Um, kidrock, didn't Kwame Brown get arrested for speeding at some ungodly rate last season? The same Kwame Brown that Jordan handpicked to draft #1? I'm not sure, but I think he did. Eddie Griffin being arrested for pot probably endangered a lot less lives than Kwame speeding at more than 100 mph. (Yes, I know EG initially got pulled over for speeding, but I don't think it was at anything close to Kwame's rate of speed.)
to all you perfectionists out there who have never done anything wrong and would never want a player on their team to do something wrong. Do you remember James Worthy? Back when the Laker's would kick our a** repeatedly in the playoff's, he had a little problem with a hooker. Seemed she was a cop. Did Magic kick him off the team to teach him a lesson? Was he suspended by Jerry West? Hell no! It is off the court antics and that is the way it was treated. In fact, if I remember correctly, he played the next night. Remember a little guy named Robert Parish? Wow, wasn't that the almight, completely American, all natural, Celtics? Well little Rob smoked more cannibus than cheech and chong. This has been the lifestyle of the basketball player for quite some time now. Difference is, the media is more in your face with it. I want the players to take their jobs seriously and play their hearts out. If they smoke some weed or drink some alcohol, who gives a damn? Certainly not me.
And just in case you missed my point, both Parish and Worthy were leaders on the court. It didn't make a difference what they did off the court.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/1858834 Well, at least someone agrees with me...
Speeding is one thing. Speeding while being high, is another. I have been pulled over 10 times for speeding in my 5 years of driving. At no point was I a danger to society, as I was never drunk or high at the time. It's funny how people like to sweep "little" things like this under the rug.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any reports said Eddie was high while driving. The reports said that he had a stash, and that's it, right?
On another note, if you compared people to Micheal Jordan for everything they did, you'll be dissapointed every single time. Why can't Francis dominate like MJ? Why isn't he the same leader? Why didn't he win the dunk contest? Why doesn't he have rings? Why hasn't he averaged 30ppg? Eddie is just out of his teens. Give him a break. It's a horrible thing he did, but let's just call it "sophomore forgiveness".
I haven't heard of any reports of that. However, I don't think we really know either way. One thing for sure is that if oyu have a stash in your car, it's not wise to do anything to get you pulled over.
My whole premise, was that we lack a leader who calls out his teammates when s#it like this happens, ala Jordan with the Wizards. Some may argue that calling out teammates is a bad thing. I think the Rockets sorely lack someone to give the young players who aren't picking up the slack, a nice kick in the ass.
I agree. Which is why I wanted Oakley last season or this season. The problem now is that he's deteriorated so much that he'll only be talking, and if he yaps without being able to play, players won't respect him. I'm not sure calling out a player to the media, however, is a good thing. Maybe provately, but to the media?
If a player can't "handle" it when another player calls him out publicly/privately/whatever, then he probably isn't mentally strong enough to succeed in the NBA. A player with any substance, or intestinal fortitude, would be able to use the negative criticism as a motivating tool. A loser is more likely to let WORDS affect his ability on the court. IMO, it's a good ploy to see who is mentally tough, and who is not. Phil Jackson has been doing this for the last 15 years. His main reasoning is that if a player cannot step it up, after Phil calls him out, then will he step it up when it matters? Probably not. I think it's a good litmus test to see how well a player can handle pressure.
That's not pressure. Look at how that method is working out in Washington. Collins and Jordan called them out, and Larry Hughes, Kwame Brown and Brendan Haywood all folded. You need different approaches for different players. What we do know for sure is that going to the media is like stabbing someone in the back in the NBA. Players take it very very personally when you talk to the media, because they have the media on them after they've been attacked publicly. Rather than Francis telling the media "Griffin needs to clean up his act and play well", he can tell Rudy or he can tell Griffin himself. Team matters shouldn't be a part of the media. That's how the Blazers became dysfunctional, and despite their magnificent amounts of talent, they're fighting for homecourt, and that's considered an achievement for them.
I wouldn't blame Jordan or Collins, as Haywood, Brown, and Hughes have always underachieved thus far in the NBA. It's not like any of those players were on the edge of stardom, only to be brought down by Jordan and Collins. I guess the fact that I respect Phil Jackson so much, is why I'm so adamant that airing "dirty laundry" to the media, as a means of manipulation, isn't always a bad thing. I realize that not all coaches can play the same games as Phil. I guess they don't call him the Zen Master for nothing.
I wouldn't blame the media for the Blazers. Off the court incidents by the PLAYERS, as well as selfishness by the entire team is why they implode on a weekly basis. The media probably didn't necessarily help, but then again if the Blazers success hinges on what is said on the media, then they were never ever contenders to begin with. Fact is that mentally fragile/weak teams are the ones who crumble like a cookie from the media. I like the fact that the media somewhat exposes which teams are mentally weak and which are strong, it shows us what they are made of. Remember the whole Kobe-Shaq feud from 2 years ago? That is probably more of a distraction than anything the Blazers or Rockets could go through, especially being in a media-crazed city like LA. What it did was eventually help Kobe and Shaq realize how petty their little games against each other were. It served as a wake up call. If the Rockets or any other team, are incapable of responding to a challenge, then that is their fault, not the media's.
Ten times in five years? I'd say you need to drive more responsibly. I've been pulled over zero times in ten years.
Comparing the Rockets now to the Rockets problems now to the ones from the eighties is ridiculous. And John Lopez making the leap from Rockets to Blazers in this article is even more ridiculous.
