Kekgeek grades G1 vs lakers

[kekgeek]

I thought I might be alone on this island, so I'm happy to have some company on the "concerned about Ant" train. Well, not entirely happy. Is Ant a remarkably talented basketball player? Of course...he deserves most of the national accolades he is getting. But it's his character that concerns me. I listened to Brit Robson raving about Ant's character on Dane Moore's recent pod, and I said out loud "What???". Not only the continuing dalliances with various women, there are also the occasional unfortunate tweets that he has to walk back. But his endearing childlike personality seems to save him over and over again. Not with me...I have real concerns that someone like Ant has the type of character to lead a team to a championship.

The word I used last year when I expressed my concerns was "gravitas". The great ones have it, and Ant doesn't. At least not yet. I found myself contrasting Ant's on-court behavior last night with two HOFers on the court with him...Davis and LeBron. They are all business out there and focused on one thing...winning. (Well, other than LeBron's need to get his son on the court with him for a couple minutes, but I'm not going to rip a dedicated dad). In contrast, Ant seems more concerned with his fame and rubbing shoulders with great ones than playing winning basketball. Did you see him taking every opportunity to chat during the game with his Olympic teammates? My favorite moment was when Davis got in his face. It was almost like Brow was saying "Hey, we were teammates and buddies last summer, but we are mortal enemies right now". That's the attitude I want from Ant. But my fear is he is much more into the NBA lifestyle...banging chicks and hobnobbing with true superstars...than reaching his enormous potential.

And how does Ant seem to think he is going to get to same level as a James and a Davis? Seemingly by playing lax defense and being a complete ball hog on offense. and whining to the refs every time he didn't get a foul call. Where was the beautiful ball movement and sharing we saw in preseason? Instead we saw Ant using up 3/4 of the shot clock dribbling while his teammates stood around. There was a bright spot late in the 4th quarter when Ant started out 3 consecutive possessions by ball stopping with me yelling at the screen, but then drawing the double team and finding an open man. But Reddick (who I think may end up being a very good coach) reacted by telling his guys not to double team.

Every year this board has a whipping boy. Barrea, Nowell, DLo...just three of the suspects. But it's a lot more serious when the whipping boy is the guy who should be by far our most valuable player. Fortunately this team has several veterans with gravitas...Conley, Randle, Gobert, even Ingles. Whether they get in Ant's face and teach him how to be a winner, and whether he chooses to listen to them, might be the key to this team's ceiling this year.

What's it gonna be, Ant?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we didn't win with him, I don't think it would bother some of you guys. Don't overvalue character. Unless one of his baby moms is your sister, what he does in his private time shouldn't bother you til it directly affects the team and it hasn't.

A whipping boy is a whipping boy if you choose to make him one. You've chosen to make Ant that.

Yeah, I agree. He can have 30 kids this year for all I care. Not my $, not my life, not my morals. He's not my brother or family, he's not my friend, and like you said - it isn't with or to my sister/family/friend.

He is a basketball player for a team I watch for my entertainment. And he is entertaining and a good player on the court, and by all accounts a good teammate who wants to be here and bring success to MN. He hasn't shown to be slowing down in that regard. I don't give two shits about how he runs his life off the court.

To go along with this only reason this is a story is because Ant sex life got public. (Some of that is his fault) but I have a friend from high school that had a one night stand with Rubio the first time he was on the team. And she never talked to Rubio again. (I guess I should say she was 24 when they hooked up, haha) Professional athletes fuck. I mean shit the lakers coach is on record saying that girls would have to sign an NDA before having sex.

Magic Johnson won a championship having a ton of sex, so was wilt, Tony Parker cheated on his wife, Karl Malone had relations with a minor, Jason Kidd beat his wife, Kobe sexual assaulted a woman (allegedly). Rick Brunson accused of sexual Assualt multiple times, Rosas cheated on his wife, COY favorite Udoka cheated on his wife. Larry Bird is apparently a dead beat dad.

These people are not like us. They are not role models. But let’s not act like what Ant is doing in his free time is not common with 98% of NBA players. I mean Lebron James has a scam of a HS that not a single person in 8th grade is at proficiency standards in Ohio, not a single one, Lebron has drank wine on the bench when not playing, gave his kids alcohol as a minor, (not that I really care) his mom allegedly had sex with Dolante West. Anthony Davis has a hissy fit and refused to play at the end of his pelicans career.

These are not good humans. Ant, Naw, Jaden and Rudy all had kids last year and I believe none of them are married.

[Coolbreeze44]

Is it 4 now? I thought it was 3 within the calendar year with 3 different girls. He's got Shawn Kemp in his sights. I'm joking about this because it totally worries me as a Wolves fan.

Yeah it was easy to appreciate his bravado but its teetering on the edge of delusion lacking character. He clearly had a rough history and is resilient but Im not sure how he will handle superstardom. Im a bit concerned too.

I thought I might be alone on this island, so I'm happy to have some company on the "concerned about Ant" train. Well, not entirely happy. Is Ant a remarkably talented basketball player? Of course...he deserves most of the national accolades he is getting. But it's his character that concerns me. I listened to Brit Robson raving about Ant's character on Dane Moore's recent pod, and I said out loud "What???". Not only the continuing dalliances with various women, there are also the occasional unfortunate tweets that he has to walk back. But his endearing childlike personality seems to save him over and over again. Not with me...I have real concerns that someone like Ant has the type of character to lead a team to a championship.

The word I used last year when I expressed my concerns was "gravitas". The great ones have it, and Ant doesn't. At least not yet. I found myself contrasting Ant's on-court behavior last night with two HOFers on the court with him...Davis and LeBron. They are all business out there and focused on one thing...winning. (Well, other than LeBron's need to get his son on the court with him for a couple minutes, but I'm not going to rip a dedicated dad). In contrast, Ant seems more concerned with his fame and rubbing shoulders with great ones than playing winning basketball. Did you see him taking every opportunity to chat during the game with his Olympic teammates? My favorite moment was when Davis got in his face. It was almost like Brow was saying "Hey, we were teammates and buddies last summer, but we are mortal enemies right now". That's the attitude I want from Ant. But my fear is he is much more into the NBA lifestyle...banging chicks and hobnobbing with true superstars...than reaching his enormous potential.

And how does Ant seem to think he is going to get to same level as a James and a Davis? Seemingly by playing lax defense and being a complete ball hog on offense. and whining to the refs every time he didn't get a foul call. Where was the beautiful ball movement and sharing we saw in preseason? Instead we saw Ant using up 3/4 of the shot clock dribbling while his teammates stood around. There was a bright spot late in the 4th quarter when Ant started out 3 consecutive possessions by ball stopping with me yelling at the screen, but then drawing the double team and finding an open man. But Reddick (who I think may end up being a very good coach) reacted by telling his guys not to double team.

Every year this board has a whipping boy. Barrea, Nowell, DLo...just three of the suspects. But it's a lot more serious when the whipping boy is the guy who should be by far our most valuable player. Fortunately this team has several veterans with gravitas...Conley, Randle, Gobert, even Ingles. Whether they get in Ant's face and teach him how to be a winner, and whether he chooses to listen to them, might be the key to this team's ceiling this year.

What's it gonna be, Ant?

Really good points Fungo. I think you laid this out quite well.

[Coolbreeze44]

Yeah it was easy to appreciate his bravado but its teetering on the edge of delusion lacking character. He clearly had a rough history and is resilient but Im not sure how he will handle superstardom. Im a bit concerned too.

I thought I might be alone on this island, so I'm happy to have some company on the "concerned about Ant" train. Well, not entirely happy. Is Ant a remarkably talented basketball player? Of course...he deserves most of the national accolades he is getting. But it's his character that concerns me. I listened to Brit Robson raving about Ant's character on Dane Moore's recent pod, and I said out loud "What???". Not only the continuing dalliances with various women, there are also the occasional unfortunate tweets that he has to walk back. But his endearing childlike personality seems to save him over and over again. Not with me...I have real concerns that someone like Ant has the type of character to lead a team to a championship.

The word I used last year when I expressed my concerns was "gravitas". The great ones have it, and Ant doesn't. At least not yet. I found myself contrasting Ant's on-court behavior last night with two HOFers on the court with him...Davis and LeBron. They are all business out there and focused on one thing...winning. (Well, other than LeBron's need to get his son on the court with him for a couple minutes, but I'm not going to rip a dedicated dad). In contrast, Ant seems more concerned with his fame and rubbing shoulders with great ones than playing winning basketball. Did you see him taking every opportunity to chat during the game with his Olympic teammates? My favorite moment was when Davis got in his face. It was almost like Brow was saying "Hey, we were teammates and buddies last summer, but we are mortal enemies right now". That's the attitude I want from Ant. But my fear is he is much more into the NBA lifestyle...banging chicks and hobnobbing with true superstars...than reaching his enormous potential.

And how does Ant seem to think he is going to get to same level as a James and a Davis? Seemingly by playing lax defense and being a complete ball hog on offense. and whining to the refs every time he didn't get a foul call. Where was the beautiful ball movement and sharing we saw in preseason? Instead we saw Ant using up 3/4 of the shot clock dribbling while his teammates stood around. There was a bright spot late in the 4th quarter when Ant started out 3 consecutive possessions by ball stopping with me yelling at the screen, but then drawing the double team and finding an open man. But Reddick (who I think may end up being a very good coach) reacted by telling his guys not to double team.

Every year this board has a whipping boy. Barrea, Nowell, DLo...just three of the suspects. But it's a lot more serious when the whipping boy is the guy who should be by far our most valuable player. Fortunately this team has several veterans with gravitas...Conley, Randle, Gobert, even Ingles. Whether they get in Ant's face and teach him how to be a winner, and whether he chooses to listen to them, might be the key to this team's ceiling this year.

What's it gonna be, Ant?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we didn't win with him, I don't think it would bother some of you guys. Don't overvalue character. Unless one of his baby moms is your sister, what he does in his private time shouldn't bother you til it directly affects the team and it hasn't.

A whipping boy is a whipping boy if you choose to make him one. You've chosen to make Ant that.

Why was he completely out of gas in the conference finals last year? He certainly wasn't the only player getting big minutes at that point in the playoffs. Was his lifestyle affecting his stamina? If it was, did that affect the team? We don't know the answers to those questions but it's fair to speculate.

[Coolbreeze44]

Jaden's leading the league in fouls.

A couple were bullshit, but I saw him as the only one trying to get back in transition many times. He got stuck on an island for 2 of them.

Made the same point in the game thread, his drive to play the right way got him in foul trouble.

[rapsuperstar31]

I thought I might be alone on this island, so I'm happy to have some company on the "concerned about Ant" train. Well, not entirely happy. Is Ant a remarkably talented basketball player? Of course...he deserves most of the national accolades he is getting. But it's his character that concerns me. I listened to Brit Robson raving about Ant's character on Dane Moore's recent pod, and I said out loud "What???". Not only the continuing dalliances with various women, there are also the occasional unfortunate tweets that he has to walk back. But his endearing childlike personality seems to save him over and over again. Not with me...I have real concerns that someone like Ant has the type of character to lead a team to a championship.

The word I used last year when I expressed my concerns was "gravitas". The great ones have it, and Ant doesn't. At least not yet. I found myself contrasting Ant's on-court behavior last night with two HOFers on the court with him...Davis and LeBron. They are all business out there and focused on one thing...winning. (Well, other than LeBron's need to get his son on the court with him for a couple minutes, but I'm not going to rip a dedicated dad). In contrast, Ant seems more concerned with his fame and rubbing shoulders with great ones than playing winning basketball. Did you see him taking every opportunity to chat during the game with his Olympic teammates? My favorite moment was when Davis got in his face. It was almost like Brow was saying "Hey, we were teammates and buddies last summer, but we are mortal enemies right now". That's the attitude I want from Ant. But my fear is he is much more into the NBA lifestyle...banging chicks and hobnobbing with true superstars...than reaching his enormous potential.

And how does Ant seem to think he is going to get to same level as a James and a Davis? Seemingly by playing lax defense and being a complete ball hog on offense. and whining to the refs every time he didn't get a foul call. Where was the beautiful ball movement and sharing we saw in preseason? Instead we saw Ant using up 3/4 of the shot clock dribbling while his teammates stood around. There was a bright spot late in the 4th quarter when Ant started out 3 consecutive possessions by ball stopping with me yelling at the screen, but then drawing the double team and finding an open man. But Reddick (who I think may end up being a very good coach) reacted by telling his guys not to double team.

Every year this board has a whipping boy. Barrea, Nowell, DLo...just three of the suspects. But it's a lot more serious when the whipping boy is the guy who should be by far our most valuable player. Fortunately this team has several veterans with gravitas...Conley, Randle, Gobert, even Ingles. Whether they get in Ant's face and teach him how to be a winner, and whether he chooses to listen to them, might be the key to this team's ceiling this year.

What's it gonna be, Ant?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we didn't win with him, I don't think it would bother some of you guys. Don't overvalue character. Unless one of his baby moms is your sister, what he does in his private time shouldn't bother you til it directly affects the team and it hasn't.

A whipping boy is a whipping boy if you choose to make him one. You've chosen to make Ant that.

Why was he completely out of gas in the conference finals last year? He certainly wasn't the only player getting big minutes at that point in the playoffs. Was his lifestyle affecting his stamina? If it was, did that affect the team? We don't know the answers to those questions but it's fair to speculate.

Injured back from game 6, trying to guard Kyrie Irving while also carrying the offensive load.

[Coolbreeze44]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if we didn't win with him, I don't think it would bother some of you guys. Don't overvalue character. Unless one of his baby moms is your sister, what he does in his private time shouldn't bother you til it directly affects the team and it hasn't.

A whipping boy is a whipping boy if you choose to make him one. You've chosen to make Ant that.

Why was he completely out of gas in the conference finals last year? He certainly wasn't the only player getting big minutes at that point in the playoffs. Was his lifestyle affecting his stamina? If it was, did that affect the team? We don't know the answers to those questions but it's fair to speculate.

Injured back from game 6, trying to guard Kyrie Irving while also carrying the offensive load.

You can apologize for him but superstars are supposed to be able to handle it.

[thedoper]

On the Ant thing I just dont like watching someone become an asshole in front of my eyes. There is obviously a sweet, good kid in there still. I also worry that the constant feeding of his ego could play into his weak spots in his game, namely being a complete ball hog on offense. Many great players have hogged the ball, those players have never been my favorites. I just dont like that style of ball, and with Ant I think it can negatively effect our chances to win if he's not getting off the ball quick. There was a lot of standing around watching Ant dribble last night. I can't help but think the whole world blowing smoke up his ass for the last 6 months isnt going to help that.

[rapsuperstar31]

Why was he completely out of gas in the conference finals last year? He certainly wasn't the only player getting big minutes at that point in the playoffs. Was his lifestyle affecting his stamina? If it was, did that affect the team? We don't know the answers to those questions but it's fair to speculate.

Injured back from game 6, trying to guard Kyrie Irving while also carrying the offensive load.

You can apologize for him but superstars are supposed to be able to handle it.

Dude we sit behind a computer critiquing players like they owe us something. Ant gives us his all that is all we can ask of him. If he doesn't end up being one of the top 100 players of all time, we still have a wonderful talented player to cheer on our favorite team.

[Lipoli390]

Is it 4 now? I thought it was 3 within the calendar year with 3 different girls. He's got Shawn Kemp in his sights. I'm joking about this because it totally worries me as a Wolves fan.

Yeah it was easy to appreciate his bravado but its teetering on the edge of delusion lacking character. He clearly had a rough history and is resilient but Im not sure how he will handle superstardom. Im a bit concerned too.

I thought I might be alone on this island, so I'm happy to have some company on the "concerned about Ant" train. Well, not entirely happy. Is Ant a remarkably talented basketball player? Of course...he deserves most of the national accolades he is getting. But it's his character that concerns me. I listened to Brit Robson raving about Ant's character on Dane Moore's recent pod, and I said out loud "What???". Not only the continuing dalliances with various women, there are also the occasional unfortunate tweets that he has to walk back. But his endearing childlike personality seems to save him over and over again. Not with me...I have real concerns that someone like Ant has the type of character to lead a team to a championship.

The word I used last year when I expressed my concerns was "gravitas". The great ones have it, and Ant doesn't. At least not yet. I found myself contrasting Ant's on-court behavior last night with two HOFers on the court with him...Davis and LeBron. They are all business out there and focused on one thing...winning. (Well, other than LeBron's need to get his son on the court with him for a couple minutes, but I'm not going to rip a dedicated dad). In contrast, Ant seems more concerned with his fame and rubbing shoulders with great ones than playing winning basketball. Did you see him taking every opportunity to chat during the game with his Olympic teammates? My favorite moment was when Davis got in his face. It was almost like Brow was saying "Hey, we were teammates and buddies last summer, but we are mortal enemies right now". That's the attitude I want from Ant. But my fear is he is much more into the NBA lifestyle...banging chicks and hobnobbing with true superstars...than reaching his enormous potential.

And how does Ant seem to think he is going to get to same level as a James and a Davis? Seemingly by playing lax defense and being a complete ball hog on offense. and whining to the refs every time he didn't get a foul call. Where was the beautiful ball movement and sharing we saw in preseason? Instead we saw Ant using up 3/4 of the shot clock dribbling while his teammates stood around. There was a bright spot late in the 4th quarter when Ant started out 3 consecutive possessions by ball stopping with me yelling at the screen, but then drawing the double team and finding an open man. But Reddick (who I think may end up being a very good coach) reacted by telling his guys not to double team.

Every year this board has a whipping boy. Barrea, Nowell, DLo...just three of the suspects. But it's a lot more serious when the whipping boy is the guy who should be by far our most valuable player. Fortunately this team has several veterans with gravitas...Conley, Randle, Gobert, even Ingles. Whether they get in Ant's face and teach him how to be a winner, and whether he chooses to listen to them, might be the key to this team's ceiling this year.

What's it gonna be, Ant?

I remember my main concern with Ant in the draft was whether he truly loved the game and had the competitive zeal to be great. I remember wondering whether he would even take the game seriously enough. That concern faded with me as Ant improved substantially year to year. As a result, I’ve pushed back a bit on some of Cool’s previous expressions of concern about Ant’s character. But now I’m beginning to have some concerns that take me back to my qualms about him in the draft.

I generally don’t worry much about how many women these guys sleep with. That’s a given for so many of them. It’s the NBA culture. I don’t like it, but I accept it. What troubles me about Ant is how irresponsible he’s been in his prurient pursuits as he has obviously failed to use protection, which has lead to multiple children and has exposed him to health risks that even with modern meds could be physically devastating. Irresponsible sexual exploits didn’t stop Wilt of Magic from becoming among the greatest players to ever play, but in Magic’s case it prematurely ended his career and could have prematurely ended his life. Moreover, it suggests a failure to take serious things seriously and a profound lack of maturity and responsibility. When you pair what we’re learning about him in his private life with some of what we see on the court, we begin to see the picture of a great talent without the seriousness, maturity and gravitas to become a truly great player.

I think Ant needs a serious intervention by some vets on this team. Randle, Rudy and Conley need to take him aside some evening in someone’s home and berate him with a level of intensity that gets his attention. They need to tell him he’s not a great player as evidenced by his failure to carry the team against Dallas and more recently the way he played last night. They need to tell him he’s way too full of himself relative to what he’s actually accomplished. They need to challenge him to take the game, his team and life more seriously. Most of all, they need to tell him to grow up and take responsibility for himself and those around him including his teammates and his team. He’s nowhere close to being an MJ, Kobe, Dwayne Wade, LeBron, or Steph Curry and he won’t be until he grows up and gets serious about life and his profession as an NBA basketball player.

In my view, the next and final step in Ant’s growth will require that sort of veteran intervention. Otherwise, I fear he’ll end up as another great talent who leaves behind a ton of unfulfilled promise.

[Lipoli390]

Injured back from game 6, trying to guard Kyrie Irving while also carrying the offensive load.

You can apologize for him but superstars are supposed to be able to handle it.

Dude we sit behind a computer critiquing players like they owe us something. Ant gives us his all that is all we can ask of him. If he doesn't end up being one of the top 100 players of all time, we still have a wonderful talented player to cheer on our favorite team.

I don’t think of it as what Ant or any other player owes me. To me it’s what Ant owes his teammates and himself. I want Ant to be the player his talent tells us he can be. Thankfully, he’s not JR Rider or Rashaad McCants. But there are some warning signs that suggest he’ll fall short of reaching the limits of his capabilities. In my mind, that’s more sad for him than it is for me as a fan.