Grantland: Dragic mostly got a free pass because he's white

[SDC]

@AndrewSharp of Grantland

I do wonder how we’d react if this were someone other than Dragic. Tom Ziller hinted at this Thursday morning when he compared it to the Carmelo Anthony situation in 2010. If Bledsoe and LeBron’s management company had done the same thing Dragic did and hijacked the Suns front office at the 11th hour of the trade deadline, would everyone be sympathizing with Bledsoe’s frustration? Or would we be writing open letters again? Maybe it’s because of the way Dragic plays, or maybe it’s because he’s white, but it seems like he got a pass through all of this. The Suns were winning, the three-guard lineup was working — albeit thanks in part to Dragic’s sacrifice — and the front office was pretty clear it would move Thomas this summer if Dragic wanted it, along with (probably) offering him a max deal. He wasn’t exactly a martyr.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/trade ... s-re-tank/

[SDC]

so instead of accepting mcdo's offer to trade IT, he decided it is him who will leave after this season. good for goran.

and let's be honest, there's no point in him re-signing with this team after this season. #HowManyPGsDoYouNeedMcdo?

[SDC]

and mcdo, pls dont let dragic make personnel decisions for you--whether signing zoran or trading IT. this is all on you mcdo. #doyourjobsmartly

[ShelC]

I think there's some truth to that.

[carey]

I think there's a lot of truth to that. It also has to do with his previous reputation as the nicest guy in the league. I could think of a dozen players this second if they pulled what Goran did we'd be reading articles about it till our eyeballs fell out.

Also in that article...

Protections

Fun fact: There will never again be an NBA draft pick sent anywhere that doesn’t have several layers of protection, so much so that you’re really not even sure what any team just got. That 2016 first-rounder? Protected 1-13, and 27-30 on the back end. Then it rolls over to 2017 and it’s protected 1-8, and also 17-22, with an option to flip picks in 2019, and a corollary that Sam Hinkie gets the pick if it lands at exactly 23.

We just got one....

[Bruiser]

I think there's a lot of truth to that. It also has to do with his previous reputation as the nicest guy in the league. I could think of a dozen players this second if they pulled what Goran did we'd be reading articles about it till our eyeballs fell out.

Also in that article...

Protections

Fun fact: There will never again be an NBA draft pick sent anywhere that doesn’t have several layers of protection, so much so that you’re really not even sure what any team just got. That 2016 first-rounder? Protected 1-13, and 27-30 on the back end. Then it rolls over to 2017 and it’s protected 1-8, and also 17-22, with an option to flip picks in 2019, and a corollary that Sam Hinkie gets the pick if it lands at exactly 23.

We just got one....

Sweet...

[INFORMER]

Goran gets a pass because no one cares about Goran and nobody cares about the Phoenix Suns.

[Mori Chu]

I think the columnist probably shouldn't have mentioned Dragic's race. I don't think the treatment of Dragic is because of his race, and bringing it up gives the article an awkward tone.

[da_suns_fan]

I disagree. All season I laughed at people who said his "numbers were down" and just completely disregarded how little he got the ball now.

[Ring_Wanted]

I disagree. All season I laughed at people who said his "numbers were down" and just completely disregarded how little he got the ball now.

It's also true that he had no explosion around the basket to begin the season, and his shot was off both from 3pt and midrange.

[Indy]

Protections

Fun fact: There will never again be an NBA draft pick sent anywhere that doesn’t have several layers of protection, so much so that you’re really not even sure what any team just got. That 2016 first-rounder? Protected 1-13, and 27-30 on the back end. Then it rolls over to 2017 and it’s protected 1-8, and also 17-22, with an option to flip picks in 2019, and a corollary that Sam Hinkie gets the pick if it lands at exactly 23.

We just got one....

I'm not defending the trade but those protections on the back end are good ones to have and I am glad the FO added them. Not happy about the gamble on 23.

[The Bobster]

I think the columnist probably shouldn't have mentioned Dragic's race. I don't think the treatment of Dragic is because of his race, and bringing it up gives the article an awkward tone.

I would say he was given a pass because he's been considered to be a good citizen. Does that mean he might have been wrong here? No, but I think both sides should have kept private some of the comments they made in public.

That said, I would agree that white players are generally perceived as good citizens unless they do something to prove otherwise, black players are frequently not given the benefit of the doubt.

[Mori Chu]

That said, I would agree that white players are generally perceived as good citizens unless they do something to prove otherwise, black players are frequently not given the benefit of the doubt.

I do think race factors into how some athletes are viewed by some fans, but it was really odd and out of place to just throw that into a column as a factor for Dragic with no follow-up.

[wpmiller42]

Off topic, but I hate all these draft pick protections. Trade a pick or don't already. I hope the NBA gets rid of pick protections down the line.

[OE32]

Off topic, but I hate all these draft pick protections. Trade a pick or don't already. I hope the NBA gets rid of pick protections down the line.

[SDC]

I disagree. All season I laughed at people who said his "numbers were down" and just completely disregarded how little he got the ball now.

It's also true that he had no explosion around the basket to begin the season, and his shot was off both from 3pt and midrange.

his 50% fg shooting says he still got it.

[SDC]

if you are a fan of goran dragic, listen to this bill simmons interview with haberstroh http://c.espnradio.com/s:J1X3L/audio/24 ... 34.64k.mp3