Around the League: Week 16 The 2015 All-Star Game

[carey]

A little Sam Amick on Dan Patrick...

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I, too, am wondering what the hell is up with Durant. He's turned from god fearing, mom thanking nice guy into an asshole over night. Is this the real him? Was it an act the first 7 years? Or is he trying to act all hard now for some reason?

[TOO]

Meh, Durant is human, probably had a bad day. I wouldn't be able to go 7 years of constant repeated questions without a few blow ups. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more in sports.

[Mori Chu]

I think he's a good guy and a nice person in general, but he's understandably frustrated lately in OKC. Their team is struggling, may not make the playoffs, and he's been in and out of the lineup with injuries for a long time. And he has to play with Westbrook, which he claims he's happy doing, but I'd be annoyed if that guy chucked up all those shots every game. I'd be frustrated too if I were him. But it's a bad idea for him to lash out at the media. Other than that ridiculous "Mr. Unreliable" story they wrote about him once, the media generally gush about him and give him nothing but positive coverage.

[In2ition]

My guess is that he wants something that isn't going to be popular with fans of his and nba fans in general. He probably realizes this and is coming out all hard ass, to let people know that he is going to get what he wants and isn't going to get caught up in "doing what's right" for those poor fans in OKC(screw them).

[ShelC]

It is odd to see Durant turning heel. Maybe he realizes being the nice guy won't get him any further with the media, so might as well keep it real. If they're going to turn on him just to write a story and get paid, why give them anything. If he wins, they'll love him. If he loses, he'll be the guy who can't win games. You're a loser until you're a winner (see, KG, Dirk, Gasol, Paul Pierce, LeBron, Bosh).

It's never good to just stonewall the media though IMO. Give the canned answers so there's nothing interesting to write. Being a dick just gives them more fodder.

[carey]

Meh, Durant is human, probably had a bad day. I wouldn't be able to go 7 years of constant repeated questions without a few blow ups. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more in sports.

Oh no, you haven't been paying attention then. This little act has been going on all season.

[Superbone]

It is odd to see Durant turning heel. Maybe he realizes being the nice guy won't get him any further with the media, so might as well keep it real.

Let's hope he's not going Dennis Rodman on us.

[TOO]

It is odd to see Durant turning heel. Maybe he realizes being the nice guy won't get him any further with the media, so might as well keep it real.

Let's hope he's not going Dennis Rodman on us.

I hope he does, I loved the worm, he was wacky.

[Shabazz]

The Bucks are buying out Larry Sanders. If he gets his head right, he could literally swing the entire playoff race. Imagine if the Cavs picked him up. Or the Spurs or Rockets.

[LazarusLong]

The Bucks are buying out Larry Sanders. If he gets his head right, he could literally swing the entire playoff race. Imagine if the Cavs picked him up. Or the Spurs or Rockets.

Classic high-risk/high reward player. Could be this season's Bison Dele.
Or could be a total clustermess.

It will be interesting to see if anybody roles the dice on this guy.

[Mori Chu]

I think he's being bought out because he doesn't want to play NBA basketball any more. My guess is that his hoops career is over.

[LazarusLong]

That's sorta why I likened him to Bison, who had some major emotional issues.
Unfortunately for Dele, he had a brother that was in worse shape ...

[carey]

More on LaVine's dunk contest victory from CanisHoops: http://www.canishoopus.com/2015/2/15/80 ... mmortality

A lot of hyperbole here, but that last dunk off the stanchion is actually really really impressive because you have to move horizontally & vertically in a diagonal without hitting the backboard. I had not seen a good look of that last night when I said it wasn't that special.

Though if he would have busted out the windmill from the free throw line...

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[iLLmatic]

Didn't Bison Dele get lost out at sea? I remember the Suns wanted him really bad at point I think.

[Shabazz]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wally_West]

Ugh, If only McDonough tried to make an actual real effort to sign Jermaine O'Neal then maybe he wouldn't be doing this. This is probably going to be the biggest stain on Mcdout's tenure here as GM because clearly this guy is over his head. With his unhealthy obsession with Bledsoe, to his homoerotic love of the Morris Twins and to his immense borderline criminal hatred of Dragic, his incompetence is becoming abundantly clear every day. Maybe this dude would do better elsewhere, like maybe managing the Bakersfield Jam instead.

#McDout

[LazarusLong]

Didn't Bison Dele get lost out at sea? I remember the Suns wanted him really bad at point I think.

In 2002, Dele was presumed dead at age 33, along with his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, 30, and his boat's captain, French-man Bertrand Saldo, 32. Dele's brother, 35-year-old Miles Dabord, died Sept.27 in a Southern California hospital after an apparent insulin overdose taken in Mexico while on the run from authorities. Dabord is suspected of killing the three during a struggle on the boat, but no charges were ever filed, and no other witnesses have come forward.

Here's the back story ...

http://static.espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no21dele.html

[Indy]

Didn't Bison Dele get lost out at sea? I remember the Suns wanted him really bad at point I think.

In 2002, Dele was presumed dead at age 33, along with his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, 30, and his boat's captain, French-man Bertrand Saldo, 32. Dele's brother, 35-year-old Miles Dabord, died Sept.27 in a Southern California hospital after an apparent insulin overdose taken in Mexico while on the run from authorities. Dabord is suspected of killing the three during a struggle on the boat, but no charges were ever filed, and no other witnesses have come forward.

Here's the back story ...

http://static.espn.go.com/magazine/vol5no21dele.html

Law & Order (the good one) did a show on it too. Well in their own way.

[LazarusLong]

I remember the show, Indy.

Re: Dele, he was part of one of the larger and more talented UofA front lines, along with Sean Rooks and 7-foot Ed Stokes.

[bwgood77]

Meh, Durant is human, probably had a bad day. I wouldn't be able to go 7 years of constant repeated questions without a few blow ups. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more in sports.

Oh no, you haven't been paying attention then. This little act has been going on all season.

I think it's two things. First of all, he is obviously frustrated that the team has been derailed by injuries, but I have read quite a bit about all this and what apparently makes him most upset with the media is the constant negative reporting about how Scott Brooks is doing. He is really defensive about Scott Brooks. It did seem to go a little over the top when he started talking about voting for the all stars and some other comments about media day in general but I think little things that just kind of bothered him before get under his skin easier because of the season this team has had to endure, especially after the last two seasons playoff runs being derailed by injuries as well. It's the third year in a row they have had awful luck with injuries.