Alvin Gentry has "lost respect" for KG

[Jeff]

gearing up for an article on KG - maybe on Monday or over the weekend

but quickly - my take on the groin/under-foot incident - I have to agree with Roy that intent means a lot in this case

[Finkelskyhook]

Its all Laundry, if KG were playing for the suns Gentry would be his most avid defender.

. . . and we would all hate KG.

(Well, unless he was helping the Suns beat the Lakers.  Then, I guess we'd like him.)

Oh absolutely.  If KG werent on our team we would all be complaining about how big a jerk he is.

He's on my team and I have no problem with what Gentry said.  Cowens had the same intensity without the antics...And definitely without the dirty play.  eja117 has it exactly right.  At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

Garnett wouldn't be doing this in previous eras.  Either Malone, Oakley, Lucas, Cowens, McGinnis, Unseld, Sheldon etc etc would have taken his head off.  

Having said that, Gentry would probably tell the same press that los Nash is the PG on the All-NBA defensive first team if he thought it would give his team an edge.

I'm glad Garnett is on my team.  But I wish he'd cut the antics and the dirty crap before somebody injures him.

[vinnie]

I guess Alvin is fully willing to excuse the elbow that Pietrus intentionally threw into KG's neck/throat earlier in the game. Pietrus should have been tossed for that. He should focus on trying to get his team to play .500 ball and make the playoffs.

[Tai]

There's a difference between a dirty player and a bully. One hacks you pretty hard or leans into you just a little during a pick even if he knows you can't see him.

The other does dangerous things.


KG is getting a rep as a bully.  If he has to learn things the hard way then so be it.

What did he get ejected for? Didn't he get ejected for gettting a second technical (the tap to the groin)? He didn't get suspended and he didn't get fined. If you can definitely say that he is sticking his foot out under jumpshooters on purpose than I understand but we just don't know.

When he has been kicked out I don't think anything he has done is that bad "bully" wise or "dirty". I see it more as stupid for putting his team in that position like the elbow last year in the Heat series. That was stupid on this part

I agree. But it's not the one incident the one time.

It's like the judge that keeps seeing the same guy again and again and keeps getting off. At some point it's like "You either did this or you did something else we don't know about".

At some point I say to myself "Ok. Who do I believe? Innocent KG or about a hundred players? They aren't saying this stuff about Ray. They aren't saying it about Rondo. They aren't saying it about Pierce. They aren't even saying it much about Perk. Just KG. Hmmmm. What could be the problem here"?

It's not any one thing one time. It's an accumulated situation.

Heh, I'd like to note that people seemed pretty peeved that Rondo wasn't suspended in the Celtics/Bulls series in the 08-09 playoffs for his play on Hinrich.

I agree with Vinnie, if nothing else, on Gentry complaining about this when Pietrus elbowed KG in the same game. KG did a dirty play? Fine. Leave it to Gentry though to ignore what happened to KG earlier in the game, though.

[CelticG1]

There's a difference between a dirty player and a bully. One hacks you pretty hard or leans into you just a little during a pick even if he knows you can't see him.

The other does dangerous things.


KG is getting a rep as a bully.  If he has to learn things the hard way then so be it.

What did he get ejected for? Didn't he get ejected for gettting a second technical (the tap to the groin)? He didn't get suspended and he didn't get fined. If you can definitely say that he is sticking his foot out under jumpshooters on purpose than I understand but we just don't know.

When he has been kicked out I don't think anything he has done is that bad "bully" wise or "dirty". I see it more as stupid for putting his team in that position like the elbow last year in the Heat series. That was stupid on this part

I agree. But it's not the one incident the one time.

It's like the judge that keeps seeing the same guy again and again and keeps getting off. At some point it's like "You either did this or you did something else we don't know about".

At some point I say to myself "Ok. Who do I believe? Innocent KG or about a hundred players? They aren't saying this stuff about Ray. They aren't saying it about Rondo. They aren't saying it about Pierce. They aren't even saying it much about Perk. Just KG. Hmmmm. What could be the problem here"?

It's not any one thing one time. It's an accumulated situation.

What are the other incidents though? They are mostly blown up stupid things that people get worked up over like him wagging his finger at Calderon or telling in Blatches ear.

KG is loud plain and simple and the guys on the court don't like that when he is not on their team. I hate playing against guys that are loud and obnoxious but I think it's pretty petty when guys are looking for anything to get on him about. Wasn't Reggie Evans voted dirtiest player in the NBA? Now how come you don't see on sportscenter everyday and guys around the league talking about that everyday? You think if KG was quiet and super nice guy (like Ray) that this would be talked about at all? I really don't think so.

[barefacedmonk]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

[Finkelskyhook]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

Big difference between an allegation that nobody really knows anything about other than the two people and an obvious dirty play/plays. 

Garnett is too intregal a player to put himself in a position to get thrown out of games...Or worse, injured by somebody paying him back for cheapshotting a teammate.  He doesn't need to hit Frye in the groin....Or even aim for them to get an edge.  Garnett is one of the best defensive players in league history.

[diehard celtic]

Well, Alvin, KG doesn't really care what you think because if he was on the Suns they wouldn't be such a lackadaisical defensive team.

[Roy H.]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

To defend Finkel, there's a pretty big difference between not believing allegations that happened behind closed doors, and judging something based upon what he viewed with his own eyes.  There's a level of conjecture involved in both, but in the latter instance it's easier to make a judgment.

[barefacedmonk]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

Big difference between an allegation and an obvious dirty play.

It's not merely an allegation...I'm sure you've read the statement he issued after he settled that case. Besides, you wouldn't have given the "Messiah" a pass if he had been accused of so much as giving another woman a dirty look.

Like I said, use the same measuring stick if you are going to judge a player at all.

[CelticG1]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

To defend Finkel, there's a pretty big difference between not believing allegations that happened behind closed doors, and judging something based upon what he viewed with his own eyes.  There's a level of conjecture involved in both, but in the latter instance it's easier to make a judgment.

Didn't Kobe get suspended a game for something like swinging and connecting an elbow after shooting the ball or kicking someone after a shot in the last couple years? I thought it was against Ginobli but if it wasn't him it was against someone and he got suspended for it.

[Fafnir]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

To defend Finkel, there's a pretty big difference between not believing allegations that happened behind closed doors, and judging something based upon what he viewed with his own eyes.  There's a level of conjecture involved in both, but in the latter instance it's easier to make a judgment.

Didn't Kobe get suspended a game for something like swinging and connecting an elbow after shooting the ball or kicking someone after a shot in the last couple years? I thought it was against Ginobli but if it wasn't him it was against someone and he got suspended for it.

Yeah it was against Ginobli, but Kobe had done it to other players and was actually warned to cut it out before hand iirc.

[Roy H.]

Didn't Kobe get suspended a game for something like swinging and connecting an elbow after shooting the ball or kicking someone after a shot in the last couple years? I thought it was against Ginobli but if it wasn't him it was against someone and he got suspended for it.

Yeah, that's one of Kobe's patented moves.  I don't think he's a particularly good sportsman, and from my perspective, I say bring on the Kobe criticism.  That said, there's a difference between judging players for the things we see on the court, and for judging them less harshly for stuff off the court.  (Personally, I'm perfectly fine with criticizing guys for off the court stuff, too, but I respect that not everybody feels that way.)

[barefacedmonk]

At some point, even the most ardent Garnett defender can't...Or shouldn't defend this crap.

I personally can't stand people criticizing KG or any Celtics player for trash talk etc...but I understand not everyone feels that way. Having said that...I find it a little hypocritical on your part for saying this. I mean, you've defended Kobe against the rape allegations on this blog quite a few times...so, you find that okay..but a possible inadvertent tap in that anatomical region is something that ticks you off?

Use the same measuring stick to judge all players if you are going to judge them at all.

To defend Finkel, there's a pretty big difference between not believing allegations that happened behind closed doors, and judging something based upon what he viewed with his own eyes.  There's a level of conjecture involved in both, but in the latter instance it's easier to make a judgment.

People are assuming that KG's intent was malicious. From what I saw, his eyes were on the ball all the time...the basketball ofcourse.

His intent might be debatable, I guess. But it's just sad at times how much flak KG gets from his own team fans.

[CelticG1]

Didn't Kobe get suspended a game for something like swinging and connecting an elbow after shooting the ball or kicking someone after a shot in the last couple years? I thought it was against Ginobli but if it wasn't him it was against someone and he got suspended for it.

Yeah, that's one of Kobe's patented moves.  I don't think he's a particularly good sportsman, and from my perspective, I say bring on the Kobe criticism.  That said, there's a difference between judging players for the things we see on the court, and for judging them less harshly for stuff off the court.  (Personally, I'm perfectly fine with criticizing guys for off the court stuff, too, but I respect that not everybody feels that way.)

Yeah I was just giving an example of Kobe doing that off the court. I really don't think KG is any more dirty than a lot of other players in the league.

The only beef I have with him are his overreactions sometimes with on court stuff. Miami playoff last year, Slapping Bogut in the face, almost getting suspended for his altercations with Zaza in the 08 playoffs.

He's an emotional player so sometimes he does stupid stuff like in the Suns game but I don't consider that dirty I just think it's getting caught up in the moment of the game and the competitiveness that he shows.

It's hard for us as fans to understand what these guys go through and what they endure. For me personally playing sports at the college level I certainly have done some boneheaded things throughout my playing days from probably middle school all the way through college. I probably have done a lot of stupid stuff KG has done and I've had friends do a lot worse and I've played against players that have done dirty stuff. Players usually just played through it and dealt with it though.

I guess maybe KG does play dirty sometimes but the amount people who whine over it and the media attention it receives is just stupid. Nobody in the NBA is innocent of dirty play. Even good old Ray elbowed Varajao in the junk and didn't he trip Kobe one time leading to their beef? This whole KG is a dirty bully player is just the biggest non story on this team.