Mo Says It Looks More Likely He'll Be Back This Season

Why am I still responding to this? This is my last response, however. I'm worn out.

Well, then you and I will just have to agree to disagree on that one.

Was Taylor fined for not living up to the dress code? Do you have a copy of the NBA's official dress code manual or that of the Rockets? How do you KNOW that they are expected to be professionally dressed or even how they define "professional?" Last time I checked, you didn't work for the team. By the way, it wasn't a "sweatsuit," it was a SWEATER and slacks.

You were the one who brought up those topics, not me. I started this thread saying:

<i><b>Mo said during halftime that it was looking more and more likely that he would be back this season. He said that he began on-court side-to-side drills today and was doing a lot better.</i></b>

It wasn't about how he was dressed or if he was in shape. You made it about that and I chose to disagree.

I agree that there are themes that are important to us that go beyond the simple acts discussed, but just as Taylor is guilty of indescretion, you are guilty of acting like you have more knowledge than the rest of us.

You: It is a matter of <i>"personal control and lack of discipline."</i>

You are making an assumption based on circumstantial and incomplete evidence. Making statements that you have no way of backing up is misleading. Suggesting that Taylor lacks self control and discipline because you perceive him to be out of shape or having a drug problem is speculative at best. The guy smoked weed during a year-long rehab from an injury. Big deal. Let's move on.

You: <i>The league's standard for professional dress does not include expensive sweatsuits!</i>

Again, this is a matter of conjecture. You have no way of knowing what the league's dress code is.

You: <i>Taylor is a real punk...Then smoke grass and now looks like a blasted cow.</i>

You could have suggested that he looked overweight to you or that his behavior was unacceptable, but instead you called him a punk and a cow. Pretty insulting.

You: <i>THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR HIM SWELLING UP LIKE THAT. THAT SHOWS A CERTAIN LACK OF CONTROL WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH HIS AFFECTION FOR GRASS. He is punk for not finding fruits and veggies, and fiber instead of pigging out.</i>

You attempt to make a connection between his "affection for grass" and his "pigging out." First, you don't know what he has been doing or what he has been eating. Again, you try to pretend that you are the authority on the subject when, in reality, you have no clue.

You: <i>I just wanted to remind all you dreamers that Taylor is useless to man or beast the way he is now.</i>

I'm not sure about everyone else, but this seemed pretty insulting to me. Not only did you call Taylor "useless" but you inferred that the rest of us were "dreamers" for not agreeing with you.

You: <i>What is there to be excited about Let him stay where the hell he is and let the serious, dedicated, clean (grass-free) and fit athletes deal with turning this thing around.</i>

Since Charles Oakley pointed out that the majority of NBA players smoke grass, it would likely be difficult to let the "grass-free" one's turn this around. By your reasoning, then, shouldn't Francis remain on the bench since he obviously is an alcoholic? I mean, he got busted for DUI, right?

You: <i>Are you trying to cover up for Mo T by saying he could not exercise? Did Dominique become cow like when he went down with the same injury?</i>

First off, no one is trying to cover for anyone. Most of us simply don't think you actually know that Mo is overweight. We think that you are wrong, therefore, there is nothing to cover for. Second, what happened to Dominique is irrelavent to this discussion. These are two different people.

You: <i>Look at KT today. Most likely there is no grass in his business and he has changed his whole profile.</i>

Again the fixation with "grass." There are plenty of guys who have been busted for weed and plenty more who smoked but didn't get busted who are all in shape. There are also plenty of guys who have never touched the stuff and are WAY overweight. Smoking weed or not smoking doesn't make you a bad person or lacking in self-discipline.

You: <i>Taylor problem is lack of control, plain and simple. You think I want to refer to him as a punk? Hell no, the man and all his handlers should know better.</i>

Once again, you profess to have some keen insight that none of us has. You don't, plain and simple. And by the way, what the hell are "handlers?" The guy isn't a circus animal.

You: <i>I mean, just the other day you came up with the suggestion that KT should not play SF because he is too slow. I did not highlight the hollowness of that statement. Despite all the respect, I just figured you had a momentary lapse.</i>

Well, thank you for not shaming me in front of everyone. Yet another instance of your asserting your superior intellect and reasoning in front of us all. You and I just happen to disagree on this point, but you consider my opinion wrong. Opinions aren't usually right or wrong because they are based on reasoning and belief rather than fact.

You: <i>Since I do not know him intimately, I can only use the information that I have. His grass use is documented and that too is another indicator of lack of sufficient personal control.</i>

What exactly do you know? You saw him once for 1 minute on TV just like many of the rest of us and you think he is fat because he looked bloated under his very oversized sweater. Most of the rest of us saw him too and didn't think he looked fat. So, we are all obviously wrong and you are right?

You: <i>I made the reference to OT because he seem to have a very sharp understanding of the opportunity he has and will seemingly avoid doing things to disrupt that.</i>

You don't know that either. For all we know, OT just hasn't gotten busted for smoking weed. Since you don't know him, you cannot make that statement with even the slightest degree of accuracy. You can infer from his playing that he hustles and wants to make the most of his time, but you don't know what he does off the floor.

You: <i>It seem consistent with the marginal interest he enjoyed outside of Houston, as a free agent. Earlier, the Clipper organization let him go and went aggressively after Brand. We got him cheap and without a struggle.</i>

This is a matter of misinformation. The Clippers didn't pursue Brand until after the draft when the Bulls came to them looking to deal for the high schooler. Taylor had been gone an entire year at that point. Taylor made the choice, according to him, to not return to LA like many before him. He said in a radio interview and at his press conference (I was actually there when he said it) that he didn't really want to go back to the Clippers. At the time he became a free agent, there weren't a ton of teams who had available cap space. Seattle offered more money but he wanted to play in Houston. His agent said that Mo was adamant about playing here and he re-iterated that when he said that Mo had no interest in even looking around last summer. The Rockets wanted him and he wanted to be in Houston. His agent even said there were opportunities elsewhere but Mo loves it in Houston.

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Your comments are the reason I started my response in the first place. The truth is, you don't know what you are talking about but you are pretending that you do. You are putting yourself in a position of authority by acting like you have the facts when you don't. You don't even remember what he was wearing so it is hard to imagine that you know how much he weighs.

My problem isn't with your opinion. It is with the fact that you assert yourself as someone who knows more than or just plain better than the rest of us. If you do have some sort of inside knowledge that goes beyond what the rest of us actually know then I take it all back. But, I don't think you do.