Don't cross Stern, players blackballed by the NBA - ESPN Insider

[Indazone]

Interesting read.

http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/blog?name=player_x&id=4937084

Since the trade deadline just passed, some of you are probably wondering why your team shipped a guy out of town. Money is one reason guys get traded. So is talent. But there's a quicker way to be kicked to the curb in the NBA: getting blackballed.

I see it a lot. Take T.J. Ford, for example. He might be on his way, through no fault of his own. The guy had a career year last year, yet he was on the bench for a month -- and he wasn't injured. Players have been buzzing about him lately, wondering why one of the best guys on the Pacers isn't playing much. It could be anything. I know of a situation in which a starter got benched because the owner's son is friends with the guy who replaced him.

Stuff like that happens all the time, and it's not always the coaches making the decision. Sometimes it comes from above. I'm pretty sure, for example, that Javaris Crittenton will be blackballed after his gun incident with Gilbert Arenas. Gilbert is a former All-Star with a big contract. He'll play again. But most players think Javaris is done, that GMs won't touch him. That's just wrong.

On the plane just the other day we were talking about how guys disappear: How Antoine Walker, Stephon Marbury, Bonzi Wells and Steve Francis were franchise players one day, out of the league the next. You never know where it comes from. It could be owners getting together to decide no one is going to offer a guy a contract (yes, it happens). Or it could come down from the commissioner. David Stern is not a man you want to cross.

Stern is not a man you want to cross.

The main thing that gets you blackballed in the NBA is being a bad influence on young players -- bad-mouthing the coach or refusing to listen to him, living the high life. If you're a veteran pulling young guys into that world, your days are numbered. GMs are wary of guys like that. They do all kinds of research before signing you, like talking to your high school coach and grade school teachers. The model organization is San Antonio. They hardly ever sign a guy who gets in trouble. And if they do, the guy shapes right up. If a GM thinks you're taking young guys out, getting them drunk and hooking them up with women, he'll drop you. And he'll tell other league GMs why.

Some guys who've been run out of the NBA, like Bonzi, are doing whatever they can for another shot. Bonzi is better than a lot of guys in the league but won't get a second chance because of his rep as a bad locker room guy. The NBA doesn't have a team like the Bengals that gives bad-rep guys another chance.

Sad thing is, you see some of these guys who are out of the league -- like Francis, Antoine or Steph -- and they still act as if they're stars. They're still like, "I'm the man. It's never gonna go away." They dress the same and spend money like they're still making it. I hear a lot of guys are working out in Chicago, waiting for the phone to ring. But the NBA doesn't really give you a second shot once you've been blackballed. Stern has the power to say a guy is not welcome anymore. You also have GMs with jobs on the line who don't want to take a risk. Look at what happened when Isiah Thomas signed bad locker room guys likeZach Randolph. The Knicks imploded, and Thomas got fired.

I think this Arenas incident scared a lot of players. But I'm not sure if it will change much. The phone number the NBA gives us to call if we're struggling with alcohol and other things isn't going to start ringing off the hook. Thing is, this wasn't the first time Gilbert messed up. The NBA told him to chill a couple years ago, but I don't think he took it seriously. Word around the league is that he's at home freaking out, calling the NBA every five minutes to fix things, afraid it all might disappear.

Funny enough, I haven't heard much about guys acting up this season. The Hawks used to be notorious for partying before they got Joe Johnson and got good. They had guys like Antoine, who would go out to clubs and go wild. It wasn't until they got rid of the bad influences that they started playing well. And you can usually tell who the bad influences are just by looking at how often a guy gets traded. If he's been moved five times, it probably doesn't have anything to do with creating cap room or getting good value. He's got an attitude problem, and his bosses sent him packin'.

[Indazone]

So now we know what really happened to Bonzi, Franchise for being a loud mouth and pissing off coaches, owners and fans and they took his injury to roll him out of the NBA. I would be willing to bet that Agent Zero is on his way out too and they are right, Jarvis Crittenton is done after the lockerroom gun incident. Older article but sheds the light on what I always thought happened to these players who seemed to still have it but were never given a second shot. Bonzi Wells we know for sure is better than lots of other NBA players and isn't that old.

Jamal Tinsley nearly out but given one last chance for the Grizzlies. Feel bad for TJ Ford though. He's a good guy and talented point guard.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

So Matt Barnes will be fucked if the Lakers don't extend him

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Here's an alternative theory:

Once players who have attitude problems are no longer good, their negatives outweigh their positives and no team has any interests in them. I'm guessing Javaris Critenton not garnering any interest has a lot to do with him being a PG who can't handle a basketball or make a shot outside of 5 feet. I'm guessing if Stevie Franchise could still play like he did in 2005, his attitude problems wouldn't be such a big deal.

As for TJ Ford, he's a black man playing on the Pacers. He could average 40 points a game, but the minute he says "ax" instead of "ask" during an interview, those rednecks won't give a shit about how good he is.

[Veterinarian]

Here's an alternative theory:

Once players who have attitude problems are no longer good, their negatives outweigh their positives and no team has any interests in them. I'm guessing Javaris Critenton not garnering any interest has a lot to do with him being a PG who can't handle a basketball or make a shot outside of 5 feet. I'm guessing if Stevie Franchise could still play like he did in 2005, his attitude problems wouldn't be such a big deal.

As for TJ Ford, he's a black man playing on the Pacers. He could average 40 points a game, but the minute he says "ax" instead of "ask" during an interview, those rednecks won't give a shit about how good he is.

:tu

That's exactly what I was thinking while I was reading this article. "Player X" could consult any internet basketball forum of average intelligence for an internet message board fans (ie retarded) and they could explain this shit better. But Ford has been gaining a reputation as a ball dominating chucker who only passes if it will get him an assist for his stats for years.

[BullsDynasty]

The majority of the NBA players' balls are black

[elbamba]

This article is just speculation. Not that I would expect anything different from insider. Most of the the guys the article names are old and suck. Some just decided to get fat (Walker and Wells).

I especially liked the line about an owner's son getting a better player benched for his friend. Of course, there is no cited example or even a hint at who this could be. I hope that article was one of the free samples that ESPN gives out.

[TDMVPDPOY]

stern loves them balls

[DOMINATOR]

why is ron artest still playing then?

[dbestpro]

So maybe Miami doesn't get the whistle going there way. What a meltdown that will be.

[Indazone]

Lets just see where this waste of space ends up.

Jamaal Tinsley

If he ends up anywhere.

[Indazone]

Here's another article about players who can still play

http://age-spots.ebloge.com/good-free-agents-getting-blackballed-scrubs-finding-their-ways-onto-teams/

good free agents getting blackballed. scrubs finding their ways onto teams?

regular season is starting and the rosters are mostly finalized. i see a lot of players having no business in the nba on rosters while established contributors who can obviously still play are lurking in the free agent pool. meanwhile, a lot of teams are significantly under the salary cap, but ticket prices are not going down either. why should we pay to watch a bunch of scrubs and busts playing in the nba when significant upgrades are available?
free agents who should definitely be in the league:

wally szczerbiak: former all-star is only 32. average 13 points a game for the sonics as recently as 2008, so don’t tell me he’s washed up. he sacrificed his stats for the team with the cavs and now no one wants him. the guy is a shooter, so it’s not about fading athleticism either. hell, he’s better than half of the players currently in the nba.

jamaal tinsley: he’s always been one of my favorite point guards and was an absolute steal by isiah thomas back in the draft of 2001. larry bird obviously has something against him cuz he was from the isiah regime. sure, he hasn’t played for a year, but he averaged 8.4 assists in 2008. i would take him over mike conley, beno udrih, aaron brooks, mario chalmers, raymond felton, luke ridnour, rodney stuckey, lou williams, chris duhon, and derek fisher any day and these scrubs are all starting point guards, yet tinsley can’t even find a spot on a nba roster. this is blasphemy and a slap in the face to the fans who want to see the best players on the court.

rashad mccants: the guy is only 25 and obviously in his prime. he averaged 15 ppg as a 23 year old in 2008 with respectable percentages. sure, he doesn’t draw enough fouls or drive to the basket enough, but he can shoot with the best of them. he’s a mini ben gordon who still has quite a bit of upside. heck, he might be better than monta ellis (who can’t shoot 3′s) in the long run and he is better than eddie house. instead we are forced to watch daequan cook (37% shooting in his career lmfao and he doesn’t do anything else either), danilo gallinari, sasha pavlovic, and julian wright attempting to play in the nba. f*ck my life.

jerry stackhouse: stack picked the wrong time to get injured in his contract year. the man, who was supposed to be the next MJ, was the 6th man for a championship contender as recently as 2008. he sacrificed his stats and #’s for the sake of the team. he could easily average 20 points per game (which was exactly what he did in his last full season before coming to dallas). he can slash, draw fouls. and he looked really good over the summer. he’s 34, which isn’t as old as most people think he is. he can’t help a contender as a 6th man or a mediocre team as a starter? i don’t buy it.

brevin knight: this guy has some injury issues, but he is one of the best distributors in the nba. he dishes out a ton of assists and rarely turns the ball over. at age 33, he can still ball. in fact, he is better than the likes of mike conley, beno udrih, aaron brooks, mario chalmers, luke ridnour, rodney stuckey, lou williams, and chris duhon. all of whom are projected starters and i’m not even gonna get into the backup points he could outplay in this league. it’s just shows how cheap owners are and how ignorant GMs are.

juan dixon: you knowo what you are getting with the former most outstanding player in ncaa final four: a lot of bench scoring, not much else. but that is better than what you can say about the players are current nba rosters. he’s definitely better than willie green, marco bellinelli, carlos delfino, and charlie bell. someone can use him in their rotation.

gerald green: gerald green is a victim of the kevin garnett trade. the kid has all the talent in the world and is definitely better than fellow prep-to-pro martell webster, who is projected to start in the opening night for the blazers after missing the entire season last year. green can pop 3′s and his incredibly athleticism and hop makes him unstoppable around the hoop. dude averaged more than 10 points in his sophomore year. sure there will be growing pains, but he is ready to take the quantum leap if someone gives him a chance to play. please don’t tell him corey brewer or rodney carney is better or got more upside than gerald green.

bonzi wells/ruben patterson: i’ve been upset about the bonzi wells situation since last year. i don’t wanna hear about the character issues. they are mostly overblown by the media anyway. bonzi is the best rebounder out of the all the guards in the nba. he almost single handedly destroyed the spurs a couple years ago in the playoffs. the fact that he had to play a few games in china last year speak volume of how ignorant and cheap nba owners are. i’m almost upset about the patterson situation. the man had a career year then no one wanted him in the free agent market and he had to settle for a bench role on a non-guaranteed contract with the clips, which subsequently released him.

others who

[Chillen]

The NBA is a business and if someone takes an attitude to any workplace and are unprofessional and keeps right at it they usually get fired or what not. So this article doesn't surprise me, in the NBA to thrive you have to be mature, hard working, committed to your team and not bring any baggage. If you look at all the players past and present who have won NBA championships very little of them ever brought an attitude to the court or baggage. Shaq might have an attitude and say stupid stuff but he has what it takes to lead a team to a championship. Also Artest is actually doing something about his issues, I give the guy credit for after that brawl in Detroit for waking the f**ck up and acting like an adult.

[Pero]

I'm guessing Javaris Critenton not garnering any interest has a lot to do with him being a PG who can't handle a basketball or make a shot outside of 5 feet.

What?? Isn't he going to become an all-star or something in the future according to Lakerfan?

[Indazone]

The NBA is a business and if someone takes an attitude to any workplace and are unprofessional and keeps right at it they usually get fired or what not. So this article doesn't surprise me, in the NBA to thrive you have to be mature, hard working, committed to your team and not bring any baggage. If you look at all the players past and present who have won NBA championships very little of them ever brought an attitude to the court or baggage. Shaq might have an attitude and say stupid stuff but he has what it takes to lead a team to a championship. Also Artest is actually doing something about his issues, I give the guy credit for after that brawl in Detroit for waking the f**ck up and acting like an adult.

That's true, you show up at the office brandishing a gun I can guarantee you're going to be shitcanned the same day. I knew a guy who took a swing at his boss and ended up getting escorted off the premises by security and they sent his stuff to him. Bad attitude gets you fired immediately. In that respect, the NBA gives these guys a lot more leeway than any of us would get working in any company.

[sribb43]

thanks to those guys we now get to see the Barea's, Lin's, Amundson's, Novak's of the world on NBA rosters

[ChumpDumper]

So the article says Stern blackballs players but gives zero proof of Stern's blackballing anyone.

:tu

[phxspurfan]

ROFL Brevin Knight better than Stuckey. I stopped reading after that nonsense.

[TE]

ROFL Brevin Knight better than Stuckey. I stopped reading after that nonsense.



:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao

[Roddy Beaubois]

Here's an alternative theory:

Once players who have attitude problems are no longer good, their negatives outweigh their positives and no team has any interests in them.

:tu which is exactly what is happening to T.O. in the NFL.

[TE]

:tu which is exactly what is happening to T.O. in the NFL.



sad cause I believe T.O. still has some more football left in his tank.

[Cane]

http://johnbatchelorshow.com/images/AAHG191_8x10~Babe-Ruth-Red-Sox-Posters.jpg

:downspin:


why is ron artest still playing then?

FWIW Ron Artest is blocked from Team USA, they don't even let him try out.

[ploto]

The author's claim makes little sense because for all the guys he lists, you can list just as many trouble makers who are still around in the NBA.

[Indazone]

Sometimes, I think they just retire a player just to make room for younger ones coming up the ranks. Glenn Robinson could still play and if you look at his stats in his final year on a per minute basis, it's not like he fell in production.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/stats?playerId=717

Oh and then again, there's this which may have spurred his way out of the NBA faster.

Losing left a really bitter taste in Glenn’s mouth, and no amount of Orbit gum could’ve gotten rid of it, so he lashed out at teammate Ray Allen, saying he was “soft” and that he wilted under the pressure. Since that wasn’t a good way to endear one’s self to a team, (and since Ray Allen was more of a true star anyway), Milwaukee shipped Glenn down south to Atlanta for Toni Kukoc. Robinson still put up All-Star worthy numbers, but he garnered the unscrupulous reputation of Locker Room Cancer (e.g.: “Christian Laettner”).

[leemajors]

Here's another article about players who can still play

http://age-spots.ebloge.com/good-free-agents-getting-blackballed-scrubs-finding-their-ways-onto-teams/

good free agents getting blackballed. scrubs finding their ways onto teams?

regular season is starting and the rosters are mostly finalized. i see a lot of players having no business in the nba on rosters while established contributors who can obviously still play are lurking in the free agent pool. meanwhile, a lot of teams are significantly under the salary cap, but ticket prices are not going down either. why should we pay to watch a bunch of scrubs and busts playing in the nba when significant upgrades are available?
free agents who should definitely be in the league:

wally szczerbiak: former all-star is only 32. average 13 points a game for the sonics as recently as 2008, so don’t tell me he’s washed up. he sacrificed his stats for the team with the cavs and now no one wants him. the guy is a shooter, so it’s not about fading athleticism either. hell, he’s better than half of the players currently in the nba.

jamaal tinsley: he’s always been one of my favorite point guards and was an absolute steal by isiah thomas back in the draft of 2001. larry bird obviously has something against him cuz he was from the isiah regime. sure, he hasn’t played for a year, but he averaged 8.4 assists in 2008. i would take him over mike conley, beno udrih, aaron brooks, mario chalmers, raymond felton, luke ridnour, rodney stuckey, lou williams, chris duhon, and derek fisher any day and these scrubs are all starting point guards, yet tinsley can’t even find a spot on a nba roster. this is blasphemy and a slap in the face to the fans who want to see the best players on the court.

rashad mccants: the guy is only 25 and obviously in his prime. he averaged 15 ppg as a 23 year old in 2008 with respectable percentages. sure, he doesn’t draw enough fouls or drive to the basket enough, but he can shoot with the best of them. he’s a mini ben gordon who still has quite a bit of upside. heck, he might be better than monta ellis (who can’t shoot 3′s) in the long run and he is better than eddie house. instead we are forced to watch daequan cook (37% shooting in his career lmfao and he doesn’t do anything else either), danilo gallinari, sasha pavlovic, and julian wright attempting to play in the nba. f*ck my life.

jerry stackhouse: stack picked the wrong time to get injured in his contract year. the man, who was supposed to be the next MJ, was the 6th man for a championship contender as recently as 2008. he sacrificed his stats and #’s for the sake of the team. he could easily average 20 points per game (which was exactly what he did in his last full season before coming to dallas). he can slash, draw fouls. and he looked really good over the summer. he’s 34, which isn’t as old as most people think he is. he can’t help a contender as a 6th man or a mediocre team as a starter? i don’t buy it.

brevin knight: this guy has some injury issues, but he is one of the best distributors in the nba. he dishes out a ton of assists and rarely turns the ball over. at age 33, he can still ball. in fact, he is better than the likes of mike conley, beno udrih, aaron brooks, mario chalmers, luke ridnour, rodney stuckey, lou williams, and chris duhon. all of whom are projected starters and i’m not even gonna get into the backup points he could outplay in this league. it’s just shows how cheap owners are and how ignorant GMs are.

juan dixon: you knowo what you are getting with the former most outstanding player in ncaa final four: a lot of bench scoring, not much else. but that is better than what you can say about the players are current nba rosters. he’s definitely better than willie green, marco bellinelli, carlos delfino, and charlie bell. someone can use him in their rotation.

gerald green: gerald green is a victim of the kevin garnett trade. the kid has all the talent in the world and is definitely better than fellow prep-to-pro martell webster, who is projected to start in the opening night for the blazers after missing the entire season last year. green can pop 3′s and his incredibly athleticism and hop makes him unstoppable around the hoop. dude averaged more than 10 points in his sophomore year. sure there will be growing pains, but he is ready to take the quantum leap if someone gives him a chance to play. please don’t tell him corey brewer or rodney carney is better or got more upside than gerald green.

bonzi wells/ruben patterson: i’ve been upset about the bonzi wells situation since last year. i don’t wanna hear about the character issues. they are mostly overblown by the media anyway. bonzi is the best rebounder out of the all the guards in the nba. he almost single handedly destroyed the spurs a couple years ago in the playoffs. the fact that he had to play a few games in china last year speak volume of how ignorant and cheap nba owners are. i’m almost upset about the patterson situation. the man had a career year then no one wanted him in the free agent market and he had to settle for a bench role on a non-guaranteed contract with the clips, which subsequently released him.

others who

he hates capitals. why is he upset about a fucking sex offender wife beater like patterson?

[ynh]

Here's an alternative theory:



As for TJ Ford, he's a black man playing on the Pacers. He could average 40 points a game, but the minute he says "ax" instead of "ask" during an interview, those rednecks won't give a shit about how good he is.

You have NEVER lived in Indianapolis, I can tell. That's pretty much as far from the truth as it gets in the city.

[ChuckD]

sad cause I believe T.O. still has some more football left in his tank.

The problem for TO is that plenty of football players can produce that same "some more football" with less than his wagon train load of bullshit. If you're going to be a prima donna asshole, you'd better produce at a Pro Bowl level. The minute you don't, you're done.

There are players like that in every sport. You think anyone is going to let Milton Bradley play until he's old?

If you're an asshole, there comes a point of diminishing returns, and that point is much sooner than for other players who may be "good guys".

[spursncowboys]

bonzi wells is a racist. That kind of talk probably gets old.

[pjjrfan]

Marbury and Francis played themselves out of the league. Bonzi had one too many screw ups, and Jamaal tinsley was a regular season guy whose avg. fell in the playoffs, even Isaiah benched him during the playoffs his first two seasons in INdie. I do agree that Crittendon will be blackballed, bringing guns to a work place doesn't work anywhere let alone a PR consious NBA.

[sexinthatsx]

You guys are giving Stern too much credit for blackballing these players. If you were a GM, would you want these types of players on your team? It's obvious that would be a resounding no. So this article is pure speculation and should be taken with a few grains of salt. Josh Howard and Lamar Odom can smoke all the weed in the world if they wanted to, but if they're not causing a bad influence on the team, they're still effective. Once the players start publicly announcing their disbelief in the system, that's when things turn out for the worst. Just ask Allen Iverson... "We talking about practice?!"

[Ness]

why is ron artest still playing then?

Because Ron is still a very good player that can contribute to a championship team. He made a bad mistake and paid the price for his actions. People act like he's crazy, but he really is a nice guy with a big heart.