Carmello Anthony

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Black NBA players in the 80's, did they go for a faux-gangsta image?

They went for the "good basketball player" image.

Some people defend the NBA gangsters in the name of freedom, but the irony is that it seems more like something they feel compelled to do.

Sixties, seventies and eighties invoked a mixture of cultures, but for the most part, the players endeavored tried to portray a positive image, even though much of it was false.

There were good guys, such as David Robinson, a math major and musician with military discipline, and Grant Hill from Duke. Those guys are what the NBA should be about. Candidly, I don't watch the NBA any more. Once the gangstas took over, I lost complete interest.

I could possibly enjoy a player for his play, but much of what I see when I'm at a sports bar doesn't look like good team play. Team defense, good ball handling, basic passing, blocking out, rebounding and good flow of offense all seem to be lacking even though athleticism seems to be present in great supply.

The NBA product from what little I see is unappealing. College ball is much more entertaining, as it's more of a team game and sometimes one actually sees fundamentals displayed as well.

[Colly Wolly]

Originally Posted by non sequitur

So, you've got no problem with them as long as they know their place?

I remember the first time I met my father-in-law. He was very old-school (which is code for racist). We were watching a basketball game on television, and for two hours all I heard were complaints about how many "black fellas" there were in the NBA. It was an odd combination of resentment, fear and jealousy. Today, when I hear people talk about all the "thugs" in the NBA, I hear my father-in-law. The only difference is that my father-in-law didn't use the word "thug". He was much more direct.

You can hear what you want to hear.