Dos Sietes Clash
Before you read anything, read the new Boxiana joint by original Master of the Klondike shoefly.
The Spanish sports site Marca.com has a hilarious interview with Rudy Fernandez aka the Spanish Dan Majerle on the shocking discoveries he made during the NBA Rookie Transition Program. Truehoop linked it via Dwight Jaynes's blog, where a bilingual commenter kindly translated the article, but I thought it deserved its own post here. These two quotes in particular jumped out at me.
“They talk about things, which for me are crazy, as if they are normal. For example, yesterday they asked if people had friends who used drugs – and you have no idea how many people raised their hands!"
"It surprised me when the professors told us, as if it were normal, that there are women who look to get pregnant to take your money. They said this as if it happened all the time!”
In a way, it's refreshing to know that, with all of the negative stereotypes about Americans, and African-Americans in particular, that pervade the world, anyone (even a Spaniard) would still be surprised by these things. Plenty of white Americans just assume that a hearty percentage of poor black women use drugs and are gold-diggers. Even we most empathetic of NBA fans will concede that an official NBA program which presumes that its players will be constantly approached by money-grubbing groupies and family members is not per se offensive and is generally a good idea, but if you step back and look at the situation from the outside, it does look pretty absurd and depressing. These are the guys that managed to make it, and there's still the feeling that they need to be saved from themselves.
Fear not that this actual NBA-related post means I've stopped keeping my vigilant watch for all things related to Sarah Palin and the dangers she poses for our great nation. I'm sure you've seen the Anne Kilkenny email (if not: Google it), but I wanted to highlight this juicy bit of Wasilla gossip: "Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team." VERY UGLY stories! Shenanigans! I have no idea what she could've done, but I'm guessing some kind of blackmail, or threats involving a moose rifle. So much for all those stories about her state championship and the leadership qualities she displayed.
Labels: euros, NBARS, rookies, sarah palin
posted by Brown Recluse, Esq. @ 9/06/2008 01:23:00 PM
24 comments
24 Comments:
"I think people see in (Barack Obama) a sensitivity for people, for humanity," he said. "I think maybe that's something that has been lost...In our own country you have some of the bad conditions people are in. And if you don't have any type of sensitivity for people being in those bad conditions, then you're out of touch with the people. That goes for our country and worldwide."
-- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, one of Spencer Hawes' mentors.
I can't resist making a Tanya Harding joke.
I think it interesting, refreshing even, that a Spaniard would see what passes as normal in subsets of our society, and by this I don't mean black society. I grew up in a pretty white and affluent suburb of LA and I would have had to raise my hand if asked that question. The drugs my friends and I did growing up didn't stop at weed and shrooms. I personally drew lines that many of my friends didn't. Point being that self medication is pretty prevalent in most parts of America. I'm pretty sure the high profile X Gamers need to protect themselves from plenty, or rich businessmen, politicians etc do the same. You got money, you become a target. I can't tell you how many old, goofy, maroons in China have some smoking hot girlfriends. They don't even make that much but enough to buy the girl dresses and take them out for nice meals. None of them work and many leave the University they met the dude at once security sets in. They stop working. I don't see a difference in the game. I'm pleased that Rudy's handlers managed to shield him from similar situations in Europe. and perhaps his statements are more reflective of a good support group in Spain rather then a difference between Europe and the States.
'"Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team."'
I'm as pro-Obama and liberal gung-ho as the rest of ya, but this sort of trivial shit just sounds like campaign slander. Vague, ambiguous, and directed at a very embryonic version of the candidate, this is the shit that's easy to get away with and easy to make into an important issue in a presidential contest that transcends what the 'contestants' did as teenagers. whre is da basketballz?
"Plenty of white Americans just assume that a hearty percentage of poor black women use drugs and are gold-diggers." It's interesting that you applaud Rudy for thinking it absurd to think of black women as being gold diggers or poor druggies, when ethnicity was never mentioned.
Batman: What percentage of the NBA is white?
re: "save them from themselves." The first time I read it, I thought you were saying that Rookie Transitions is all about cutting off those who made it from those who haven't.
Other Van Gundy: I'm not familiar with any actual data, but groupies of black athletes can be non-black, ya know. For anecdotal proof, look at, er, Bryant's girl in Colorado.
Word verification: "vjfwboit" - Vinnie Johnson f---ed up the world by ogling Isiah Thomas. That was too easy
I'm also familiar with a (non-black) student at an Ivy League law school who dated a (black) player on the LA Clippers.
I know a white girl from Tarzana who banged D. Fish in his walk-in fridge. She's married to cop now. I knew another girl from Beverly Hills who got her credit cards paid off by Jerry Buss after she spent quality time with the man.
I set this in a separate paragraph because its only vaguely related. Desmond Mason is a very nice dude, has a cute daughter and a very pretty and eloquent wife who is white. They've been in my store a couple of times and I have been impressed by a regal and down to earth manner to that family.
It's awfully white of you to assume that all the gold diggers and drug fiends out their are black (and women at that). Whoe wrote this shit, Cheney or Bush?
Does anyone know anything about Fernadez's background? Does such naivete make anyone else desperately want to see a no-holds barred documentary on his first NBA experience? Shouldn't this scare the crap out of every Trail Blazers fan?
Tom, as a Lakers fan, Fernandez' performance in the gold metal game scares the shit out of me.
Maybe it was sloppy on my part, but I wasn't saying that *I* think all NBA groupies are black, just that the average, ignorant, NBA-hating white sports fan would probably make that assumption. And it was interesting to me that Rudy, who must like the NBA to some extent, was equally ignorant of some of the realities of NBA life, but came to it without the assumptions or stereotypes that some white Americans probably do.
T. -- I hope to Hell not, because Hawes can be an asshole in that respect; seems very stubborn and ... Palinesque in this respect.
In other news, the Wandering Serbian might be coming to Noo Yawk with Marko J. for Zach Randolph. Two cool things about that: a) Marko & Darko, which will give Clyde Frazier a lot of entertainment, and b) Walsh/D'Antoni seem to be serious about Euroball, which interests me.
Sorry bout the "threadjack", and my lumpen unliberated fandom, but thinking about these things pisses me off less than "Sambo beat the bitch."
jawaad,
I think the Knicks are more serious about getting rid of Zach than they are about "euroball."
I doubt Rudy is either that naive or that ignorant to groupies and/or drugs. With the recent history of the sports related racism from Spain, like the slurs hurled at Thierry Henry and other black players, then the Olympic incident, I have a hard time not thinking that it's a a covert dig at NBA players.
@wondahbap: Yeah, now that you mention that, you're probably right. This whole post was a disaster.
That picture that you posted - that's a building in Portland isn't it?
Yes, it is. I picked it because Rudy's a Blazer now, and it was like a fish out of water and a violent collision in one picture.
Ha, brilliant, I love it! At least Rudy will have a bit of home with Sergio on the Blazers roster.
@wondahbap: Yes.
Have you ever been to Spain? I've seen people smoking weed there all over the place.
Very thoughtful, had a great time reading your post
totally unrelated, but chad ocho cinco=world b. free
also, other than that he's somewhat before your times, why does he never get any fd love like some of the other classics.
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