| 24 August 2009
Everybody has players that they just cannot stand... players that are the NBA's equivalent to fingernails down a chalkboard. I get it that it's ironic that a Lakers blog would discuss this particular topic - given that Kobe Bryant heads most lists - but here's a rundown on my list of "Players I will be cheering against this season"... in no particular order...
LeBron James - ok, to be fair... this is verging on a love/hate relationship. He truly is an amazing player, and without a doubt will be remembered as perhaps the best player of his generation. I absolutely deplore the fact that he's holding an entire city hostage over his "will I/won't I" in re-signing with Cleveland. And... I absolutely love the fact that he's holding an entire city hostage over his "will I/won't I" in re-signing with Cleveland. Add to that, the entire tantrum post losing the Eastern Conference Finals (for the past two seasons no less!), confiscating the vids... the t-shirts... the overwhelming ego... meh, the whole thing.
LeBron's Cavs look good this season tho'. At least they'll have someone who can impact on Dwight this time around, and Jamario Moon's a handy addition too. Can Shaq produce at elite levels? He won't have to do so hugely... he's there for pretty much one reason only.
Cleveland will just hope that the Big Fella doesn't clog up the lane too much on the offensive end.
Manu Ginobli - in all honesty, this could be pretty much any player who relies heavily on flopping to get the job done. And although that list leans strongly to players of an... ummm... 'European bent', Manu's right up there. Add to that his propensity of employing somewhat less than savoury defensive tactics (learnt from Bruce Bowen?), then Manu moves into first place on the "floppers-I'm-not-a-fan-of". Still, the Spurs look pretty damn impressive for the coming season. Adding Richard Jefferson and scoring DeJuan Blair at #37 in the draft really add some youth to an ever-aging cast of regulars.
Ron Artest - the ever-combustible Artest has to be write up towards the top of any fan's "players I despise" list. The guy's a time-bomb waiting to happen... and it's sad to see him squander his obvious talents by outright stupidity. It's only a matter of time before "Crazy Pills" erupts into a frenzy that drags his entire team down into a spiral of finger-pointing and mindless recriminations... kicking and screaming all the way down.Carlos Boozer - I don't know when it was that I first began to despise Boozey... but despise him I do. Perhaps it was the 'how' of his departure from Cleveland? Maybe it's the fact that he plays a typically 'Jerry Sloan' game, and has the temerity to howl at every whistle directed his way for oh-so-obvious fouls? Could it be because not even the team he's with now even wants him any longer?
Probably the culmination of all of the above.
I almost feel for Utah fans... the very presence of Boozey creates a swirl of intense displeasure that he's still here, then guilt for feeling that at all. Worst of all? He's more than likely to remain there - at least for one more season!
Chris Paul - can't stand the entire "Chris Paul makes guys better" fallacy. Sorry guys 'n' gals: he doesn't. Some guys got better merely due to more time on the court, and some actually got worse. Paul's a good player, there's no doubting that, and from all accounts a helluva human being... but the hype's astounding, and over-the-top. And the somewhat lax application of "what is an assist?" by referees mean that Chris Paul's stats are a bit inflated. You don't pass it to a guy, have him pivot, dribble, pivot, fake... then hit the fall away jumper - and the pass was an assist? Please... look for yourself:
The simple fact is that whilst being good - very good - he's not the second coming of Oscar Robertson. Forget ballpark, he's not in the same area code as Magic, and doesn't deserve to be in the conversation when we're talking "best ever point guards".
Dahntay Jones/Bruce Bowen/et al - Ummm, yeah... the vast majority of "defensive stoppers" are the type of guy who blurs the line between "good defense" and "outright thuggery". There's a huge difference between someone who plays good D - like Shane Battier - and someone who has a propensity for putting himself in situations where he's going to injure someone... like Bruce Bowen used to always do. Bowen looks as if he's a bit past it now, but unfortunately there's never a dearth of guys willing to obtain the reputation of "defensive specialist" through fair means or foul, guys like Dahntay Jones.
Carmelo Anthony - Melo's in danger of not making these kind of lists, what with his newfound mature outlook on basketball. But as long as stuff like this still happens:
We can be certain that there's still at least a bit of the punkass who hit Mardy Collins then ran away left within Anthony...
Kevin Garnett - there isn't a more hate-able guy playing the game today. It's amazing, but playing for the Celtics really brought out his 'inner punk'. Whether it's jawing off in someone's face, taking swipes at people, going down on all fours and barking like a dog - or bitching at a guy from the bench... in street clothes, KG's hitting new heights at Boston. Amazing, huh? At Minnesota, he was considered 'intense', but playing for a franchise still in search of relevance, he was it's identity and very nearly took them to a championship. Is there that much difference between what he was then and what he was now? I think so... perhaps there were incidents as bad when he was a T-Wolf, but now they happen with greater frequency... and he's a Celtic. It's far, far easier to drink the hater-ade now.
Others I will be happy to see lose include...
Shaquille O'Neal, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace (how poignant that he joins Boston!), Mo Williams, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter.
