As you can tell from the video above, Washington Wizards center Etan Thomas is an erudite, well-spoken chap - the kind of guy who will turn up at a poetry reading or an anti-war demonstration. He'll even break down the meaning of Christmas for you.
What he also does on a frequent basis is scuffle with teammate Brendan Haywood. The two exchanged blows for the third time in two seasons Friday at practice, and Thomas has been suspended for two games as a result. His quotes are, well ... see for yourself:
"The entire situation doesn't make sense," said Thomas, whose minutes have fluctuated since he returned after missing 13 games with a sprained ankle. "I am trying to find my rhythm after missing a month with this ankle injury, trying to put together some decent games, feeling good to be a part of everything that the team is accomplishing, and this cat decides to hit me with a cheap shot during practice and I reacted. I could have turned the other cheek. I guess I didn't."
"San Antonio just beat us by what seemed like a hundred but I guess all that matters to him is he didn't get the minutes he thinks he deserves, so he's mad, which results in a displacement of anger," Thomas said. "What does he think, that throwing a cheap shot at me is going to keep him on the floor? Bottom line, I'm not putting up with any garbage from Brendan Todd Haywood, but at the same time, I do feel bad and upset with myself for allowing him to bait me."
Love how he throws Haywood's middle name into the fold. Don't know about you guys, but I'm kind of liking Etan Thomas right now. In fact ... he just leapt onto my list of the 10 coolest players in the league. Allen Iverson has been firmly entrenched at No. 1 for quite some time, and Shaq has a lock on No. 2. But Thomas just displaced Baron Davis at No. 10.
A serious question: If Gilbert Arenas is the leader of this team, how come he can't bring these two guys together and increase the peace?
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
I have to agree with Etan Thomas on this one. If Brendan Haywood decides to be a punk by throwing a cheap shot a Etan because he's upset about how many minutes he got, what's Etan suposed to do. Like he said he could have turned the other cheek but this isn't the first time Brendan started trouble.
Here's a question....WHO THE F--K CARES about this anti-American a--hole? He should be lucky he gets to play basketball for a living making millions of dollars and not still picking cotton down south. That's why this team will never make championship run, Gilbert Arenas is only concerned about getting respect for himself. He decides when he wants to score 50pts. and win or 25pts. and lose. It's all about him, not the team.
Amir, you got it bad, what "it" is is for you to search yourself and find out. You need help, and it's obvious that your parentage wasn't capable of giving it to you...bless the tree where the leaf fell!
I went to syracuse with Etan. He was in my African American studies class, and all this is definitely true. I used to tell my friends how he actually went to class and shared his thoughts in discussions. I wonder what big ugly Brendan Haywood did while sucking at UNC?
Whoa "Amir"- take a breath, man. Thanks for letting us know you don't approve of thinking people having different opinions on issues of the day.
However, (and surprisingly)you are right about Arenas' "leadership" on the team. Like many of his grandiose ego counterparts in the NBA (Kobe, DWade, etc) their high opinion of themselves sure doesn't do their mediocre teams a whole lot of good.
Etan Thomas seems to have a brain and a game.. Haywood needs to channel his tantrums into on-court production against the OTHER team.
Seriously; what examples are being shown to the youth of today? Celebrities, Sports Figueres, Priests, Police, Teachers, Parents, & Political Figures, all need to get a gripe and GROW UP!!! Zero Tolerance for violence and stupidity!!! Punishment to fit the action or crime should be noted, so the youth of today do see that your wrong actions will not be accepted, and there will be consequences for them.
It's getting rediculous that you hear the news, open a newspaper, read news on the internet, and/or go to a game, movie, watch a show, etc., and you hear that someone has caused a controversy, with no noted actions taken against them for their behavior. Why not the youth of today, look at the roll models they're emulating. GROW UP OR GET FIRED!!! ZERO TOLERANCE FOR WRONG BEHAVIOR, VERBAL, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSES.
K....I agree with you and comments like yours are heard over and over and over. However, we support it by buying tickets and watching these prima donnas on TV. I gave up my season tickets a few years ago and I don't watch the NBA on TV.
WAIT A MINUTE, THERE IS 3 SIDES TO EVERY STORY, BOTH PLAYERS AND THE TRUE. STOP LISTENING TO ONE SIDE ONLY AND MAKING A JUDGEMENT. ALSO WHY DID THE WIZARDS ONLY SUSPENED ETAN? I THINK BECAUSE THE PEOPLE THAT WATCHED THESE 2 IDIOTS FIGHT BELIEVE THAT ETAN WAS THE PROBLEM THAT IT STARTED.
LETS ALL GET ALONG AND WITH ALL THE MONEY THEY MAKE THEY SHOULD GO TO MCDONALDS EAT A BURGER AND DISCUSS WHAT IDIOTS THEY LOOK LIKE AND BE SOME WHAT FRIENDS.
THE COOLEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE BY FAR IS ALLEN IVERSON. WE MISS HIM IN PHILLY BUT THE POLICE FORCE DOESNT!!!
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WILL WIN THE SUPER BOWL IN 2008!!!!
Etan Thomas was a class act while here in Syracuse, and never caused trouble with anyone. I have to believe that Brendan Haywood has gone way too far with his bullying of Etan, and he should have been suspended for the trouble that he caused. Unless Etan is the one who causes trouble, he should have a right to respond to cheap shots without getting punished. Being that this is the 3rd incident between the two players, the Wizards should accept some blame for not addressing it properly after the earlier incidents.
Three fights in two seasons,and only a one game suspension. Just goes to show, there is no leadership on that team,or the coach should be sitting.
IN THE OWNERS OFFICE EXPLAINING.
By the way, the Eagles couldn't win a Super Bowl if the Colt's played it for them.
If flashing a gun makes you cool, then Iverson is only 2nd coolest.(see Stephen Jackson) If emulating the hip hop gangster personna makes you cool, Iverson ranks close to the top. If disprespecting your team mates and coaches by skipping practice or showing up late, then Iverson is definitely the coolest. Oh, and Phila Eagles fan, they won't come close in 2007.
This man writes poetry and preaches anti-war and peace, and then strikes back at a teammate. If he believes what he's preaching then he needs to stick to it himself.
If I must put it politely, the NBA SUCKS!
There are so many problems; I don’t even know where to start. Let’s go to the top; Commissioner David Stern. What is this a dictatorship? Is he going to be the commissioner forever, like a Fidel Castro in Cuba?
Oh how I long for the NBA back in its purest form in the 80's and early 90's. The Bulls-Pistons, Celtics-Lakers, Bulls-Knicks. Grinding physical basketball that if played nowadays would foul out the entire Bad-Boys team.
Final scores in the mid 80’s, hard cloths-line hits that would be “Play-ons” as opposed to fouls, scuffles breaking out that would result in MAYBE a technical foul. Now this no-defense basketball runs up scores into the 140’s, you take a look at an opponent and it’s a foul, and if you decide to set a hard screen you’ll be fined and suspended for 20 games.
And then don’t even get me started on the foreign players coming into the league and taking over. I would love to have seen a Pau Gasol coming into the lane to be met by the brick wall of a Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, or Charles Oakley.
Here’s a start to my list of solutions;
1. Get Rid of David Stern
2. Get Rid of 4-6 Teams (NBA is too watered down)
3. Bring back more of the physical game
If I must put it politely, the NBA SUCKS!
There are so many problems; I don’t even know where to start. Let’s go to the top; Commissioner David Stern. What is this a dictatorship? Is he going to be the commissioner forever, like a Fidel Castro in Cuba?
Oh how I long for the NBA back in its purest form in the 80's and early 90's. The Bulls-Pistons, Celtics-Lakers, Bulls-Knicks. Grinding physical basketball that if played nowadays would foul out the entire Bad-Boys team.
Final scores in the mid 80’s, hard cloths-line hits that would be “Play-ons” as opposed to fouls, scuffles breaking out that would result in MAYBE a technical foul. Now this no-defense basketball runs up scores into the 140’s, you take a look at an opponent and it’s a foul, and if you decide to set a hard screen you’ll be fined and suspended for 20 games.
And then don’t even get me started on the foreign players coming into the league and taking over. I would love to have seen a Pau Gasol coming into the lane to be met by the brick wall of a Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, or Charles Oakley.
Here’s a start to my list of solutions;
1. Get Rid of David Stern
2. Get Rid of 4-6 Teams (NBA is too watered down)
3. Bring back more of the physical game
Like another poster said, there are three sides to the story, and we're only hearing one. Personally, I could give a crap whose fault it was, but the fact is that Thomas was the one suspended...both players are equally unproductive, so it's hard to imagine that Haywood was granted "star treatment." The fact be that Thomas may be smart enough...to publicly spin a fight he started into making himself look like the victim.
The bottom line is this: Where is the video, because I'd love to see 14 feet and ~550 lbs. slugging it out. As long as I am entertained, I couldn't give a crap which one of these gigantic losers is at fault.
I think Etan and Brandon need to grow up and play basketball thats what they are paid to do they should both be suspended for a couple of games not just one.
Amir, you heathen!!! How dare you say such racist remarks!! You should be ashamed of yourself. That has to be the most ignorant comment I've seen in a long time. I am a Caucasian American and CANNOT believe you made that comment and then these idiots went ahead and posted it. What has this country come to??!!!
My opinion is that the Wizzards should trade both of them chump, nobodies for a REAL big man. I dont know why they're crying about minutes. on 90% of the other teams in the league, both of there sorry butts would be warming a bench anyway!!
GO LAKERS!!!
#3 - AMIR - What kind of name is That? And you have the audacity to interject an ethnic overtone, " glad he is not down south picking cotton"? Who picks cotton down south? This is the year 2007. We have machines in this country AMIR! Sounds like where ever you come from would fit you well to GO BACK. You don't sound American to me. Because this guy is black, that's the best your small brain thinks he would be capable of if he were not a professional basketball player? From you "obvious" limited brain power, I understand why you couldn't see any other job this guy could do, even though you must have read repeatedly, that he is a well-spoken (which means educated YOU IDIOT) man. This country really doesn't need or appreciate the likes of ignorant people like you! GO HOME.
Its not basketball anymore........they should call it
ghetto ball for gang bangers only!!!!!