Reply With Quote
Neal is on his way to s om, one of the best cltuch 3 pointers in NBA
I was just beginning my freshman year at Towson University when I watched my first TU basketball game. It was an awful performance, an embarrassing loss. There was one guy who stood out from the crowd, however. His name was Gary Neal. I didn't know anything about Gary at the time. I was a college novice, an absolute newbie one might say. Just by watching the guy, he seemed like something special. The question swirling around my head however, was…is this guy legit?
I dove head first into google search results, looking for anything that might pertain to this "Gary Neal" that I had subsequently grown to love. The results were not overwhelming, to say the least. There were a couple of hits, of course. Most of them in regards to the now famous La Salle University rape accusation.
Like any other sports fan, I was at first su ious of his acquittal on all charges. After all, a man is only as good as his word. But after delving deeper into the story than most others would, I found his interpretation of the nights events much more plausible than that of his apparent victim. It was at this point in time that I realized Mr. Neal himself was the victim, not the woman whom he allegedly raped.
After briefly pausing to analyze his personal life, I began to focus on Neal's athletic abilities; his stroke beyond the arc, his touch below the rim, his angle behind his floater. His skill set was seemingly simple. A shooters mentality with a few deft moves outside the rim. I knew he had great ability, I knew he could make it. There was one question that remained, however. Was this man mentally prepared for the NBA. After all, he was the #1 college player in points scored for the 06-07 season.
He was a bubble prospect with almost nothing to lose. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he was not selected in the NBA draft. He went on to perform admirably overseas with various teams. He continued his scoring prowess, harkening back to his days at Towson University. He was forgotten by most, a distant memory you might say. For me however, he was "the" Gary Neal. THE awesome player of my college tenure.
We all know the story from here regarding his meteoric rise through the Spurs organization. From training camp fodder, to last man off the pine, to 6th man off the bench, and now, perhaps amazingly, to starting guard on the San Antonio Spurs.
While this glory may not last, let us not forget…this man is one of no fear. He WILL take that shot when nobody else will. He WILL take that shot when nobody else could. That, in itself, is the glory of the one and only, Gary Neal.
And to finish things off, let me tell you about a little conversation I had with him during lunch where I spotted him at a cafeteria in college.
Me: "So what are your plans for the future?"
Neal: "To play in the NBA"
Me: "Are you slotted to get drafted?"
Neal: "No"
Me: "Ok, so what will you do?"
Neal: "Whatever I have to do to make it"
And with that statement, he wasn't kidding. Congrats Gary.
-A former college buddy.
Neal is on his way to s om, one of the best cltuch 3 pointers in NBA
The guy will get paid this season.
Good read, love Gary, great at ude, it's amazing how much better he got each year.
It's great that Spurs gave him his chance. This season he's scoring more than Manu.
No, he's not anymore (12.0 PPG vs. 11.6 PPG). Neal has also had quite a few more opportunities than Manu as his FG attempts are higher.
I like Neal. He's a good weapon off the bench. Quality 6th/7th man. Probably a starter on half the teams in the league.
Should be out of the rotation when Jack/Kawhi comes back
Can you please not let your admiration of the player (which I have, too) interfere with your appreciation of the man? The fact that he's an awesomely clutch player doesn't innnocent him from rape. We all know that rape crimes are difficult to judge and that most rapists are never convicted, so let's not go there. He's a good Spur and that's enough for me, I won't go on and love the man.
A lot of innocent men are convicted and every women has a rape story to tell if you talk to her long enough tbh... Fact is any man could get sent to jail on a woman's word, you basically can't take an elevator alone with a woman without putting in jeopardy your freedom even, so more power to Gary for proving his innocence.
You've got to be kidding!! Gary Neal will not be out of the rotation when Capt. Jack and Kawow Leonard return.
He has scored in double figures in 11 games this season thus far, most notably in the OT win at Houston with 29 (which got lost behind Parker's triple double). Neal primarily plays the 2 with spot minutes at the 1 (depending on how well people are playing on a given night) and with the return of Jack and Kawhi Pop will finally be able to bench Blair and play Jack at the 4 which will won't impact on Neal's minutes at all.
I'm with Bambi on this one
Get the outta here with that
Green is the starter and Manu is the backup SG, unless you do want Neal at PG , he should be out of the rotation and just play when Manu or Green are playing really bad.
Yet he misses clutch free throws...
I really like Neal but with back to back ty performances and the fact that he has been playing a career high in minutes but is shooting a career low in FG & 3PT% and the fact that his defense is from game to game is more unpredictable then a knuckeball fluctuating from decent, to bad, to terrible, to are you getting permission to take time off on defense?
"A lot of innocent men are convicted and every women has a rape story to tell if you talk to her long enough tbh... Fact is any man could get sent to jail on a woman's word, you basically can't take an elevator alone with a woman without putting in jeopardy your freedom even, so more power to Gary for proving his innocence."
Agreed plus there are 1000's of horror stories of men spending 10+ years in prison because a woman falsely identified her attacker until DNA cleared them.
Eyes witnesses some of the most unreliable pieces of evidence. Especially across race lines. An Asian woman (for example) may has difficult discerning a white guy from another white guy because they legitimately can't tell the difference. The fact that he fought back and won erases any doubt of his innocence.
We don't care. No one cares. You are talking to yourself in your own head.
Bottom line: it doesn't matter. Let's stick to a basketball discussion.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
