Sue Bird Interview with some Paige tidbits

[eebmg]

Sue is asked alot about WNBA but Paige Bueckers enters the discussion

Courtside with Sue Bird - Courtside (substack.com)

There’s been a lot of talk about Paige Bueckers in relation to past UConn greats, such as yourself. Where would you rank her at this point so early in her college career?

Yeah, listen, the kid is incredibly talented. You can see it not just in her play, but in her personality, in her attitude, she definitely has star qualities. But, when you go to Connecticut, the only thing you’re judged on is championships. So, that obviously — and that’s not to challenge her, she already knows that, (laughs) I’m not trying to talk shit by any means, I hope she wins the next three years, of course — but usually when it’s all said and done, that’s how you settle this argument. And it’s really because there’s been so many great players.

Would you take Maya (Moore) or D (Diana Taurasi), I don’t know? Would you take Stewie or D or Maya or Rebecca (Lobo) or Tina (Charles) or? It’s like, gosh, how do you pick? So at the end of the day, you just gotta settle it with the ring. We’ll see how she does.


I actually do not think it is as simple as counting NC's. More parity today, a more glaring environment, less existing team leadership, far more pressure than the good old days all make what Paige is doing so special.

 

[oldude]

I agree that how many rings you have is a bit of a dodge. By that metric, Mo is the best guard that ever played at UConn. But I will credit Sue for being smart enough not to jump into the middle of that endless argument with no clear answer.

 

[JordyG]

I agree that how many rings you have is a bit of a dodge. By that metric, Mo is the best guard that ever played at UConn. But I will credit Sue for being smart enough not to jump into the middle of that endless argument with no clear answer.

And just by counting championships Robert Horry is the greatest NBA forward who ever lived.

 

[oldude]

And just by counting championships Robert Horry is the greatest NBA forward who ever lived.

I believe Horry won the most championships of any player “not on the Boston Celtics”, winning 7 over his 16 year career. Satch Sanders, Tom Heinsohn and John Havlicek all won 8 championships playing forward for the Boston Celtics.

 

[Zanzman]

Why not mention Bill Russell or Sam Jones

 

[Boreifs]

Why not mention Bill Russell or Sam Jones

They weren’t forwards.

 

[nuna23]

hope paige gona win a championship cause she's great I love Diana but more was the best

 

[JordyG]

I believe Horry won the most championships of any player “not on the Boston Celtics”, winning 7 over his 16 year career. Satch Sanders, Tom Heinsohn and John Havlicek all won 8 championships playing forward for the Boston Celtics.

I'm a NY-er and a Knick fan. Anything the Celtics do doesn't count. Unless they lose, of course. Go Nets.

 

[fan4eva]

Sue is asked alot about WNBA but Paige Bueckers enters the discussion

Courtside with Sue Bird - Courtside (substack.com)

There’s been a lot of talk about Paige Bueckers in relation to past UConn greats, such as yourself. Where would you rank her at this point so early in her college career?

Yeah, listen, the kid is incredibly talented. You can see it not just in her play, but in her personality, in her attitude, she definitely has star qualities. But, when you go to Connecticut, the only thing you’re judged on is championships. So, that obviously — and that’s not to challenge her, she already knows that, (laughs) I’m not trying to talk by any means, I hope she wins the next three years, of course — but usually when it’s all said and done, that’s how you settle this argument. And it’s really because there’s been so many great players.

Would you take Maya (Moore) or D (Diana Taurasi), I don’t know? Would you take Stewie or D or Maya or Rebecca (Lobo) or Tina (Charles) or? It’s like, gosh, how do you pick? So at the end of the day, you just gotta settle it with the ring. We’ll see how she does.


I actually do not think it is as simple as counting NC's. More parity today, a more glaring environment, less existing team leadership, far more pressure than the good old days all make what Paige is doing so special.

you can't lower the bar for Paige by saying there's more parity today no no no Sue is right at to be considered an all time great you're measured by Championships I believe Paige will get hers but if she has less that Bird who "only" has 2 then she won't be considered an all time great but rather just another top recruit who played at Uconn besides every generation has obstacles and great expectations at Uconn

 

[Gluap]

Sue has surely become the voice of the Uconn players veteran collective. She finds away to honor the accomplishments of prior players while respecting yet challenging current and future players. Smart and humorous all at the same time . Sue Bird is the best PR manager we could hope for.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I slept on this and woke up with the same view. Sue has always staunchly defended her 2002 team as the greatest UConn team. Everything else must fall beneath that team and its players. Calling Paige a kid after this season and its awards is condescending. She could take a lesson from Diana who said she watched a quarter of Paige's first game and realized she was the best player in college ball.

 

[Mdoggie]

I slept on this and woke up with the same view. Sue has always staunchly defended her 2002 team as the greatest UConn team. Everything else must fall beneath that team and its players. Calling Paige a kid after this season and its awards is condescending. She could take a lesson from Diana who said she watched a quarter of Paige's first game and realized she was the best player in college ball.

Condescending to you or Paige? The great Sue Bird need not take lessons from anyone.

 

[CL82]

Sue's not wrong. Her point was when you have so many great players, championships are a way to distinguish among them. But, I think, Paige still has a chance to win 4, right? That would put her right at the top of the list, unless we want to go with National Championship winning percentage per years of eligibility. That would be a very "UConn" metric but it isn't particularly relevant at most schools.

 

[GoingPostal]

you can't lower the bar for Paige by saying there's more parity today no no no Sue is right at to be considered an all time great you're measured by Championships I believe Paige will get hers but if she has less that Bird who "only" has 2 then she won't be considered an all time great but rather just another top recruit who played at Uconn besides every generation has obstacles and great expectations at Uconn

I think Paige has already gotten past the "just another top recruit" category.

 

[Alydar]

The title argument is a good one but Bird went there because she knows that's all she has left in defense of her status. Not that Bird isn't a legend but Bueckers was NPOY as a freshman, when Bird didn't even play. And Taurasi told us what to expect for the next 3 years. Just for argument sake let's say that Bueckers wins zero titles but wins NPOY 4 times (with the stats to back it up). Would she be precluded from consideration as the best pg in UConn history? I say no. Titles are won by TEAMS not players. The best player is so whether or not he/she played on a winning team. In the 60's the Celtics were the best team but the best player was Wilt.

Frankly it's nice to see former players chide Bueckers about her lack of a title. After observing her for 4 years I think she responds better to a challenge than to constant praise. It's her best attribute.

 

[darkstar1]

Some UCONN teams are/were just better than others. I think Napheesa Collier is an all time great, despite winning only one Natty, before Stewie and others graduated having won four straight. If she was at UConn 2 years earlier and had 3 Nattys, would she then be considered a better player? Not in my book.

 

[eebmg]

Some UCONN teams are/were just better than others. I think Napheesa Collier is an all time great, despite winning only one Natty, before Stewie and others graduated having won four straight. If she was at UConn 2 years earlier and had 3 Nattys, would she then be considered a better player? Not in my book.

If she had multiple seasons in the Stewie, Tuck, Stokes front court, Napheesa would not have progressed stat wise so rapidly. Just another example of the Yin-Yang between being called upon to take a necessary dominant role on a weaker team or complementing a strong mature team with multiple AA's.

 

[CocoHusky]

Sue specifically said: "But, when you go to Connecticut, the only thing you’re judged on is championships."
Is anyone seriously debating this statement?

 

[oldude]

Sue specifically said: "But, when you go to Connecticut, the only thing you’re judged on is championships."
Is anyone seriously debating this statement?

While Sue’s statement has a nice ring to it, in all honesty it’s hyperbole. If it were true, how then should we judge Crystal Dangerfield, Megan Walker or even Kerry Bascom? Furthermore, despite being one of the most talented, clutch players in the history of UConn WBB, how would we judge Paige if she fails to win a championship during her time in Storrs?

Sue was and is a great player. But there is so much more talent in WBB today. Teams like Stanford and SC will be loaded for years to come. Coaching is better and UConn is disadvantaged playing in a relatively weak conference.

It’s been 5 seasons since UConn’s last championship. While we all hope and expect that UConn WBB will win more championships, it’s gotten one hell of a lot harder than the years when Sue played.

 

[Bigboote]

Sue specifically said: "But, when you go to Connecticut, the only thing you’re judged on is championships."
Is anyone seriously debating this statement?

I just question the use of the word "only". If that's the only yardstick, Saniya Chong would be judged better than Sue Bird. I love Saniya to pieces, but she's not in the conversation.

I absolutely agree that if Paige doesn't win a natty or three, she's not a UConn all-time great.

 

[oldude]

I just question the use of the word "only". If that's the only yardstick, Saniya Chong would be judged better than Sue Bird. I love Saniya to pieces, but she's not in the conversation.

I absolutely agree that if Paige doesn't win a natty or three, she's not a UConn all-time great.

Teams win championships. Saniya was on 3 championship teams as a reserve. The one year she became a regular in the starting lineup UConn lost to MS St in the national semifinals.

Individually Paige has accomplished more than any freshman in UConn’s history as well as being the first player in WBB history to be named NPOY as a freshman. I would love to see her be part of multiple national championships at UConn. But whether or not that happens, I have no doubt that Paige Bueckers will be one of UConn’s all-time greats.

 

[darkstar1]

If she had multiple seasons in the Stewie, Tuck, Stokes front court, Napheesa would not have progressed stat wise so rapidly. Just another example of the Yin-Yang between being called upon to take a necessary dominant role on a weaker team or complementing a strong mature team with multiple AA's.

She would have won more nattys for sure and not so sure about stats; although Oheesa is much better even than her stats. She would have started over Stokes and probably Tuck and played plenty of minutes. Can’t know about stats, but she’d have been a great complement to Stewie. That strong team would have been even stronger. But yeah, I get your point.

 

[BBallF]

The title argument is a good one but Bird went there because she knows that's all she has left in defense of her status. Not that Bird isn't a legend but Bueckers was NPOY as a freshman, when Bird didn't even play. And Taurasi told us what to expect for the next 3 years. Just for argument sake let's say that Bueckers wins zero titles but wins NPOY 4 times (with the stats to back it up). Would she be precluded from consideration as the best pg in UConn history? I say no. Titles are won by TEAMS not players. The best player is so whether or not he/she played on a winning team. In the 60's the Celtics were the best team but the best player was Wilt.

Frankly it's nice to see former players chide Bueckers about her lack of a title. After observing her for 4 years I think she responds better to a challenge than to constant praise. It's her best attribute.

But Wilt was not the best team player, Russell was. In my mind you can't be the greatest player if you don't bring home the gold. Would Jordan be Jordan without 6 rings? If you are so great, you should be able to translate that to a title. Whether we like to say it or not, Paige didn't carry us against Arizona and to a NC, the way Stewie did her freshman year. Paige may have been the best player in WBB this year, but she wasn't the best player that game. If Paige wins 4 POY awards but no titles, I put Bird ahead of her.

 

[wolfe613]

But Wilt was not the best team player, Russell was. In my mind you can't be the greatest player if you don't bring home the gold. Would Jordan be Jordan without 6 rings? If you are so great, you should be able to translate that to a title. Whether we like to say it or not, Paige didn't carry us against Arizona and to a NC, the way Stewie did her freshman year. Paige may have been the best player in WBB this year, but she wasn't the best player that game. If Paige wins 4 POY awards but no titles, I put Bird ahead of her.

like the same ppl that try to descredit Rodgers, like is he suppose to play defense too? Same with Charles Barkley

 

[oldude]

But Wilt was not the best team player, Russell was. In my mind you can't be the greatest player if you don't bring home the gold. Would Jordan be Jordan without 6 rings? If you are so great, you should be able to translate that to a title. Whether we like to say it or not, Paige didn't carry us against Arizona and to a NC, the way Stewie did her freshman year. Paige may have been the best player in WBB this year, but she wasn't the best player that game. If Paige wins 4 POY awards but no titles, I put Bird ahead of her.

Since you reference NBA players, how about John Stockton? He played all 19 seasons in Utah, made the playoffs every year, was a 10-time all star, member of the HOF and still holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals.

By any measure, Stockton was a great “team” player. Yet he never won a championship in college or the pros. He did win an Olympic gold medal in 1992 as a member of the Dream Team, and another in 1996.

There are lots of great players who never played on a championship team. Mike Trout is the greatest baseball player of this generation, and he may never win a championship. Y.A.Tittle is the only HOF QB in the history of the NFL that never won a playoff game. I will say again, Teams win championships.

 

[Mdoggie]

Ok I will say it, if Paiges UConn teams don’t win a title, you people will eat her up just as much as you are praising her now. The proof is in the pudding. You must win at UConn. Point blank period! (Hood speak)

 

[wolfe613]

Ok I will say it, if Paiges UConn teams don’t win a title, you people will eat her up just as much as you are praising her now. The proof is in the pudding. You must win at UConn. Point blank period! (Hood speak)

I won't and she might even leave after 2023

 

[Mdoggie]

I won't and she might even leave after 2023

Ok, if Azzi doesn’t win…..lol

 

[wolfe613]

Ok, if Azzi doesn’t win…..lol

well that's different, don't see her being a better player than Paige

 

[BBallF]

Since you reference NBA players, how about John Stockton? He played all 19 seasons in Utah, made the playoffs every year, was a 10-time all star, member of the HOF and still holds the all time NBA record for both assists and steals.

By any measure, Stockton was a great “team” player. Yet he never won a championship in college or the pros. He did win an Olympic gold medal in 1992 as a member of the Dream Team, and another in 1996.

There are lots of great players who never played on a championship team. Mike Trout is the greatest baseball player of this generation, and he may never win a championship. Y.A.Tittle is the only HOF QB in the history of the NFL that never won a playoff game. I will say again, Teams win championships.

Sure, Stockton was a great player but we are talking about the greatest. He wasn't. No way he is ahead of Magic. Basketball is a lot different from baseball or football in terms of one player having his or her greatness lead to a title and it depends on the position. In baseball, a fielder and hitter can be very influential but a pitcher with a Gibson/Koufax kind of a year can bring home a title. In football, it can be a quarterback like a Brady or a great running back like a Jim Brown but there are so many more players on the team that have to perform at a high level. In basketball, it is 1 of 5 and that 1 can dominate a game. Take the Maya game against Stanford or DT's last 2 title runs. It is true that you still need a team to do it but if you can't bring your team to the finish line, how great were you? In the end, Paige will be judged by titles and rings in my mind. When you think about the Mt. Rushmore at UCONN you think about players who won championships. There is nobody up there or on the next mountain who did not.