Longform Shoals: Does Anyone Understand NBA Players?

Detroit News reporter Chris McCosky has a real nose for journalistic controversy. First, he served up a publicity-seeking attack on blogs, and got the attention he so richly desired. Then, he reported on a near-scuffle between Josh Smith and Tyronn Lue which was later refuted by the players themselves. As our own Tom Ziller noted, it's ironic that a man so opposed to blogs' lack of standards would be caught in a lie. But that's the cynical take on the situation.

I've come to a simpler conclusion: Chris McCosky just doesn't understand NBA players. And among the media, he's probably not alone.

Ever since Allen Iverson brought ice, cornrows, and non-stop swag into the league, David Stern has been concerned about the gulf between players and fans. Those elusive middle American fans aren't exactly racist or biased; they just have a hard time relating to players. Chuck Klosterman explains:

If you ran into [Rasual] Butler at a bar, you'd recognize him immediately: He'd be the 6'7" black guy with $3.3 million in his wallet. Except when he's around other NBA players, Butler is likely the tallest, richest, blackest person in almost any room in America, a nexus of physical, financial and racial minorities. You have almost nothing in common with Rasual Butler
[. . .]

It's not that fans object to what Rasual Butler stands for, it's that it's totally foreign to them.



I can argue for days how the veiled, impersonal nature of football keeps these issues to a minimum, or how much baseball thrives on the language of the American mainstream. And granted the racial make-up of the NBA player population is more disparate from the general public than, say, the NFL. Whatever the reason, this division between players and fans poses more of a problem in the NBA than in the NFL or MLB.

From a business perspective, it's a problem, since the NBA wants fans to invest themselves in the action through identification with the players. From a journalistic perspective, it's a problem if a cultural gap prevents writers like McCosky from reporting accurately about players.

After McCosky reported on the alleged argument between Josh Smith and Tyronn Lue, Sekou Smith went to the Hawks for clarification and the players claimed the incident didn't happen. McCosky had the following response:

Both Josh Smith and Tyronn Lue said it was all a lie. It was not. I saw what I saw and heard what I heard ... I did not make any of that up. And I wasn't trying to make it sound like Smith and Lue were going to blows or anything like that, just that Smith was unjustifiably frustrated. Which he was. So, I don't know how the story was presented to those guys by Sekou, I just know the incident happened as I described it.

I know the cynical angle to take: of course NBA players are going to side with each other against the media, and downplay an incident for the good of the corporate entity. But this happened out in front of all the media, which would make a cover-up kind of ridiculous. The disparity between the two stories demands some kind of explanation, and outright irresponsibility is too easy a way out.



I know that journalists take an oath of objectivity, one that is free from any biases they might have. I also know that sometimes one's own background can stand in the way of understanding what's in front of you -- I acknowledge my own limitations in that respect. No journalist can claim true "objectivity" when human nature dictates that our personal backgrounds will color our understanding of others. When reporters with backgrounds like McCosky's try to understand NBA players, the disconnect is unavoidable.

The game of basketball has X's and O's and events out on the floor that any fan or journalist with a working grasp of the sport can learn to understand. The culture around the game, however, is bigger than a crossover or a chest bump. When McCosky gets into the tone of Smith's voice, or the body language he employed, is it so far-fetched that he might not know what to look for? I doubt McCosky spends a ton of time hanging out with young black men outside of the locker room. Why, then, would he be an authoritative observer of player interaction?

As fans, we know there is a cultural gap between ourselves and NBA players. Why should we expect middle-aged white journalists to be able to close that gap and show us an "objective" analysis of how two athletes interact in the heat of a moment?

McCosky defended himself by writing that "I just know the incident happened as I described it." Maybe. But he didn't start out writing about one incident. He started writing about Smith's "attitude." It might be time for McCosky to accept that he really doesn't know what's going inside Smith's head.

Wool Shirt of the Week: Too Good for Free Throws



A hairshirt makes you look silly and feel uncomfortable. A wool shirt looks good, but still makes you uncomfortable. The Wool Shirt of the Week calls out a player or team that makes my inner-fan jump off the couch -- while my inner-analyst snorts in contempt.

The esteemed Frank Deford once proposed taking all kicking out of football. Punt and kickoff returns are awesome and must exist. But I can see how his logic applies to field goals and PATs: Kickers are specialists doing work that's almost irrelevant to the sport's appeal.

I'm beginning to think that, within a decade, free throws will be the field goals of the NBA. While penetrating and drawing contact is undoubtedly part of the scorer's skill set, free throws themselves are far too important. A controversial late call, or a team sent into the penalty too soon, takes a good deal of the suspense -- and accomplishment -- out of reeling in a victory.

It seems like a growing number of NBA players agree with me this season. More than ever, stars -- some of them known for their touch or outside shooting -- are having a dreadful time at the stripe. It's as if they've decided that free throws are beneath them.

You'd think that one of the hundred best players in the game would at least be able to land in the top hundred for free throw percentage. Well, try telling that to LeBron James, Baron Davis, Jermaine O'Neal, Shawn Marion, Dwight Howard, Luol Deng, Zach Randolph, Dwyane Wade, and Gerald Wallace. Granted, some these guys have always had problems. But with Howard or Davis as bad as ever, and Marion or Deng slipping, it's hard not to be vexed with either the players, the rules, or both.

And while LeBron's defensive improvements have furthered his case for league-wide supremacy -- and seriousness about honing his game -- he should at least be able to manage a better success rate from the line than Tim Duncan.

Watch or Die: Point Guard Showdown



11/23, Hornets at Jazz: Provided Chris Paul makes it back from his ankle problem in time -- and I'm guessing he will -- this battle for Point Guard of the Future is not to be missed.

Paul and Deron Williams helm two of the West's better non-Texas teams. Also, expect Tyson Chandler and Andrei Kirilenko to each block nine shots, and David West have another 40-point night just to spite Carlos Boozer.

11/26, Suns at Warriors: Stephen Jackson is back. The Suns are finding their rhythm. The over/under is 280. I will be stuck on an airplane, crying deep into the night.

11/26, Magic at Trail Blazers: Yes, that's two on the same night, at pretty much the same time. That's why you can watch League Pass on the computer. The Blazers are screwing up everything by hovering around .500, and LaMarcus Aldridge and Martell Webster have suddenly come of age. I'd say a solid 2007-08 plus Greg Oden is a better outlook than Oden plus a high lottery pick.

As I predicted, that Rashard Lewis signing has made the Magic really good, at least by Eastern standards. If the Blazers win this, it's the kind of upset that makes it less likely for you to register "upsets." Otherwise, just enjoy watching the study-in-contrasts match-up of Howard and Aldridge.

This Week's Great Moment in NBA Photography



I don't casually apply the phrase "clash of the titans", but I think it's appropriate here. Amare Stoudemire shows Dwight Howard the true meaning of big man athleticism.