Hey Shithead. That was a seriously low-class move. Yes, it was a hard foul. Yes they happen all the time. It's part of the game. Yes, you can pretend you were going for the ball. Doesn't make you any less of a punk. To take a swing at a guy's head for the sole purpose of making some kind of tough-guy statement (because let's face it - you were not going to overcome a 30-point deficit at the end of the third quarter) just speaks volumes about your poor sportsmanship.
I remember another low-class tool making a move like that just to prove a point. His name was Jerry Stackhouse and he decided to wipe out Shaq during a game back in '06. I'm sure Jerry felt like a real bad-ass when the Heat were clutching the trophy in Dallas.
i don't think this was a dirty foul. when you're going at that speed and going for the ball, you sometimes will get hit hard on the head.
ReplyDeletei've had it happen to me before by my friends. fortunately, nothing bad happened, but my neck was hurting the next couple of days.
when someones fouls you with a bad intent, usually they'll grab you or foul you from the side near the rib cage. kind of like what andrew bynum did to gerald wallace.
I've watched this clip several times now and what Ariza did was not malicious at all. He made a play on the ball and got a piece of his head.
ReplyDeleteFernandez's landing is what got Ariza ejected. Was Fernandez exaggerating? I don't know, but it seemed like he was doing a little bit of "acting" there.
I'm not trying to say that it wasn't deserving of a flagrant foul, but I think it's been blown out of proportion.
ReplyDeleteC'mon guys. Nobody "acts" their way into a neck brace and a stretcher. Although I wouldn't put it past Vince Carter or Tracy McGrady. Anybody who has ever played basketball has heard this from a coach or another player - don't let them show off in the lane, give them a reason to stay outside. I don't think for a second that Ariza wanted to injure someone, but I do think that he was purposely trying to hit Fernandez in the head as he "went for the ball." That's a standard and well-known move. The problem is that the move was made at a point in the game when the Lakers had lost the reasonable likelihood of making a comeback. The game was no longer competitive. This makes Ariza's move look far less like the act of a competitive sportsman, and more like spiteful and malicious behavior by a sore loser. To compound matters (and admittedly, this is on the word of the Blazers), Ariza's behavior after the foul was tough-guy posturing in disregard of the potentially serious injury he had caused another player.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the guy is a criminal. I don't think he wanted to seriously hurt someone. I just think he acted in a way that was unnecessary and unsportsmanlike. And, thankfully, Fernandez seems to be fine.
I'm not saying he acted his way into a neck brace. I'm saying he may have acted his landing and accidentally injured himself in the process.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching the clip and I don't see how even a mild hit on the head could have caused Rudy to look like he got shot in midair.
And it shouldn't matter if the Lakers were up 30 or down 30, your team should play the same way.
It's not like Ariza shoved Rudy from behind. He took a swipe at the ball.
It will be interesting to see if the NBA takes further actions against Ariza.
A fan of Bruce Bowen and Manu Giblowme is calling out another player for being dirty? Well, that speaks volumes about the validity... done here.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a supporter of dirty plays, including Bowen's. Bowen kicking Chris Paul or Ray Allen on the ground is some of the weakest shit I've ever seen. And you should have noted that I'm not criticizing the play as much as the circumstance. It was poor conduct, plain and simple.
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