ESPN’s “First Take” program has produced plenty of headlines as of late, which include last month’s notable comments made by JJ Redick on former Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy.
In a debate with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Redick noted that an NBA championship win for Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul would put the veteran in the conversation to be the greatest point guard in league history. Russo then brought up Cousy, who once logged 29 assists against the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, in this discussion as well.
Redick responded by noting that Cousy “was being guarded by plumbers and firemen” during his era.
A month later, Cousy is now coming to his own defense against Redick’s comments. In speaking to SiriusXM NBA Radio, Cousy took quite a subtle shot at the former 3-point specialist.
“People with less talent will always try to make a name for themselves by criticizing other people and hopefully getting some attention and perhaps increasing their credibility,” Cousy said. “When you respond to something like this, you play into their hands. I won't do that.”
Cousy then went on to name some of the “fireman and plumbers” that he played with and against, including former Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain.
“I will defend the fireman and the plumbers that he referenced,” Cousy said. “I'll just give you a few of their names of these firemen that I played with and against. … Wilt Chamberlain, remember that guy, he wasn't bad. I guess he must have fought fires as well. … A couple of point guards that weren't too shabby … a guy named Oscar Robertson … Jerry West wasn't too shabby.
“I can go on and on and we must have had the best fireman and plumbers on the planet at the time.”
Cousy had multiple battles against the West-led Lakers and Oscar Robertson-led Cincinnati Royals over the course of his Basketball Hall of Fame career.
In the big picture, it is always quite difficult to compare the stars of the modern era to the legends of the past, but as the former Celtics point guard touched on, the players who featured in the NBA decades ago are still very much deserving of respect today.