Not enough attention has been given to the “NBA Brawl” since its occurrence in November.
According to reports last week, Indiana’s Ron Artest has begun regular practices with the Pacers again. NBA commissioner David Stern suspended him for the rest of the season, and I hope this doesn’t mean that the league will let him play again.
I mean, he bolted into the stands and attacked Detroit fans. Ron, I really didn’t think you could top asking the league for time off to finish your rap album or throwing televisions, but well done.
When I think about that “unfortunate incident,” I just question why parents let their kids look up to these thugs.
Yes, I said thugs. Parents keep talking about having role models for their kids, but then they let kids hang posters of accused rapist Kobe Bryant and coach strangler Latrell Sprewell on their bedroom walls.
When you watch a movie, you want the good guy to defeat the bad guy in the end, right? Who ever really roots for the bad guy? Let’s root for the good guys.
The San Antonio Spurs are the best team of guys in the league, hands down. They aren’t criminals, drug dealers or adulterers.
Ok, I know what you’re thinking. Stephen Jackson was suspended alongside Artest, and he used to be a Spur. I have an explanation for this: the same one a parent has after catching a teenager with marijuana. He was “influenced” by the mischievous Ron Artest and didn’t know what he was doing.
The Spurs are active in the San Antonio community; their involvement is easily seen with almost every charity in San Antonio.
Retired Spur David Robinson built a school for inner city kids called the Carver Academy that gives underprivileged kids in San Antonio a place to get a good education. Heck, he’s a military man, too. Can you imagine bad boy Alan Iverson in uniform? It doesn’t go well with the cornrows.
Malik Rose has started a night league to teach kids how to play basketball, keeping them off the streets. Bruce Bowen goes to area schools and teaches kids about nutrition and fitness. Manu Ginobili gives all the proceeds of his deal with a local restaurant to schools in the San Antonio area.
I have a Manu Ginobili bobble-head sitting next to me as I write this column, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. He won a gold medal this summer in Athens with the Argentinean national team as Tim Duncan and Coach Greg Popovich settled for the bronze and received ridicule from all over the world. You don’t see any bitterness from Tim toward Manu and you never will.
Last year when Tony Parker was ready to re-sign with the Spurs, a figure was up in the air that was short of what Parker had originally agreed upon.
According to the San Antonio Express News, Parker was just going to forget it so that he could stay with the Spurs, when Tim Duncan offered to pay the remaining figure to Parker to keep his best friend in San Antonio.
What other NBA player would do that? That’s right, no one, my friends.
Do you think Jason Kidd, LeBron James or Karl Malone would give up an extra two million for one of their teammates? I think not.
Tim Duncan, I love you, as I am sure Tony Parker does.
They’re just good guys. I don’t know how else to say it. All NBA teams should strive to be like the Spurs.
P.S. Tony, you better not be dating Eva Longoria like it said on “Entertainment Tonight,” or I’ll come back home and beat you down myself.
