Links: Stop B*tching
And why winning a title isn’t like cheese on a plate.
Fri-Day! Yes! And we’re about two days away from having the next issue of SLAM done and gone to the printer. We’ve got two covers: Baron Davis and Kirk Hinrich. Hopefully their teams continue doing well in the postseason.
• I’m going to say this once and then never mention it again:
Stop with the whining. This goes for all you writers, readers, commenters, everyone.
Here we are in the middle of the NBA Playoffs, and, as always, there is controversy. Which teams are getting the benefit of the calls? How dare the NBA actually enforce their rules and suspend the players who broke them!! And I especially don’t understand the complaints about flopping and comparisons to soccer. Is there too much flopping in soccer? Sure, but it hasn’t exactly ruined soccer for the rest of the world. Trying to get a call to go in your favor is a part of basketball.
I am no corporate shill, but if you don’t like the way the NBA is going right now, if you don’t like the calls being made, if you don’t like the suspensions, if you think the season was boring…stop watching. That’s all you need to do. If you hate it so much, turn it off. Blog about a baseball game, or go comment on the NFL at Kissing Suzy Kolber or somewhere.
And all these ESPN people whining…let it go. The suspensions happened, the game was played. I understand the need to vent, but there’s a difference in venting and then moving on versus bitching ad nauseum. I read one column about how the NBA should “do what’s right” and not have suspended those guys. But that would be doing the wrong thing, since they broke the rules, right? Doing “what’s right” would mean adjusting the rules after the season, no?
I know the NBA is not perfect, and you guys have read plenty from me disagreeing with the NBA about a lot of topics, but there comes a time when enough is enough. Regardless of how I feel about the suspensions that Amare and Diaw served — for what it’s worth, I’m in complete agreement with Mark Cuban on all of this that the suspension rule is a good one — I’m letting it go. And so should you.
Glad I got that off my chest. Wait, did I just whine about whining? Crap.
• The Rockets fired Jeff Van Grumpy today. Strange because there’s an article in this morning’s Houston Chronicle just littered with ambiguous quotes regarding Van Grumpy from Rockets GM Daryl Morey:
“I’ve been actively on the phone with Jeff,” Morey said. “Constantly. Things are in a tentative spot. We have no conclusions. Things can go in different ways. We’re in discussions. There are no conclusions.”
“We have a clear understanding of what we — Jeff and I — want,” Morey said. “Some of my active calls have been to clarify things.”
“Nothing is settled,” Morey said. “We’re hoping to move this along toward a settlement with all parties. The sooner we come to a resolution, the better for the Rockets, obviously, but we’re not going to rush.
“We have a high regard for Jeff, and I think he has a high regard for us. We’re both trying to respect the process.”
Well, the process apparently included firing Van Gundy. Maybe they can find another coach who’ll play even slower and refuse to pass it to Yao.
• The more I watch the Utah Jazz play, the more I think they’re going to be a really great team…in about a year. They have so many talented young guys who look like they’re still learning how to play with each other. The main thing they need is a starting two guard who can defend and hit jumpers—Fisher’s too small, Giricek is too inconsistent and looks too much like Mikhail Baryshnikov. I don’t know how they get him, but it seems like Ray Allen would be a perfect fit with the Jazz. Only problem is that there’s not a WNBA team in Utah, so he couldn’t keep going to the games with his daughter.
• Quote of the Day is from Andrei Kirilenko, who notes here, “We’re always hungry. I never won a championship. I want to win. It’s tough to do. Nobody said it’s going to be cheese on a plate.”
Got that right, Drei.
• A close runner-up comes from Kevin McHale who denies ever having smoked pot with John Cougar Mellencamp and Larry Bird. Sayeth McHale…
“First of all, other than smoking a cigar or a cigarette or something, I’ve never smoked marijuana with Larry Bird or John Mellencamp. Someone called and said I heard you’re smoking marijuana with Mellencamp. That’s as ludicrous as I’ve ever heard anything. Mellencamp smokes cigarettes. Bird will have the occasional cigarette. I don’t even remember. We might have had a cigar sitting around.”
Not to split hairs here, but you notice McHale doesn’t deny ever having smoked marijuana…just that he’s never done it with Bird or Mellencamp.
And as long as we’re on the topic, I’d like to state for the record that I have never smoked marijuana with Larry Bird, John Mellencamp or Kevin McHale for that matter.
• Peter Vecsey comes strong today, reporting that not only will the Raptors keep Links favorite Sam Mitchell around for a few more years, but that Rick Adelman is going to land in Houston and Stan Van Gundy will hedgehog his way to Indiana. Plus he makes an obligatory Danny Fortson joke at the end.
• I’m not too proud to beg, and the more I think about the NBA Draft Lottery, which is coming up on Tuesday night, the more I hope and pray that David Stern fixes it so the Hawks end up getting one of the top two picks. I’m assuming the worst, that somehow the Hawks will end up not getting any picks in the lottery. But we need this. Badly. And if we somehow magically end up getting the first overall pick, I already know who I want to take. But more on that next week.
• And finally, the Nanny Stopper is in the news again.
Have a great weekend everyone…catch you all next week…
84 Responses to “Links: Stop B*tching”
May.18 at 2:41 pm
Ken says:
1st?
May.18 at 2:42 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Thanks Lang. I guess there’s no need for further need for comments. See you all next season!
May.18 at 2:48 pm
nic says:
For the record I, also, have never smoked marijuana with Larry Bird, John Mellencamp, Kevin McHale, or Lang. (Yet.)
May.18 at 2:49 pm
Alex says:
Cheese on the Plate! Hahaha, that made my day.
May.18 at 2:50 pm
ATrain says:
The Hawks won’t get a top two pick because they’ll screw it up by drafting a poing guard in an attempt to make up for past year’s blunders
May.18 at 2:54 pm
dez says:
No WNBA team in Utah? those lucky bastards
May.18 at 2:58 pm
Co Co says:
ATrain, the Hawks organization despises point guards in case you haven’t notice. Billy Knight thought Deron Williams and Chris Paul were “cute little players” We need the second pick so we can take whoever is left between Oden and Durant. I honestly don’t even think Billy Knight could screw that one up. On second thought……..
May.18 at 3:00 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Kevin McHale also never denied smoking before some of his signings/trades/draft picks.
May.18 at 3:00 pm
Co Co says:
Noticed, not notice. And I probably should have said whomever. Aw Hell Whatever! Damn I hate typos!
May.18 at 3:00 pm
Steve O says:
Where is Vincent Yarbrough?
May.18 at 3:02 pm
Steve O says:
nevermind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Yarbrough found him
May.18 at 3:06 pm
Jas says:
Is the Baron and Kirk cover thing a joke of some sort? Both of those guys are out of the playoffs so I take it you were being sarcastic.
May.18 at 3:06 pm
thomas says:
thank you lang.
May.18 at 3:06 pm
The Nugg Doctor says:
He also doesn’t rule out that he smoked with Robert “The Chief” Parrish either!!!
May.18 at 3:07 pm
The Nugg Doctor says:
and while we are on the subject… here is a great list of all of those that have been busted for one thing or another—>http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2005/07/nba-players-that-get-in-trouble-with_20.html
May.18 at 3:10 pm
Dennard says:
That was a great post - “Stan Van Gundy will hedgehog his way to Indiana.” - That’s classic.
May.18 at 3:11 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Nothing gets by Jas.
May.18 at 3:16 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I would pay good money to smoke weed with Bird, McHale and Mellencamp—and I don’t even smoke.
May.18 at 3:18 pm
allenp says:
Thanks for pointing out the amazing amount of Suns nut hugging going on over at ESPN. In fact, it’s everywhere. The man crush people seem to have on Nash is sickening.
May.18 at 3:18 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
In unrelated news, I was riding my bike up the East Side past the 34th Street heliport yesterday and passed Jon Bon Jovi walking with his kid.
May.18 at 3:24 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
were they smoking pot?
May.18 at 3:24 pm
Steve O says:
I bet he’s smoked with John “Cougar” Mellencamp
May.18 at 3:25 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Vecsey - king of the run-on sentence and the one sentence paragraph.
May.18 at 3:26 pm
Cheryl says:
Russ, you finally got out in the daylight?? Nice to hear you’re not a vampire. Thanks for that one, Lang. I was beginning to get turned off of my favorite goofing off at work routine!
May.18 at 3:26 pm
Cheryl says:
Wait, that didn’t come out quite like I intended. Play wit it.
May.18 at 3:27 pm
J-Bird says:
Cougars a badass
May.18 at 3:27 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
sorry, one more Vecsey comment: doesn’t “diametrically resented” mean loved?
May.18 at 3:29 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Jon Bon Jovi was not smoking anything. However, I’ll bet he used to get high as hell with Mookie Blaylock, Derrick Coleman and Chris Morris.
May.18 at 3:30 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
And I definitely get out in the daylight sometimes, Cheryl. It’s just that I never manage to fall asleep before 4 a.m.
May.18 at 3:42 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I thought I saw Amy Winehouse on the street last night after work, but I just read that she’s in Miami. Which means I saw someone who went through a lot of trouble to dress up like Amy Winehouse and put her hair in a beehive and get her face pierced and all that but apparently wasn’t her.
May.18 at 3:43 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Girls in New York have been doing all of that long before Amy Winehouse.
May.18 at 3:44 pm
Joe_x says:
I think I’ll do a little b*tching…. about the Slammys. I just went through the Links archive and nothing. Either they were posted in some obscure location and I need the link, or Lang just never got around to doing them. Nice work.
May.18 at 3:45 pm
mutoni says:
russ, you and i have similar sleep issues.
May.18 at 3:50 pm
Ron says:
Will the covers feature Baron dunking on AK-47 and Kirk getting dunked on by Flip Murray?
May.18 at 3:55 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
@Joe_x: The Slammys are still coming. I just decided to wait this year to include postseason stuff, since the NBA’s official awards don’t include postseason stuff. In fact, I got a call late last night from the guy who’s going to be this year’s rookie diary and in the mad scramble to get my laptop open I accidentally opened and deleted the 2007 Slammys file on my desktop. Managed to retrieve it. Nearly a disaster.
May.18 at 3:58 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Wow, you guys had to sort out a rookie diary keeper before the draft? Publishing schedules are a bitch.
May.18 at 3:58 pm
Max Airington says:
Ryan & Jake, wherever you are, full disclosure: huge crush on Ms. WInehouse. And she makes Maggie look like Sophia Loren. Feel free to commence ridicule whenever the mood strikes…
May.18 at 3:58 pm
whooo! says:
i’m wondering why the slammy’s wouldn’t be perfect for your mag w/ the champs on the cover. w/ the difficulty w/ deadlines, taht’s a no-brainer. you do your rookie previews anyways, so this is a nice wrap up. on the downside, that means we wouldn’t get it on the links, but as a subscriber, i don’t mind, and we might get some sweet photos included.
May.18 at 4:00 pm
whooo! says:
and boy i wish you guys had a “gm diary” so we could follow what the hell is going on in the minds of mchale or isiah.
May.18 at 4:09 pm
Cheryl says:
whoo! damn, that’s a great idea. but you do know it would be filled with a ton of subterfuge, right? okay, sorry about the word choice, i meant bullsh*t…
May.18 at 4:14 pm
Ryan Jones says:
See, Max, I’m an open-minded guy, and as my crush on Maggie shows, I’m open to unconventional looking women who have something about them. I’ve only seen photos of Amy, and I do find her face to be on the fugly side, but she seems otherwise well put together, and her voice, lyrics and generally vibe imply she would be… fun to spend some time with. So, no worries.
May.18 at 4:14 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Sorry, what I mean to say was: “Homo.”
May.18 at 4:19 pm
chiqo says:
why the hell hasn’t rick adelman been hired yet?
May.18 at 4:20 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Amy Winehouse is all good with me. And kudos to chiqo on the Rick Adelman line. Ah, the good old days when I got to call for his head (in fine print, but still) every damn issue.
May.18 at 4:21 pm
chiqo says:
thought you guys would enjoy that.
May.18 at 4:26 pm
H to the izzo says:
Seeing as we’re name dropping,I saw KRS-One the other day and he signed my Air Force 1’s.They will never be worn again.
May.18 at 4:30 pm
vijai says:
scoot skiles = george constanza
May.18 at 4:31 pm
Max Airington says:
Thats better Ryan. I was beginning to think you actually had a concscience. Everyone should love Amy just for writing a love song about Nas. And may we all find a girl with “personality”. And a nice ass. Izzo, NICE!
May.18 at 4:44 pm
H to the izzo says:
He has a definite auora surrounding him even my girlfriend whose really only into Gucci bags and the like picked up on it,I tried my best not to seem like an obsessed fan-it didn’t work
May.18 at 4:46 pm
Co Co says:
I’m watching Steph on Oprah and when he walks in the class the kids are genuinely excited to see him.
May.18 at 4:49 pm
Co Co says:
He just gave Oprah dap and they exchanged a “you already know” Hilarious!
May.18 at 4:56 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Co Co, I’m DVRing this as you write. Please, no spoilers.
May.18 at 5:08 pm
Co Co says:
You’ll be so pleased. Especially with Sarah Jessica Parker’s clothing line! Everything under $20 can’t beat it! Oops, I’ve said too much
May.18 at 5:08 pm
sixthman6 says:
lang, the houston chronicle posted another story later on explaining JVG was offered another position within the organization, which he hasnt accepted or declined… i guess thats why morey said all those things.
May.18 at 5:14 pm
sixthman6 says:
nevermind, the next report after that states he declined the other position…
May.18 at 5:15 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I can’t imagine Jeff Van Gundy ever taking another position with a team. He’s a coach, period. Well, or an analyst—a very good one, actually. The whole “offer another position within the organization” ploy is so lousy.
May.18 at 6:12 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Amy Winehouse’s face is remenicent of that of a throughbred race horse. She is also cursed with the Celien(?)Dion-esque problem, where you have a decent enough singing voice, but your talking voice sounds like a garbage disposal.
May.18 at 6:13 pm
Zee says:
B-diddy on the cover! Not utah, shu and DK52, But BARON F’N DAVIS! Now please…be easy fam. BE EASY. And Lang Amy is kinda fly, no? Besides the grimy overbite and all. And yeah those starbury cyclone’s are extremely comfortable, good lookin on the shoe review.
May.18 at 6:35 pm
Tariq says:
Since Lang mentioned the suspensions, I want to bring up the white elephant in the room. Yes, that’s right: Mr. Jalen Rose. Didn’t think I’d go there, did ya? Now, I realize that he’s no longer the “Next Magic” of yesteryear, I know he’s past his prime, but it just seems strange to me that a talented, versatile guy like Jalen, who’s 34, can’t get ANY burn on a severely depleted Suns team. I mean, Nash is 33. Hell, Sam Cassell is 49! OK, so D’Antoni is not gonna put him in in such a crucial game if he hasn’t been playing for so long, but why hasn’t he? Why is Jalen Rose gone too soon? Is he an old 34? Oh, Jalen, we hardly knew ye (sob, sob)
May.18 at 6:48 pm
Gilbert0 says:
Geez the suns piss me off, ever since reading that jack mccallum book for some reason I have wanted them to lose. Whiny bitches. And the annual lovefest for steve nash is boring, they havent won shit with nash. by the way, Man U 2-1
May.18 at 7:10 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I hear Jalen’s gonna demand a trade to the Knicks in the offseason. That would be awesome if a guy was waived, signed with another team, and then was traded back to his original team. Would both of his contracts count against the cap then? Someone needs to do that just because.
May.18 at 7:25 pm
Tariq says:
At this point, alas, i don’t think Jalen can “demand” anything.
May.18 at 7:32 pm
Duckets killin' 'em says:
According to former Spur Steve Kerr http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=sk-sunsspurs051507&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Timmy D the robot & Bruiser Bowen the dirrrty should have also been suspended.
May.18 at 8:00 pm
Kevin Wilson says:
Russ, that’s what could have happened if baseball had a salary cap while Rickey Henderson kept getting traded from Oakland at the deadline, only to sign back later. I’m not sure on the timing, but I think he might have signed a deal with Oakland before he’d cashed a check Oakland gave him the prior season for waiving his no-trade clause. Also, I’ve never smoked marijuana with John Cougar Mellencamp, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale or Lang Whitaker. Thought I’d get that out there.
May.18 at 8:29 pm
janes6289 says:
For all of you wanting to smoke weed with Mellencamp, you’ll be out of luck. Mr. Mellencamp has not smoked dope since the 70s. I was at an interview recently with Mr. Mellencamp when he told the story of McHale and Bird coming to his dressing room when he played Boston Gardens. He definitely was referring to cigarettes as he made the universal fake cigarette smoking gesture bringing his index and middle finger up to his lips.
May.18 at 8:59 pm
FLUXLAND says:
Yo Lang! I usually don’t disagree with anything you post, but I can’t say I agree with you on this whole b****in thing.
I consider myself a pretty big NBA fan. I bought League Pass, I have purchased various NBA apparel, I have purchased playoff tickets, I visit NBA.com… in other words I have invested my hard earned money into the product that the NBA puts out. As of late that product has sucked and the fiasco that they called the Finals last year has depressed me to no end. The fact that envelopes are being bent in corners for the Draft does not make me happy at all. (To suggest thing are fixed is enraging)
I am not a happy customer and the customer is always right. Right? Like I said, I have invested my hard earned cash into this product and I am not happy.. guess what? I have every damn right to b**** . So, for you to tell me to pipe it down and suggest to turn it off is crazy. And if were were to listen.. guess what? NO NBA… NO SLAM.. NO JOB FOR U p.s. How come if rules are rules you just didn’t let the luggage thing at the airport go? Cuz you were not a happy customer, right?
May.18 at 11:12 pm
1hush D says:
Wow, thanks for setting me straight Lang. Sometimes I like to speak out against injustice of major and in some cases relatively minor significance. But you remind me I should just shut up. It is not like the suspensions had anything to do with basketball right? I vote for Lang to lead the sheep. He is a good role model. Now, who smoked pot with whom? - the important stuff.
May.18 at 11:41 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
All you have to remember is that Bill Walton smoked with EVERYBODY.
May.18 at 11:43 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Rickey Henderson=coolest baseball player ever. Amy Winehouse=better looking when overweight.
And the “Nugg Doctor” with weed jokes? How appropriate.
May.18 at 11:53 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I really want Rickey Henderson to come back one last time.
May.19 at 12:27 am
1hush D says:
It may take drug dogs at the airport to bust those carrying weed in their bags but it doesn’t take a drug-sniffing dog to smell the taint around the series victory by the San Antonio Sours.
May.19 at 12:47 am
what says:
McHale and Mellencamp smoking? This really must be our country.
May.19 at 2:20 am
Dennard says:
Rickey Henderson had the coolest homerun trot in MLB history.
May.19 at 2:20 am
Ronald says:
About the whining on the suspensions. The worst is when the writers and commentators talk about interpretation, the legal system and judges. With no legal training or knowledge they should really keep their mouths shut on that regard. Or least read some legal interpretation books or learn the concept of the rule of law.
May.19 at 2:31 am
Simmy Sosa says:
GO!! SPURS!! GO!!
May.19 at 4:40 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Again, if it were only about the rules, Bowen would have been suspended for at least two games, and Duncan for Game 5 (for leaving the bench). Hence, the idea that - obviously suspect - League decisions shouldn’t be debated is kind of absurd. Although I’m sure some people, such as Stern and Stalin, would like the idea.
May.19 at 8:56 am
Nothin_personal says:
Draftnet has Belinelli going to the Jazz 25th. I guess they would need someone to actually play some defence in the 2 spot and cover for him, though.
May.19 at 10:03 am
Nez says:
Lang is bitching about bitching. Fact is the NBA sucked this year and people who like basketball are disappointed with the shitty basketball and David Stern’s reign of terror. Shut up with the ’stop watching’ stuff.
May.19 at 11:09 am
1hush D says:
Thanks Ron - the legal weighing in was as rough on this site as the racial variance comments - and Slobo, thanks for protecting discussion……the upside is that Detroit v Spurs will be a great series. But i did inform TNT I would stop watching the games in protest. I only hope that Utah can lay some Spurs-style bruising on the Spurs themselves. Anything to help Detroit and the ever seemingly lost Flip Saunders find a way to beat the San Antonio Sours and their overwhelming taint.
May.19 at 11:27 am
pablo says:
Langa, about whinning, I agree with you 100%. Period. I mean, the Spurs got ROBBED last season against the Mavs, and what did the Spurs say to the refs? Nothing. That´s whining about whining? Crap! GO MANU AND OBERTO!
May.19 at 12:35 pm
DarK says:
When will people stop saying the rules called for Duncan to be suspended for leaving the bench? Players leave the bench all the time during games - the key is that Duncan did not leave the bench DURING an altercation, which Amare and Boris did. Elson and Jones just got incidentally tangled up, nothing more.
May.19 at 1:37 pm
1hushd says:
So what you are saying Dark is that we have room for interpretation of the rule, right? I could not agree with you more. Wow, SLAM sure attracts some quick-witted readers.
May.19 at 3:52 pm
Hersey says:
All the blather about the suspensions did was make the end to what was supposed to be a good series even more disappointing. That’s been the mood this entire year, disappointing. The laundry list of issues has driven away casual fans and now even die-hard fans are acknowledging the league isn’t very fun to watch. Lang I think you’re arguing against the trend. The NBA is terribly flawed and any person with a blog and a DVR can publicly state a pretty good case. Mark Cuban may be great owner but he’s started a trend. If blogs were around when the Knicks got screwed by suspensions in 97 the uproar would’ve been the same. The conversation about sports has changed. If that weren’t the case you folks wouldn’t have put in the effort to develop slamonline. You can send out edicts about stoping the whining but the newspaper sites in playoff cities have had to shutdown some comments forums because they get so nasty. Whining and whatever you want to label fan commentary is here to stay. While I’m done watching for the year, there will undoubtly be something that drives away more fans before this season comes to a close. Those fans will have plenty to say about it too.
May.21 at 7:16 am
Jarrod says:
“First of all, other than smoking a cigar or a cigarette or something” the key word here is something. With the moves he’s made recently he’s most definetely been smoking crack.