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djsunyc
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NO MAGIC CHARM
By PETER VECSEY
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February 4, 2007 -- AS IF the NBA (and its high profile alumni: Latrell Sprewell, Alvin Robertson and J.R. Rider) doesn't exhibit enough black eyes.
As if the league doesn't have enough cynicism and distrust swirling around it!
Well, thanks to the mortally misguided Magic Johnson, it is now troubled by another "eddy."
Just when I thought TNT couldn't appeal to a lower common denominator, Magic's light went out in Georgia.
This past Thursday evening, following the nitwit network's amply paid-for privilege to reveal the league's 14 non-starting All-Stars - none named Eddy Curry - Magic deduced vindictiveness played the leading role in the Knicks center's exclusion.
"That's [the East's 14 head coaches] saying to [Isiah] Thomas, 'That's my boy [Larry Brown] you fired,' " Johnson rationalized.
How much thought, if any, do you suppose went into forming such a slanderous accusation? In Johnson's wisdom-of-the-White-House judgment, the reason Curry ain't goin' to Las Vegas is because of a "vendetta" against Thomas.
In other words, Curry's omission has next to nothing to do with the shoddy 20-28 record the Knicks took into last night, or that Dwight Howard (Orlando) and Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana) have impacted their teams' standing in the standings more positively.
There are 30 teams and 14 spots after the fans' popularity contest is finished. Some standard must be used by coaches to set players apart: more wins than losses.
That's why Ray Allen, Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Joe Johnson, Michael Redd and other stats leaders for below-mediocre outfits had little chance of gaining enough votes.
That's also why Josh Howard, Mehmet Okur, Carmelo Anthony, Elton Brand, Deron Williams and Marcus Camby are the leading candidates (in that order, I submit) to replace disabled Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer; it's the commissioner's call.
I know how difficult it must be for Stephon Marbury and Don Nelson to grasp that concept, but I expected more out of Magic.
It'll never happen again!
Had Johnson sought to present an authentic argument for a stiffed player, he should've selected Chicago's Ben Gordon. How fair is it that the 22-25 Nets have two All-Stars (Vince Carter and Jason Kidd), yet the 27-20 Bulls are shut out?
Instead, Johnson took a scurrilous route. Just what the league needs is another one of its play-actor ambassadors subverting the integrity of the coaching profession!
Imagine the chorus of censure from David Stern and the coaches had someone else (other than Charles Barkley, of course) said something so scandalous. Imagine someone in Johnson's position, someone who certainly should know better, and someone who's supposed to have some genuine insight into what goes on behind the screens, indicting a whole group of coaches for allegedly contaminating its vote!
It's downright depressing to think Johnson has so little respect for people in the profession and that he'd be allowed to go on the air with such an outlandishly asinine theory. Not to faintly suggest any preparation whatsoever or homework of any kind is involved in what spews from anyone's mouth on the set other than Ernie Johnson's.
It's exceptionally sad Johnson subscribes to the warped notion that coaches are so petty and so revengeful that they would stoop to such depths, that they'd compromise their reputations and taint their professionalism so easily and willingly.
In Johnson's muddled mind, this was about Larry's legions (assuming Brown actually has more than two or three supporters) getting even with Thomas by punishing a player under his jurisdiction.
How scary is that! Coaches would be foolish to dignify such damage with a response, yet how can they not counter the senseless attack on their credibility?
What's scarier, still, is that ostensibly intelligent NBA observers have enthusiastically embraced Johnson's sordid speculation and cannot be reasoned with. That only goes to re-confirm, you can't argue with ignorance.
For the record, neither Barkley nor Kenny Smith saw fit to challenge Johnson's stupid statement. Shocking!
My personal advisory board - Abscess Ahmad, Jim Gray and Stephen A(nal) Smith - have reserved comment.
*
It's here again, boys and girls, the annual biggest game in the history of the civilized and uncivilized world. So grand is this get-together that any other meet-and-greet would be foolish to finagle any portion of the public's patience: Hawks at Nets, tip-off, High Noon.
I understand even this football game isn't starting until early evening so as not to get washed away with the Continental Breakfast Arena dishes. By the way, how nice was it for the association to give Tayshaun Prince permission to take the day off and be the halftime entertainment at this football game. NBA Cares.
Far be from me to be accused of inciting a riot, but after perusing the rostrum of West reserves, I've decided Allen Iverson has 'Melo's rightful place at the podium. There, I've said it. Enjoy the rest of the season, gents.
Exxon Mobil, barely making ends meet, announced '06 profits of $39.5 billion. To assuage the gas-gouged public, the company said that once its makes $40 billion, it shall consider washing windshields. |
2/4/2007 6:56 PM
