I should start by noting that I couldn't stand Danny Ainge the player. When he played for the Phoenix Suns I tolerated him. I was not a big fan of his coaching either, especially the way he handled Antonio McDyess. I was not at all upset when he "resigned".
Originally posted by Skkorpion
Ok, at the risk of alienating half of Mesa and all of Utah, I think Danny Ainge is an utter ass. He's white and Mormon so he's a local icon
If he wasn't white and well-spoken, he'd be unemployed. He was a loser coach. A quitter. But he's a local icon. Personally responsible for guarding the wrong guy in game 6 of the NBA finals here, he can do no wrong.
Come on. If Danny Ainge was the same person with black skin he would be an even hotter commodity nowadays. Danny Ainge is where he is today because he's likable.
Is there anything more annoying than Ainge and John Thompson trying to outdo each other on TNT? Two biggots, each idiots in their own right.
How are they biggots? Does the fact that he is white, Mormon, and well spoken automatically make him bigoted? I personally think Ainge, Thompson, and Harlan are the best commenting crew in the NBA. I know that's not saying a lot considering the other idiots, but I enjoy listening to them. I like listening to Danny Ainge because he's honest. He calls it like he sees it.
To this day, Robert Horry's out-of-character blowup and Antonio McDyess' refusal to play for Danny Ainge stick in my craw.
I don't pretend to know what actually happened with Robert Horry, but I create Ainge is at least partially to blame for McDyess' departure. But let's not forget that Antonio McDyess was a complete moron. The Phoenix Suns were the victims of some of that most blatant tampering in the last 20 years during that episode. Most of the blame falls on a stupid and immature Antonio McDyess, Nick Van Exel, their crooked agent, and the Denver Nuggets.
Oh yeah, and why is Casey Jacobsen the only player on the roster to have a local TV commercial? Anybody know? Anybody care to guess? Or are we still in denial about local demographics?
Slam me. I don't care. Racism and religious prejudice disgust me. I'm Catholic and we have our own pedophelia burden and denial to deal with. We excuse child molesters and blame the media. Idiotic.
There's no doubt in my mind that Casey Jacobsen was drafted as much because he is a clean-cut, well spoken, white boy as he was taken because of his basketball abilities. The Suns were definitely looking for the next Dan Majerle/Jeff Hornacek/Danny Ainge. It's early, but it looks like they made a mistake by not taking the soft-spoken black kid from the University of Kentucky (Tayshaun Prince).
Did anybody on this messageboard argue about the local demographics? It's not racism or religious prejudice that gets Casey Jacobsen and Danny Ainge commercials. It's called marketing. There is absolutely nothing that says local advertisers have to be equal opportunity employer's when it comes to their commercials. Of course Danny Ainge is the Spencer's representative because a very large part of their customer base is the Mormon population in Mesa. Who cares? 99% of the people you see in Church's Chicken commercials are African-American. It's not racism. It's smart advertising.
And frankly we don't know that Marbury, Marion, Amare Stoudemire, etc. haven't also been offered commercials that they have turned down. It's not like this is a great market for advertising by athletes. I doubt local advertisers are even paying enough to make it worthwhile for guys like Marbury and Marion who make $10 million + per season already.
Is Frank Johnson a bad coach, or is he just too black for Phoenix? I'm not sure but his accomplishments sure seem unappreciated.
But I am sure of several things: Danny Ainge is a whining, quitting loser, and Casey Jocobsen doesn't deserve a local commercial.
Ok, so I'm venting out of frustration. Frank Johnson is so much better than Scott Skiles, Danny Ainge, or any other coach we've had since Paul Westphal, I have difficulty visiting here and reading the whining about small ball.
Frank Johnson isn't any better a head coach than Ainge. They have a better coaching staff, but he isn't any better. He isn't better than Cotton Fitzsimmons. I don't think anybody would argue that he isn't an improvement over Scott Skiles , but that's not saying a lot. And this has nothing to do with the fact that Frank Johnson is black. I was one of the guys who wanted a black coach just because I thought it would really help in the locker room after the Scott Skiles disaster.
Make no mistake. Good, black coaches are a hot commodity in the NBA today. The players seem to like playing for Frank Johnson. That's good. But as far as actual coaching goes FJ is mediocre at best.
That's my $.02.
Joe Mama