Around the League: Week 23 3/28-4/3

[Superbone]

@iggyazalea
hmmm i see D Angelo Russell is trending... I actually liked his film. Thanks bro.

[UglyTruth]

I love that everyone in the world seems to be saying Russell isn't trust-worthy but Nick Young, who violated his significant other's trust, is fine.

Everyone already knows Young is an idiot. So nothing that he does is surprising. Russel on the other hand is the #2 pick and the savior of basketball for the Lakers...he's held to much higher standards and rightfully so.

If he recorded Iggy Azalea saying she cheated on Young, this story would be the complete opposite.

Yea that's cause Iggy isn't Russel's teammate.

In sports, your teammates are basically your brothers. Their your family. I remember Tom Brady or someone recently said that he spends more time his teammates than he does his own wife due to the nature of sports and how much you have to travel etc.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I'd still take Russell over anyone on that team. He just turned 20. This is the type of thing 20-year olds do. He'll learn and mature a lot from this, which is much better than some of the other "lessons" young players endure, such as a DUI or something involving violence.

Since when is anyone surprised by this type of news? A multimillion dollar athlete cheats on his girlfriend/fiancé/wife?!? OMG, I just can't imagine that's ever happened before. Furthermore, why is this news? I don't care about the relationship between these people, and I don't think anyone else should care either.

In a twist of irony, it's actually a good thing for the Lakers to be a terrible team in this situation. If they had any semblance of a future outside of Russell they might be willing to off load him on the cheap. In reality he's the best long term asset they have, and they really have no choice but to keep him because it's their best option.

[TOO]

Its "news" because sports coverage is TMZ-esque now. It's awful, it's the reason I pay extra $ to get all the league channel deals so I'm not subjected to ESPN of Fox's drivel.

[dragickingdom]

Its "news" because sports coverage is TMZ-esque now. It's awful, it's the reason I pay extra $ to get all the league channel deals so I'm not subjected to ESPN of Fox's drivel.

Why pay more when you can get some of the best insight here for free.

[Cap]

Furthermore, why is this news? I don't care about the relationship between these people, and I don't think anyone else should care either.

Players seem to regard the locker room as a sacred trust. They're reacting to this almost like he's a psychologist secretly recording and leaking a therapy session, or a priest secretly recording and leaking a confession.

[Mori Chu]

Nice capper to this great Lakers season.

[AmareIsGod]

Why is the story about Russell when it should be about the culture surrounding professional athletes. It's okay for them to lie, cheat, and act completely immoral until they get caught. And I find it completely incongruous when they thank God for being blessed.

[UglyTruth]

https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/715611006383308801

[Ring_Wanted]

Why is the story about Russell when it should be about the culture surrounding professional athletes. It's okay for them to lie, cheat, and act completely immoral until they get caught. And I find it completely incongruous when they thank God for being blessed.

Because Russell is the snitch. You are reading news told from the standpoint of acertain collective. An hypothetical anti-cheating lobby would angle this thing very differently and probably maul the offender, not the messenger.

[pickle]

I don't know if I would want that level of immaturity in my point guard, whom ideally everyone looks to for emotional leadership. The bits and pieces of news on this suggest that he has a Dwight Howard type personality where he can't tell when to get serious. Yes of course DUIs and violence are bad, but I also don't want my players to be Dwight Howard-esque in any way.

[AmareIsGod]

But he didn't record and submit the recording to any publications, etc. The nature as to how the recording was obtained hadn't come to light. If the recording came to light from his phone being hacked or one of his social media accounts being hacked, how are you going to point the finger at him as a bad guy?

[carey]

But he didn't record and submit the recording to any publications, etc. The nature as to how the recording was obtained hadn't come to light. If the recording came to light from his phone being hacked or one of his social media accounts being hacked, how are you going to point the finger at him as a bad guy?

Really? Because he recorded it & kept it. The only way I wouldn't view DAR as one of the bads in this situation would be if he had purposely recorded it then posted it saying cheating is wrong & Nick's fiance should know. Even still it would be pretty shady. Nick Young has already lost a potential marriage. Not sure further punishment is needed there.

[ShelC]

I think I read he thought he could privately post the video on Snapchat, or direct message someone the video? Clearly wasn't the case and people caught onto it.

I do agree tho that this only reinforces the fraternity "all boys club" attitude prevalent around sports teams/lockerrooms. And I'm sure the other NBA players who are speaking out or pissed off are only doing so because it might indrectly affect them with their wives/girlfriends. He's accidentally brought to light the NBA lifestyle and how some of these guys act.

[The Bobster]

There's that unspoken "code" that rears it's ugly head in sports again and again - clearly it covers not revealing your teammate's extracurricular activities. (you know, you don't record your conversations, reveal stories to your own partner, and don't bring your spouse/significant other to the bar in the team hotel, etc.).

Everybody should know that there is a lot of cheating going on, and the players obviously should know what the repercussions might be if they reveal their teammates transgressions publicly. Maybe Russell is just an idiot, I don't know.

Of course this is not meant to condone that sort of life style, but if you're the finance of a professional athlete who likes to call himself "Swaggy P" I don't think this should be surprising news to you, especially if you're in the entertainment industry yourself.

[Cap]

But he didn't record and submit the recording to any publications, etc. The nature as to how the recording was obtained hadn't come to light. If the recording came to light from his phone being hacked or one of his social media accounts being hacked, how are you going to point the finger at him as a bad guy?

Consider the analogies I just made:

Players seem to regard the locker room as a sacred trust. They're reacting to this almost like he's a psychologist secretly recording and leaking a therapy session, or a priest secretly recording and leaking a confession.

If the doctor or priest didn't leak the recording on purpose, wouldn't it still be reprehensible?

[AmareIsGod]

But he didn't record and submit the recording to any publications, etc. The nature as to how the recording was obtained hadn't come to light. If the recording came to light from his phone being hacked or one of his social media accounts being hacked, how are you going to point the finger at him as a bad guy?

Really? Because he recorded it & kept it. The only way I wouldn't view DAR as one of the bads in this situation would be if he had purposely recorded it then posted it saying cheating is wrong & Nick's fiance should know. Even still it would be pretty shady. Nick Young has already lost a potential marriage. Not sure further punishment is needed there.

Poor Nick Young. Losing a marriage, potentially. It's too bad he couldn't just marry her and carry on with sexual endeavors with 19 year olds.

[Mori Chu]

My wife was/is pissed that the big fuss in this story is all about how bad DAR is and not about how bad Nick Young is for cheating on his wife.

[Superbone]

Neither of them come off smelling like roses. It is interesting that the media likes to focus on the DAR side. As if it's assumed that all NBA players cheat on their significant others. They really don't have any choice with all the tail thrown at them. Poor guys.

[carey]