Rose Colored Lenses

Former NBA MVP and Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose kicked the sports-talk ant hill last week when he commented that he was sitting out of games to avoid long term health problems. Rose, who has suffered two serious knee injuries, one in each knee, since the first game of the 2012 playoffs. Rose missed nearly all of the past two seasons due to the injuries.

Last week, Rose said regarding sitting out games, "I think a lot of people don't understand that when I sit out it's not because of this year. I'm thinking about long term. I'm thinking about after I'm done with basketball. ... I’m thinking about long term. I’m thinking about after I’m done with basketball. Having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to, I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past. [I'm] just learning and being smart."

I don't understand why he didn't finish the game. What a sissy! 1

WHAT WAS SAID AND WHAT WAS MEANT

Rose was immediately, vigorously, and almost unanimously criticized for his remarks by sports media and former NBA players, most notably outspoken Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. The narrative generally was along the following line: Rose is paid roughly $20 million per year to play a game. He sounds like an out-of-touch whiner when people with less desirable and more physically strenuous and/or dangerous, occupations that often offer more value to society's basic existence and progression as a whole earn far less, some living paycheck-to-paycheck. For those reasons, he should never publicly complain about his physical concerns for his body.

Athlete envy grates my nerves to no end. Everyone is dealt a different set of cards and everyone has to manage his or her own life based on the circumstances and opportunities in his or her life. For anyone raising his blood pressure beyond a normal level from annoyance by an off-putting comment, my (likely unpopular) response is: tough shit.

There are cops who go to work on crutches. He can't at least shoot some free throws. If that happened at MY job (insert stupid, self-righteous blathering from a fat slob with no ambition and half of Rose's work ethic)! 2

GET A LIFE; ROSE HAS ONE

The "controversy" brought on by the Rose comments has taken a life of its own. I could understand some rumblings by Chicago area fans whose patience as fans may be thinning from the former MVP's absence holding the Bulls back from possibly winning a championship. The nationwide "outrage" is ridiculous to me.

At worst, Rose is guilty of being a little tone deaf, especially after doubling down on his remarks later in the week. Rose is not a public relations or communications professional. He's a basketball player. He isn't paid to deliver well crafted, fan friendly statements on the fly when asked about his body and his career. The bottom line is that he suffered two significant, potentially debilitating injuries that robbed him of two years of his career and he is going to be careful. Whether he used terminology about being "sore" while envisioning and attempting to quickly articulate future situations in his life in which he could be in pain from aggravating his injuries or simply said, "I'm concerned about long-term consequences from short-term overexertion," is irrelevant.

Former pro athletes know that their bodies are their money makers and should consider backing off a bit. People in the media are fanning the flames to have a discussion topic and should demonstrate a greater depth of their ability to engage their audiences with their opining skills. Members of the public venting outrage through sports-talk radio and the Internet need to look at themselves in the mirror. If your job shoveling horse crap doesn't give you the options that Rose has from playing basketball, learn to play basketball and an elite, world class level or worry more about bettering your own lot in life You come across as pathetic.

I'm in complete agreement with Joakim Noah (comments in this clip). 3

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info. 


1) Image from www.tonyandtawni.com
2) Imahe from nydailynews.com
3) Video from www.youtube.com

The Other “F Word”

1

Last night, in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, Bulls center Joakim Noah picked up his second foul midway through the first quarter. As he took he seat on the bench, clearly frustrated, Noah’s mouth appeared to form the two “F words” that should not be said on live television.

Later in the broadcast, it was confirmed that others appeared to see the same words being formed. By this morning, it was reported on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning that a fan in Miami’s arena had been heckling Noah, and Noah returned fire. To be clear, the words in question would rhyme with “ducking maggot”.

Oh NO, Mr. Noah! UH OH! 2

NOWHERE TO HIDE

Just last month, Los Angeles Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for being seen saying the same two words in the direction of a referee with whom Kobe had a difference of opinion. Once is a coincidence; twice is a pattern; three times is a trend. Bryant apologized and recanted quickly after his fine was handed down. Noah, only in his fourth year in the NBA, earns nowhere near the salary that Bryant earns, yet I would not be surprised to see the NBA hand down a fine of a similar dollar amount to deter this pattern from becoming a trend in the NBA.

To be clear, I am not attempting to paint Noah as some gay bashing, homophobic Neanderthal. Sports are intended to be competitive and, by their nature, the competition can become heated. Add to the equation a fan, possibly a fan on the Liquid Courage Diet, and the most gentlemanly person could let out utterances that would never be heard on Sesame Street.

In addition, basketball is different than the other three major North American team sports. Football players’ mouths are obstructed by helmets and face masks. When on the bench, they are dozens of feet away from the front row of spectator seats. Baseball players are seated underneath the fans and below the field surface in a darkened dugout. Hockey players are separated from fans by a tall layer of fiberglass.

NBA basketball is unique in that it is far more up close and personal with the players than any other sport. There are no helmets or pads. The most expensive, prestigious, and profitable seats in the entire area are at courtside. Fans can literally sit behind and (almost) next to the players.

Sorry, Kobe. You can't say "filth flarn flarn filth" in front of people. 3 

WHO TO BLAME?

What the NBA has is an immensely popular sport that sells its players’ personalities to fans paying top dollar to sit as close to the action as possible. These players are participating in a sport, like all sports, that is highly competitive, can get very heated, and can produce very colorful language from the participants in the heat of battle. It is also a sport, unlike other sports, in which more fans, many of whom feel entitled to say what they want because they purchased a ticket, can speak (or scream) within earshot of players than in any other sport. Finally, we live in a time in which broadcast technology allows us to see players more closely than ever and more clearly than ever. We also live in a time in which the slightest incident that garners attention can be shared and discussed with millions of people in seconds because of the Internet, especially Twitter.

Athletes, especially NBA players, no matter how heated, have to be mindful of their actions and the image it projects to fans about them and their sport at all times. NBA players have a heightened degree of liability and accountability. They also have significantly higher average salaries than other professional athletes*.

Fans pay a premium for tickets for seats closer to the court. Ticket sales enable franchises to pay for a substantial portion of players’ salaries. This does not, however, necessarily make the fan “the boss”. The customer is not always right when he harasses employees, often well beyond a harmless verbal barb.

Regardless, the NBA is trying to sell a family friendly image. Words like the traditional “F bomb” are not family friendly, but tolerable in moderate doses when not audible on television. These are alpha males, basketball is a sport, and fans expect intense competition. Four letter Anglophone profanities can be expected. The gay slur, on the other hand, has absolutely no place in the NBA. It is a word that encapsulates hatred of and bigotry towards other human beings. Regardless of one’s personal feelings on the topic of alternative lifestyles, no mainstream business wants it product associated with hatred of other people.

Twitter has even turned The Bieb's world upside down. 4

WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

NBA players are the immediate extension and face of the league itself. While it may not be fair, relative to the privacy of other pro athletes, that basketball players, due to the logistics of the game, are under constant observation and therefore must be continuously aware of all of their actions, they are nonetheless responsible for their observable actions.

The only constant in life is change. NBA salaries have changed for the better of the players. Interest in the sports has changed for the better of the players. Media coverage and exposure of the sport has changed for the better of the players. Basketball players have empowerment parallel with that of small to medium sized businessmen, as evidenced with the joining of forces in Miami by Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade. With great power comes great responsibility. NBA players, like Bryant, Noah and hundreds of others, have no choice but to be more aware of their surroundings and change their standard of behavior, specifically their language, in the heat of battle.


*Source: Sports Illustrated via freemoneyfinance.com (2006)
1) Image from sororitysecrets.wordpress.com 
2) Image from everyjoe.com
3) Image from 1069therock.com
4) Image from theinquisitr.com

Carmelo Anthony for Joakim Noah?

While I certainly do not expect an atmosphere similar to The Decision when Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony's current contract expires at the end of the 2011 NBA season, there is no doubt that Carmelo Anthony is the most prolific player potentially entering free agency after the coming NBA season.

The Nuggets have attempted to make Anthony a very wealthy man in exchange for remaining in Denver for three more seasons. Anthony, thus far, has balked. The sports media rumor mill is suggesting that the Nuggets may be exploring the possibility of Anthony for the Chicago Bulls' big man, Joakim Noah.

There are a lot of moving parts in this equation. Both Anthony and Noah's contracts expire at the end of the 2011 season. Anthony would become an unrestricted free agent and Noah would be a restricted free agent, having completed his rookie contract. The short and long term value of both players to both teams, I believe, ultimately hinge on Anthony's decision on with whom to sign a long term deal.

Assuming the Nuggets and Bulls pull the trigger on a trade, there are a number of factors to consider. If Melo attempts to bolt for a team like the New York Knicks, as it has been widely speculated (I still don't understand what rational person would put himself in that position if he is already in a place like Chicago), the Bulls can still offer more money, in the form of a max contract, and get some kind of value in a sign-and-trade deal with New York. It is better than nothing, which is what they might get for Noah.

Remember, Noah is talented, but the roads have been a little rocky for him at times in Chicago and, to me, he seems to be the most likely among players completing their fourth year to opt for a change in scenery. This is also good for the Nuggets, If Carmelo is not coming back, Noah is an oatmeal-is-better-than-no-meal type of compensation. If it works out, they'll have an excellent shot at keeping him, long-term and, worst case, they have the leverage to force a trade or gain some kind of compensation.


Ultimately, the wisdom (or lack thereof) in this deal will boil down to whether or not the Nuggets really believe they can resign Anthony after 2011. The season starts next month so time is of the essence. The Nuggets need to keep their ears to the ground and their noses to the grindstone because, of all parties involved, they stand to be the biggest winners or losers in these combinations of possible transactions.