Lance has a girlfriend . . . dog bites man . . . Donte thinks he's pretty good by Bud Poliquin Tuesday July 22, 2008, 8:36 AM Syracuse, N.Y. -- You'd think that a 20-year-old kid coming off a three-game stretch during which he shot 31% from the field by missing 35 of his last 51 heaves (and this, against the kind of questionable talent that can be found in the Las Vegas summer league) would walk away with a bit of humility. And maybe your normal 20-year-old kid -- deferential, respectful, aware of his place -- would do just that. But Donte Greene, the Houston Rockets' 6-foot-8ish rookie forward out of Syracuse University, isn't the normal type. And so, he spouted (again) the other day, this time to The Houston Chronicle. "I feel like I'm coming out and proving that I'm not long-term," declared Greene, who was speaking, but only after ignoring the stat sheet, of his "project" status. "I feel like I can be put in there right now and be a contributor to the team." Uh . . . what? Associated Press/Pat Sullivan How good is Donte Greene? A forthcoming, though biased, source on the subject will forever be . . . Donte Greene. Here is Donte, who played a single campaign with the Orange (and led it to the NIT), settling in with a club that won 55 games in the NBA last season and suits up the likes of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier and Luis Scola and Bobby Jackson and Steve Francis and the 87-year-old Dikembe Mutombo. And what does he say? He says he can pull an oar with the rest of them. Now. No, "right now." Wow. Listen, I'm not here to pile on Greene, who has been buried by some of our Central New York citizens for having defected, in search of a pay raise, to that league where the big boys play. I always understood that the young man likely enrolled at SU only because the rules demanded that he do the campus thing for a year before moving on. So, when Donte did rush out the door, I was surprised not by his action, but by the response of those who were offended. But I am here to submit that Donte, whose confidence is falling into that "writing-a-check-he-can't-cash-just-yet" category, would be far better advised to remember that he's just another rookie without pedigree and that singing his own praises makes for poor form. I mean, this isn't a pickup game in a Baltimore park. This isn't 3-on-3 stuff at Manley Field House. This is the NBA, where 20-year-olds who come off like eels thinking they're whales, quickly become cartoon figures. And, anyway, Greene did shoot 42% in 35 Syracuse contests against amateur defenders and 31% in his last three affairs with those semi-pros out there in Vegas. And he's already been called "very undisciplined" by his new coach, Rick Adelman. So, what's with the "I-can-be-put-out-there-right-now" stuff? More to the point, why should anybody listen? Or, for that matter, why would anybody write an on-line commentary about Donte Greene's never-ending brashness? Where's that "delete" button? -- Bud Poliquin bpoliquin@syracuse.com 315-470-2213
What did you say after the 40 point explosion. Stop bashing Donte he will be fine. Syracuse University don't hate the player hate the game.
Damn, I am not saying Donte is any good or anything, but did he sleep with that guy's gf or something? hehe
Donté seems to be the type of guy that, if put on a bad team, could put up a lot of points. However, he would end up like Isiah Rider or J.R. Smith - winning nothing. IF he learns to be humble enough to really learn from the veterans on the Rockets and be respectful - he could become a winner. It's all about his attitude and his willingness to learn. That's why I think it is great that Rick Adelman is calling him out.
Notice he says he is ready to contribute right away.. He said nothing about being able to start or be an All-Star. He beleives he can contribute. I think he can to. Offensivly he could immediatly. Unfortunatly for him there are other parts of his game he needs to improve at.
I don't think the writer was too harsh on Donte. Nor do I think he was "hatin". The guy is right. You can't come to a winning veteran team and think you are going to get all the minutes from the start. He's a rook. He's not a star, nor a superstar, but a rook. Going into the season thinking that he's entitled is going to make him another Gerald Green. I agree Rick calling him out early is good. The more the coaching staff calls him out the more likely he is to work hard to prove them wrong. Working hard will teach him that things don't come easily and will hopefully make his farfetched statement that he can contribute from the get-go a reality. I don't think he will, but maybe if he does work hard and doesn't cop an attitude when he is relegated to the bench then by mid season he will be the spark that takes us over the edge - without a big trade.
You better hope he can be as good as either one of those J.R.'s. As a late 1st rounder his chances are slim. I don't care what the kid is talking about, if he's as good as one of those two right out the gate, i'm happy. I just don't get why everyone's always so focused on attitudes and other emotional crap that has the least to do with basketball. Luther Head seems to be a nice polite guy, on and off the court. Who cares. I would much rather have J.R. here even if it means he'll pour a drink on a girl every now and then.
Well, this was from Adelman: “He can contribute sooner if he learns,” head coach Rick Adelman said. “I don’t think he understands how hard you have to play in our league. “Coming off the bench, you’ve got to be playing hard all the time. He has to learn how to be effective at both ends. I mean, he’s 6-10 and doesn’t even look to rebound. That’s something he can do, something he should do, all the time.”
Yes, it does. I just think god given talent and skill trumps that by a mile. ALL great players have those qualities, some don't have good attitudes. Which is proven by the players you mentioned in a negative light who are clearly MUCH better than our back up swingman, who has a great attitude. I know there's a conscious effort by everyone to reward hard work and a good attitude in all professions but sometimes better is better and if he's better than our other bench players than i fully agree with him that he should be a "right now" player.
His shot selection, rebounding and defense apparently did not indicate he is better yet. Once the coaches determine that he is better, they will give him his chance, I'm sure...
You can't be talking about Luther Head when you mention our "back up swingman, who has a great attitude." Luther Head is far from a swingman. At best, he is a wannabe combo guard. In reality, he is a one-dimensional, midget SG.
Which is all i care about. Which also should be the bigger story here. His performance on the court was rather inefficient and it wouldn't make a difference to me if he was the most bashful and humble bball player ever if he had the same results. There quite a few players with good attitudes that suck, its just much less important. I did use the word IF. We've seen how little summer league shows us about players, you can't tell what he'll do based off those few games. Also if he does in fact have such a bad attitude its not a guarantee that they'll give him a chance. The bulls basically threw away J.R. Smith when they got him for a couple 2nd rounds (and Eddie House, maybe?). Talent & Skill > attitude.
Contribution can mean 5 points a game. How idiotic are these NY journalists? Ive seen so many posts just bashing on Donte Greene.. I understand he might not have been what Carmelo had been but is it that ****ing quiet in the sports world for them to make an article like that?
There is always a reason why people hate you, especially a school you played for even formed a facebook club just to trash you, that means something. There had been too many wasted talents in this league, not long ago, remember Edie Griffin? Talented but with less than desired work ethic won't make Donte a good team player. Stay humble, work hard, then he will have a chance to make the team, otherwise he will just get his first and last 2 year of contract (see Gerald Green?) Not trying to be a Donte-hater just yet, would love to see him contribute, but he has a lot of work to do.
The article seemed fair to me. Yes, he is also reminding me of JR Smith. Luckily, Tracy loves beating up on rookies (they don't stick up for themselves) so I think he is going to ride this kid hard.
There are good examples of players that have characters like him: Kobe Bryant also thought he's the best, Dennis Rodman, J.R. Smith, Shawn Kemp but... there are also even more players that didn't succed with this kind of attitude. Green still didn't play any NBA but I guess he will first need to work his way out there.
