Thuggish-Ruggish Nuggets

I’m still baffled at the allegations flowing from the Nuggets camp. Now, this LaLa Vasquez character, whose name sounds more like a character from a Broadway musical,  has reached for the race card out of desperation.

From what I understand, LaLa sat behind the Nuggets bench either near or with Kenyon Martin’s brother. During the course of the game, a group of young Mavs fans started heckling Kenyon Martin–an easy target. This set off a chain of alleged events, including a confrontation with Martin’s brother and the young Mavs fans, the young Mavs fans being kicked out of the game and then LaLa Vasquez having a confrontation with a group of female Mavs fans. Depending on who you listen to, the story is either that the female Mavs fans were shouting racial slurs at LaLa or that LaLa verbally assaulted the female Mavs fans and poured a drink on one of them. In the end, LaLa was escorted out of the game.

Video of LaLa being escorted of the game clearly shows this lady has a temper. It is not hard to believe, after seeing the video, that one of the ladys could have made a remark about her boyfriend (Carmelo Anthony) or his team, setting her off on a profanity laced tirade, resulting in her tossing a drink on one of the ladys.

UPDATE: Here is the story of one of the Mavs fans near the action on Monday night.

Evidently, LaLa has some connection with either MTV or VH1 and is in the public eye. She knew that tape of this incident would get out and she knew that she would have to formulate a story to generate sympathy from her employer.  What easier to generate than sympathy than reaching for the race card?

You’re in a large arena filled with over 20,000 people, even if you can’t back up your claims, no one can officially rule it out either. If someone chooses to question your claim, you can easily label them a racist. It’s a win-win situation for LaLa all the way around.

I don’t know much about LaLa, but I do know about her husband and the company he keeps. Kind of reminds me of that song, “Thuggish Ruggish Bone”:

 Get ready for the Bone…

…and the mo’ thug…

 

…busta, you know me as a hustla’!

 

It’s the thugggish-ruggish Nuggets!

 

 

With Dorf the trainer?

Does the NBA have a double standard?

As he was exiting the court last night, Kenyon Martin had some choice words for Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, including an pejorative used againt homosexuals. As you can see, this incident was caught on tape and I’m sure the David Stern and the NBA are well aware of what Martin said. However, I seriously doubt they will take any action against him. Had a player used a racial slur, it would have been an automatic suspension.

Is there a double-standard applied by the NBA? Is the NBA office homophobic? Why don’t GLBT leaders stand up and demand the NBA take action against Martin for his words?

Hello, Pot? This is kettle, you’re black!

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Denver Nugget officials are upset with the behavior of some of the Maverick fans at the American Airlines Center last night. Is the Denver Nugget organization really in any position to tell other organizations how their players, fans or owners should act?

The Nuggets play with a swagger, which is fine, but if you play with a swager you have to be prepared to pay the price. When you play with the type of swagger of J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin or Chris Andersen, you open yourself up for attack, nothing is off limits–wives, girlfriends, family, etc.  Fans have every right to do everything, besides causing physical harm, to these type of players to make them as uncomfartable as possible. Maybe it’s yelling at the player’s family members, maybe it’s acting more like a Philadelphia Eagles fan.

As a life long fan of all Dallas sports teams, I have always felt that our fans are a little too calm, especially compared to the fans in New York and Philly.  I’m glad to see that finally a sports venue in this city, if only for one evening, took on some of the energy of the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.

At the end of the night, the Mavs fans’ actions action accomplished their goal. As Kenyon Martin exited the arena, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that neither he nor his family were no longer welcome in their own home town.  Martin’s actions on and off the court, the way that he presents himself, screams, “I want you to hate me,” which is what the Mavs fans gave him. Why is so he upset then when Mavs fans and Mark Cuban yell at his mother?

Mark Cuban and Kenyon Martin’s mom

The Dallas Morning News Maverick’s blog reports that Mark Cuban had some special words for Kenyon Martin’s mother after Saturday’s loss. If the quote in the blog is correct, I fully support Cuban.  Denver fans might not like it, Martin’s family might not like it, but Cuban is the only owner in the NBA (possibly professional sports) with the balls to say what is really on his mind.

The same people who bitch and moan about Cuban’s comments are the same people who defend Martin (and others like him) for playing a rough brand of basketball that often includes pretty intense “trash talking.”

Is there a double standard among NBA fans? Is it ok for a NBA player to act one way, but to expect different behavior out of a passionate owner?

Racism in the NBA?

I was reading a post on the Mavericks blog on the dallasnews.com this morning and noticed  a comment from a Nuggets fan. The Denver fan expressed frustration with Mavs fans labeling the Nuggets as “thugs,” and charged that their was a racist element involved in these accusations.

I can’t speak for all Mavs’ fans, but I’ve stopped short of directly calling the Nuggets, “thugs.”  I called them “miscreants” and “social deviants,” but I intended for those adjectives to describe Chris Andersen as much as they described Kenyon Martin.

The true racism in the NBA, whether among fans, players or analysts, and the true elephant in the room no one is willing to discuss is the obvious racism towards Dirk Nowitzki.

Think of the term people use to describe Dirk–he’s soft, he’s a good shooter, he works hard, he’s  a gym rat, he’s slow,  he’s not athletic enough, etc. They are code for saying that Dirk is too white to be a true NBA superstar.

When was the last time you heard someone who wasn’t white and not part of the Maverick’s organization–either past or present–say anything positive about Dirk’s game?  The best you will hear them say is something like, “Dirk is no Larry Bird, but he is a Larry Bird-like.”

Why? Because they were both white and great shooters?

I despise racism in any form. All bigotry is evil, but racism drives me more crazy than any other form of bigotry. To hear someone charge that Mavs’ fans calling the Nuggets “thugs” is racist, but in the same breath for them to criticize Dirk with racist code words just makes me sick.

Mavs Nuggets Game 1

Under normal circumstances, I would probably be a fan of the Denver Nuggets. I love a team with attitude that plays with swagger and I love athleticism on the basketball floor. However, I am Mavericks fan first and a basketball fan second. With that said, Game 1 was extremely frustrating to watch.

There are no excuses for what happened yesterday in Denver. The Mavericks looked the Mavericks from the 2007 and 2008 Playoffs, as the Nuggets came out and played with more energy annd intensity. They drove the lane, caused turnovers, ran the fast break and contested shots better than the Mavericks.  Anything the Mavs did, the Nuggets did better. They pushed the Mavs around and our team recoiled into the sloppy patterns that resulted in post-season failure in years past. Simply put, the Nuggets wanted the win more and they got it.

With that said, the Mavericks now have a chance to respond. I think Rick Carlisle is a better coach than Avery Johnson and I believe that he has shown that he is willing to make adjustments–adjustments that make a difference–that Avery would not have tried. Throughout this season, the Mavericks have shown the ability to bounce back from bad losses. I’m not sure whether that has more to do with pride or coaching, but probably a combination of the two.

The Mavericks know the Nuggets gameplan–use their athleticism to wear down and annoy the Mavericks. They’re going to swarm the ball, force turnovers, run the break, score in the paint and send three guys to Dirk. This philosophy worked in Game 1 and now Carlisle must find a way to respond or else the critics will be right and this series will be over in 5.

Unlike your local newspaper writer or your local radio talk show host, I’m not going to pretend to know more about basketball than the coaches and players on the court.  However, I do know that if the Mavericks play with the same energy and intensity they showed yesterday they do not stand a chance.  In order for them to have a shot they’re going to have to exhibit the “mental toughness” I discussed on Friday and find someone who is willing to be their energy man. When Denver takes a shot, they have to be willing to respond.

For example, the most memorable play from yesterday’s game is probably Kenyon Martin’s elbow to Dirk that knocked into the baseline reporters. The way I see it, the Mavericks had three legitimate ways of responding to that action. 1.) Erick Dampier could have walked over to Martin and kissed him on the outline of lips he has tattooed on his neck. This would have drawn Martin offsides, probably punching Dampier, resulting in an automatic suspension of one of Denver’s key player. 2.) Dirk could have got up and calmly walked towards Martin, but in a clear, loud voice begin yelling at Martin in German while pointing at him. When he finally reached Martin, he would have looked him in the eye and calmly said, “I will crush you!”  German, especially when yelled, can be a very intimidating language. (I mean that with all respect to my German friends and family.) 3.) The third and final option involves Dampier calmly walking towards Martin until the two are only a couple of inches apart, with their noses almost touching. Dampier would have simply looked at Martin eye to eye and continued to breathe heavily in Martin’s face until it garnered some sort of reaction.

Obviously, the Mavericks chose to do none of the above and simply go to the free throw line for two shots. From that point on, the complexion of the game totally changed. The Mavs would have a couple of runs left in them, but the energy and confidence they began the game with was completly gone.  Hopefully, we will be the agressors in Game 2, knocking ‘Melo, Martin and R.J. Smith on their thuggish-ruggish asses, but if the Nuggets come out more physical; hopefully, our team will have a more heart felt response waiting for them.