I don't think Sabonis' retirement had anything to do with the towel-throwing. And I think the towel-throwing was immature and dumb, but far from unforgivable. If Jordan had done that to a teammate, people would have laughed and forgotten it ten seconds later. Sabonis was a cool-seeming guy, but not a Christ-like figure where any negative behavior towards him damns you for eternity (in my opinion, anyway). Also, on topic: Link
Sidebar - What the hell is up with journalists starting these ridiculous names like The Vertical and The Undefeated? Corny as hell.
Boutique sports journalism sites (i.e. sites that pride themselves on star journalists digging deeply into subjects rather than writing quick stories) need serious or "meaningful" names. Grantland, The Ringer, The Undefeated, The Vertical. They're not mere "news services," they're art!
Here's another perspective: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...all-player-face-celebrated-22nd-birthday.html "According to an arrest report, Edmondson was with his girlfriend and some of his team mates when Green bumped into him in a bar called Rick's in East Lansing, Michigan, in the early hours of Saturday morning. In his statement to police, Edmondson said he 'was talking to one of my team mates when Draymond bumped into me and I said: "Hey bro, you can at least say excuse me."' Green is said to have asked Edmondson who he was, while the football player asked the same question. Edmondson said the Warriors player replied: 'I pay for n***as like you [to get] scholarships.' The Michigan State defensive back told police he was trying to tell Green he was confusing him with someone else when he was' choked out by two guys who were with him', Edmondson told police. According to his statement, Edmondson was taken away to calm down by employees at the bar, but ran back after hearing his girlfriend, Bianca Williams, scream as she was allegedly choked. 'This is so wrong on so many levels for someone to think that something like this is OK,' Green told police. 'Me and my girlfriend were both choked in front of our peers and we couldn't do anything about it.'"
"“If I was any kind of a man, I would have got up from that broadcast table and walked across the court and punched Rasheed Wallace in the nose. But I let Sabonis and the game of basketball and the human race down that day.” — Bill Walton" Have people around here really forgotten that Sabonis actually retired twice. I know I'm the resident old fart, but surely there are others here who have been following the Blazers for more than 15 years that remember the details. Yes, Sabonis did retire, out of disgust with his coach, teammates and the entire organization less than a month after Towelgate. Here's what he had to say about his former coach and his teammates at that time: Blazers center Sabonis says Dunleavy should've been fired earlier May 11, 2001 SportsLine.com wire reports KAUNAS, Lithuania -- Portland Trail Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis had harsh words for his teammates and said coach Mike Dunleavy should have been fired much earlier for failing to control his players. "There aren't players on the Portland team, just names earning millions," Sabonis said Thursday while visiting his hometown. Dunleavy was fired Monday after the Blazers were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Suspensions, injuries and internal bickering plagued the team, which lost 17 of its last 25 games despite an NBA-record payroll of $89.7 million. Sabonis said Dunleavy didn't "bring the team's stars down to planet Earth, and should have been fired midseason." Sabonis' remarks were widely reported in newspapers and replayed on the radio Friday. Five Blazers made at least $11.2 million last season, including Sabonis, who earned $11.25 million in the last year of a three-year contract. The 7-foot-3 center averaged 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds, but missed 16 games because of various injuries. Sabonis would not speculate about his future with the team. "I've gotten used to being in Portland and would like to stay there, but I don't know how things will turn out," he said. If Sabonis decides not to return to the Blazers, he certainly would have good reason. During a game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on April 15, teammate Rasheed Wallace threw a towel into his face, angry that Sabonis accidentally smacked Wallace in the face with his hand. The language barrier also was a persistent problem, and Sabonis struggled to understand what his teammates and Dunleavy wanted from him. In one game, Sabonis shouted to the bench, "I've got five people telling me different things!" Sabonis didn't exclude the possibility that he might end his career playing for Lithuania's Zalgiris Kaunas, a top team in Europe and one that Sabonis partly owns. "Someday I might play with them, if they'll take me," he said, joking. Sabonis, who turns 37 in December, might be the greatest player to ever come out of the former Soviet Union. He was drafted by the Blazers in 1986 but stayed in Europe to play professionally. He helped the Soviet Union win the gold medal in the 1988 Olympics, and led Lithuania to bronze medals in 1992 and 1996. Although he was past his prime when he made his debut with the Blazers in 1995, Sabonis has played well the past six seasons. He's averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds, and is regarded as one of the best-passing big men in the game. ------------------------------------------------ Was the towel in the face on national TV on April 15th THE reason Sabonis chose to sit out the 2001-02 season? Perhaps not, but it was a prime example of how Dunleavy had lost control of the team. Wallace charged Dunleavy in the locker room after the game. Dunleavy wanted to suspend Wallace, but Whitsitt overruled him. So, Sabonis retired, sat out a year after Towelgate, and then came back out of retirement for one final season under Mo Cheeks in 2002-03. BNM
You're a LAKER FAN!!! Hopefully Sly lets me get away with a personal attack this one time because Sabonis.
A perfect storm of superstar treatment and situational officiating. 5:30 left in the 4th quarter of a very close (final score 125-121) Game 5 at GSW. Green already had one technical. No way are they giving him a second T and ejecting him with the game on the line. BNM
