RedmenBaller wrote:WaltLongmire wrote:RedmenBaller wrote:
Hmmm. Guess moderator thought I was too harsh on you or you whined to them.
You claim to go after only the pompous, selfish and those who seem less
than genuine. Which I am sure you determine through sound criteria such as rumors, third person
articles from second rate sports writers trying to make a buck or
just personal opinion of someone. Same thing bigets and haters
always claim. Your full of crud. Just don't belive you. Haters are all just jealous and unaccomplished.
And btw. Don't believe a guy who is constantly on boards trying to create
a brand for 18 people to recognize. We both know your night is dictated
by the self diagnosed success of your posts.
As for Melo, If you know anything about being part of a team you would know
you don't put down a team mate. As a fan I take the same approach
as a participant of organized sports. If someone is wearing the
same jersey as you then you support them.
I'm totally mystified about where you come up with some of this stuff- you've seemingly made me into some kind of forum bogey man.
Haters are all just jealous and unaccomplished. ??? Took early retirement a year or two ago. All in all, I was pretty successful at what I did in my profession and as a coach, and when younger, as an athlete, although, of course, there were many more accomplished that I was.
You seem to have an issue with people who are overly critical of Anthony. Instead of general criticisms and ad hominem attacks, you should stick to attacking the specific comments of those who feel he is overrated, overhyped, selfish, and perhaps a bit pretentious in how he presents himself to the public.
The word "fan" is derived from the word fanatic- something I am not. I support the players on my team, but if they are worthy of criticism I see no problem calling them out on a forum. I'm critical of anyone, including myself- don't see what the big deal is.
Supporting someone does not mean uncritical acceptance of anything they do. I would think that wanting them to change or look at their behavior would also constitute "support."
Please don't lecture about being on a team...I can pretty much match or exceed most in this area as both a participant at all levels of scholastic competition (9 years...multiple sports) and as a coach of 25+ years at the HS level. Father was an All-American athlete at Auburn and also a coach...I've been around sports in one way or another for over 50 years.
Not sure that Anthony is worth the verbal vitriol you are spitting out. Try to take things less personally. Attack the argument...not the guy making the argument, especially when you seem to have no idea at all who that guy really is.
Walt, now it all make sense. Like you I played organized sports my whole life. Unlike you, it did not stop at the high school level. Was surrounded by talented athletes that worked extremely hard to make it to the professional level only be pitted with criticism from far less accomplished than them. Perhaps your disdain for athletes of such a high level, like Melo, comes from the inability to understand why them and not you. And the inability to comprehend the ridiculous amounts of money they are making in todays sports business. However, I respect the fact you coached young players and hopefully helped them move on to higher level. Hopefully your display on forums which shows you as a retired guy who is bitter and who is spending way too much of his retirement on forums just to hate on the best player on his favorite team, is not who your really are. As that would make you what I claimed, a bitter fanatic. Maybe with a bit more time on here, which I doubt as I like these things for free agent rumors only, will change my mind. Although, strange you would come with this articulate approach and call for me to keep conversation to basketball skills and deficiencies while you constantly attack a player personally without having any first hand knowledge of him. Something your surely did not teach at high school level. Weird that you seem to be the first to attack any unrelated personal aspect you see fit. And use words such as his "Posse" but lets try to pretend like you rather talk ball.
Who would you rather have on the team? That is attainable. Do you not agree that Melo is a top tier offensive player? As a coach, you know that there is much more benefit of a scorer than meets the eye. His ability to attract double teams creates for others. The desire to take a pressure shot. The opportunity of others on the team, that have not been focused on by opposing teams game plans, to excel. While true that an offensive scorer is not all that is needed to succeed, it is important to have one to be successful. Who do you think we have surrounded him with to account for the need to rebound, hit open shots at high percentage after double teams and create off the dribble consistently at a NBA championship level? The thing I keep seeing is that many agree it is a team sport but then turn around and expect him to do everything. Please point out who else performed during the Knicks-Pacers conference final? Please pull up the stats for game 6. The game you probably have used to put him down due to the great play by Hibbert. Pull up the stats of his team mates we have surrounded him with since he has been here.
Was a college athlete...3 years. 9 years meant 3 at JrHigh, 3 HS, and 3 College.
I had no pretensions of being a professional in any sport-ever. I played because I liked the competition.
I really am not bitter- you are painting a strange portrait, here. Its "off-season" for me now, and between fixing up my house I have a lot of time to do what I want to do.
I'm much more upset about what the 1% have done to the middle class in this country than I am with someone like Anthony.
Not sure why you brought up a play with Hibbert that I have never brought up and don't even remember. For the most part, we lost that series because Chandler was not great, Kidd's legs were dead, and JR was a ghost.
Anthony is a great offensive player in many ways, but a very limited player in general at this point. I'm on record saying that Phil should not have signed him for the amount he got or tried to trade him to Chicago.
The thing that upset me the most about Anthony, and it came out in the Rosen articles, is that he put his own career above that of the team which gave him all the $$ he uses to do this or that. Not shutting down his year until he played in the All-Star Exhibition is beyond my comprehension, although I expect you will find many reasons he should have continued playing on a bad knee. Phil called him out on this publicly, without actually using his name, when he talked about guys and shoe contracts before the draft.
There is also the realization that a guy with one of the biggest contracts in the league is not the kind of player who makes others around him better, and is not the kind of team leader who might have helped Fisher have better control over certain players the first half of the season.
It is not by coincidence that Smith, a friend from his Denver days, Shumpert, and Melo's "protege," THJ are not gone...hope you understand this. It is not by coincidence that Phil said he did not talk to Anthony about FAs, and took a guy Anthony did not want while trading away a guy he did want.
You look at the guys Melo vacationed with, and you realize that all of them can play hero ball when called upon, but they are also guys who can make other players better. I also seem to recall that when James was having issues with Spolestra, Wade came out in support of him. As an aside, from what I have heard (Hahn, and others), the original big 3 was supposed to be James, Wade, and Melo, but Anthony signed a long term contract that did not allow for this get together to happen. Anthony should have signed the shorter contract and taken less $$ with Miami- he would have gotten his title if he had.
Right now we are in the off-season. Most of what we talk about deals with trade talk, signings, rumors, etc.
My comment to you was:
Instead of general criticisms and ad hominem attacks, you should stick to attacking the specific comments of those who feel he is overrated, overhyped, selfish, and perhaps a bit pretentious in how he presents himself to the public.
What I was talking about is your creation of a fictitious persona for me that somewhat hilarious, to be honest.
Not much info about me on public media...nobody tweeting about my reactions to things. Athletes live in times where info is passed around instantly. A guy like Anthony also has lawyers who can take action for him if reporters are putting out lies about him- they live or die on their reputations as getting out the truth. Have not heard about any lawsuits for libel coming out of Anthony's camp, although he has done damage control at times.
He will have his chance to make me eat "humble pie" this season by playing team ball, being a leader, and making his teammates better when he is on the court with him. Hope he does this.
EnySpree: Can we agree to agree not to mention Phil Jackson and triangle for the rest of our lives?