By Kyle Miller
My bold prediction, in regards to the NBA Finals, is in, and Eric Bledsoe, in a recent interview after a Pacers workout, validates why his GPA must have been boosted to attend the University of Kentucky.
Whether the Celtics win their 18th NBA Championship or the Lakers win its 15th, these two teams have undoubtedly dominated the league since its existence. This NBA Championship will consist of close games, great shots, and an enormous amount of intensity with a little bad blood mixed in. Kobe Bryant’s demeanor in press conferences and interviews this week have been centered around one goal, and one goal only, winning. The series is destined for at least six, most likely seven intense, grind ‘em out games that will be determined by a future Hall of Famer’s capability to make the play when his team needs him the most.
Questions will have to be answered for each team like:
1) Who will guard Rajon Rondo?—I’ve heard Kobe will primarily guard Rondo. Kobe, obviously, is an exceptional defender with 10 All-Defensive Team selections, but matching him up with Rondo for extensive time is a mistake. For one, Rondo plays with exceptional energy and speed which will wear down Kobe, and two, that puts Derek Fisher on Ray Allen. Not good.
Kyle, you sir, are an narrow mineded prick. For all of your vaunted education (given the statement above we assume at least some high school education),you missed that it is “preceding” not “proceeding” if indeed the interview was held prior to the work out.
I listened to the interview, and what I heard was a humble and soft spoken athlete. One who certainly has had challenges and is about to excel more than your feeble dreams. I didn’t hear one word of incoherence. I heard a kid, who understood every question asked of him and who responded quickly and in complete sentences. There was no bragging or showing off. The one question he misunderstood was if John Wall would be the #1 draft choice. Eric heard it as if he was asked if he would be the #1 choice. His immediate response was a humble laugh and a quick acknowledgment that he is not going to be #1 in this draft. Is he Tony Robbins as a public speaker, no. But his gifts are on the court and he proved himself quite intelligent there. For a someone who has found himself under some intense lights what with NYT muckraking and the scrutiny of NBA scouts who will determine his entire future, I see a man handling himself and his business well.
Your reference of this interview lacks any insight or news value. All I can discern is that he doesn’t talk like you or your friends, and you don’t like that. Well, tough. I think you owe your readers more. Try harder.
Bo- My education has not deceived me. For one, if we must talk grammar, “narrow mineded” as you have spelled it is actually narrow minded. Second, I do in fact mean proceed as the interview was conducted AFTER his workout with the Pacers.
You are right about Eric Bledsoe excelling well over my feeble dreams at least in a monetary sense. He is an exceptional athlete with a great basketball talent and will be drafted highly in this years draft.
One question when did Bledsoe prove his intelligence on the court?
Kyle,
You right that I didn’t spell check “minded” as hI had just changed it from “elitist”. I am not convinced you were being elitist as much as narrow minded. I decided the latter.
While your education may not have deceived you, it has failed you. You are wrong about your use of “proceeding”. As I infer a second time from your writing, you mean to uase it as his quotes “followed” an interview with the pacing. Here is how you use “proceeding”
pro·ceed·ing /prəˈsidɪŋ/ Show Spelled[pruh-see-ding] Show IPA
–noun
1.a particular action or course or manner of action.
2.proceedings, a series of activities or events; happenings.
3.the act of a person or thing that proceeds: Our proceeding down the mountain was hindered by mud slides.
4.proceedings, a record of the doings or transactions of a fraternal, academic, etc., society.
5.proceedings, Law.
a.the instituting or carrying on of an action at law.
b.a legal step or measure: to institute proceedings against a person.
None of those mean “AFTER” something happened. I pick on this because incorrect use of words could lead one to the very same conclusions you draw about Eric Bledsoe that you aren’ very well educated.
You are looking at a person who has been described a shy and quiet player for a year by writers who have talked more extensively with him. You are holding him to a standard of behaviour that holds no bearing on what he can do for the Pacers as a player. You have determined he is uneducated. And as many have written, he has not excelled as a student. He is poor and speaks with the diction of the neighboroods in which he was raised. None of this means he is stupid. None of this means he can’t learn what he needs and what he wants to push far beyond you and I. And I do not mean money. That is why you are narrow minded.
PROCEEDING. You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means.
Bo -
What I saw was a kid who could barely pronounce some basic words such as “Lottery”, didn’t elaborate on much besides his former teammates, and I am not sure what he was saying around the 1:00 mark. You could dissect every prospects interview with the media and see problems, there basketball players not speakers we understand that. Avery Bradley, another kid his age, sounds far more intelligent and established as a student of the game.
Was he humble and soft spoken? Or was he really just not smart enough to elaborate on any of the questions?
Bledsoe succeeding? That is still up for questioning, you do realize how many “unintelligent” NBA players got paid a ridiculous amount stopped playing and are bankrupt.
To say the reference to the interview lacks any insight is dumb. It gives us insight into what kind of person Bledsoe is and how he sees himself fitting in with the Pacers(of course Bledsoe didn’t provide much when asked that question.
Sorry my above post is choppy I was in a rush.
Red,
No worries on the choppiness. I didn’t spell check “narrow minded” for similar reasons. My point in attacking Kyle on his inclusion of the Eric Bledsoe interview is that Kyle added no insight. It comes off as merely piling on while the media kicks Eric around.
If he had added you comparison, maybe I would have felt differently about his paragraph. It just seemed a failure of thought and prose with no real connection to anything preceding it and with no real critique of his own. It was sloppy and, honestly, came off mean-spirited. “Hey, look he can’t speak like I think he should, He must be dumb.” Not really a journalistic highlight, would you agree?
Again, I think you or anyone is hard pressed to draw solid and correct conclusions from 3:30 of a man talking. You state that Avery sounds more intelligent, and that is my exact point. “Sounds…” can be deceiving and may have no true merit. Few of the underclassmen are going to be finished products coming into the NBA. We won’t know from that clip or any other how they will do on the floor. Maybe Eric doesn’t like to talk. Maybe he is smarter to not say to the media how he fits the Pacers. That is for the Pacers to decide. Maybe he doesn’t really want to be stuck in Indiana?
Eric has shown an ability to be coached and is a beast on the floor. Has he exhibited some follies of youth? Yes. Has he shown poise and a true spark for the game of basketball? Yes. I bet at the end of the day that is all any team cares about.