tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post116593288265150569..comments2024-01-31T17:51:12.213-05:00Comments on Swing and a Miss: Full Court TreatmentTom Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00816668232837298444noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-1166019759884625792006-12-13T09:22:00.000-05:002006-12-13T09:22:00.000-05:00George S:Are you really holding up Kobe Bryant as ...George S:<BR/><BR/>Are you really holding up Kobe Bryant as an exemplar of all that is good in the NBA? The petulent, back-stabbing, and, lest we forget (as the media certainly appears to have) concierge-raping Kobe Bryant?<BR/><BR/>Also, can you please let me know what hardware it is that LeBron has taken home?<BR/><BR/>Not that I necessarily disagree with your main point about Iverson, you just really need to come up with better examples, and I am sickened that Kobe continues to get a free pass from seemingly everybody.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-1165942677614749452006-12-12T11:57:00.000-05:002006-12-12T11:57:00.000-05:00Well said, George. I, too, cannot help think Iver...Well said, George. I, too, cannot help think Iverson has wanted to escape the image he came with but hasn't been able to. Maybe that is just the wishful thinking of a middle-aged white man.Tom Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00816668232837298444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7610014.post-1165940312151164002006-12-12T11:18:00.000-05:002006-12-12T11:18:00.000-05:00I have to wonder about Iverson and the advice he g...I have to wonder about Iverson and the advice he gets (and apparently follows) regarding his image. This is advice from his friends, agents and endorsement partners.<BR/><BR/>Think about it: a sneaker commercial where Iverson has to tell people he is NOT a hood, a gangster or a thug. This is a league MVP we're talking about. And he has to say that?<BR/><BR/>Instead of helping him grow and mature commensurate with his wealth and stature in the sports community, they instead reinforced the warped view of society that he formed in his youth.<BR/><BR/>That view carried over into his relationships with coaches and authority in general, until we arrive at the inevitable result: a fed up franchise, a loser label and a public that's just bored with it all.<BR/><BR/>I feel badly about it because I always thought that Alan Iverson was deep down a very kind and decent person, someone who actually might have wanted to live a 'conventional' life with his wife and kids. But he could never cut the ties with friends that played him false, and he could never build trust in those who wanted to help him.<BR/><BR/>It's no coincidence that the Iversons and Marburys of the NBA are perrenial losers, while the Duncans, Bryants and LeBrons take home the hardware. You think someday they would figure that out, but they just never do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com