thedoper wrote:He was the future of the league and the pride from fame immediately consumed him. Apparently he is a suburban kid trying now to play street. The whole thing is crazy. I hope he hasnt done anything he cant repair.
I love the way he plays. But based on what I've read, I'm not rooting for him. It would be different if he grew up poor in the hood like so many NBA players. Then I'd be pulling for him to pull it together and grow out of the issues created by some really tough circumstances as a young boy. But learning more about Morant, I see exactly what you described, Doper - namely a suburban kid trying to play street. It's pathetic and inexcusable. I think he's an incredibly arrogant spoiled brat who gets off on flaunting and flexing his status as a wealthy, privileged NBA star.
If that were true, he'd hire security. Wealthy people do that.
If that were true, he wouldn't associate himself with people with absolutely nothing to lose. Wealthy people don't do that.
Ja just needs to have it register to him that not only is it ok to be a 23 year old millionaire square with a child, it's also the goal. Everyone else around him would literally kill to be in his position.
His parents need a sitdown too.
This, like many of your takes, makes no sense.
It was a head-scratcher to me too, Cool. :)
His post was entirely accurate.
The guy is worth millions. The guy has his mother utilizing his status in a department store dispute. That is not normal.The guy had it nice growing up and thinks he needs to act gangster for what? He has it made.
Politicians hire personal security all the time. They make far less money. This guy doesn't have the sense to pay a couple guys to keep his name out of the news?
The league is rushing for a new face beyond LeBron and Curry, chose Morant because of highlights, and now will pivot to a new direction because Morant is just stupid. The easy choice is Ant, but Minnesota is still seen as a tundra 365 days of the year by many.
Not a big deal, but I couldn't figure out what Wildwolf was getting at. His responses to the bolded text in my post looked like non sequiturs to me. I think Morant is acting like a spoiled brat. His money and fame have given him power and he's been misusing it, feeling as if he can't be touched. His status has allowed him to attract an entourage or passé, not paid bodyguards but the distinction is irrelevant. He and his little entourage gang push others around to get their kicks. Yes, Ja might be in the midst of an identity crisis of some kind, but he's still acting like someone who thinks he can do whatever he wants and get away with it. That's arrogance. Is he also psychologically messed up in some way? Probably. But all those things can be true.
It's a meaningless discussion. Ja has been behaving reprehensibly. He obviously believed he could do anything he wanted without any accountability. He's fortunate because his status and money will likely keep him out of prison assuming he gets his act together. We'll see how he responds. He has the means to keep himself out of prison, get psychologically healthy and get back to being a wealthy, celebrated star NBA player. The flip side is that he also has a lot to lose. That should be motivation enough to fix his issues, whatever they are.
After thinking about the Morant situation for a couple days, and also listening to a take on NBA Radio, I'm changing my position. I originally took the soft approach and said I hoped he could get his act together because he's a lot of fun to watch. But a young black man on the radio just now had a different take, and I agree. He talked about how Ja is one of the most admired guys in the NBA right now...young men are dressing like him, copying his hair style, etc...they want to be him. And if a guy they admire can be shirtless at 5:30 AM in a strip club waving a gun around, and not face anything more than a slap on the hand, they're going to think "Ja can live that lifestyle, why not me?" I want Ja to take a big hit because of his actions, and not just a 2-game suspension. I see the Denver police are now investigating...maybe he'll be arrested on weapons charges and spend some time in jail. Or maybe it's the next incident that really gets him in trouble, and he finds himself out of the league at age 23. Seeing one of their idols lose millions of dollars and working in a car wash might be what some guys need to realize it's not the right path.
I'm sympathetic to a young man who obviously has some demons, and that part of me wants him to get better. And selfishly I would miss watching him if he were out of the league. But maybe the greater good would be served if Ja crashed and burned. I guarantee a lot of potential punks would sit up and notice if one of their heroes trashed his life because of his actions.
Harsh? Probably. But maybe the opinion of the young urban black guy I heard on the radio more valid here than my knee-jerk white guy opinion, as he recognizes the huge lesson Ja's demise could provide.
I think you should give that demographic way more credit than that. The very large majority of Black Americans who have noticed Ja Morant's behavior likely feel that he's being an idiot and he's not to be admired or modeled after. I have seen many takes clowning him for acting as if he actually lived that life or even needs to portray himself that way.
FNG wrote:After thinking about the Morant situation for a couple days, and also listening to a take on NBA Radio, I'm changing my position. I originally took the soft approach and said I hoped he could get his act together because he's a lot of fun to watch. But a young black man on the radio just now had a different take, and I agree. He talked about how Ja is one of the most admired guys in the NBA right now...young men are dressing like him, copying his hair style, etc...they want to be him. And if a guy they admire can be shirtless at 5:30 AM in a strip club waving a gun around, and not face anything more than a slap on the hand, they're going to think "Ja can live that lifestyle, why not me?" I want Ja to take a big hit because of his actions, and not just a 2-game suspension. I see the Denver police are now investigating...maybe he'll be arrested on weapons charges and spend some time in jail. Or maybe it's the next incident that really gets him in trouble, and he finds himself out of the league at age 23. Seeing one of their idols lose millions of dollars and working in a car wash might be what some guys need to realize it's not the right path.
I'm sympathetic to a young man who obviously has some demons, and that part of me wants him to get better. And selfishly I would miss watching him if he were out of the league. But maybe the greater good would be served if Ja crashed and burned. I guarantee a lot of potential punks would sit up and notice if one of their heroes trashed his life because of his actions.
Harsh? Probably. But maybe the opinion of the young urban black guy I heard on the radio more valid here than my knee-jerk white guy opinion, as he recognizes the huge lesson Ja's demise could provide.
One of the biggest issues in the black community is that nobody stands up for it. There are no father figures. No mothers standing up to it. No other race can speak on it. If anybody says anything you are racist and promote slavery. They highlight rap and robberies. That is a problem.
I'm trying to remember the biblical verse but it goes something like this, To whom much is given, much is expected. Ja has been given a lot. Solid upbringing, intelligence, and other worldly athletic ability. For him to blow his opportunity would be a terrible waste. The ball is in his court, sink or swim.
First off, the majority of black NBA fans think Ja is behaving like an idiot. They thought that long before this incident (Ja's a private school kid pretending to be something else). Secondly, there are plenty of father and mother figures in leadership positions asking Ja to get his shit together (for that matter, the Shannon Sharpe incident should have been a learning moment for Ja when he saw Shannon take responsibility when Shannon was in the right).
My opinions.
The most interesting factual piece of this story is whether or not Ja brought the pistol with him to Denver (which the NBA is investigating). If there is enough evidence of that, Ja could be out for quite a while. Carrying a weapon on a flight is a serious offense that can't be overlooked.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm trying to remember the biblical verse but it goes something like this, To whom much is given, much is expected. Ja has been given a lot. Solid upbringing, intelligence, and other worldly athletic ability. For him to blow his opportunity would be a terrible waste. The ball is in his court, sink or swim.
I wonder if you were listening to the same segment I was, cool, because the young African American caller mentioned the same verse ( I think it's Luke something). Several of the white guys here (I'm one of them) are assuming the young black community thinks of Ja as an idiot (like I do). But at least this one black caller said he sees Ja as a huge role model in the vulnerable black communit(I.e. young men trying to decide which direction they are going to go). Heaven help us if this is true, and especially if he survives this.
By the way, Jon K is talking about Ja right now. He's likening this incident to the Beasley incident, and thinks the NBA is going to come down hard on Ja. That would be very bad news for the Griz, because one thing we found out for sure last season...they don't have much chance of winning if tyus is their starting point guard.
Who saw this coming? A few months ago we had sort of a fun wholesome time with Ja and Towns facing each other in a playoff series and their dads goofing around with each other.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm trying to remember the biblical verse but it goes something like this, To whom much is given, much is expected. Ja has been given a lot. Solid upbringing, intelligence, and other worldly athletic ability. For him to blow his opportunity would be a terrible waste. The ball is in his court, sink or swim.
I wonder if you were listening to the same segment I was, cool, because the young African American caller mentioned the same verse ( I think it's Luke something). Several of the white guys here (I'm one of them) are assuming the young black community thinks of Ja as an idiot (like I do). But at least this one black caller said he sees Ja as a huge role model in the vulnerable black communit(I.e. young men trying to decide which direction they are going to go). Heaven help us if this is true, and especially if he survives this.
By the way, Jon K is talking about Ja right now. He's likening this incident to the Beasley incident, and thinks the NBA is going to come down hard on Ja. That would be very bad news for the Griz, because one thing we found out for sure last season...they don't have much chance of winning if tyus is their starting point guard.
No I hadn't been listening, but that's very interesting.
I think the key will be whether he is charged with a crime or not. The NBA can only come down so hard if law enforcement doesn't charge him.
monsterpile wrote:Who saw this coming? A few months ago we had sort of a fun wholesome time with Ja and Towns facing each other in a playoff series and their dads goofing around with each other.
Not me, monster..at least not before the incidents in Indiana. I've always enjoyed him both as a player and what I thought he was as a person. And by the way, his dad doesn't seem to be very helpful in his development
