Larry Brown Sports

Bill Walton had a night for the ages while he was calling the Pac-12 Tournament game between Washington and Oregon on Thursday night. Those who are familiar with Walton know that the NBA legend has never shied away from saying what’s on his mind and telling the truth. That was certainly the case on Thursday night while he was working for ESPN, and I’m sure the network has already spoken to him about some of his comments.

For starters, there was Walton’s bold remark about spending time in a limousine with Ray Lews:

As you may know, a limo had a lot to do with Lewis’ murder trial back in 2000. One witness who was riding in a limo with Lewis said she saw another passenger get out and dump a laundry bag, which many believe contained Lewis’ bloodstained white suite that was never recovered, into a garbage bin outside a fast food restaurant. Walton’s partner Dave Pasch quickly and uncomfortably changed the subject.

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Bill Walton looks like an upbeat guy who has everything going for him to those of us who are used to seeing him in the broadcaster’s booth, but that has not always been the case. Prior to 2009, Walton suffered through excruciating chronic back pain that impacted every aspect of his life. In Feb. of 2009, Dr. Steven Garfin of Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UC San Diego performed a complicated surgery on Walton that allowed him to return to broadcasting and may have literally saved his life.

“When you are in unrelenting, excruciating and debilitating pain that never goes away for years on end, your life is over,” Walton told Richard Deitsch of SI.com. “You go through the stages of thinking you are going to die to wanting to die to the worst possible stage of all which is: I’m going to live and this is what I’m stuck with. But I got better and it is amazing what they have been able to do for me. I can think. I can sleep. I can move. I can ride my bike. I can dream.”

The procedure involved four incisions, four four-inch bolts, two titanium rods and a cage. Yes, all for a human being. Walton says that he is pain-free now and that the surgery was a “miracle.” Prior to the procedure, Walton said he gained strength from friends and family who urged him daily to keep fighting and steered him away from thoughts about suicide.

“I am busier than ever, happier than ever, and I haven’t been this healthy since high school,” he explained. “It’s a miracle what has happened to me. I have no pain. I take no medication. I had no idea what life was like without back pain.”

When an old-timer tells you ‘They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” tell them they’re right — they make them better. If not for advances in medical science, Walton would not be living a normal life. Or worse yet, he may not be alive at all.

The morning after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, a radio show invited Bill Walton on as a guest and then hung up on him.  Any idea what city that radio show was based out of?  If you guessed Boston, then good for you.

Fred “Toucher” Toettcher did on Friday morning what Mike Francesa should have done to Steve Phillips when he came on the air and claimed he’d trade Stephen Strasburg for Roy Oswalt straight up — cut him off and move along with the show.  The Toucher and Rich Morning Show, 98.5 The Sports Hub Boston’s morning slot, decided a few games back in the series to have Hall of Famer Bill Walton appear as a guest when the series ended.  When Walton got on the air on Friday morning and began gushing about how happy he was for his son (who logged a whopping zero minutes, zero seconds in the game) for winning his second championship and bragging about the Lakers, they cut him off like he was some pee-on caller.

Apparently “Toucher” assumed that the former Celtic — who won a championship with Boston in 1986 — would be slightly more objective and act as more of an analyst than a proud daddy.  Keep in mind that as a Celtic fan I’m extremely biased with my reaction to this, but it honestly could be what gets me through my day today.  They gave Walton a pretty fair shot and let him talk for a few minutes until it became clear he was only going to salt the wounds of the show’s painfully disappointed fan base.  Bill probably didn’t help his own cause when he said something along the lines of, “After stealing Game 2 in LA, the Celtics had a chance to come home and win three straight and couldn’t get it done.”  Three straight in the NBA Finals.  That easy, huh Bill?

I remember watching Walton’s criticism of Shaq air on ESPN Sunday. I thought it was harsh and poignant, and most of all, accurate. I didn’t think much of it at the time because I was in agreement with Walton’s assessment. Well, come to find that Walton’s comments have created somewhat of a stir that resulted in a response from Shaq. Thankfully Tom Ziller posted the video at FanHouse (via Ballhype) for our viewing pleasure. (If you don’t have time to watch the video, you can read some of the exchange instead).

Walton nails it here. Shaq is in a lose-lose situation if you think about it; he plays well, we all wonder what happened in Miami and think he gave up. He plays poorly, then we were all right that he had nothing left. And Shaq’s defense of attacking Walton’s career is a lame one. Shaq has the right to claim scoreboard on nearly anyone he encounters. Having to resort to that argument means Shaq really had no proper defense for Walton’s comments. I’m surprised after all these years that Shaq hasn’t learned that missing/tanking/being lazy during the regular season leaves him open to public criticism.