George Karl on what's wrong with basketball (and the Blazers)

Lots of people are pissed at George Karl right now. Rightfully so. He is on a crusade to sell books which is why he is stirring up so much controversy. Typical asshat shit:





Say what you want about Stephen A., his take is spot on IMO

 

Thanks for sharing all those... Stephen A was on point... all of them were. Good stuff.

 

Didn't see this thread till just now...... Haven't really been following this whole mess.
Yesterday 4:30, bench guys were out on the court working out as usual. I'm out there, Dame shows up and starts dribbling around, testing the ankle out. Walks up to me, we talk about what we did over Christmas..... talk a little boxing like we always do and then he looks up at me and says, "You hear what Coach Karl said about me?"

He was straight faced and serious.....he was shocked! Said he couldn't believe somebody would trash him like that. Let alone somebody who he has never met. Said he didn't understand it and that's how rumors get started. You could tell he was hurt by it.

I told him to not think twice about it. Said he was just trying to sell some books. And how better to do that then put some BS in it about one of the leagues rising stars.

Didn't get a chance to read this thread, but just wanted to add a behind the scenes angle.

 

best HCP thread ever dude! Thanks for sharing it!

 

Georgey is selling clickbait.

 

Neat story but you left out the part where he was talking to someone that mattered while you were washing his car

 

Thanks for the insight, HCP. I like that you work for the team. Not because you do work for the team, it's just easier to schedule my extra curricular activities.

 

That was a loaded Orlando team that got embarrassed in the Finals, as I recall. Shaq was a dominant underachiever back then.

 

What? They didn't underachieve. They played Olajuwon...

 

I said Shaq underachieved, not they, i.e., the team.

They had one of the best centers in the league, one of the best power forwards in the league, one of the best point guards in the league, and one of the better shooting guards in the league, yet they weren't nearly good enough. I don't recall offhand who the SF was.

 

Sorry, but Houston's lineup was better.

Kenny Smith
Mario Elie
Clyde Drexler
Robert Horry
Hakeem

Hardaway
Nick Anderson
Dennis Scott
Horace Grant
Shaq

Both great lineups, but Orlando got worked because Houston was vet savy. AT THAT TIME, Houston was far superior because of experience alone. Orlando choked because of inexperience.

Then when you add a bench to Houston that includes:

Sam Cassell
Vernon Maxwell
Tracy Murry

VS

Brian Shaw
Tree Rollins
Jeff Turner


Houston was a well oiled machine that had won the year before beating the Knicks.

 

From his speech in Miami while getting his number retired.

‘Pat, the guys are partying on the beach and you got us practicing at 10. Can you please move it back to 12?’

Just because Shaq was not releasing bad movies or horrible rap albums does not mean he was taking basketball any more seriously.

 

Shaq took basketball seriously?

 

Man you're on one and inventing things. Shaq didn't underachieve.

The starting 5 were:

Penny
Nick Anderson
Dennis Scott
Horace Grant
Shaq
(who is the reason they won 50 games and made the finals)

 

Total, right out of your ass BS.

The year Shas Diesel came out he averaged:

29.3 Pts
13.2 Rebs
2.9 Blks
.599 FG%

Edit: He also played 81 games at 39.8 mpg.

 

Shaq did dedicate himself a bit more on the defensive end during the Lakers' championship years, but it wasn't because he stopped doing non-basketball-related things. That was one of the tensions between Shaq and Kobe--Bryant wanted everything to be basketball and nothing but and Shaq viewed it as a job that he could clock out of and do other things on his own time.

 

Kobe and he BEEFED because of Shaq's laziness. Shaq was playing 60ish games per season.

 

"Kobe"! "Beefed"! Well done!!