I hope your answer was something like: “Sh*t no!” Apparently though, there are a few GM’s in the NBA worried about the peer pressure that Randolph may impose on their highly-touted draft picks. And instead of my usual day of picking out Jeremy’s typos (Curt Schilling is spelled with a “C”) and not posting anything original, I thought maybe I’d speak up.
After a few years of toiling on a sh*tty Portland Trailblazers team, Randolph won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2004, and the team looked like it was on the up-and-up. They had Randolph and Rookie Of The Year: Brandon Roy. On top of that, they were set to draft supposed Wilt Chamberlain part II: Greg Oden. Immediately, Randolph was traded to the Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. The rumor was that the brass in Portland did not want Randolph ’s poor attitude rubbing off on Oden. So they decided to trade for model citizen: Steve Francis. WTF?!?!
Perennial losers, the Los Angeles Clippers (former team of greatest-name-ever finalist World B. Free) acquired Randolph from the Knicks in 2008. After losing 324 games last season, they selected Blake Griffin as the top pick in the 2009 draft. And what do they immediately do? Of course, they trade Randolph. And again, Randolph is traded for another guy who has been accused of a$$hole-ery: Quentin Richardson.
So my question is: what exactly is Zach Randolph like as a person? Is he, in fact, the NBA’s biggest a$$hole? Does he use his mind games to coerce young players into stealing cars? Does he smoke butts down by the old dam? Is he looking to throw five on it, AND get a couple of 40’s, too?
Or maybe the NBA is starting to realize that team character might matter. Probably not though.
"SLOOOOTH LOOOOOVE CHUUUUNK!!!"
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“Bite it rook! Make him look like a dick!”
I added this caption on a whim, but holy shit, does he look like Sloth from The Goonies in this photo.
I love this game!
Though it’s totally understandable why so many are turned off by the NBA. It’s a league full of a-holes and tattooed freaks. Besides, it makes no difference whatsoever who Portland surrounded the NBA’s oldest looking teenager with (seriously, how does a person manage to pull off looking 48 at the tender age of 18?! Did he send away for some kit bought off of a late night infomercial?). Greg Oden is an awful one-dimensional basketball player. He will never be even half as good as the real #1 pick that year Kevin Durant.
I agree that Oden will never be as good as Durant, but it’s not because he doesn’t have talent. Being that large comes often comes hand and hand with being injured, often. He is in the same club as Yao and Bill Walton.
It’s not just his injuries, though. Oden is SUPER raw on offense. More raw then Dwight Howard, who can at least dunk at will. Oden can rebound and block, and that’s about it. Durant was 6th in scoring this year, his second season, with 25 points per game at age 20. It’s easy to say Oden is a bust in comparison to the guy who should’ve been picked first, but it’s still easy to say Oden is a bust based on his crappy numbers and games missed due to injury.