Stoudemire's selfish act was off-the-charts stupid

I hate selfish athletes, guys who do things with only themselves in mind, athletes whose actions are not only going to hurt themselves but those who rely on them.

Hello, Amar’e Stoudemire.

Look, we’ve all been frustrated when things go bad, we get mad at ourselves, at teammates, at coaches, at circumstances, at whatever and it’s entirely a normal reaction.

But that reaction should also include a vow to do better, to work harder, to help the team more, to – and this was one of Sam Mitchell’s favourite phrases and advice well worth following – play for the guy sitting next to you.

It is not normal to punch a panel of glass and suffer a cut so severe that it could mean missing a game, could mean missing two games, could mean missing the rest of the season (Oh, wait, the rest of the season is two games. Never mind).

It is not normal lash out in such a selfish way that it puts in peril all that you’ve worked so hard with as a member of a team.

Stoudemire’s post-game punching of the glass encasement of a fire extinguisher (insert your own “Amar’e finally attacks the glass” joke here) was one of the most selfish and stupid actions I can recall.

There are suggestions he’s out at least for Game 3 but if there is a severe laceration – and calling EMTs to the locker room after the incident would suggest that’s the case (the photo here cadged from the interwebs and ESPN paints a rather grim picture) – I can’t see him being back in a week and by then the Knicks season is going to be over.

Sure, it may have been spur of the moment but, truth be told, the game wasn’t even close, wasn’t ever truly close, and why he decided to hammer a hunk of glass walking to the locker room then is beyond me.

The Stoudemire situation in New York is interesting. He doesn’t seem to mesh well on the court with either Carmelo Anthony or Tyson Chandler; he’s got knees so bad his contract can’t be insured and a bad back, a combination that make him the most untradeable athlete in perhaps all of sport, and he’s got three years and about $65 million left on his deal.

Yeah, future looks bright in Gotham, doesn’t it?

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Holy crap! It’s May 1 already?

Means one thing:

Birth Month!!!!

Guidelines are murky, and probably change person to person but I think we need to expand Birth Week. Means a little more leeway for knuckleheadism in the month leading up to the week which, my personal decree, runs from the Saturday before until the Friday night after.

That sound good?

But, really, how in the name of all that’s good in the world did it get to be May 1 already?

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One last point on Rajon Rondo.

So he gets a one-game suspension – I would have given him two but perhaps they took into consideration the fact it’s the post-season and stakes are higher – once again a team has to pay for a teammate losing his cool.

But in hindsight, there’s another aspect to that rankles a little bit.

It’s the referee Marc Davis – the same guy who seemed to take such great glee in tossing DeMar DeRozan out of the last road game in Milwaukee – seems part of a growing trend of NBA officials who are starting to act a bit like baseball umpires.

You know the type, the guys who enjoy being confrontational, officials who seem to welcome conflict rather than trying to diffuse it; guys who think they are far more part of the show than they actually are.

You see it in baseball all too often, umps who provoke situations because they can, guys who invite arguments rather than walk away from them.

I’m not saying all NBA officials do it, it may be self-conscious (Davis blew the jump ball call that set Rondo off and reacted too hastily in giving him the technical foul that precipitated the bump) but good refs – and I’ve got Joe Crawford, Bill Spooner, Dan Crawford at the top of my list – know they are a part of the game and not “the” game and act accordingly.

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A way long time ago, I used to be of the school of thought that the only thing more boring sports that track was field.

Thankfully, those days are gone.

Looks like that’s going to be one of my gigs over in London, along with some basketball and heavens knows what else.

Might get to Montreal to see some diving before hand to do some set-up stuff and I’m sure there’ll be a handful of other things that’ll occupy my time.

But if you’ve got some track and field insight, I’m all ears.

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Okay, tremendously small sample size but, man, that was some Yu Darvish outing, wasn’t it?

Caught a fair amount of it because Heat-Knicks was so boring and have to admit the kid was pretty darn impressive.

So was Kyle Drabek, who continues to grow as a pitcher and that can’t be anything but a good thing for TOD but then there was the back-to-back homers that broke it open and, well, therein lies the issue. Starters go more than five, often a fair bit more, and the bullpen can’t get the job finished.

But the most surprising thing had to be the attendance. Only 21,000 or so and that’s about nine grand fewer than I had kind of expected.

I realize it was a somewhat gloomy Monday night in April and that’s a tough draw anyway but you’d have thought someone with the hype of Darvish would have juiced the audience a wee bit more.

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From The Department Of Total Non-Surprise comes news out of Charlotte yesterday that Paul Silas will not return as head coach of the Bobcats.

All we have to say to that is:

Lucky him.

Wonder what mistake Michael Jordan will make in replacing him because if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Jordan since he moved from the court to the front office and then the owner’s suite, it’s that he’s one of the most inept executives in the game.

Can’t wait to see who lines up for that coaching job.

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Comments

[Mike D.]

Excellent point about the trigger-happy ref in the Hawks/Celtics series. When I watched the replay, even in slow-mo, I was amazed that the guy's reactions were fast enough to feel some relatively minor contact on his back, realize Rondo had bumped him, and give the ejection sign so quickly. The speed of the call makes a lot more sense if you consider the possibility that he already had his ejection hand loaded, so to speak, and was just waiting for an excuse to use it.

Blogger's note: Sure, Reggie's been great

Hey Doug, are you going to give the Regend some love? In Game 1 vs Memphis he had 7 points (which might equal his full-season scoring total with the Raps) and 13 rebounds....but more importantly, he was credited with using some of his underrated under-the-skin defense to frustrate Randolph and Gasol. He's looking like a really smart addition to that young Clippers squad.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Other sports provide their players with bats and sticks and helmets and strategically placed Gatorade barrels to vent their public frustration for the benefit of their fellow players and coaches. The NBA provides fire extinguisher cases and a Rock, and the occasional (weak by comparison) "I'm going to take a T right now to help rally my cohorts". A'mare should have taken the T.
Field, eh? Maybe you should try to set up where you can keep an eye on the guys catching the javelins.
Cheers. Go TOD. It's time.

[doug]

or in one of the games on Saturday , 2 players were jawing at each other, harmless jawing oh I think it was Amare and Haslem and the refs teed them up, totally unnecessary and JVG even stated as much...track and field I have always been a huge fan, part of the reason is this, what those people do is beyond incredible, they are to me some of the best athletes there are in any sports, as a reporter to your readers a good way to help them understand what these athletes do is tell them stand beside a mark 7'6" on the wall and imagine jumping over that, over run 100 metres at your fastest pace, and around 9.6 seconds in look at where you are, in the olympics that race is over....one of the best races i ever saw run was Canada's 4x100 metres relay, go back and watch that, just a beautiful race....ok cheers...

[Jason]

Hi Doug,

I don't think that Tim Duncan would agree with your assessment of Joe Crawford as a good ref. For one night at least, the guy did think he was bigger than the game.

[Sean]

Really? You consider Joey Crawford to be one of the out-of-the-limelight refs?

To me, he's always come across as the archetype of the tech-happy attention hogs who believes the fans paid to see him work just as much as the guys playing. His officiating seems motivated by personal factors far too often for my liking and his posturing with players is unprofessional.

[Mich]

Doug,

you are lucky indeed to see some track and field. I know you get to see freakishly skilled athletes everyday, but these guys and gals will show you another level of physical prowess. I'm a former jumper so I would suggest watching the jumps.

High jumping is an incredibly graceful sport, to have the agility and ability to spring as high as they do and have the body control and core strength to contort themselves over the bar, which for the men will reach at least 2.35+ metres (that is 7'7" or as tall as Manute Bol!)

I would also suggest checking out the triple jump, the current record for men is 60'. Crazy!!

[Mr. Cook]

Certainly one of the more perplexing things about MJ is that he was such a dominant player, focused on doing anything to win, while also such a dominant businessman with the foresight to surround himself with the right kind of people to help him make the right decisions regarding his outside-basketball contracts. Yet, when he becomes an executive he doesn't take the same passion from being a player into learning how to do it properly, and fails to also bring in the right people (as owner) to just do it right themselves. I guess everyone needs a hobby when they retire?

[Peter]

Amare and Superdog seem to have a lot in common. You know... bad knees, uninsurable. Although I doubt that Superdog would try to punch through glass, no matter how frustrated he/she/it got.

[Matty-Pix]

Anthony Davis landing in Charlotte could entice some coaching candidates.

[Nick]

Joey Crawford? Is there another Joey Crawford out there?

Everyone is too quick to counterpoint that refs put themselves into the spotlight. Put yourself in the refs shoes. You have a frustrated star player, not playing well and rather than collect himself and refocus he takes it out on the most convenient target, you. Why exactly should you give them the benefit of the doubt? When was the last time a player acknowledged a ref other than to tell them they did something wrong? I'm not trying to excuse a bad call(s) but as fans we can't complain that players b***h about calls too often then create more excuses for them to do it. If the players want to be able to vent more openly on the court then it's on them to create a mutual respect between themselves and the refs.

[Peter]

On other thought about coaching for Michael Jordan. You have a direct line to Sam Mitchell, and you've claimed that he's eager to get back into the game. It looks like the Bobcats are going to have to begin to build around a new young draft pick. Isn't Sam the type of coach that would want an opportunity in that type of situation? Or is the MJ factor too big of a factor to throw yourself into that mix given that there may be other coaching jobs available this year?

Blogger's note: Salary will be an issue, too

[james]

Ownership in Phoenix was pilloried for being outbid by the Knicks for Amare; not so much now I imagine.
My overriding impression of the playoffs so far is that it really is Miami's championship to lose. The East is a bit of a yawn but the West is riveting.
Track and field, or just field? Does this mean you are on the Usain Bolt patrol, or just Dylan Armstrong?

[Christifah]

Doug, if there is one event you must lock in for this years Olympics, it is the Men's 100 metre race. Jamaica currently has three of the fastest ever run 100 metres (#1 Usain Bolt - 9.58, #3 Asafa Powell - 9.72, #4 Nesta Carter - 9.78) and you can't leave out Yohan Blake (Personal best - 9.82 and current 100m World Champion). Because of the fact that the Olympics will be held in England, which has an enormous Jamaican expatriate population, I think we are all in for a very very special race. Usain has already hinted he wants the break his 100m record there.

[Manale]

I'm glad Amare's out of the series. I know the guy has had a very rough year, but he's been mopey, listless, slow, and whiny for most of the season.
With Carmelo at the 4 the Knicks have a chance at winning game 3.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Hey Doug, Do you suppose Darrell Walker could be texting his buddy in Charlotte about an upgrade from Assistant on the Knicks bench?
Cheers. Go TOD. Again.

[Adam]

Hey Doug,

Specifically in regards to last night's game, knowing Darvish was pitching I chose to watch at home rather than at the dome. You can better appreciate a pitcher's performance from the tv angle rather than your off-angle of home plate live in person.

In general however once the Jays play with more consistency (the offense and the bullpen I'm talking to you) then you will see a climb in attendance.

Funny how the management's off season rant of once the fans show up to the games then we will spend more money is backfiring. Until there is noticable improvement you won't be seeing a spike in attendance.

Would you want to spend $50+ for decent seats, food, transportation/parking to see a just above .500 team or just watch them on HD in the comfort of your own home?

I will gladly spend money once I'm given something more appealing to purchase. (It's just how business works big Blue Jay heads)

[Adam]

Hey Doug,

Are you a fan of the Knicks? There aren't too many guys on that team I particularily like. Lin is one, Chandler is another. But I cannnot stand Anthony. The rest I could take or leave.

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

Joey Crawford?? Never mind the Tim Duncan incident,for which he was suspended, the guy is a model of honesty and integrity. Airplane ticket scam, income tax cheat. Pled guilty to falsifying his tax records. Do many other professional sports have a convicted felon reffing games?? Just wondering?

I'm thinking Joey is a member of your brunch bunch. Hope he buys.

marc in panama

[David Huctwith]

Can the Knicks amnesty Amare?

Blogger's note: Nope, did Billups

[GK]

I think the assessment that Amare's act as selfish is incorrect. Idiotic? Sure. Moronic? Absolutely. Did he let his team down? I think so. However, as stupid and foolish as his actions were I don't for a second believe it was done with the intention of injuring himself to the detriment of his team. That to me is what separates "selfish" from "stupid". Six of one, half a dozen of the other perhaps!

[Rob.V]

I'm not sure what's going on here today (maybe the fever like condition I'm under) however rather than piling on I'm going to go a different route.
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The Knicks (and Amare in particular) need a pick and role PG to play with. Lin and Amare had no issues, neither did Nash and Amare. If we're looking for him to be a lock down interior defender (only) then of course we're going to be dissapointed. That's not his game. Amare had no trouble under D'antoni... he's still a good player.
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And while we're cutting some slack, we should do the same with MJ, no?
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Geez, he just became majority owner in February 2010, which means this is his first full season with the team.
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The Raptors have done exaclty what in 17 seasons... yet they go unscathed?.
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What Jordan is doing is no different than what we've seen here with the Raptors the past couple of years. He gave his players a chance and after assessing what he had (not much) he's tearing it down and building from the draft (which I agree with). When did rebuilding through the draft become a 12 month program?.
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This of course takes time, and if they land Anthony Davis they will be back on the way up.
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Let's give him a few years then have a look at his tenure.
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Oh,and please... no Kwame Brown comments. It's not his fault he was drafted #1. No, he hasn't lived up to everyone elses expectations however he's now an 11-12 year vet so he hasn't been a fly by night in the league either... we need to give him a break too!!

Blogger's note: Adam Morrison, Leonard Hamilton; he's been an atrocious executive at every turn

[Lorie]

Hello Doug,
Now, I've just finished reading your story about the Olympic pool assignments for the men's basketball tournament in my Toronto Star newspaper after having read the same story online earlier. And I've got issues with it. The story itself is great, but my concern is this: the photo accompanying the online story is a MUCH more flattering picture of Jose Calderon than the picture used in the newspaper. Are different pictures often used in online and paper versions for the same story? And if so, is it a sign of the times that the newspaper gets the less attractive ones? Less attractive being a relative term here - we are talking Jose, after all. :) Cheers!

Blogger's note: No accounting for (editor's) tastes I guess

[Dave B]

Happy Birthday month fellow Gemini.

[Tim H.]

Hey Doug:

Maybe today's blog lead-in could form a suggestion for a list soon:

The Top 5 (although you could probably do Top 50 easily!) Stupidest, Selfish Things done by Athletes. I'm sure we would recall them all, but it'd be nice to see them all in one place.

[VCitty]

Doug,
As you like to say, there are only 30 head coaching jobs in the NBA, so I'm sure someone who is qualified will be more than willing to take the gig.

I like your list of good refs but you left off my favourite - Steve Javie! Upon a quick google search, it seems as though he's retired? Anyway a pro ref like him ever gets into the HOF?

Blogger's note: Possible, but unlikely