- 09:25 PM
- 05/01/24
Hardball 1: Was there ever a more disciplined hitter than the All-Stars' left fielder, the eponymous "Jose"?
posted by Bob Jones at 12:43 PM on July 25, 2002
Conqui, you're absolutely right that Wang is responsible for picking his own representation. But he's a fish out of water in the U.S., and who is he supposed to trust? The Mavericks? David Stern? Wang's comment (through his so-called interpreter) about money is irrelevant to the real issue, which is his freedom to live as a human being. What contract isn't about money? What player's agent doesn't base his negotiations with management on money? You say, "If it weren't for the NBA, this guy wouldn't have much of a choice." Wang faces some fine choices. He can either go home, against his will, and suit up in his Red Army uniform, or he can defect, get himself banned from the NBA for insubordination, and wash dishes for a living in a Chinese restaurant. That is, if the government doesn't just pull his green card and ship him back, anyway.
posted by Bob Jones at 04:09 PM on June 27, 2002
Your premise is entirely invalid. In the first place, Wang never uttered a word of his so-called "comments" as quoted in that article. I spent quite a bit of time around Wang during the past year, and the best English sentence he managed to produce was on the order of, "Run hard, strong push, shoot three." This Simon Chang, or whoever he is, came out of nowhere to take on the role of "advisor" to Wang, and is now leading him around by the nose. In Wang's defense, he doesn't want to be forced to go home and serve in the Red Army. He wants to stay in the U.S. and play basketball. He wants to make money. Wouldn't you? Unfortunately, the last thing David Stern wants is to piss off his new friends in the Chinese government by allowing Wang to defect. The Mavericks will be under serious pressure to convey this message to Wang. Still, I hope he defects, just to watch the stink envelop the NBA. Then let's see how these idiots enjoy their new image as the "International Basketball Association" when it's suddenly in direct opposition to the principles of freedom and self-determination. My prediction: Poor Wang is going to learn a hard lesson about life.
posted by Bob Jones at 12:43 PM on June 25, 2002
Doesn't sound good for Kobe Bryant.
[Jason Kidd had the wife abuse thing - what makes him a little different is that he was very squeaky clean before] Like hell he was, Weedy. Kidd came into the league with the rep that he'd slapped a girl at a party in college. He already had one child out of wedlock by the time he got to the league. And during his rookie year, his teammates had to drag him away from rowdy fans outside a downtown event. If he's squeaky clean, it's only because a PR team whitewashed his image after he left Dallas.