By: Mike Hanus
I am insane for Linsanity. I am rootin’ for Rubio. I am crazy about Kyrie and kooky for Kemba. Each time I watch one of these guys play, I go nuts. I’ve supported rookie point guards from day one. Watching them is so much fun! That’s my thing; that’s what makes me love basketball. I am the number one fan for cheering these rookies on – guys who waltz into the NBA and make it look like they’ve been dishing the rock and dropping dimes for decades. I even love their adorable bonehead turnovers. I mean, there’s bound to be growing pains; it’s their first year in the NBA! But look at that pass – it’s only their first year in the NBA! I can’t look at any of these guys and not think wow, in five years, these guys are going to be All-Stars.
I am not jumpin’ for John. I am not wacky for Wall (and these are the last alliterations), and it scares me.
I don’t feel that way about John Wall anymore. At least, not the way I do about Rubio or Lin or Irving, and Wall easily has more pure athletic talent than any of them…put together. I’m not excited to watch Wall learn the ropes and see him develop – I feel like every time he’s on the court he’s being sucked into an endless black hole of bitterness and terrible coaching. This is a guy in his second year in the NBA, and I already feel like he has the cynicism, bitterness and selfishness of some super veteran, and I don’t think it’s his fault. His love for the game keeps getting stripped out, and the lack of coaching is making him even worse.
The worst part is – his stats aren’t even that bad. He’s playing pretty well. But watching him, it’s clear he has little soul left, and the Wizards are greedily sucking it down. He’s not willing his team to victory like Lin/Irving/Rubio. And the questions creep in: Are they better than John Wall? Was he…overrated? Would they do better on the Wizards? Whose fault is this? Where’s the scotch?
This is coming from a guy who loves John Wall so much his fantasy basketball team was called JohnWallJohnWall (clever, right?). This is coming from a diehard UK fan, who worshipped everything he did when he played for the Big Blue. I even learned the John Wall dance coming out of the stadium. He is literally the deciding reason I chose to become a Wizards fan. I have completely and absolutely been his fan since I first heard of him. I have never stopped talking about how he will be the all-time best player in the NBA, hands down.
Still, whenever I flip the channel from a Wizards game (usually about halfway into the first quarter) to a Cavs, or T-wolves, or Knicks game (or anything else that’s on, up-to and including “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover”), and I watch these other point guards play, I can’t help but wonder if the Wizards would be better with Kyrie, or if they’d be more enjoyable to watch with Lin, and what is going to happen to John Wall. This is not a good feeling. This is a very bad feeling. It’s dark. Everything is crashing down:
I am insane for Linsanity. I am rootin’ for Rubio. I am crazy about Kyrie and kooky for Kemba. Each time I watch one of these guys play, I go nuts. I’ve supported rookie point guards from day one. Watching them is so much fun! That’s my thing; that’s what makes me love basketball. I am the number one fan for cheering these rookies on – guys who waltz into the NBA and make it look like they’ve been dishing the rock and dropping dimes for decades. I even love their adorable bonehead turnovers. I mean, there’s bound to be growing pains; it’s their first year in the NBA! But look at that pass – it’s only their first year in the NBA! I can’t look at any of these guys and not think wow, in five years, these guys are going to be All-Stars.
I am not jumpin’ for John. I am not wacky for Wall (and these are the last alliterations), and it scares me.
* * *
As it currently stands, the Washington Wizards are sitting at 7-22, locked in a bitter battle with the Bobcats for “I’d rather watch a rerun of the Real Housewives of New Jersey for the sixth time” honors. I have watched the Wizards fumble their way through the NBA like most other Wizards fans have for the past two seasons – with the single thought that though we may suck, at least John Wall will develop. At least John Wall will be the Next Best Thing, and we’ll turn those great draft picks into some great pieces around him (a single tear just rolled down Jan Vesely’s eye; JaVale McGee’s mother just nodded emphatically).I don’t feel that way about John Wall anymore. At least, not the way I do about Rubio or Lin or Irving, and Wall easily has more pure athletic talent than any of them…put together. I’m not excited to watch Wall learn the ropes and see him develop – I feel like every time he’s on the court he’s being sucked into an endless black hole of bitterness and terrible coaching. This is a guy in his second year in the NBA, and I already feel like he has the cynicism, bitterness and selfishness of some super veteran, and I don’t think it’s his fault. His love for the game keeps getting stripped out, and the lack of coaching is making him even worse.
The worst part is – his stats aren’t even that bad. He’s playing pretty well. But watching him, it’s clear he has little soul left, and the Wizards are greedily sucking it down. He’s not willing his team to victory like Lin/Irving/Rubio. And the questions creep in: Are they better than John Wall? Was he…overrated? Would they do better on the Wizards? Whose fault is this? Where’s the scotch?
This is coming from a guy who loves John Wall so much his fantasy basketball team was called JohnWallJohnWall (clever, right?). This is coming from a diehard UK fan, who worshipped everything he did when he played for the Big Blue. I even learned the John Wall dance coming out of the stadium. He is literally the deciding reason I chose to become a Wizards fan. I have completely and absolutely been his fan since I first heard of him. I have never stopped talking about how he will be the all-time best player in the NBA, hands down.
Still, whenever I flip the channel from a Wizards game (usually about halfway into the first quarter) to a Cavs, or T-wolves, or Knicks game (or anything else that’s on, up-to and including “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover”), and I watch these other point guards play, I can’t help but wonder if the Wizards would be better with Kyrie, or if they’d be more enjoyable to watch with Lin, and what is going to happen to John Wall. This is not a good feeling. This is a very bad feeling. It’s dark. Everything is crashing down:
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