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yellowboy90
Posts: 33942 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 4/23/2011 Member: #3538 |
7/29/2012 5:31 AM LAST EDITED: 7/29/2012 12:27 PM
Another writer on the CAA payroll?
http://www.hoopsworld.com/six-pack-ridiculous-reaction-to-melos-comment/
For those that may have missed it, when the exact specifications of the offer Lin received from Houston was made public, reporters rushed to Melo (who was in D.C. practicing with the Olympic Team) for his take on the topic. Per the AP, he was first asked if he could envision Lin returning to the Knicks next season. His response: ”At this point there’s a lot going on. I stay away from that part right now. I would love to see him back, but I think he has to do what’s best for him right now.” Anthony was then reminded it’s up to the Knicks, not Lin, to decide whether he stays or goes. ”It’s not up to me,” Anthony said with a laugh. ”It’s up to the organization to say they want to match that ridiculous contract that’s out there.” Now, having a front row seat for the contentious battle between Melo and the New York tabloids, I am always amused at the media’s ability to twist a quote to fit into a prefabricated construct. But, I must admit, even I was surprised to see this “offensive and insulting” comment used to portray Melo as vicious opponent of Lin returning to NYC. The key here, for those aiming to paint Melo in as bad a light as possible, is to take the quote entirely out of context, i.e. completely ignore and disregard the fact that Anthony said 30 seconds earlier that he would “love” to see Lin return to New York. But that’s just the first step… The next move is asserting that Melo was insinuating that Lin is a scrub who doesn’t deserve a major pay raise, when in fact the adjective “ridiculous” referred to the structure of the back-loaded contract, not whether or not the recipient was deserving of the sum total of $24.9 million. Although it’s besides the point, if we are all going to be honest, the contract was relatively “ridiculous” and a bit bizarre. How many three-year contracts, in any walk of life, pay 150% more for the third year of service than the first two years of service combined? Wouldn’t any contract that included a so-called “poison pill” be deemed somewhat outlandish? Would even Daryl Morey argue this point? Asked later for a clarification of what he actually meant, Melo responded: “It was ridiculous for them to do what they did, as far as throwing that out there and making it tougher on us to sign him back.” Melo added: “Ask Lin, he’ll tell you what a good relationship we have… I hope we get it done, man. I would love to see him back, honestly. I would definitely love to see him back.” (For the complete story, including full quotes, click here) But that part of the story, which wouldn’t create nearly as many headlines or generate the same number of page views, was drastically under reported relative to the “ridiculous” attention the first quote received. In the days that followed the initial comment, Melo was pounded publicly, some even going so far as to call him a racist because he suggested Asian players didn’t deserve that kind of payday. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up… For a clear, concrete depiction of my point here, check out the Twitter timeline of Newsday’s reporter Rod Boone (@rodboone). Boone was on the scene that day standing next to Melo and was one of the first reporters to spread word or Anthony’s remarks. Examining Boone’s timeline a few days later, I was fascinated to find which quote got the most interest and attention. But the toothpaste was already out of the tube. It wasn’t going to get put back in neatly. Those with an agenda had heard all they needed to; they certainly weren’t going to let facts or the complete picture and the quotes in full context get in the way of what could be a story that would help sell newspapers and generate clicks. Now, Melo isn’t completely blameless here either. He has been in New York long enough to understand that the media will twist comments as needed to manufacture controversy. Anthony’s lack of savvy when dealing with the New York tabloids is almost inconceivable. Somehow, he still hasn’t learned that a simple “no comment” might just be his best friend when talking with reporters. Melo has buried himself time and again by trying to be accommodating and saying what is on his mind. Carmelo needs to take a page out of Derek Jeter’s book and give the most boring answer possible. Discretion is often the better part of valor when dealing with headline writers thirsty for a back page tagline that will get passersby to cough up a few quarters for that day’s paper. |