Could someone please explain this obsession with Boki?

PLUS he is YAO's best friend on the team. So we can't trade him away. not to mention the fact that he blocked and dunked on MALONE!!!! Rockets say he is gonna be really good. I just want to see him succeed. What if we eneded up trading him for TMAC and he turns in the PEJA or something. Then we gave up 1 all star. Mobley and Cato . and another all star. for TMAC. too much. too much upside

 

Look, if he looked like this:



and was a nicknameless 6-9 forward from Maryland who couldn't really shoot, played sparingly, scored minimal points (though roughly twice as many as beloved Boki) over two seasons(even though he was acquired at the cost of a 1st round pick), I doubt that even the prospect of his loss would generate mass hysteria, and I don't recall it doing so at the time.

 

geeze...Sam are you trying to be obtuse?

and btw...losing Boki in a trade for someone that we need would not generate hysteria from me....but like I said before...

It AINT GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE.

 

1) I do. I recall a lot of discussion about him being the next pippen, etc. A lot. I loved him, for example.

2) He also appeared before we became the NBA's version of a Bobby Bethard team.

 

Boki, when he gets into the game, shows flashes of brilliance. He could be called a young, poor man's Manu Ginobili. He also started to emerge right after Matt Bullard, the whitebread lanky three-point shooting fan favorite, left Houston.

There's nothing wrong with rooting for players that you identify with. I think that his fan loyalty has less to do with the fact that he's white, and more to do with his work ethic and the perception of him as a working class kind of guy. I don't think there's anything wrong with rooting for the Peja's, Nowiski's and Ginobili's of the world because you identify with them culturally more than the Shaq's and Garnett's of the world.

 

No, I'm approaching things objectively. I see a guy who has scored 170 something points in a Rockets uniform over two years who has looked both good and mediocre, yet generates an unusual amount of adulation.

The fact that he's a euro with a cute nickname has soemthing to do with this, just like the fact that Badiane is from Africa and is athletic has to do with the appeal he has. That doesn't make everybody who likes him or roots for him racist.

 

The reason why Boki is popular here is the same reason why Mark Madsen is popular in Min as well as LA. They both give 100% effort out on the court. Fans love to root for the underdog player who hustles his @ss off to make the team better.

Just my 0.02

 

Sam,

this says it all for me more than my own posts have.

Even if you only play 5 games in a season(Boki's first year)...if you give it your all, and work hard...thats all I ask out of my players...whether they play 82 games or 5.

It isnt entireely fair for you to make a definitive judgement on a player who for various reasons has not been on the court enough to show if he will be a player or not.

The DNP-CDs are not definitely because he has no talent....there were other factors involved.

When given the playing time towards the end of last season, he showed more promise than any other time since he has been a Rocket....why not see what happenes this year to decide if he is in fact a bust of not?

note: once again, I reiterate, if he must go to bring in a better player that we need....I am not adverse to it....but at the same time...I dont want to cast him off for no reason, he still can be a for real player in this league...imo of course.

 

Boki made Malone our b**** for the first time since 1995. Period.

 

its the hair:

 

WAIT!!

I was wrong.

it's because of Grega.

 

Any player that comes into the game during garbage time and plays like his life is on the line is bound to be a fan favorite. He’s chasing after every loose ball, taking every single charge, trying to block every shot. As opposed to someone like Darko in Detroit, who goes in during garbage time acting like he’s above playing with all of these scrubs.

And it’s not just because he’s a European with a nickname. Othella Harrington was a fan favorite as well. May not have been the most talented player, but he was so active and energetic when he came into a game.

Every team needs a player like Boki or Othella on it.

 

Matt Bullard a fan favorite?...I just thought we couldn't get rid of him.

 

you wanted to get rid of Air Bullard!!

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1472686

How can you not root for a guy like that?

Not to mention he had some kind of ridiculous workout with us (he hit something like 25/25 free throws and 23/25 three pointers, if anyone can verify that, help me out).

And as others have said, he's the underdog that everyone loves to cheer for and he got under Malone's skin and looked hardcore doing it.

Besides, this guy has had his dunks blocked and been dunked on more times than I care to think about. If strife builds character, Boki should be just about bursting at the seams by now.

Again, how can you not root for a guy like that?

 

I remember he hit alot of 3ptrs !

Boki needs minutes this coming season!

 

Boki is full of potential and surprises many. He needs playing time inorder to develop.

 

People think Boki is good because he's European and can be the next Peja Stojokovic.

These same people think that since Eddie Griffin is young, he's the next Jermaine O'Neal.

Neither can shoot, dribble or play one-on-one defense but none of that matters.

All that matters is since they were 1st round picks, and taken by professional scouts, these guys must be good.


In other news, Malick Badienne is now the next Samuel Dalembert.

 

Blasphemy!

 

Man Crush.