Nice try. They may be the lowly Grizz, but they're not reading a third-hand account by some random fan trolling the Internet. They've got the Pro Translation.
Which is dumber? Losing your temper during a game and costing your team the game... or losing your temper in a press conference and incurring a small fine?
If all that matters is the final score (e.g., Cavs 98, Pistons 82) then the answer is obvious. But of course there are many ways to define "dumber."
If the fine was the only repercussion, then you have a good argument. I doubt that will be the case, though. Besides embarrasing himself, his family, the Grizzlies, and his national team, he may lose ground in other areas (national team standing, endorsements, etc.) as well.
The thing is, Dumars never felt the impetus to announce a public statement regarding Rasheed as the Grizz did with Darko. Its comparing apples to oranges. Which one is fruitier? They can both be criticized but the merits of one cannot be validated but finding fault in the other.
Luke, just saw your post. From what I see, the Memphis fans are not much more forgiving than the rest of bball fans, and they shouldn't be just because he is on their team. What Darko did will reflect badly on Memphis, even though he has not yet put on a Grizz uniform, and they should be angry. I know I am. There are all sorts of excuses and reasons and such, but face it. What this kid did was completely off the charts and deserves the attention it is receiving. Being a fan of his, I hope he can rise above his own inadequacies and shortcomings and that he did not irreparably damage his relationship with his new bosses and teammates. But he has to EARN forgiveness for this breach. And that will take time.
Thanks Lazy. on orlando's boards someone said that at least he showed some fire and another poster ripped that comment by saying that if Darko was passionate about winning he would work harder, play harder...passion is not threatening the refs. I hope he can grow from this moment. Right now I want to kick him to the curb and forget I had any hopes for him.
I think Darko might start taking a page out of Sheed's book: So Darko..what did you think about the officiating today? It looked like you weren't getting many calls. I vant to sex their mothers....I mean....both teams played hard.
This is another scandal where all we're talking about is somebody's outrageous quotes, not their actions. He didn't get in a fight, steal anything, starve animals, use drugs, etc. He just said some offensive things, which was his intent. It's not illegal. So, he's a jerk and a PR liability for Memphis. We'll see if they waive him.
That's true...but if someone threaten's to blow up an Arena that's just talk too, but the threat itself is a crime. This isn't a crime of course but it certainly warrants some type of punishment.
Darko thought the families of the refs should be punished for their crimes against the Serbian team. You want to punish him for saying that they should be punished? I hope your thoughts on justice are not as extreme as his are.
No, its his actions. People get fired for stuff like this. Lucky for Darko, he's talented and unique and people have invested a lot of money in him so he'll get some form of punishment and continue to play.
I'm not a lawyer, but I'm not sure that the question of whether Darko's statements constitute a crime is all that open and shut. If he had done it in the US, it could potentially fall under the definition of terroristic threat: Presumably most people would assume that Darko wasn't really going to track down the officials' family members, but who knows what the courts would think. Are there any attorneys here who can help us out?
