Old School Chic
06-28-2005, 02:38 PM
Mike Wise of the Washington Post hits one out of the park today with an article about resentment around the NBA of white foreign players.
He quotes Sean Elliott:
"If he was an inner-city kid, if Manu Ginobili was from Chicago or New York, and he was bringing the game like he's bringing it now, all the players in the league would say, 'Manu is the truth.' Instead they say, 'He throws his arms, he flails.' Every series in the playoffs this year, it's been that way. Denver did not want to give him credit in the first round. Seattle, same thing. Now Detroit."
There is unabashed anti-white racism all over the league.
I sat in the room a couple years ago when Kenny Smith addressed the incoming rookie class during the NBA's training session. The room included dozens of European players. But Kenny only spoke to the black Americans, and he more or less told them that foreign players were getting their jobs because they brought new fans, and increased revenues to the teams and the league.
The foreigners admitted to being taken aback. Jiri Welsch piped up in front of everyone, as did Bostjan Nachbar.
To their credit, even most of the American players thought Kenny was full of it. This is how Caron Butler reacted when I asked him about what the Jet said:
Now they’re part of it. The NBA is nothing but a big fraternity, and we’re all family right now. We’re going to have to battle it out, we’re going to have a lot of wars against each other, but we’re still family.
I also once noticed this: among NBA reporters at a big event like the All-Star game, there is a pretty healthy mix of skin colors. But in a media session at one All-Star game a few years ago, the black reporters were almost all crowded around black players. Over by Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki nearly 100% of the reporters were white.
(It's not too hard to understand that in some ways. Culturally, it's not unlike French reporters crowding around Tony Parker or Chinese reporters crowding around Yao Ming. But among American reporters, it's a little sad to see. I and everybody else would be unrelenting on a white reporter who didn't like to talk to black players.)
To anyone who thinks the NBA is a league that belongs to one ethnic group or another, I say get over it.
No matter what you might have heard elsewhere, the NBA is not a league for black, white, red, blue, or green people. It is a league for winners. When Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan were the best winners around, maybe, for a while, it seemed like it was a league for black people. But up here at the top, in the most competitive league in the world, you have to earn it every day. There's no room for prejudice on winning teams. And if some other guy from some other country with some other skin color is doing it better? Well, then it's that guy's time to shine, even if he doesn't look like you.
It's wrong to judge people by the color of their skin, remember?
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Written By: Bill Sherrod
On June 26, 2005 01:27 AM
Hard to believe that there is a considerable amount of "anti white racism" towards Manu Ginobili specifically. Especially since Charles Barkeley has been pimping him as the 'next big thing' since Manu's rookie year.
This is not to say that there isn't a reverse racial bias in the NBA. The game is overrun with hip hop culture ... which is to say, it's all about inner city black culture. And this hip hop culture is all about being loud, proud and in your face. For the most part, this attitude is at odds with a lot of 'white sports' culture. Dominant white athletes are not as inclined to express themselves because it could easily be seen as "confrontational" and/or unseemly behavior.
We could quote inspirational messages from our religious and political leaders ad nauseum, but it remains: there is a substantial differnce between white and black culture in this world (and the NBA). Platitudes might serve us well on Sunday mornings in church, but do little for the rest of the week.
Written By: Henry Abbott
On June 26, 2005 09:34 AM
Even though it does happen to be Sunday morning, I'm not quoting Martin Luther King Jr. as an inspirational platitude. I'm quoting him to refocus the argument.
Let me explain: If you are a self-respecting member of an oppressed group, then I believe it is not only your right but also your duty to be an activist on behalf of that group in whatever way you can.
But you have to know what you're fighting for. Are you fighting for an end to oppression (choice A), or do you just want to put your group in the driver's seat so you can have your turn as the oppressor (choice B)?
I quoted MLK Jr. to make clear that among black Americans, those who choose B--who, in essence, want to judge people's quality by the color of their skin--do not speak with the weight of the civil rights movement. Not by a long shot.
(One other note: just 'cause Charles Barkley isn't racist when it comes to Manu doesn't mean nobody is. Read Mike Wise's column. You'll see.)
Written By: Bryan
On June 26, 2005 12:31 PM
Manu is one of the best players in the league period and a lot of his detractors (no surprise Rasheed the idiot Wallace) would love to play with him. And if they did, they'd change their tune quick. Popovich said in one of his press conferences that he knew Manu was special his first practice - no one could guard him. The difference with Manu is he doesn't do stuff to look fancy, he does it to win. He had 2 drives this playoffs - one against the Marion and the Suns, the other in game 7 against Detroit - that should be legendary - they were Jordanesque. But I guess he just a foreign white guy and they will be forgotten. I won't forget. He is one of the best players in the world, a player who makes his teammates better, who does all of the things physically you need to do, one who is not afraid to take the big shot and one smart enough to pass for an easier shot. Who is better than Manu? Give me a name. Kobe? I'd take Manu over Kobe anytime. Lebron - would have to think about that one. Same with Wade - tough call. I'd take Manu but I'm biased. Who else?
Written By: Steven Harris
On June 27, 2005 01:22 PM
This is in response to Bryan. Manu is one of the best players in the league? I would have to disagree. One of the best winners...yes. You see it in his style of play that he needs to win. So I will agree with you that I would take him over Kobe even though Kobe is obviously the better player. Kobe had an all-time player in the post as well and got himself 3 rings. You also forget that Manu as great as he is frequently loses it and is very out of control. I didn't say dirty. But he does things that aren't rational frequently throughout the regular season. You would have to think in comparison with Wade? When Wade realizes that he should hoist up a couple of 3's a game(and he will hit them) everyone in the league will pray for an injury. Lebron? You can't be serious...Ginobli's 27...Lebron- 20 and you obviously realize that averaging 27-7-7 isn't like having a good 20 game stretch. You shouldn't even be allowed to post anymore messages if you'd think about Lebron or Manu. So yes Manu stepped up in the playoffs and solidified his position as one of the great players in the nba. Let's see if he could hold that up because...the lines of Kobe: 27-5.9-6..Wade: 24-5-6.8...and some kid that can't wait to have a beer:27-7-7 are a little better than 16-4-3.9(Manu)
Written By: chris
On June 27, 2005 01:38 PM
Manu's talents go without comment, but I think that some black players chafe at the automatic man-crushes that great white players like Ginobili get from the MSM, compared to great black players with similar skill sets.
(Note that Wallace respected Manu's ability enough to double-him instead of covering Horry on the Game 5 shot/brain-fart turned the series in SAS' favor.)
I'll gladly trade on this however: I'll concede some black racism on this if white reporters and columnists were equally willing to concede white resentment of rich black NBA players, embodied in the mindless preference of the minor league product instead of the pro game.
Written By: randy
On June 27, 2005 02:41 PM
Bryan using any reference to Manu as a forum for another of his insane Manu is the best player of all time rants. Well done- the thinnest of reeds sufficing for this segue.
Written By: Henry Abbott
On June 27, 2005 02:59 PM
I know what you're getting at, Steven, when you say "he's a better winner, but Kobe's a better player." But hold the phone--what is there to play for besides winning? If you're in it to win it, the better winner IS the better player. Everything else is just barbershop talk.
Chris, you just hit a home run with your point about Rasheed doubling Manu. Let his actions speak.
And as for your other point, I'll tell you this: I find spoiled little kids, and worse yet, adults who act like them, to be annoying in all settings. It's the whole "but I don't want to" [insert whatever here--honor my contract, clean my room, play defense, come off the bench, work out all the time, eat healthy food, go to bed early, stop smoking weed for a few months a year] thing. In part because of the money, a fair percentage of NBA players get like that from time to time, and I don't like it. It doesn't happen in the minor leagues, or let's say the WNBA, because they don't have the money. Those players have to buck up like you and me. But some NBA players are big whining weenies, and I don't think they should get a free pass for it no matter what color their skin.
No one's entitled to a life of leisure. Even if you're worth $75 million you might have to spend the odd summer learning to go left, or shooting free throws. To me whether the people involved are white or black has absolutely nothing to do with it. To pick a couple of innocuous examples of rich NBA players acting like little kids: Mike Miller used to have a pet monkey that had its own room in his house, just like Shaquille O'Neal confided to the New Yorker some time ago that he hopes to have essentially a small theme park in his honor after he dies. The fact that Mike's white and Shaq's black doesn't change for one second the idea that they can both make errors in judgment.
Do white players tend to have better judgment than black players? I have no idea. I have never thought about it that way, and I don't understand why anyone would. (Do you really think you could go far with a one-race team?)
Does the race thing affect other white reporters? I don't know. Maybe. It's certainly around in our culture. But I haven't noticed it in NBA coverage. (If you can cite any examples, I'll sure follow up and even make a ruckus if it's called for. I'm hard-core against racism in all forms.) But remember, most NBA reporters are poorly paid white guys who never see their families and stick with the job because they worship the players who are, by and large, black.
Written By: Bill Sherrod
On June 27, 2005 04:05 PM
I still think it's laughable for anyone to claim that black NBA players encounter any measurable amount of white racism from the NBA/Entertainment complex.
Written By: r
On June 27, 2005 04:46 PM
very interesting discussion except for one thing. yes manu's skin is light but ethincally he isn't white. he's south american not european.
this discussion would probably take better shape if this was dileneated first.
while i don't want to be quick to annoint Ginoboli with a hyperbole, you have to admit he's a great player.
in the finals when he had a good game the spurs won, when he didn't they lost. the same could be said about chauncy billups, but not tim duncan. the spurs won games in which duncan struggled.
if there is any resentment on the part of black media pundits or nba players it's probably more because of a changing-of-the-guard effect then just race. if memory serves me correct kobe and jordan got "froze out" at one time as well.
i also remember kobe scoffing and downplaying ginoboli's abilities in a post game interview a few years ago, hesitant to give any props after being outplayed, well defensed, and later eliminated by manu's team (manu's "rookie" season).
it should also be noted that manu's regular season stats are based on far fewer minutes than the other players mentioned in the discussion.
while the media and some players might not give him favorable reviews i guarantee you they respect his game now, especially since he's shown a lengthy stretch of excellent play (especially in the playoffs).
new, talented, and effective blood is always going to threaten the status quo.
Written By: Lance Uppercut
On June 27, 2005 05:48 PM
I would question how any amount of racism is measurable. Is there unmeasurable racism? Cross burning = measurable racism, white reporters misunderstanding black culture = unmeasurable racism? I don't know. I do think that there might be some issues of instututional racism when you consider that the players are overwhelmingly black, while the coaches, GMs , and owners are overwhelmingly white. That's not to say that things aren't changing, but it's always made me wonder.
Written By: Bryan
On June 27, 2005 06:07 PM
So many thoughts & responses - where to begin . . .
Steven - winning is everything and making your teammates better is a very rare quality in the NBA. Duncan has it, Manu has it, very few have it. I think PPG is an overrated stat. You take a lot of shots, you miss cutters and generally don't distribute the ball - you can score a lot of points. That does not make you a great player just a big scorer. I hear you on Wade - he is amazing and will likely get to HOF level. Lebron - first year - his team fell off a cliff after a great start. You gotta take some of the blame when you're taking all the credit. But I cannot deny his incredible talent and apparent feel for the game. Although interesting that his star studded USA team lost to Manu's band of Argentine brothers in the Olympics.
As for Randy's shot - I admit that I have championed Manu's cause perhaps too much but it is not recent as I have watched him for a while now and believed in him before this year much less just this playoff season. I think you're taking liberties with "all time" as I have never said that. And isn't that what a blog is about anyway - blathering.
As for racism in the NBA - I think most fans want to see good, smart hoops, not at the expense of athleticism. Athletics plus smarts = awesome hoops. I watched over the weekend the Knicks/Lakers Game 7 (Willis on one leg). OMG - they were so slow. And I don't remember them being slow. Aside from Clyde and West, not sure many of those guys could make it today - Baylor was hurt and limited. I loved watching it but I don't for a minute think it was "better times". It was that time.
Love the blog Henry
Written By: Bill Sherrod
On June 27, 2005 06:18 PM
Not trying to put too fine a point on the comments I've already made but if it's not measurable, then it's not real.
Kind of like UFOs, ghosts and other phantom events, believing in something that can't be demonstrated borders on delusion (or worse: paranoia.)
Written By: randy
On June 27, 2005 07:32 PM
Bryan got me on the all time thing. Damn, hate to admit I was wrong but I was exaggerating.
Meanwhile, Bill, I have forwarded your comment to the gajillion people who believe in a god (not counting Tom Cruise, who is delusional and paranoid) to see what they think of your take on their belief in something that can't be demonstrated.
Written By: chris
On June 27, 2005 09:30 PM
I love the blog and I like Wise's column.
But while spoiled brats also come with hats (NFL) and bats (MLB), no one gets hammered by the commentariat in the way the NBA does.
I probably take back the comments regarding the beat reporters. Not so sure about much else in the media food chain.
I think the world would just about come to an end if Ron Artest worked on the NBA draft coverage tomorrow night, as his "biggest a-hole in the league" counterpart Bill Romanowski had the opportunity to do with the NFL draft.
No one's asking for entitlement. But fairness would be nice, if possible. That doesn't mean tit-for-tat, just nice common sense.
Written By: Won
On June 28, 2005 11:51 AM
I believe Manu brings to the table something that has been missing in the NBA for a long time and that is playing with "heart". The game has moved to money and fame from the mere fact that it is just a game. Whether it is positive or negative, people can say what they want to say about Manu, Manu will play his game and that is what seperates him from the group of fame and money hungry players. I believe players like Manu are needed for the game, because he is all heart out there, and the game needs that these days. Plus, Maybe he will remind the others what the game is all about.
Written By: Andrew
On June 28, 2005 01:39 PM
The NBA has become soo much of a black man's place, that it is a hard for players, and fans alike, to show respect to those who are not. They feel as if someone is intruding on "their game". It makes the situation worse when the white player happens to be better than most black players, because people think that that it not supposed happen. I think it is a fantastic idea to truly globalize the game so that we as Americans can step down from our pedastal of being "better than everyone else". Its time we accept others for their talent and abilities and not for the color of their skin.
He quotes Sean Elliott:
"If he was an inner-city kid, if Manu Ginobili was from Chicago or New York, and he was bringing the game like he's bringing it now, all the players in the league would say, 'Manu is the truth.' Instead they say, 'He throws his arms, he flails.' Every series in the playoffs this year, it's been that way. Denver did not want to give him credit in the first round. Seattle, same thing. Now Detroit."
There is unabashed anti-white racism all over the league.
I sat in the room a couple years ago when Kenny Smith addressed the incoming rookie class during the NBA's training session. The room included dozens of European players. But Kenny only spoke to the black Americans, and he more or less told them that foreign players were getting their jobs because they brought new fans, and increased revenues to the teams and the league.
The foreigners admitted to being taken aback. Jiri Welsch piped up in front of everyone, as did Bostjan Nachbar.
To their credit, even most of the American players thought Kenny was full of it. This is how Caron Butler reacted when I asked him about what the Jet said:
Now they’re part of it. The NBA is nothing but a big fraternity, and we’re all family right now. We’re going to have to battle it out, we’re going to have a lot of wars against each other, but we’re still family.
I also once noticed this: among NBA reporters at a big event like the All-Star game, there is a pretty healthy mix of skin colors. But in a media session at one All-Star game a few years ago, the black reporters were almost all crowded around black players. Over by Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki nearly 100% of the reporters were white.
(It's not too hard to understand that in some ways. Culturally, it's not unlike French reporters crowding around Tony Parker or Chinese reporters crowding around Yao Ming. But among American reporters, it's a little sad to see. I and everybody else would be unrelenting on a white reporter who didn't like to talk to black players.)
To anyone who thinks the NBA is a league that belongs to one ethnic group or another, I say get over it.
No matter what you might have heard elsewhere, the NBA is not a league for black, white, red, blue, or green people. It is a league for winners. When Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan were the best winners around, maybe, for a while, it seemed like it was a league for black people. But up here at the top, in the most competitive league in the world, you have to earn it every day. There's no room for prejudice on winning teams. And if some other guy from some other country with some other skin color is doing it better? Well, then it's that guy's time to shine, even if he doesn't look like you.
It's wrong to judge people by the color of their skin, remember?
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
Written By: Bill Sherrod
On June 26, 2005 01:27 AM
Hard to believe that there is a considerable amount of "anti white racism" towards Manu Ginobili specifically. Especially since Charles Barkeley has been pimping him as the 'next big thing' since Manu's rookie year.
This is not to say that there isn't a reverse racial bias in the NBA. The game is overrun with hip hop culture ... which is to say, it's all about inner city black culture. And this hip hop culture is all about being loud, proud and in your face. For the most part, this attitude is at odds with a lot of 'white sports' culture. Dominant white athletes are not as inclined to express themselves because it could easily be seen as "confrontational" and/or unseemly behavior.
We could quote inspirational messages from our religious and political leaders ad nauseum, but it remains: there is a substantial differnce between white and black culture in this world (and the NBA). Platitudes might serve us well on Sunday mornings in church, but do little for the rest of the week.
Written By: Henry Abbott
On June 26, 2005 09:34 AM
Even though it does happen to be Sunday morning, I'm not quoting Martin Luther King Jr. as an inspirational platitude. I'm quoting him to refocus the argument.
Let me explain: If you are a self-respecting member of an oppressed group, then I believe it is not only your right but also your duty to be an activist on behalf of that group in whatever way you can.
But you have to know what you're fighting for. Are you fighting for an end to oppression (choice A), or do you just want to put your group in the driver's seat so you can have your turn as the oppressor (choice B)?
I quoted MLK Jr. to make clear that among black Americans, those who choose B--who, in essence, want to judge people's quality by the color of their skin--do not speak with the weight of the civil rights movement. Not by a long shot.
(One other note: just 'cause Charles Barkley isn't racist when it comes to Manu doesn't mean nobody is. Read Mike Wise's column. You'll see.)
Written By: Bryan
On June 26, 2005 12:31 PM
Manu is one of the best players in the league period and a lot of his detractors (no surprise Rasheed the idiot Wallace) would love to play with him. And if they did, they'd change their tune quick. Popovich said in one of his press conferences that he knew Manu was special his first practice - no one could guard him. The difference with Manu is he doesn't do stuff to look fancy, he does it to win. He had 2 drives this playoffs - one against the Marion and the Suns, the other in game 7 against Detroit - that should be legendary - they were Jordanesque. But I guess he just a foreign white guy and they will be forgotten. I won't forget. He is one of the best players in the world, a player who makes his teammates better, who does all of the things physically you need to do, one who is not afraid to take the big shot and one smart enough to pass for an easier shot. Who is better than Manu? Give me a name. Kobe? I'd take Manu over Kobe anytime. Lebron - would have to think about that one. Same with Wade - tough call. I'd take Manu but I'm biased. Who else?
Written By: Steven Harris
On June 27, 2005 01:22 PM
This is in response to Bryan. Manu is one of the best players in the league? I would have to disagree. One of the best winners...yes. You see it in his style of play that he needs to win. So I will agree with you that I would take him over Kobe even though Kobe is obviously the better player. Kobe had an all-time player in the post as well and got himself 3 rings. You also forget that Manu as great as he is frequently loses it and is very out of control. I didn't say dirty. But he does things that aren't rational frequently throughout the regular season. You would have to think in comparison with Wade? When Wade realizes that he should hoist up a couple of 3's a game(and he will hit them) everyone in the league will pray for an injury. Lebron? You can't be serious...Ginobli's 27...Lebron- 20 and you obviously realize that averaging 27-7-7 isn't like having a good 20 game stretch. You shouldn't even be allowed to post anymore messages if you'd think about Lebron or Manu. So yes Manu stepped up in the playoffs and solidified his position as one of the great players in the nba. Let's see if he could hold that up because...the lines of Kobe: 27-5.9-6..Wade: 24-5-6.8...and some kid that can't wait to have a beer:27-7-7 are a little better than 16-4-3.9(Manu)
Written By: chris
On June 27, 2005 01:38 PM
Manu's talents go without comment, but I think that some black players chafe at the automatic man-crushes that great white players like Ginobili get from the MSM, compared to great black players with similar skill sets.
(Note that Wallace respected Manu's ability enough to double-him instead of covering Horry on the Game 5 shot/brain-fart turned the series in SAS' favor.)
I'll gladly trade on this however: I'll concede some black racism on this if white reporters and columnists were equally willing to concede white resentment of rich black NBA players, embodied in the mindless preference of the minor league product instead of the pro game.
Written By: randy
On June 27, 2005 02:41 PM
Bryan using any reference to Manu as a forum for another of his insane Manu is the best player of all time rants. Well done- the thinnest of reeds sufficing for this segue.
Written By: Henry Abbott
On June 27, 2005 02:59 PM
I know what you're getting at, Steven, when you say "he's a better winner, but Kobe's a better player." But hold the phone--what is there to play for besides winning? If you're in it to win it, the better winner IS the better player. Everything else is just barbershop talk.
Chris, you just hit a home run with your point about Rasheed doubling Manu. Let his actions speak.
And as for your other point, I'll tell you this: I find spoiled little kids, and worse yet, adults who act like them, to be annoying in all settings. It's the whole "but I don't want to" [insert whatever here--honor my contract, clean my room, play defense, come off the bench, work out all the time, eat healthy food, go to bed early, stop smoking weed for a few months a year] thing. In part because of the money, a fair percentage of NBA players get like that from time to time, and I don't like it. It doesn't happen in the minor leagues, or let's say the WNBA, because they don't have the money. Those players have to buck up like you and me. But some NBA players are big whining weenies, and I don't think they should get a free pass for it no matter what color their skin.
No one's entitled to a life of leisure. Even if you're worth $75 million you might have to spend the odd summer learning to go left, or shooting free throws. To me whether the people involved are white or black has absolutely nothing to do with it. To pick a couple of innocuous examples of rich NBA players acting like little kids: Mike Miller used to have a pet monkey that had its own room in his house, just like Shaquille O'Neal confided to the New Yorker some time ago that he hopes to have essentially a small theme park in his honor after he dies. The fact that Mike's white and Shaq's black doesn't change for one second the idea that they can both make errors in judgment.
Do white players tend to have better judgment than black players? I have no idea. I have never thought about it that way, and I don't understand why anyone would. (Do you really think you could go far with a one-race team?)
Does the race thing affect other white reporters? I don't know. Maybe. It's certainly around in our culture. But I haven't noticed it in NBA coverage. (If you can cite any examples, I'll sure follow up and even make a ruckus if it's called for. I'm hard-core against racism in all forms.) But remember, most NBA reporters are poorly paid white guys who never see their families and stick with the job because they worship the players who are, by and large, black.
Written By: Bill Sherrod
On June 27, 2005 04:05 PM
I still think it's laughable for anyone to claim that black NBA players encounter any measurable amount of white racism from the NBA/Entertainment complex.
Written By: r
On June 27, 2005 04:46 PM
very interesting discussion except for one thing. yes manu's skin is light but ethincally he isn't white. he's south american not european.
this discussion would probably take better shape if this was dileneated first.
while i don't want to be quick to annoint Ginoboli with a hyperbole, you have to admit he's a great player.
in the finals when he had a good game the spurs won, when he didn't they lost. the same could be said about chauncy billups, but not tim duncan. the spurs won games in which duncan struggled.
if there is any resentment on the part of black media pundits or nba players it's probably more because of a changing-of-the-guard effect then just race. if memory serves me correct kobe and jordan got "froze out" at one time as well.
i also remember kobe scoffing and downplaying ginoboli's abilities in a post game interview a few years ago, hesitant to give any props after being outplayed, well defensed, and later eliminated by manu's team (manu's "rookie" season).
it should also be noted that manu's regular season stats are based on far fewer minutes than the other players mentioned in the discussion.
while the media and some players might not give him favorable reviews i guarantee you they respect his game now, especially since he's shown a lengthy stretch of excellent play (especially in the playoffs).
new, talented, and effective blood is always going to threaten the status quo.
Written By: Lance Uppercut
On June 27, 2005 05:48 PM
I would question how any amount of racism is measurable. Is there unmeasurable racism? Cross burning = measurable racism, white reporters misunderstanding black culture = unmeasurable racism? I don't know. I do think that there might be some issues of instututional racism when you consider that the players are overwhelmingly black, while the coaches, GMs , and owners are overwhelmingly white. That's not to say that things aren't changing, but it's always made me wonder.
Written By: Bryan
On June 27, 2005 06:07 PM
So many thoughts & responses - where to begin . . .
Steven - winning is everything and making your teammates better is a very rare quality in the NBA. Duncan has it, Manu has it, very few have it. I think PPG is an overrated stat. You take a lot of shots, you miss cutters and generally don't distribute the ball - you can score a lot of points. That does not make you a great player just a big scorer. I hear you on Wade - he is amazing and will likely get to HOF level. Lebron - first year - his team fell off a cliff after a great start. You gotta take some of the blame when you're taking all the credit. But I cannot deny his incredible talent and apparent feel for the game. Although interesting that his star studded USA team lost to Manu's band of Argentine brothers in the Olympics.
As for Randy's shot - I admit that I have championed Manu's cause perhaps too much but it is not recent as I have watched him for a while now and believed in him before this year much less just this playoff season. I think you're taking liberties with "all time" as I have never said that. And isn't that what a blog is about anyway - blathering.
As for racism in the NBA - I think most fans want to see good, smart hoops, not at the expense of athleticism. Athletics plus smarts = awesome hoops. I watched over the weekend the Knicks/Lakers Game 7 (Willis on one leg). OMG - they were so slow. And I don't remember them being slow. Aside from Clyde and West, not sure many of those guys could make it today - Baylor was hurt and limited. I loved watching it but I don't for a minute think it was "better times". It was that time.
Love the blog Henry
Written By: Bill Sherrod
On June 27, 2005 06:18 PM
Not trying to put too fine a point on the comments I've already made but if it's not measurable, then it's not real.
Kind of like UFOs, ghosts and other phantom events, believing in something that can't be demonstrated borders on delusion (or worse: paranoia.)
Written By: randy
On June 27, 2005 07:32 PM
Bryan got me on the all time thing. Damn, hate to admit I was wrong but I was exaggerating.
Meanwhile, Bill, I have forwarded your comment to the gajillion people who believe in a god (not counting Tom Cruise, who is delusional and paranoid) to see what they think of your take on their belief in something that can't be demonstrated.
Written By: chris
On June 27, 2005 09:30 PM
I love the blog and I like Wise's column.
But while spoiled brats also come with hats (NFL) and bats (MLB), no one gets hammered by the commentariat in the way the NBA does.
I probably take back the comments regarding the beat reporters. Not so sure about much else in the media food chain.
I think the world would just about come to an end if Ron Artest worked on the NBA draft coverage tomorrow night, as his "biggest a-hole in the league" counterpart Bill Romanowski had the opportunity to do with the NFL draft.
No one's asking for entitlement. But fairness would be nice, if possible. That doesn't mean tit-for-tat, just nice common sense.
Written By: Won
On June 28, 2005 11:51 AM
I believe Manu brings to the table something that has been missing in the NBA for a long time and that is playing with "heart". The game has moved to money and fame from the mere fact that it is just a game. Whether it is positive or negative, people can say what they want to say about Manu, Manu will play his game and that is what seperates him from the group of fame and money hungry players. I believe players like Manu are needed for the game, because he is all heart out there, and the game needs that these days. Plus, Maybe he will remind the others what the game is all about.
Written By: Andrew
On June 28, 2005 01:39 PM
The NBA has become soo much of a black man's place, that it is a hard for players, and fans alike, to show respect to those who are not. They feel as if someone is intruding on "their game". It makes the situation worse when the white player happens to be better than most black players, because people think that that it not supposed happen. I think it is a fantastic idea to truly globalize the game so that we as Americans can step down from our pedastal of being "better than everyone else". Its time we accept others for their talent and abilities and not for the color of their skin.