THE NBA IS COMING INTO ALL-STAR BREAK WHICH IS HALF WAY POINT OF THE SEASON. IN ALL OF MY YEARS OF WATCHING AND KEEPING UP WITH THE LEAGUE, I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE PUZZLED BY THE BEHAVIOR OF PLAYERS AND COACHES THIS YEAR. LATRELL SPREWELL SHOWING THAT THE 14 MILLION DOLLARS THAT HE WILL MAKE "MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TO FEED HIS FAMILY" FOR THE SHAFT JOB THAT HE'S GIVING THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES THIS SEASON. HOW ABOUT RON ARTEST NEEDING ABOUT SIX WEEKS OFF TO PROMOTE HIS NEW ALBUM. IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER THAT IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THAT SMALL RIOT IN DETROIT THAT HE STARTED. I COULD GO ON AND ON BUT THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY STUPID GOING ON AND IT PASSES BASKETBALL INTO BEING A GROWN MAN.
I TRULY BELIEVE THAT BEING A NBA PLAYER IS THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD PERIOD. I KNOW THAT OTHERS WILL ARGUE BUT THAT'S HOW I FEEL. THE NBA IS IN A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE AND MR. STERN KNOWS THAT. IT STARTED LAST YEAR WITH THAT KOBE GUY IN THE MIDDLE OF COLORADO. THEN LARRY BROWN SHOWING US THAT THE TOP THREE SCORERS IN THE NBA RIGHT NOW COULDN'T GET HIM A GOLD MEDAL IN THE OLYMPICS. RON ARTEST SHOWING US THAT HE'S JUST TOUCHED IN THE HEAD. THE PROBLEM IS THAT FANS ARE NOT GOING TO PAY THE ESCALATING PRICES TO WATCH MILLIONARES THAT DON'T CARE ABOUT THE GAME LIKE BIRD, MAGIC AND JORDAN DID. IF YOU WATER ALL OF THIS DOWN IT MEANS THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THEIR JOBS. YES I SAID IT JOBS. IF YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER, GUESS WHAT YOUR JOB IS TO DO? YEP YOU GUESSED IT, WORK ON YOUR GAME. SECOND, AND THIS IS BIG, RESPECT THE FACT THAT YOUR COACH IS YOUR BOSS, SUPERVISOR, WHATEVER. IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO RESPECT THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO HELP YOU IMPROVE AND WIN GAMES. IF YOU CAN DO THESE TWO SIMPLE THINGS YOU WILL PROBABLY LIVE A LONG NBA LIFE. IF THIS GUIDELINE SEEMS SO SIMPLE, WHY DO PLAYERS CONTINUE TO MESS THIS BLESSING OF A JOB UP?
THE TWO PLAYERS THAT HAVE DRAWN MY IRE UP TO WRITE THIS ARTICLE ARE DARIUS MILES OF THE PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS AND RAFER ALSTON OF THE TORONTO RAPTORS. TWO MIDDLE OF THE ROAD PLAYERS THAT ARE NOW LOOKING VERY OVERPAID AND VERY STUPID. BOTH PLAYERS HAD VERY PUBLIC EXPLOSIONS WITH THEIR HEAD COACHES. THEIR NAMES ARE SAM MITCHELL, HEAD COACH OF THE RAPTORS AND MAURICE CHEEKS, HEAD COACH OF THE TRAILBLAZERS. SIMILAR EVENTS BUT DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. LET'S BREAK THEM DOWN SHALL WE? LET'S START WITH MILES AND CHEEKS.
DARIUS MILES WAS DRAFTED IN 2000-01 OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL BY THE CLIPPERS. AFTER BEING A KEY MEMBER OFF THE BENCH HE MOVED ON TO THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS. AFTER BEING A BUST THERE HE WAS SHIPPED OUT QUICKLY BY COACH PAUL SILAS FOR POSSIBLY BEING A BAD INFLUENCE ON A CERTAIN PLAYER THAT THE FRANCHISE WANTED TO BUILD ON. OH YOU KNOW, THAT LEBRON JAMES GUY. BASED ON THAT HOW HE'S PLAYING NOW, MAYBE THAT WAS A GOOD MOVE. AFTER BEING TRADED TO THE PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS FOR A BOX OF NEWPORTS AND PUMA SWEATS. (OKAY, IT WAS FOR JEFF MCINNIS BUT IF THE BLAZERS RUN YOU OUT OF TOWN THAT REALLY A BAD THING.) THE BAMBOOZLED THEM INTO GIVING HIM A 48 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT AFTER NO ONE ELSE OFFERED HIM ANYTHING. THINK I'M BEING TOUGH? WELL LET'S SEE THE STATS SHALL WE? HE'S A CAREER 10 POINT SCORER, HE CAN'T SHOOT A LICK AND HE CAN'T REBOUND. BUT HE DOES HAVE A LONG TERM CONTRACT THAT CAN'T BE MOVED FOR AT LEAST 4 YEARS BECAUSE AS I SAID BEFORE WHO IN THE WORLD WOULD WANT HIM ON THEIR SQUAD. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET STANDS MAURICE CHEEKS. HE'S A FORMER NBA PLAYER WHO WAS THE STARTING POINT GUARD OF THE 1983 NBA CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA 76ERS WITH JULIUS ERVING, MOSES MALONE AND ANDREW TONEY. HE MOVED UP THE COACHING RANKS UNTIL HE LANDED THE JOB IN PORTLAND. THIS GUY IS A STAND UP GUY FOR REAL. DO YOU REMEMBER THE LITTLE GIRL WHO FORGOT THE NATIONAL ANTHEM A WHILE BACK? GUESS WHO HELPED HER THROUGH TO THE FINISH? YEAH, THAT GUY. IT WILL BE TOUGH TO FIND ANYONE TO SAY A BAD THING ABOUT THIS GUY AND HE'S A SAINT ON EARTH TO STAY AND COACH THE YAHOOS HE'S HAD TO DEAL WITH DURING HIS TENURE. FOR PETE'S SAKE THE TEAM'S NICKNAME IS THE JAILBLAZERS. GET THE PICTURE? NOW HERE'S THE SCENARIO. IN A FILM SESSION MILES GOES OFF ON CHEEKS CALLING HIM RACIAL NAMES IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE TEAM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT SET MILES OFF, SO I'LL GUESS. MAYBE A DEFENSIVE LAPSE. SINCE THE MAN DOESN'T DEFEND, WHAT WAS CHEKS THINKING POINTING THAT OUT IN PUBLIC. MAYBE IT'S HIS SHAQ- LIKE FREE THROW SHOOTING CONSIDERING HE'S A CAREER 59% SHOOTER? CHEEKS SHOULD REALLY LAY OFF THE GUY. WHAT NERVE! I COULD GO ON UNTIL THE NEXT ALL STAR BREAK BUT THE POINT IS THIS, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET POINTED OUT 20 TIMES IN A SESSION? HERE'S AN IDEA; EXECUTE. THIS MAN HAS BEEN SUSPENDED TWICE IN TWO WEEKS. THINK HE'S GOING ANYWHERE?
THIS STORY IS KIND OF DIFFICULT BECAUSE RAFER ALSTON IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES IN THE NBA. HE WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLAYERS ON THE AND 1 MIX TAPE SQUAD. I WAS EVEN HAPPY FOR HIM WHEN HE BEAT MY MAVERICKS WITH A LAST SECOND THREE POINT SHOT OVER SHAWN BRADLEY. IT FELT REAL GOOD TO SEE HIM GET A SIX YEAR GUARANTEED CONTRACT WORTH 27 TO 30 MILLION DOLLARS. HE WAS EVEN AWARDED THE STARTING POINT GUARD SLOT. SINCE THEN THE MAN HAS BEEN SUSPENDED TWICE AND LAST WEEK HE PULLED A SAMMY SOSA BY LEAVING THE ARENA EARLY. ON THE OTHER SIDE IS SAM MITCHELL, 13 YEARS IN THE LEAGUE AND VERY RESPECTED ALL THROUGH HIS CAREER.JUST LIKE CHEEKS, HE MOVED INTO THE HEAD COACHING RANKS THIS YEAR. HE'S BUMPED HEADS WITH VINCE CARTER, JAEN ROSE AND OTHERS WITH HIS NO-NONSENSE STYLE.LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN SHALL WE? ON DEC. 3 IN A LOSS TO BOSTON, COACH MITCHELL TOLD ALSTON TO LEAVE THE BENCH DURING THE GAME AND SUSPENDED HIM FOR THE NEXT GAME FOR A TECHNICAL FOUL ALSTON AND ANOTHER TEAMMATE GOT DURING A CRITICAL POINT IN THE GAME. THE REASONS THE COACH GAVE WAS THAT IT WAS UNACCEPTABLE AND IT COST THE TEAM A WIN. HERE'S WHERE THINGS GO BAD FOR ALSTON. AFTER THE INCIDENT ALSTON STATED HE MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR THE NBA AND MAYBE HE SHOULD QUIT. THINK BACK TO WHAT I SAID EARLIER IN THE ARTICLE. THIS JOB IS A BLESSING. FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS ALSTON HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING TOO MUCH. IT UPSET RAFER TO THE POINT THAT HE WALKED OUT OF PRACTICE GETTING A TWO GAME SUSPENSION FOR HIS TROUBLE. BEFORE WE GO ON LET'S SEE IF SAM MITCHELL HAS A CLUE SHALL WE? WHEN RAFER SCORES MORE THAN 20 POINTS, THE RAPTORS ARE 1-8. UH, THAT'S NOT GOOD. HE AVERAGES 13 POINTS BUT LET'S LOOK AT THE SHOOTING PERCENTAGE. 39%PERCENT SHOOTING IS NOT GOOD EITHER. TO PUT OUR POINT IN PERSPECTIVE LOOK AT IT THIS WAY. 45% IS ACCEPTABLE IN THE NBA. LESS THAN 40 MEANS YOU CAN'T SHOOT. ALLEN IVERSON GETS A PASS BECAUSE THREE PEOPLE ARE HOUNDING HIM AT ALL TIMES AND HIS TEAMMATES CAN'T SCORE WITHOUT HIM PERIOD. RAFER DOES NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH CHRIS BOSH, JALEN ROSE AND MORRIS PETERSON WHO ALL CAN SHOOT THE BALL. RAFER, YOU REALLY ARE LOSING THIS ARGUMENT, PASS THE BALL MAN. FINALLY YOU DON'T LEAVE THE ARENA BENCHED OR NOT. I KNOW YOU MIGHT BE PEEVED AT THE COACH. THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME BUT TO SELL OUT YOUR TEAM. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR TEAMMATES QUICK DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WHAT MAKES THIS STORY DIFFERENT IS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN INCIDENTS OF PHYSICAL CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN MITCHELL AND VINCE CARTER AND ALSTON. NOTHING HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BUT IF THEY ARE TRUE MITCHELL HAS TO GO IN MY OPINION. THE LAST INCIDENT HAPPENED LAST TUESDAY AT HALFTIME AND IT WAS REPORTED THAT ALSTON WAS IN TEARS GOING TO THE TEAM BUS. ANOTHER TEAMMATE CALLED THE WHOLE THING A SOAP OPERA. I AS YOU AGAIN? THINK ALSTON'S GOING ANYWHERE?
I HOPE THESE TWO GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY ARE AS I SAID MARGINAL PLAYERS. THEY REALLY DO NOT DESERVE THE CONTRACTS THEY GOT. THEY ARE TURNING INTO THE POSTER CHILDREN OF WHY PEOPLE ARE CRITICIZING THE NBA. FELLAS DO YOUR JOB AND MAKE YOURSELVES AND THE LEAGUE BETTER TO WATCH.
I am in agreement with you. Any basketball player who forgets what he or she is hired to do and that is to play basketball should not be in that profession.
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