 2 hand overhead outlet passes like bullets, best ever.
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He was so good at it, it was actually fun to watch. The guards knew he was probably going to get the rebound and would beat the D to their spots on the break. Wes would grab the ball with two hands, pivot and put it on a plate. We need to get some Unseld highlights into the hands of Sanogo.
 
jdb50 said:
Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson on the Bullets had some great playoff series with the Knicks. Wes was a 6'6" fire hydrant. Amazing how long he stayed with one team during and after his playing days.
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The reason those series were so great was the great matchups: Unseld/Reed. Gus Johnson/DeBusschere. Jack Marin/Bill Bradley. Clyde/Earl the Pearl. Man, would they go at it!

About the relative heights of the centers, there were numerous articles at the time that insisted Willis Reed's true height was 6-6, 6-7.
 
BlueDolphin said:
The reason those series were so great was the great matchups: Unseld/Reed. Gus Johnson/DeBusschere. Jack Marin/Bill Bradley. Clyde/Earl the Pearl. Man, would they go at it!

About the relative heights of the centers, there were numerous articles at the time that insisted Willis Reed's true height was 6-6, 6-7.
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Yes great point. How fun was Earl the Pearl to watch?

 
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