Re: Celtics Barely Win: Celtics 100-Rockets 96

[Dan Forant <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>]

C'mon, triple double tools? Did he ever have one? Walker may have pulled
off *one* of the biggest capers in NBA history, financially speaking,
concerning worth. I say may have because he isn't near where he should or
could be. I believe it's laziness, especially in the off season where he
could have honed some of his glaring weaknesses. The boo birds have always
been in Boston like any other town. NY is a good example. They just didn't
boo when Bird and Company were in town because they produced. And when they
started to falter they left them alone because of respect. Respect is
something is you earn, it isn't bestowed upon one. The bomb here is, too
black for Boston, unless I don't understand the context, it's an absurdity.
My question is did we trade the wrong man??

At 06:34 PM 12/13/99 +0100, you wrote:
>Jim Meninno wrote:
>
>>  I mentioned I went to the
>> game on Friday, and I couldn't believe the reactions Walker was getting.
>> EVERY TIME HE MISSES A SHOT, the entire building lets out a sort of moan.
>> There was one kid a couple of rows behind me who responded to any Walker
>> move that didn't result in a basket, and possibly some that did, by yelling
>> out "What was that?" or "Trade him!".  People who engage in this sort of
>> behavior are not fans.  They are sad, pathetic, jealous people, with no
>> sense of self respect, who need to direct their venom at an easy target.
>> And what easier target is there than a young millionaire who is
compelled to
>> appear before a crowd night after night?  He can not so much as yell back
>> "Bite me!" without newspaper articles being written about him.  If he did
>> any more than that he'd be fined and suspended.  No, these people are not
>> fans.  They are not there to see the Celtics win.  The Celtics did win, and
>> Antoine played fairly well.  If you ask me, this problem is already
having a
>> negative affect on Antoine's play and if it continues it could get very
>> ugly.
>
>The fact that the papers reported it as "Make me" instead of "Bite me" sounds
>kind of deliberate and suggests in my mind that the Boston media took a
pretty
>visible incident (one they had little choice but to comment on) and did what
>they could to portray Walker's part in it in as favorable a light as possible
>under the lame circumstances:  either because even THEY actually feel a bit
>sorry for Antoine or perhaps they are also motivated by guilt over the
role they
>played in creating this seething hatred toward the young man.  In my mind you
>can really pin much of the blame for this lynchmob Boston ambiance on Bob
Ryan
>and Peter May, who legitimized Walker-bashing (at least in the minds of
retards)
>as the traditionalist or even decent thing to do. Now that they are seeing
the
>power of their pens in action, they may be feeling a bit of revulsion and
>sadness. I certainly hope they are happy now that the chickens have come
home to
>roost.
>
>Antoine is in a tough situation because everyone is waiting for him to
trip up
>and finally lash back at the fans publically, such that they can feel even
MORE
>justified in heeping abuse on him as a spoiled and potentially crazy
non-white
>man. Thus, he has to take the same diplomatic line, pretending to think
that all
>this crap he hears around him only happend because "the fans are used to
>winning" etc.  I'm sure (I'm 100% sure) he sees what's going on after
talking to
>Bill Russell, but it's a no win situation. At least he has his teammates. As
>remarked on ad nauseum, it's totally obvious they see a different Antoine,
and
>maybe that's enough to make him stay. To the extent that it's fair to say so,
>Toine brought a lot of this on himself with his "Jekyl and Hyde"
>hyper-sensitive, hyper-competitive attitude the minute he steps out on the
>basketball court (whereas he's so soft-spoken and thoughtful in every
interview
>I've heard once he's off the court).
>
>Go figure. The one player in the last 15 years who reminds me of Larry
Bird (a
>lobotomized Bird) in terms of his competitiveness, triple-double caliber
tools
>and last-second bombs, but he turns out to be "too black" for Boston even
before
>he reaches Bird's rookie age. Like I've said before,  he'd at least make a
>fantastic villain on another team.
>
>Joe
>
>****
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