[I had this article ready to go a few weeks ago, but first I wanted to run a story on his Laker teammate Jerry West. I did, and two days later Mr. Clutch passed away. I’ve kept up the West post for the past week in his honor. (Hey, I live in West Virginia.) But now, it’s time to honor Baylor with this article, which documents the offseason challenges that he faced in mid-career to be physically ready to go for the next NBA season. In this case, the 1964-65 campaign.
When thinking about Baylor and his for-the-ages greatness, it’s important to consider his uncanny ability to adjust his game to compensate for whatever ailed him (usually achy knees), and still log showcase numbers. Yes, his productivity could vary from one season to the next, but his numbers generally didn’t fall off a cliff. He willed himself, bad knees and all, to remain among the league leaders in the major statistical categories.
The 1964-65 season would be no different. Baylor would fight through the pain and regular-season fatigue to appear in 74 of the 80 games, averaging 27.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and nearly four assists per game. No league MVP, though. Another thing. Notice the line in the story about West missing a whopping eight regular-season games the previous year, forcing Baylor into the backcourt for a spell. Eight games?! Players were expected back then to suit up every night. Good, bad, or just plain nuts, that was the norm. They gritted their teeth for another pregame “horse shot,” as they called the administration of painkillers, and bit their lips through another four quarters. As this story also documents, sports medicine was in a primitive state in the mid-1960s, and Baylor and the other contemporaries deserve their due managing no loads.
One last thing. Notice the line toward the end of the story from a nameless Celtic about throwing three defenders at Wilt Chamberlain to contain him in the 1962 playoffs. Interesting. NBA history remembers the Russell-Chamberlain rivalry as a one-on-one, mano-y-mano matchup. Red Auerbach readily reinforced this characterization to argue loudly that Russell was greater than Chamberlain. This nameless Celtic slip of the tongue suggests Russell had some help to manage Chamberlain in his prime.
Almost forget, the Baylor story ran in the magazine Pro Basketball Illustrated, 1964-65. No byline listed.]
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Elgin Baylor cheerfully foresees better basketball ahead on mended knees. If predictions prove correct concerning the fabulous forward of the Los Angeles Lakers, it spells B-A-D news for National Basketball Association opponents.
Not many months ago, the man with the most celebrated legs since Betty Grable first turned a trim angle toward a camera was glum. Baylor was in obvious pain from his ailing gams last season. He had lost some of his patented quickness and had noticeably less spring.
The Elgin with the 17-jewel movement dropped nearly nine points from his 1962-63 scoring average, 34.0 down to 25.4. What was worse, the powerful, versatile 6-feet-5 star who had been a first-team All-League regular in all six seasons was plainly discouraged.
Everyone connected with the NBA wondered out loud if the dime-store china knees could cut short the playing career of the million-dollar athlete.
The answer?
“Baylor looks better than ever in my opinion,” says Lakers general manager Lou Mohs.
“I think he looks too good,” add teammate Rudy LaRusso.
“I’m ready,” states Elgin.
Have they wrought a miracle in the City of the Angels? No, it’s a master plan now in effect. Therapy instead of an operation was the course chosen. Baylor has been building steadily toward the supreme test.
Only time will tell if Elgin has finally licked his three-year miseries, but all indications are “go!” Coach Freddie Schaus plans more rest for Baylor than in the past to help his star remain at peak performance level. Despite the handicaps under which he has operated, Baylor in six campaigns has reached seventh among all-time careers scorers with a total of 12,882 points.
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The idea of Baylor playing “better basketball” this coming season seems wild at first. Yet, the man who has joined baseball’s Mickey Mantle in the Superstar Hall of Pain suffered a statistical setback in 1963-64.
Elgin’s scoring average was his lowest since his 24.9 rookie mark. His rebound figure was under 1,000 for the only occasion except for 1961-62 when he commuted from the service, played just 60 percent of the season, and enjoyed his best point average—38.2. Baylor had fewer assists and playing minutes than in 1962-63, too.
The Baylor secret has always been his all-around excellence as a shooter, rebounder, passer, and team man, coupled with his attributes of desire, dedication, deception, timing, and strength. The sore legs were robbing him of part of that marvelous mixture. There was less lift-off in the kangaroo legs which had enabled him to frequently outjump rivals who were six inches taller.
What to do?
“Immediately after last season, we took the combined opinions of the five or six orthopedic men who had seen Elgin and decided to go with therapy rather than an operation,” Mohs says. “The opinions were quite heavily in favor of therapy.
“Elgin started undergoing deep x-rays to reduce the calcium deposits. After repeated x-rays, they started rebuilding the muscles. Elgin’s troubles never have been in his knees. The calcium deposits are just above the knees in the muscles, not the bone structure.
“We have had Elgin on a knee and thigh building weight program. Elgin’s muscles are now as great as they’ve ever been. They’re still a little bit sore but figure to be okay by the time the season starts. He works out two times a week and does it eagerly.”
LaRusso, Baylor’s fellow forward, has been working out with Elgin. Rudy and [center] Gene Wiley have been on weight programs of their own, designed to build overall strength. Despite his own concerted efforts, LaRusso happily concedes: “I think Elgin looks too good.”
“Naturally, we are very optimistic,” Mohs says. “Elgin is very optimistic, too, and that’s an excellent sign.
“He wasn’t optimistic last year at all. The most edifying thing about all this is the tenacity with which Baylor is living up to the program. Most athletes like to take it easy in the offseason, but Baylor never has worked harder or with more determination.
“Elgin doesn’t think he’ll again hit the peak he had when he was in the service. He wasn’t playing fulltime then. It may be heresy to say this about a star, but rest for the big men occasionally is not harmful. Our plan is to give Baylor more rest this year and Jerry West, too. We will be going to the bench more than before and are building our reserves accordingly.
“These calcium deposits developed about three years ago. The effects showed up nearly simultaneously, although the left leg seemed to bother Elgin more. Cortisone was very effective at first. It would reduce the tenderness in the muscles. Baylor has never had anything but soreness and tenderness.
“His inability to move quickly and to jump was caused by the fact the muscles wouldn’t relax. Despite what some people have said [about him continuing to play], Elgin couldn’t have done any harm to himself. It was just something he’s had to grit his teeth and bear. The calcium deposits now are disintegrating. We can’t be sure if they will ever disappear. What hastened the problem in the first place, of course, is all the running, turning, bouncing, and hitting on hard floors.“
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In the 1962 playoffs, Boston went the full seven games against the old Philadelphia Warriors and Wilt Chamberlain, then battled against the Lakers before, pulling out another world championship.
“First Wilt, then Baylor,” said one Celtic. “We could stop Chamberlain with three men working on him. We had four men working on Baylor, and still couldn’t contain him. He’d sneak his way through for rebounds and seem to be able to jump 12 feet for the ball.”
But the legs became a bigger problem with time. To add to Baylor’s problems last year, his fellow load-carrier, Jerry West, missed eight games due to injury. At one stage, Elgin was even tried in the backcourt for brief periods to try to get the Lakers untracked. His legs were bandaged and shot full of painkiller, yet he continued to play his heart out.
After a tough game, San Francisco’s Alex Hannum shook his head at one stage and said: “Poor Elgin. He’s more of a detriment than a help out there.”
“They will ruin Elgin if they keep this up,” said Celtics center Bill Russell. “The best thing they could do would be to give him a rest. The poor guy is really hurt.” Baylor did not let up. He had been told by doctors the best way to cure his problem would be to run it out. Elgin bore down—and improved.
Baylor feels he’ll be back in stride again now. Although he’s never won the President’s Cup as the NBA Most Valuable Player as voted by the athletes, Baylor has always been a top contender. He could capture the coveted prize this year if he regains as much bounce as the Lakers hope and expect.
From Way Downtown 