This guy is absolutely one sick SOB.
And then came the bombshell. Controversial Portland Trail Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace, who virtually never talks to the media, gave a wide-ranging interview to Geoffrey Arnold of the Oregonian, and now we know why 'Sheed prefers just to say, "Both teams play hard."
Not that there's anything wrong with that, but compared to what he actually believes is going on in the NBA, suffice to say more than a few heads will be turned and he is likely to be fined. He's entitled to his opinion, but it paints a picture that is not only exaggerated but defames the character of everyone in the league who is not a player. He told Arnold, if you'll excuse his language, in part:
"I ain't no dumb-ass nigger out here. I'm not like a whole bunch of these young boys out here who get caught up and captivated into the league. No. I see behind the lines. I see behind the false screens. I know what this business is all about. I know the commissioner of this league makes more than three-quarters of the players in this league. There's a whole lot of crunching numbers that, quote-unquote, me as an athlete and me as an NBA player should know. In my opinion, they just want to draft niggers who are dumb and dumber -- straight out of high school. That's why they're drafting all these high school cats, because they come into the league and they don't know no better. They don't know no better, and they don't know the real business, and they don't see behind the charade. "They look at black athletes like we're dumb-ass niggers. It's as if we're just going to shut up, sign for the money and do what they tell us."
Uh, OK 'Sheed, but for the $17 million, you get paid to play a child's game, and you probably ought to be accountable to somebody.
1. Item: Wallace went off to the Oregonian on a number of subjects, from not caring about what anybody outside of his immediate family thinks of his attitude, drug habits or leadership role on the Blazers to detesting the way players are treated.
What it really means: First of all, Wallace makes more than twice as much as commissioner David Stern, who is responsible for the entire league. Second, to say they are taking advantage of kids coming out of high school when they get guaranteed multimillion-dollar contracts is way out of line. If they have trustworthy agents, they should be financially secure for life by the time they are 22 and that means, well, those "cats" ain't so dumb after all.
(Stern had this to say Friday: "Mr. Wallace?s hateful diatribe was ignorant and offensive to all NBA players. I refuse to enhance his heightened sense of deprivation by publicly debating with him. Since Mr. Wallace did not direct his comments at any particular individuals other than me, I think it best to leave it to the Trail Blazers organization -- and its players and fans -- to determine the attitudes by which they wish to be defined.")
And then came the bombshell. Controversial Portland Trail Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace, who virtually never talks to the media, gave a wide-ranging interview to Geoffrey Arnold of the Oregonian, and now we know why 'Sheed prefers just to say, "Both teams play hard."
Not that there's anything wrong with that, but compared to what he actually believes is going on in the NBA, suffice to say more than a few heads will be turned and he is likely to be fined. He's entitled to his opinion, but it paints a picture that is not only exaggerated but defames the character of everyone in the league who is not a player. He told Arnold, if you'll excuse his language, in part:
"I ain't no dumb-ass nigger out here. I'm not like a whole bunch of these young boys out here who get caught up and captivated into the league. No. I see behind the lines. I see behind the false screens. I know what this business is all about. I know the commissioner of this league makes more than three-quarters of the players in this league. There's a whole lot of crunching numbers that, quote-unquote, me as an athlete and me as an NBA player should know. In my opinion, they just want to draft niggers who are dumb and dumber -- straight out of high school. That's why they're drafting all these high school cats, because they come into the league and they don't know no better. They don't know no better, and they don't know the real business, and they don't see behind the charade. "They look at black athletes like we're dumb-ass niggers. It's as if we're just going to shut up, sign for the money and do what they tell us."
Uh, OK 'Sheed, but for the $17 million, you get paid to play a child's game, and you probably ought to be accountable to somebody.
1. Item: Wallace went off to the Oregonian on a number of subjects, from not caring about what anybody outside of his immediate family thinks of his attitude, drug habits or leadership role on the Blazers to detesting the way players are treated.
What it really means: First of all, Wallace makes more than twice as much as commissioner David Stern, who is responsible for the entire league. Second, to say they are taking advantage of kids coming out of high school when they get guaranteed multimillion-dollar contracts is way out of line. If they have trustworthy agents, they should be financially secure for life by the time they are 22 and that means, well, those "cats" ain't so dumb after all.
(Stern had this to say Friday: "Mr. Wallace?s hateful diatribe was ignorant and offensive to all NBA players. I refuse to enhance his heightened sense of deprivation by publicly debating with him. Since Mr. Wallace did not direct his comments at any particular individuals other than me, I think it best to leave it to the Trail Blazers organization -- and its players and fans -- to determine the attitudes by which they wish to be defined.")
