Robert Horry-
His regular season career averages of 7.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 2.4 apg in a way prove the brilliance of this guy. Throughout his career, his playoff stats have been better than his regular season stats and his teams always seem to be in the thick of a championship run. The guy has won five championships. At no point was he ever one of the top three scoring options on any of those five teams. But he has been on five title teams. That is not a coincidence. True, he has been fortunate enough to be surrounded by Hall of Fame talent, but he has also stepped up in a big way whenever his team has needed him. If the Rockets needed a rebounder during a game, Horry was there. If they needed a scorer, he recognized it and gave them some points. If the Lakers needed a buzzer beater, Big Shot Rob was there to sink it. He’s now on another contender- the Spurs. Going into the season, the team was looking a little thin on the front line. So Horry shows up to training camp with at least 15 more pounds of muscle than he had last year. He just always knows what the team needs and is versatile and smart enough to come through whenever he is called upon. If Dave Debusschere can be in the Hall of Fame, why not Horry? Debusschere had five other future Hall of Famers around him when he was on the Knicks. Horry has always been surrounded by great talent, but never in the same way that Debusschere was. I’m not necessarily saying that Horry should be in the Hall, but if Dave D is in, why not Big Shot Rob?
Bill Walton-
He was a superstar with the Blazers (and the guy has always been a Dead Head, so this weed thing with the Blazers isn’t anything new) and was the best player on a championship team. But that title run did to his feet what a mild sprain does to Grant Hill’s ankle. He was never the same, but the Celtics were lucky enough to land him in ’85, just as the team was peaking. His numbers were far below what they had been prior to his foot explosion, but he did what the team needed. He could spell for McHale or Parrish and hold his own. At that point in his career, he had about the same athletic ability as an 8-year old girl (if she is 6’11”), but he was smart enough to contribute in a way that far exceeds what the stat sheet shows. There are so many teams that could make the leap from really, really, really good to great if they had a role player like Walton. Instead, they have some spaz like Drew Gooden. Or some stiff like Shawn Bradley who soils himself as soon as he checks into a meaningful game. Bill Walton was the antithesis of those guys. He did exactly what that team needed. I could also write the same exact thing about Danny Ainge, DJ or Scott Wedman, all of whom were on that Celtics team. It’s no wonder that this was one of the three greatest teams of all-time.
Robert Duvall in The Godfather-
He plays Tom Hagen, the consulgiere for the Corleone family. Al Pacino, James Caan and Marlon Brando clearly are the stars of the movie. The rise of Pacino to the head of the mafia family is a gripping tale. But it wouldn’t be the same without a role player like Tom Hagen. He doesn’t have the most lines in the movie, but he delivers his perfectly. He is a large influence on the family, but when Michael makes Sonny the consulgiere during the mob war, Tom Hagen knows his role and steps aside. He just does all of the right things. Like I said, he doesn’t steal the show, but without Duvall playing Tom Hagen, The Godfather is not a complete movie.
Steve Buscemi as Donny in The Big Lebowski-
Buscemi doesn’t have as many lines as Jeff Bridges or John Goodman. He certainly isn’t central to the movie; at least not on the surface. But imagine the movie without Donny. Take out his “I am the walrus” line. Take out his ashes being blown into The Dudes’ face. Remove his quip about what The Dude would need his “johnson” for. It’s just not the same movie. It’s still a damn funny movie, but without Buscemi as Donny, it’s the 1993 Phoenix Suns, not the 1993 Chicago Bulls. Like Duvall, Donny doesn’t have a ton of lines, but he absolutely nails the ones that he does have. He’s not the star, but he brings a lot to the table and never takes anything off.
Jimmy Kimmel-
This guy’s career is killin’ me. Here we have one of the five or ten funniest people in the country right now and he’s stuck in a format that is all wrong for him during a time-slot that ensures that he will get murdered by Conan. If you ever watched the show “Win Ben Stein’s Money” or “The Man Show”, you know how he is best utilized. He’s at his best when he is ad-libbing and bringing the house down with a one-liner. Putting him up on a stage with a script and asking him to be a warmed-over version of Jay Leno should be an arrestable offense. A stand-up routine is not his forte at all- so why give him a show that is completely scripted and begins with him doing a freakin’ stand up routine? (If you can’t tell yet, this makes me mad as hell. It would be like Bill Belichick putting Tom Brady in as a defensive end. Then having to watch him get knocked on his ass every Sunday.) If I were in control of his show, the first thing I’d do is put Adam Corolla on the show. The next thing I’d do is ask Bill Simmons to help write (he can co-host for all I care). Then I’d tell them to start talking. None of this script crap. No more having Jim Belushi and the senile Clint Eastwood as guests. No more having to humor the crappy actor who is about to release a crappy movie (I’m looking at you, Ben Affleck). If Jimmy wants a guest, then by all means, have one. If not, then don’t have a guest. His name is the title of the show and the format ought to reflect that. He clearly doesn’t have enough creative control over his show right now.
So what’s my point? I don’t think that he can carry a show all by himself. When he is up on stage by himself, he just isn’t that great. When he has someone to interact with who is as smart or as witty as him, that’s when he shines. The back-and-forth banter is what makes him effective. He needs other guys to allow him to be effective. And when he has that, he’s as funny as anyone I’ve ever seen. When he doesn’t have that, he’s Craig Ferguson. In short, he’s an awesome role player.
