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

[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 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 bull . 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.