An Edited Version of This Post Appears in Letters to the Editor in the Boston Globe - HONEST!

 Before there was Dr J, before there was Air Jordan, before there was Lebron, there was Elgin. Seemingly able to float in mid-air, to wait for the defender to finish his routine before he would simply complete his mission unimpeded.

There was an easy elegance to his game and his manner. He teamed with the more frenetic Jerry West in their annual battle to the death with the leprechauns from Boston. Always a dollar short.

It is hard for me to fathom how long ago this all transpired, how many generations of greatness have since arrived. But Elgin's skills were timeless, as if he could still today hang in endless mastery high above the lane.

While Elgin Baylor may be no more, greatness is never gone. And I am sure he would relish one more crack at the Celtics.