The Audacity of Pride
I'm reporting from space while Big Baby, Silverbird, and Shoals are on the front lines. Make sure to check them out on the FD East Coast tour. Oh also, I should mention, you can buy the Macrophenomenal Almanac for 40% off on Amazon ALL DECEMBER LONG.
Lots to catch up on. In the sporting world, there is currently a war on pride. Whether it's Sean Avery, Plaxico Burress, or Stephon Marbury, the standards athletes are being held to is that of a superhuman, which--pay close attention--doesn't get to feel the things that humans feel. Humans get to boast about their sexual conquests (within reason), protect themselves without relying on 350-pound bodyguards, and voice concern when they feel they have been betrayed.
To focus on our bread and butter, I am going to have to once again stand up for Stephon Marbury and talk about how ridiculous the vilification of him is. I never like a player disrespecting a coach, and therefore, I can't back him for dissing D'Antoni in saying...
"Mike had no intentions of me playing basketball here," Marbury said. "He gave me straight disrespect. It was beyond disrespect. He put in (Danilo) Gallinari, whose back is messed up and (who) didn't participate at all in training camp ahead of me (in the season opener). ... That's saying, `I'm letting you have it right now.' He was sticking it to me."
...I do, however, empathize with his feelings of being disrespected. And for Q-Rich to say that he "left his teammates out to dry" is just hypocritical. This is where I back Steph in his comments that
"I didn't hear one of my teammates say, `Why isn't Stephon Marbury playing? This is a good system for him, even to play with the second unit and bring more firepower.'
Not one guy stood up for him? I mean, you don't expect them to complain to Mike D, but you do expect them to communicate with Steph directly on some "that's f'd up, man." For nobody to have it in them to even approach Steph about his situation is about as arrogant as whatever Starbury has done to this point. And what exactly has Steph done. I always come back to this old saw. He never broke the law, he never fixed a game, he never coasted through a series. His crime, being a ballhog and not living up to a monstrous contract a la Raef LaFrentz or anybody else.
The fact that there aren't immediate takers for Steph speaks to the absolute ridiculousness of sports in the 21st century. CP3, D-Will, Mo Williams, and now more than anybody Chauncey Billups are proving that this is a PG-dominated league, and Steph would instantly transform a lot of PG-less teams into at very least playoff teams (WIZARDS I SEE YOU). Pro athletes should be superhumanized for their brawn, and accepted as human for their personalities. If Michael Vick has to play in the CFL out of jail, I'm going to gag.
While on the subject of pride, I have to pour out a cup of something foamy for Sam Mitchell, last of the true nutsacks in the NBA. Carlesimo, Eddie Jordan, and now Sam Mitchell. Where have all the grown-ass men gone? The only silver lining for me (sorry Skeets) is that it makes Mitchell a more likely candidate for the Minnesota position, which should go vacant....any day now. I love Mitch's style, but I realize that guys like him, and Skiles, and Eric Musselman are really an entirely new brand of coach. The stop-gap hard-ass. They are the guys that are going to come into a rag-tag situation, scream on everybody, rally up the troops and bring them back to respectability...until the players start tuning them out. Much as I hate to say it, I think Colangelo made the right move...again.
A few more notes. Shoals demands that I point out Rajon Rondo's line last night (even though I hate Rondo):
| pos | min | fgm-a | 3pm-a | ftm-a | +/- | off | def | tot | ast | pf | st | to | bs | ba | pts |
|---|
R.Rondo | G | 40:39 | 5-10 | 0-1 | 6-7 | +30 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Shoals has deemed Rondo, "the Garnett of point guards," which reminds me, this song is really good: Willie the Kid and La the Darkman -- The Rap Kevin Garnett.
Also, I was completely prepared to hate this, but it turns out to be the most compelling thing I have seen in some time. I can't turn away.
Labels: rajon rondo, sam mitchell, stephon marbury, wu-tang clan
posted by Dr. Lawyer IndianChief @ 12/04/2008 10:56:00 AM
36 comments
36 Comments:
I'd actually be really interested in hearing why you hate Rondo. The kid has been playing out of his mind so far this year, making a decent bid for All-Star consideration, in my opinion.
What is it about him that you hate? Playing style? Icy demeanor? Jump shot deficiency? Cartoonishly freaky speed and rhythm?
I love the kid, but then again, I was raised on Johnny Most and Tommy Heinsohn.
DLIC, apologies if you've explained this before in detail before, but why the Rondo hate? He's a sub-165 lb guy who excells despite being mediocre once more than 10 feet from the rim. He is the photographic negative of Odom. Wait, maybe that's the reason for th hate right there.
Not to be an asshole, sir, but it's "hypocritical" not "hippocritical" unless we're discussing hypocrisy of hippopotamus-sized proportions.
wv: calmdin---a really fucking bad indie rock band
dude, didn't you see ariana huffington on the daily show last night? blogging is all about IMMEDIACY not accuracy. just kidding, it's fixed.
and i'll explain my rondo hate in the afternoon. this post kind of sucked, i was just rushing to put up something today before my day turned to hell.
I'm at the SLAM headquarters right now, and probably should be meeting people I've emailed thousands of time. But I demanded to be shown a computer right away as soon as I saw these comments coming in. This might be one of those moments that destroys FreeDarko forever: RAJON RONDO LIGHTS UP MY LIFE AND HAS SINCE KENTUCKY. Last year he was just muted a little by forces beyond his control.
I don't know what's worse. The fact that you think it is merely "human" to be involved in the brutalization of animals for sport (and that you should give such a person a job, let alone one paying millions of dollars), or that you think Marbury deserves some special right to be played/kow-towed to just because he's a big name/is paid way too much. Why should his teammates stick up for him, and not any other player? He's getting paid 20 million, he's had his chances, he's getting his rewards - he's WAY WAY less entitled to sympathy for his place in the doghouse than any other player who rides the pine.
"I didn't hear one of my teammates say, `Why isn't Stephon Marbury playing? This is a good system for him, even to play with the second unit and bring more firepower.'
Because he's STEPHON MARBURY. You don't have to kill someone or throw a game to be unlikeable (ask my babymama). I'd make a case for that, but hell, y'all wrote a whole chapter in a book about it, so why bother.
I'd mention the 'insult' to the whole working world that his actions are, but I expect that would fall as obliquely on the ears of the scribes as the indignation over Stephon does on mine.
wv: mogerso: Marbury Overemotes Gets Excommunicated, Runs Screaming Overseas
Tip of the cap for the Rondo love. Much deserved.
Headed to the Fleet tommorrow to catch Air Rudy and the Blazers take on the Celts. Should be nice.
Regarding Steph...if Marbury could help you win why not play him? Because this is the Knicks and all eyes are on building toward 2010 plus this is Steph we are talking about.
Did he really balk at giving back 3 mill of the 18 plus? Seems silly if he really wants out!
I live in Va and see the Wizards a lot. They need a lot more than a point guard, although I will agree that Daniels and Dixon are, um, non-scoring undersized shooting guards, and that the 2's are either too crappy (Stevenson) or scoring-oriented (Nick Young, whee!) to offer much help.
Anyway, the main problem to me is lack of quality size, especially with Jamison being too small and old to be a factor except on offense. Songaila is crap, McGee is still mostly potential, Blatche is inconsistent, doesn't rebound, and is undersized. Etan Thomas has no heart (ha!). Actually he has plenty of heart, just no game, D, or ups.
Caron, though, = love.
"His crime, being a ballhog and not living up to a monstrous contract a la Raef LaFrentz or anybody else."
I mean, LaFrentz isn't disruptive. If you bench him he doesn't throw crazy tantrums and refuse to play on the nights you need him. He doesn't run your team into the ground. Nobody's ever called him a team cancer. You have to be relevant to be a cancer. But whatever. I'm just wondering, what kind of pay cut will Iverson take this offseason? It's now been essentially scientifically proven that he costs a team wins. Would some crap team like the Bobcats maneuver to get him just to generate ticket sales? Does AI still even sell tickets?
actually, i totally remember that time that raef lafrentz claimed to have dirt on his coach and that he had to keep him in the starting lineup, or that time that raef lafrentz demanded to be traded because he wasn't getting paid as much as kevin garnett and couldn't cede the spotlight to him. that's why you had that chapter on raef lafrentz in your book, right?
on a knicks related tip, rondo's triple double frustrates me because isiah picked renaldo balkman one spot before him. i think about this and get extremely upset at least once a week.
Yeah, Stephon Marbury's crime is being a ballhog... but everywhere he's gone, his team loses. And when he leaves, his team becomes better. Even Minnesota, at one point, went to the Conference Finals.
And, yeah, I really hate the Summer of 2010 stuff.
Got the book yesterday and it's awesome, but we still want the t-shirts available for shipping worldwide
DLIC. You are right about Starbury and Avery and countless other athletes receiving penalties for fake crimes, but Plax does not deserve to be lumped in that group. He committed a real unlawful act. In fact, professionally he got off easy. Plax got the same suspension that Pat Williams might have to serve for taking a water pill and stands to lose less money (Fat Pat will be docked almost a mil).
The almanac has also arrived in Germany, I especially loved the chapter on Odom. But I do need Dirk's spirit animal.
Possibel addendum to the T-Mac chapter, this is what Henry at Truehoop writes on the Phil Jackson theory of time zones and regular season record:
"Did I interpret correctly where Phil Jackson said that the reason his team would not win 70 games was because of their time zone? The travel from West to East, he seemed to imply, was troublesome in how it prevented good rest. Could somebody please write 5,000 words analyzing this? We'll need to hear from sleep experts, as well as look at the historical records of Western teams on the road."
Does this explain the difference between Toronto/Orlando T-Mac and Houston T-Mac? (the 13 point explosion excluded)
Qant,
I used to get so depressed thinking about Tony Parker being picked after Kedrick Brown (2001 draft).
The Cetls really needed a pure point and many people had Tony Longoria Parker at that slot and then we got Kedricked (see NBA D-League).
The Knicks are in much better hands. They will turn it around in the next three years for certain.
W2,
Kedrick over Tony Parker does still hurt, but the one that lingers for me was Red Auerbach supposedly urging the pick of Joe Forte at #21. Parker eventually went at #28.
At least Kedrick strung our hopes along for a few years with his jumping ability. We used to optimistically refer to him as "FutureBoy" and explained that, for him, gravity didn't work the same. Too bad he didn't really know how to play basketball.
As for Joe Forte (via wikipedia):
"Unfortunately, his most memorable moment with the Celtics came when he wore a Scooby-Doo shirt on the sidelines during the playoffs... He was eventually waived by the Sonics due mostly to attitude and legal problems. While with the Sonics, he was arrested on gun and drug charges in Maryland, as well as an assault charge in which he allegedly punched a man in the face during a pickup game"
Not Red's finest moment, there.
(1) I love Rajon Rondo.
(2) I hate Stephon Marbury.
(3) The store should now be set up for international orders. Thanks to Big Baby and Silverbird for hooking it up.
Ah! Nothing like a 90's hip hop reference to keep me sane.
Not a big Steph fan, but I kinda have to side with him on this one. He did all they asked of him before the season and this is what he gets?
Love the analysis of Joe Johnson in your book.
It was great to meet you guys last night.
Big Baby, I took a brief moment to admire your Talmud page last night. I'll give it the proper study over Shabbos.
Thanks to everyone who showed up. That was a blast. Tonight in Georgetown, Tuesday in BK.
Aaron did not disappoint, except for not having read the Amare Talmud page. SML didn't introduce himself as such until he was about to leave. Which struck me as very strange and admirable at the same time, considering he and I have exchanged emails "off the grid".
Though I should've guessed when he asked, twice, "so how's the Recluse?"
@Brian
Do you eat meat? I once spent a summer working in a chicken slaughterhouse. It is not a pleasant experience. The animals are brutalized, and that does not begin there, but rather is a recurring theme of their brief lives. With that said, I fucking love chicken. It's so delicious. I especially like it with a chilli paste rub (sort of the typical mexican way). My dog I could have a wet dream about a filet mignon. My point is it's a ridiculous double standard. You know dogs, and thus think of them as some sort of higher being. Well for a portion of southern black culture dog fighting isn't much different than eating chicken. They both involve the untimely, and presumably unnecessary death of a living being. Dog fighting is a cultural phenomenon. I currently live in mexico. Here bull, cock, and yes even dog fighting are relatively common, and well not everyones flavor they are ingrained cultural institutions. Do you think that dog fighting is a new phenomenon? What you fail to perceive is that life is not universally equal. You (and if not you kudos on your lack of moral tepidity) somehow make an arbitrary distinction between different kinds of animals, and whether it's ok to brutalize them. It is not entirely different from you castigating a culture for ritual scarification (see les jews). Both of these are cultural differences, that from an outside perspective can same barbaric and cruel. The truth, as it always is, is much more gray than that. I own two dogs. I would never fight them, but I'm not such a cultural shut in that I can't fathom why someone else would. In the end Mike Vick broke some laws, went to jail, lost all his money, and now you want to prevent him from ever being able to earn again? Ted Kennedy once killed a woman, and no one is screaming for him to never be able to work again (or made him forfeit his non-hard earned fortune). OH look it's a puppy!!! I'm off to kick it to death.
As a Laker fan, Rondo and Perkins are the only Celtics I respect, but Rondo is the only one I actually like. You have to respect the fact that he stood up to the pressure and proved he can play.
The whole Steph situation has me on the fence. Most of me feels this all karma for him. He's the biggest loser in the NBA, as far as I'm concerned. Then, there's a part of me that agrees with DLIC.
Right after I feel like that, I remember him threaten Isiah (his only supporter) for benching him. So just like T.O. had 6 million reasons to live, Steph has 21 million reasons to shut the fuck up and ride the pine. He blew his chance(s).
Re: Your Marbury position. No, no, and absolutely no. I almost don't want to respond because I can't believe you actually believe this, and are just trying to stir up the masses (mission accomplished.) You act as if you should trust someone on the tenth time if they've punched you in the face the first nine. In the world of "humans" you talk about, past performance matters in your current actions at work, and the rope shrinks the more bad stuff you do. Maybe in the blog-o-sphere you can get away with that stuff more easily so you can't relate, but if you want to take it to the "real world" like you are trying to, your argument is completely baseless. Bring back Shoals.
I had a dream last week that I was arrested for riding my road bike in downtown Austin.
And while that might actually happen, get this... Rajon Rondo bailed me out.
He was a little pissy, but I will certainly be voting for him come mid-season.
THANKS RONDO!
Re: Grown-ass men.
See: Antonio McDyess, who is still an unsigned free agent since being waived in the Iverson deal, but who is just chilling out listening to Weather Report and who will probably be picked up by someone.
For the record, both he and Marbury are on my All Star 2009 ballot!
Did no one show the Doctor the chapter in almanac about the "hategoat"?...
"Contaminating seemingly everything that he touches, he has been tossed from team to team - hindering squads on the rise, diminishing the status of near-contenders, and destroying teams' dreams at the apex of hope."
On the other hand, it's good to see dissent and varying opinions from within the Freedarko empire.
dismissed,
The Colonel
Finally took the time to get to know your site, and along with NBA TV, it has taken my love of the game to the next level this year. Longtime fantasy owner and my two favorite FD players of all time are Jim Spanarkel and John Shasky. I just ordered 7 copies of your book for the other owners in my league and as Christmas gifts for family. Keep up the good work.
wv=antlest: "Muggsy Bogues was the antlest, but he had HUGE game."
@tray: Not to sound like a huge AI fanboy/apologist here... but I always take issue when people link AI with Steph, whether its due to the perceived similarity in their game, image, or when they came into the league, but the comparison is far from fair.
Yes, Steph is a cancer. Cancers cost teams wins. AI is not a cancer, and he does NOT, absolutely ISN'T "scientifically proven" to cost teams wins.
Steph has one 4 playoff wins. Total. He's only been to the playoffs 4 years too. That =, to me, not being a winner. Costing your team wins, in other words.
AI has been to the finals. He's made the playoffs 9 times, out of the first round 4 times.
Sure, he hasn't won a series in a while, but it's a gigantic gulf between that and "costing team wins". Even when KG was getting bounced in the first round every year, no one said he was scientifically costing his team wins.
Let up on the AI hate, yo.
As for this year's pistons team,... i'm still holding out hope that things will click. They've lost to miserable teams, badly, but they've also got a number of surprisingly quality wins against the elite teams in this league. This makes me inclined to think that they wont put together a spectacular regular season, but AI/Sheed have one good playoff run left in their tanks and they're saving it for April. Call me crazy, but we'll see.
Report from the Court...
Last night I am at the Celts-Blazers and at some point in the forth oden gets called for aticky tack foul (which kind of sucks even as a Celts fan because I did not drop cash to watch Ike Diagu play I promise you).
I get a text from my boy Roomie who is a huge hoops fan period but a Bulls fan in general.
His text read "Congrats on being a fan of another totally unlikable Boston Sports Team."
Ouch. He hates Pierce who looked out of synch, minus getting into Brandon Roy's head
And KG is totally nuts.
One minute the dude is yelling at Big Baby (does Freedarko's Big Baby feel pain when Glen Davis feels pain?) and the next he is mildly singing along with Phil Collins on the jumbotron!
Ex Arizon Wildcat Jared Bayless got some run and he looked really good-on offense. Overly Groomed Eye Brows could not guard the pick and roll and got scorched by Rondo (who was electric) at that end.
If you all have not caugth Ad Yauch's flick Gunnin for that Number One Spot you should check it out. Love, Bayless, Brandon Jennings, Mike Beasley are all featured.
No doubt I am preaching to the choir on this, but just in case you missed it. I hate thinking there are freedarko fans who have not seen this joint.
Peace
Ron.do (RON-do) - Verb
1. To smoothly move between large objects with dexterity and purpose.
2. To remove an object quickly without being detected
3. To create a distraction followed by a quick change of direction
Moose here! I think that it is more than safe to say that the Indiana Pacers got Rondo'd last night. I know that I use a lot of my space on Hibachi 2.0 to preach Rondo's skills, how much he's worth, how underrated he is, blah, blah, blah. But I gotta give a little something to my guy Rajon.
Last night in the Celtics' 114-96 home win? Rondo scored 16 points . . . . . (you start to say, "Oh, well that's not an incredible point total.") he grabbed 13 boards . . . . . (you say, "As a point guard? What the hell? Nice night . . .) he dropped 17 dimes . . . . . . ("OK, who is this guy??). Yes, most every NBA fan knows or should know who Rajon is. You just don't expect him to do that.
A line of 16, 17, and 13. And three steals to boot. Leading the Celtics to their 10th straight win. Rondo is just undervalued a bucketload. Yes, he can't shoot the jumper even if he had a gun to his head. But let's focus on the good things, shall we? He is greatly overshadowed by the future Hall of Famers on the same squad as him, but the dude is an up-and-coming star.
He's a fantastic rebounding point guard. Best in the league at this stat with his respective position? I'd say so. But the guy has a knack for coming up with the ball in a pile and just picking it out of the air with his hands. One of Rondo's assets is that he's got hands the size of Emeka Okafor's forehead (actually, no. Let's not get carried away there). He's quicker than 90 percent of the league. He plays on-ball defense better than 95 percent of the league.
Rondo was the starting point guard for a championship team at 22 years of age. I know that the Big Three were the biggest part in the run and all that, but if you start on a team that wins a Larry O'Brien at that age, you get some props from me. Rondo comes up with a crapload of steals, at the moment he's averaging 2.2 per contest. He's just a skinny little kid at 6'1" and 171, but the dude also has hops. Problem is, every time he throws down, a defender throws him down. He ends up hitting the floor hard more than most players. But he takes it and competes.
Rondo's a nice, fun-loving person as well. Well-known for his roller skating (I don't know why . . .) he also has a blog on Yardbarker.com, and he updates it regularly, last night as well. He had a lot of nice things to say about his first career triple-double, and he was saying all the right things. Here's his succinct entry last night:
Man...tonight was a great night! We got the W, played great team ball, and I got my first triple-double. I'm not the type of player that focuses on my own stats, so I didn't even know what I had until I sat down in the 4th. I was really focused on being aggressive tonight. Ray had a great night tonight, so I just kept feeding him the ball. I really just wanted to make plays and get people the ball-the stats just came. Overall, I felt good out there. My lip got busted up a little, but I'm fine. I'm tired now though, so I'm going to lay it down now. I just wanted to drop yall a few lines. I'll holla!
Obviously an excited kid. And he had a triple-double with eight left in the third. That early! Dude was on fire last night. As he is most nights, actually. He has posted averages of 10.2 points, 7.7 assists, 4.7 boards, and, again, 2.2 steals per game, very steady and all-around great numbers. And if great man-to-man defense had a statistical category, he'd be leading the league. The former Kentucky Wildcat's website opens up with an "A Milli" remix, and the rest of his site features some nice tunes.
Rondo is a winner. He's the immediate and future of my team, at least, unless Ainge pulls out another blockbuster for us in the next six or seven years. Rondo is just a beast. Y'all should realize that by now. And, he deserves a spot in the Fly Society. DP, if you have any objections, tell me. I don't see why you would. Anyways, last night, everyone got Rondo'd. Plain and simple. Get used to it being that way.
(That was an excerpt from my blog, Hibachi 2.0, about Rondo. Why the hate?)
Jason Kidd is too busy grabbing 8 boards a game to be pissed about you calling Rondo the best rebounding point, but yeah, the guy's still alright at it.
AI costs his team wins because when he leaves a team and is replaced with a player of less talent, that team gets better. The Sixers are, or at least were, better with Andre Miller - Iguodala, for instance, suddenly discovered the offensive game no one knew he ever had. And again, when he left Denver and got replaced with Billups, a less gifted player, the team gets a lot better. And Detroit gets a lot worse.
You can't call Rondo the best rebounding PG as long as Kidd is playing/starting, but how about best rebounding small PG... no, wait that's Chris Paul, so what about per 48 minutes...nope, that doesn't work either. I guess 3rd best will have to do, and that championship ring. He's learning in the best possible environment for a young PG, and doesn't seem to be the type to develop a huge ego. As for AI, he only got to the finals with a team that was nearly perfectly suited to his style (covered all his weaknesses), and that was when he was as pure a force of nature as a small guard has ever been in basketball. He has always been horrifyingly inefficient and isn't the type of player an NBA team can be built around, at this stage of his career. It's sacrilege here to suggest a player change for the good of a team, but AI could never really change anyway. At least he's always had a positive attitude (practice notwithstanding).
I was keeping a low profile so I could sneak attack Brown Recluse before he knew what was up. SML is mad shady like that.
The interesting thing to me about the Marbury situation is that James Dolan, it seems, is actually getting cheap on a situation he could easily buy his way out of. Has there ever been a worst owner when it comes to making $$ decision?!?
"Let's not pay Anucha Brown, and instead go to court so we can end up paying her twice as much as she was asking".
"Let's pay Larry Brown $24M to coach one season; followed by paying Isiah a $24M extension to coach/GM one season "
And my favorite: "Eff you Stern. I'm going to elect to use your one-time Allan Houston Rule on... Jerome Taylor."
If history is repeated, James Dolan will end up buying out Marbury, after weeks and weeks of negative press, for $30 million.
And honestly... Marbury might be a selfish player, but there is nobody in the NBA that I would rather see with $$. At least Marbury uses it properly, for good causes. We should all at least root for him to get that loot for that reason.
You might find interesting...
freestephon.blogspot.com
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