Willis a wonder at age 40 http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=211&xlc=961599 By Johnny Ludden San Antonio Express-News Web Posted : 03/11/2003 12:00 AM MILWAUKEE — Tony Parker lay under the Spurs basket Sunday evening, shaking the cobwebs from his head and still trying to decipher whether he had been run over by Celtics forward Eric Williams or a wayward Zamboni when that unmistakable baritone voice thundered across the court, snapping him back to reality. "Are you all right young fella?" Parker didn't need to turn around to know who was asking. Standing near the front of the Spurs' bench, arms slightly flared, fists clinched, looking ready to take on 18,000-plus Bostonians if needed, was Kevin Willis. Not until the young fella nodded he was OK, did Willis sit down. Though satisfied his bodyguard services were not required, Willis still exacted some measure of revenge against the Celtics, scoring a season-high 15 points in 17 minutes in the Spurs' lopsided victory. "Everybody talks about Michael Jordan and John Stockton," Parker said, "but Kevin Willis is doing some work, too." While the age-defying accomplishments of Stockton and Jordan have earned them well-deserved praise, Willis, the third member of this season's over-40 club, continues to quietly turn back the clock. Entering tonight's meeting with Milwaukee, Willis needs to play in seven more games to pass Moses Malone for fifth place on the NBA's all-time list. "I feel badly for him because he's going to have to pay the price some day," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Willis, who, at 40 years, six months and five days, is the second-oldest player in the league behind Stockton. "At some time he obviously made a deal with the devil. "He's doing an unbelievable job for us. I don't know where we would be without him." Without the play of Willis and Malik Rose, the Spurs would not be 8-2 in the 10 games David Robinson has missed. Four of those victories came against Portland, Sacramento, Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers, a game in which Willis helped limit Shaquille O'Neal to five rebounds. With Robinson out for at least the next two games, Willis will continue to be called on to help. "I know I can still play in this league," Willis said. "I have had my time in this league where I put up serious numbers and I haven't forgotten how to do that. "Even though this is a new generation and a new age, you never forget fundamentals. You shoot, you post up, you get the ball down low. Being 7-foot and still having some strength, I still feel like I can get the team 10-12 points." After all these years, Willis' baseline spin move remains surprisingly effective. He's also one of the league's strongest players and is still quick enough to beat many opposing centers down court. "Physically, he's in better shape than I am," Tim Duncan said. Willis said he has always admired Robert Parish, Karl Malone, Buck Williams and "Big Moses," players who continued to suit up long after their peers had retired. Only Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played beyond Willis' 19 seasons. "It's an honor to be in that company," Willis said. "Those guys played mountains of games. I'm thankful I'm able to keep doing what I'm doing. I still have my health. I still have the physical presence. That means a lot to me." If he maintains his health, Willis believes he can match Parish's NBA-record 21 seasons. He will be a free agent this summer, but the Spurs remain interested in re-signing him, depending on how they fare in their other free-agent pursuits. Willis, much like Danny Ferry and Steve Kerr, has been popular among his teammates and a good presence in the locker room. When Manu Ginobili was frustrated with his ankle injury early this season and slipped into the locker room without saying so much as a word, Willis playfully chided him. "How do you think a respected veteran like Steve Kerr feels," Willis boomed, "when you don't say hello to him?" Willis then walked over and embraced Malik Rose, showing Ginobili how he expected him to greet his teammates in the future. "When Kevin arrives, he shakes hands with everybody," Ginobili said. "And he wants everybody to do the same, especially the rookie." Has the rookie continued to follow Willis' orders? "Not all the time," Ginobili, "but when he looks at me I do." That is great company to be with. Do you think he'll play that long? It's great that he still wants to play. It would be awesome to see Willis in a Rocket uniform...again. I'm truly amazed that his skills haven't diminished that much. He is still a great defensive player.
I guess you don't care about seeing the Rockets win then. Willis in a Rocket uniform? Oh, you mean the guy whose nightmarish play was the biggest reason the Rockets lost the 1997 West Finals to the Jazz. He ruined Charles Barkley's last chance at getting back to the finals. I will never forget how insanely awful he was in the games in Salt Lake City. His shot selection was horrible. He never made a jump hook. He could not control his emotions. He b****ed at the refs on every play, which made him less effective because the refs had a bullseye on him. Kevin Willis is not the crown jewel like everyone claims he to be. The guy always takes questionable shots that kill any momentum for a team, the effectiveness of his jump hook is extremely over rated, he has butterfingers, and cannot block shots due to his extremely short arms. Good guy, overrated player.
The guy is still playing effectively at age 40. I know most of the guys after 25 can't do what he is doing. Kevin Willis didn't cost us the Jazz game. It was Stockdon.
IMO, I wouldnt say Willis cost us the Jazz series but he was completely ineffective during that time. And, yes, he did kill some of the Rocket's momentum during that stretch. Kevin is a decent reliable backup center, but thats about it. The guy is a blackhole; once the ball goes in his hands its one thing only, jump hook. Playoff teams with their scouting know this and play to it. Willis lost the ball a number of times this way and b****ed about it. As far as what cost us the series, it was the injuries that finally caught up to Hakeem, making him mortal finally. After those ksurgeries, Hakeem never got his quickness back. You could tell he favored his knee sometime and wouldnt spin enough on baseline because of that. Jazz, realizing this played to his jump hook or let him have the fadeaway. Add to this a fading and aging Drexler and it did not help matters. Ironically, a year later, this same Rockets team was poised to take out the Jazz in the first round, as they had the series and game lead on the Jazz until barkley got injured. Jazz were panicking but Charles injury gave them life while it deflated the Rockets. Suffice to say, if Hakeem had not been slowed down by injuries, and Barkley not been injured, outcome would have been very different.
Charles Barkley ruined his chance to get to the Finals, his fat a$$ should have rotated over on John Stockton.
C'mon, everyone knows the refs gave that game to Utah. Willis is still a solid contributor and I hope he re-signs with the Spurs, which seem like the perfect team for him. He would not be a good fit on the Rockets, imo. He needs to be competing for championships, not playoffs. Another good team for him would be the Lakers, but I hope they never get such a gift.
Chuck's fat a$$ was locked in a bearhug by that Malone fellow. The Rox should never have squandered the big lead -- against Seattle! That series was a 'slam dunk' until the good guys let it move from a 5 to a 7 game series. They had nothing left for the 1st two Jazz games. The Rox should never have squandered the big lead at home -- I loved the Rox chances in a Game 7 anywhere. I remain surprised that Willis was not retained to help tutor the rook. KW seemed to have a positive effect on Cato, too. But wehat do I know, I'm not in that locker room.
Uh, I think it was Clyde who got the affectionate bearhug by Karla. No? The complaint was that Chuck should've switched over to cover Stockton.
It's interesting you got pi$$ed when someone said one of the Williams sisters was big boned but it's ok to call CB4 a fat @ss?
