monsterpile wrote:Q12543 wrote:Wow, didn't know about the whole Uncle Dennis thing....What a mess. I think some of these players just have such a hard time staying grounded and they have all these voices in their ears, many of which are in it for themselves and not the player. Uncle Dennis sounds like one of them, but you can see why Kawhi would feel a sense of loyalty to him.
Sometimes we forget how old these players are. Some people don't have their frontal lobe completely developed till 's and sometimes early 30's. Humans can easily be swayed or influenced at times. one life even can make people do somewhat irrational things. Kawhi's injury may have been something like that for him. All I am saying is we sometimes forget the entire human element in these situations.
Great point, Monster!
We should all think about that when talking about KAT or even Wiggins. Wiggins is barely 23 years old and KAT is still 22. That's why a team's ability to skillfully handle and develop players could be almost as important as drafting the right players. It will be interesting to see what effect Butler's public criticisms of Wiggins and now KAT will have on each of them.
Wiggins seemed to get a little better after Butler called him out as the team's most talented player who doesn't even give 80% effort. But Wiggins didn't exactly play with any noticeable fire in his belly. Maybe the most recent report about Butler not wanting to play with Wiggins will have an additional impact on him.
It will be particularly interesting to see what impact Butler's recent criticism of KAT will have on his defense. I suspect KAT will be pissed and see it as unfair. I wouldn't blame KAT for that reaction. I've watched KAT play live for nearly 120 games and I can tell you he plays his ass off on the offensive the every single game, fighting for position against the biggest, strongest players in the NBA, getting beat up and not getting calls. I also see him fight hard on the defensive end too, but he seems to make a lot of mental errors on that end of the court. So I don't see his defensive woes as stemming from a lack of effort. And, unlike Butler, KAT lays all 82 games. If I were KAT I'd be thinking "F-You Jimmy. How many games do you play each year? Can I look at all those championship rings you have?" But I'd also dig deep to prove Jimmy wrong by finding another level of effort and really focusing on my defense. I hope that's KAT's reaction.
The good news is that all our young guys, Wiggins, KAT and Tyus are by all accounts great guys with no off-court issues. And while some migh question Wiggins' motor or KAT's defense, there is no evidence that they don't practice hard. In fact Thibs and even Butler have talked about how hard they go in practice. You never hear about any of our young guys missing or arriving late to practice. None of them complain about being mistreated or talk about wanting to leave as so many often do, witness the recent complaints by Kawhi. If anyone is acting like a prima dona now, it's Butler. And I'm sorry, I don't believe he's earned it.
