TGW wrote:badinage wrote:TGW wrote:
That's funny, because Brooks doesn't hold Westbrook accountable here.
Name a star in the NBA who is “held accountable.”
Not a one.
Stars must be treated with utmost delicacy — else they leave, or create dissent before they do.
So GMs must involve them in personnel decisions. And act as though the player has the power to shape and decide.
Westbrook isn't a star. He has the label because of what he did four years ago, but he's not in demand anymore. So giving him any say in any decisions is foolish...unless your a mom 'n pop organization like the Wizards.
He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Star.
Perhaps no longer a top-tier star. But a star nonetheless.
Now, as to the idea that stars are held accountable in the NBA — not a one is. Not a one.
Because coaches and GMs know they must bootlick. It’s reverse plantation-ism. No one talks about it, except perhaps in code — but we all know what time it is.
Read that NYer piece on Rich Paul. The brother got over. He broke the game. He thinks he won. And maybe, in a way, he has. But he’s also lost. We’ve all lost.
This AAU-ization of the league is a terrible thing. The Nets are an AAU team. But certain quarters of the leagues fans don’t care. They love the Fakers. They’re fun to watch, most definitely — but the team is total mercenaries. No real depth, no community ties, no roots. They’re the regular season version of Team Durant or Team Lebron. Which, again, certain quarters of the leagues fans don’t mind at all. They root for players, not teams. No allegiance to the franchise over the years. No feel for the history.
That’s why I want Utah to win. Crush the Rich Pauls, the Lebrons, the AAUers. A team. A real team. Connected to a place. A fan base with a complicated past, that has known disappointments. That shxt matters.
If it doesn’t, let the Rich Pauls start their AAU pro league. Players playing for themselves. Without pasts. Absent history.
I’ll never watch. Even if the hoop is great.