Interesting thread and good post about it in the original thread, Sammy. I don't think it's just in the wake of the Leonard fiasco, but that that itself is part of the pattern: whenever something out of the ordinary happens with the Spurs, others try to use it to chip away at the longevity of Spurs’ high standards and success.
Part of it is human nature, as gump says. Another part is the lax approach to news/media and posting. One aspect of it I addressed in my
response to the original poster, namely, misrepresenting information by taking it out of context. This is a problem on two fronts in that the original information does not get the basic respect of being presented accurately (something that should be dealt with on the Forum), and that people just respond to whatever is presented before them (if that).
Isolating quotes to skew the original intent is a variation of those who blatantly chose to believe that Tony criticized Leonard's injury when, in fact, had they watched all five minutes of the video (or bothered to include the last part), they'd have to face the proper context of Tony actually supporting Leonard. (That Leonard was reportedly 'furious' with Tony for the comments reflects a deeper issue - either he didn't bother digging further or chose to believe what he wanted for his own reasons. If true, neither is aboveboard; both are telling).
Others still isolate an initial part of a situation to make an unsubstantiated point while ignoring the conclusion which actually disproves said point ie/ saying that LMA requested a trade to try and poke holes in the Spurs culture, while ignoring the fact that LMA and Pop worked things out, and LMA had a resurgent season while being a consummate teammate which actually speaks so well of the Spurs culture.
Then there are the specious comparisons, so general as to render the point useless ie/ LMA and Leonard both asked for trades so there must be something wrong with the Spurs. Even a cursory, two minute look at the details of each situation and the comparison and conclusion fall apart.
EDIT to add Danny's podcast in which what was reported he never actually said: As a show of support for Leonard getting a second opinion, Danny wished he had been more cautious with his groin pull (initial diagnosis), but because he is competitive, he returned too soon and by the end of the season he had a groin tear (final medical exam). And this somehow made headlines as Spurs misdiagnosing him. He even retweeted those who called out the blatant false reporting. The false reporting still somehow gets posted, even though transcripts were provided, and it takes four minutes to verify.
Those who don't bother to click the links to read anything and just spew hatred, however unfounded the reasons, are most transparent but no less frustrating. Outright inaccuracies and lies are repeated and over time are reposted and accepted as fact (any of the above). It’s an element of the GB that sometimes makes it unpleasant to wade through.
Troublesome trends, all, and maybe they’re a slice of a larger issue of a Twitterverse that presents premises as facts, encourages knee-jerk reactions, and the doubling down on narratives without examining their merits. I’d go on a rant about making
1984 required reading for all, but I’ve gone on long enough.
Resorting to bad arguments and misrepresented facts to try to discredit PATFO speaks for itself.