(02-16-2021, 08:14 AM)Kammrath Wrote: https://twitter.com/wcgoldberg/status/13...2962880512
Okay, I've had a lot of thoughts about this today, so I'm going to just throw them out here and be done with them. I'm not calling into a radio show or whatever...
I understand where Green is trying to go, but he is wrong. Several years ago, I worked at this job, and it was a good job, but there were some frustrating things about it, like any job. There were some areas that people took advantage of me, and it was annoying, but not horrible. It was a great place to work, good people, fun atmosphere and creative work, so I gladly put up with the annoyances. I got so hypersensitive about those things they started to dominate my thoughts, and I developed a bad attitude. Usually, I could hide it pretty good, but one particular time I came home, and I was complaining to my wife about these things where I had to do this and I had to do that and was just having a good ol fashioned pity party.
My wife looked at me calmly, not mean, and said "Honey, but aren't those things your job?"
It floored me...my attitude had gotten so bad that I was actually complaining about legit parts of my job like they were some injustice being done to me.
That's what Draymond is doing.
A player is an employee and he signs a contract to play as hard as he can, when the coach says play, how the coach says play, in the games that the team designates, to submit to the team's rules and regulations. If they say play for 30 minutes, he plays 30 minutes a game. If they say shoot, he shoots...that's pretty much what it is. They agree to work hard, stay in shape and work together with the team for a goal. They make all kinds of sacrifices. They agree to do photo ops, media interviews and work for charity in the community as directed by the team. It's hard work...but in EXCHANGE for that work, they get paid money and get perks and benefits. That is agreed upon at the beginning. They sign their name and agree to it.
That's it. That's all. No one twists DG's arm to make him play and no one makes him stay...totally voluntary, but that's the job, good and bad. If a player has a grievance, then they can talk to his boss or the owner, and they may adjust for the good of the organization, which is their job, but if it's not illegal, they don't have to do a thing, and that was agreed upon VOLUNTARILY by the player when the signed the contract.
It's not the team's responsibility to "manage the career" or "increase the brand" of a player. It's not the team's job to make sure the player gets every advantage, because they have a team and long after that player has retired, the team will be there.
Sure, a player has a limited number of years to play, but he gets well compensated for that and the team doesn't guarantee or owe him an All Star game, a All NBA selection or a spot in the Hall of Fame, even though teams would love for that to come about probably....they are about winning games, and they paid the player to do that. A player cannot guarantee a championship or a dynasty, even though they would love for that to come about probably...BOTH of those situations, because they believe the things above would benefit both, but those are nice BYPRODUCTs not responsibilities.
Cleveland can tell Andre Drummond to play here or not play here...that's all in the contract before it starts.
Cleveland can choose to trade the services of Andre Drummond that he's been contracted for and that he will be paid for no matter what...that's all in the contract.
Cleveland doesn't owe Andre Drummond an amount of minutes, shots or anything, unless it was spelled out in the contract.
If he doesn't like it, he can quit. He's not glued to that organization, but like anything that you put your name on, you have legal responsibilities, that he's getting RICHLY paid for. That doesn't threaten his career, which is a fragile valuable thing, because he can go play in China or Italy or wherever, but the NBA is the NBA. He's a basketball player and it's not like the NBA blackballs him from ever playing basketball for money again. He's got options, but he doesn't have the privilege of playing in the NBA.
A lot of teams, to attract the best employees, have a lot of perks where they do help them over and above and see it as a great investment to the work environment, but that's not someone's "right", it's a privilege or a gift. Sometimes, with employees, if you do something nice for them, it starts out as a blessing they appreciate and soon becomes something they self-righteously demand and are indignant if you don't comply...it's just what it is.
At my job, I could go to my boss and list off all my complaints that I gave my wife and tell him that I should be paid and not have to do any of those things. I can throw out how the company needs to protect my brand and my reputation as I tell them I want to get paid for doing about 1/2 or whatever % of what I legally agreed to do, and whatever....and my boss would say "Do your job, or there's the door and enjoy your life." I can then get another job somewhere else or start my own business...just like an NBA player, but the organization is not in the NBA. He can go to China or Italy or Spain or Europe or the G League or any number of jobs, in or out of basketball.
That's reality. All this immature rant shows is that Draymond Green has no concept of what the world is like outside of his plastic bubble and he wants his cake and to eat it too.
People can talk about owners acting like slave owners because agents can use that an advantage in negotiation, but that's wrong. The players are voluntarily selling their skills under a set of conditions for a lot of money....just like a contractor who builds houses. If the person who hired you to build a house wants to pay you enough money to build a house, wearing a lace outfit and singing show tunes (and it would HAVE to be a lot), you can choose to sign that contract, but if you want your money, warm up the "Hello Dolly" and don't catch your pants on a nail...the only difference between the contractor and the NBA player is if the contractor decided not to do the job, he wouldn't expect to get paid, but the NBA player would think he gets his money and an apology for being insulted by being expected to do the job.
Also, while we are at it...you go to your job and start talking all the time about how you want another one and just stop doing your job and being a cancer, trying to show up the boss disrespectfully. You won't get traded to a better situation, you'll get fired and be wondering where the rent is coming from next month. To expect different isn't being "disrespected", it's called "growing up" and having a head that is on straight.
"There are no friends on the court." - Luka Doncic