Someone that doesnt start fights or curses out players is getting on other players nerves? People are stupid these days
What are you talking about? I can't explain myself if you just rant about Dwight's skills. What's confusing to you about my post?
Dwight's personality doesn't fit within acceptable limits for an all star player who hasn't won a ring. Look at Duncan. When he came into the league, tons of people said he was too reserved and didn't have the fire to win. Then he won a chip in his second year, and all that talk went away. It's only okay to behave outside the norm if you win championships. Like how Rasheed Wallace became a lot less crazy after Detroit won a title.
Why are some people here annoyed by posters, who are perfectly respectful to everyone? It's just human nature. Not all personalities mesh and certain ones tend to stick out like a sore thumb to more people.
NBA players are incredibly stupid outside the basketball court. It makes sense they would get offended by a guy like Dwight. TBH, I would see guys like Carmelo as much more fake for saying he's about the rings, or Lebron for ditching Cleveland and Miami on their way down. But they're all not that smart so they just ride the bandwagon of how someone is "supposed" to act. Even if I wasn't a houston fan I would have no issue with how Harden and Howard act. Harden is an eccentric individual and Howard just wants to please everyone but doesn't know how. It happens, not everyone needs to keep their heads down and pretend they're still poor all the time.
Like everything else these days... a little blood in the water and next thing you know one guys personal feelings become someone else's compete media debacle. Everyone loves to kick the easy target. Payton had to be one of the least likable players around... always complaining and talking trash... playing rough then complaining. tough softie. Reminds of a Jazz player. Now the ex-laker, ex stan van gundy player is jumping on the wagon. Color me surprised... not. All this is because he told the KobeLakers "no". Get over it already. Now everyone pilin' on it's just ridiculous. Durant calling him names from the sideline is an embarrassment. Kobe getting in his face and taking an elbow for it then whining about it is an embarrassment. These guys really need something more productive to do with their seasons. I sure hope all this motivates him. Maybe it won't, maybe he'll just ignore it, but maybe, just maybe, he'll find a way to turn it into domination.
how can you be a fake tough guy when you don't try to project being a tough guy? dwight is just visually intimidating because of his size, he doesn't try to intimidate anyone.
Who cares if Dwight wouldn't fight you in the street. how does that help anyone in the NBA anymore. The tough guy NBA doesn't exist anymore. You can't clothesline a guy in a game, throw a punch, physically intimidate another player, etc. In GP's head that might still be the way the game is played, but the league aggressively rooted out tough guys and apparently GP didn't notice. Some would say Ron Artest was the last true tough guy in the association.
Harden is a big time flopper, a whiner, has a reputation for being lazy on defense...he has all the ingredients for a guy that players will come to dislike. He gets paid a lot of money and is talented so he's already a target. Average to bad players can put up good numbers against him (at least last year, we'll see going forward) so that makes them feel like they deserve what he has and then they see him flopping around for calls and whining big time when he doesn't get them... Easy to see why Harden isn't liked.
spoilered your "tough guy" modeling pics. when i think about fake tough guys i think about people like matt barnes or paul pierce who pick fights then run away. dwight never tries to start beef with anyone.
Umm.... Paul, Wade etc. are far worse in that regard. they just act the part in an uncle tom way which is what the rest of the players think a rich guy should act like. backwards.
yeah there's a flipside to that coin too though. very few players in the league have the court vision and passing accuracy to consistently get teammates wide open layups/3's like harden does. and even fewer have the ability to drain big shots in the final minutes after breaking down a defender and releasing basically right in his eye. i think only with playoff success will harden get any real respect. but in the meantime they all definitely fear him (on the offensive end at least). better to be feared than liked :grin:
Except Wade and Paul don't let bad players routinely go off against them. And yes, Wade and Paul are both floppers. However, Harden drives to the lane specifically to get a foul. He often throws the ball up in the air or away just to heighten the flop, instead of trying to make a shot. Wade and Paul may do that sometimes too, but more often than not they are trying for the and one. Those two things lead to players disrespecting Harden. They think he's so soft on defense that they can get whatever they want (think about the guy in Portland last year that just openly was going after Harden) and they think he gets his points in a weak way. That doesn't mean he isn't good, it just means he's easy to criticize.
He's not exactly not trying either. He started the exchange with Kobe and walked towards Durant in their exchange, can't tell if he started talking first, but it's a possibility. Just because he's not aggressively going after guys doesn't mean he can't start things. In fact, it's that sort of thing that would get him called a fake tough guy because he'd be doing it in people's ears, on the down low. And what, modeling pics don't count? You're representing yourself.
It's an interesting point, (one i haven't heard before), but you'd think Paul swiping at another guys nuts and playing to the refs all the time would be far worse. But Harden has proven time and time again he can make a variety of big shots down the stretch, not just driving to the basket. Harden does play a bit of pinball, bouncing off everyone wildly, but he's a capable finisher even when he doesn't get the call. He's one of the best creating SG's. And trust me, i'm not being a homer. Imho it's the fact he's so unorthodox is what annoys them rather than being"soft", nash won 2 mvp's not knowing what defense was. but he was white and not expected to act like something else.
