The Witless Remarks of Whitlock
North of the 49th parallel, we awoke to reactions to ESPN's Jason Whitlock referring to Canadian basketball players as lacking intensity and hunger.
"This is what a lot of NBA people believe that American-born and even some of the European-born players, they have more intensity, more of a hunger for the game. They're not as laid back," said Whitlock on ESPN's Olbermann show with host Keith Olbermann on Monday.
"Canada is a laid back place which is probably a positive thing. There's positiveness to not taking basketball and being so intense and not being so bottom-line driven as we are here in America." (tsn.ca)
Like a lot of us when we say something dumb, Whitlock tried to defend his remarks. He danced around and said we don't treat basketball like the religion they do in the USA. It might even be a good thing to have a proper perspective on sports. He then tried to say that we treat hockey like a religion and Canadians probably feel the same way about American born hockey players. There is a lot to deal with here!
I actually feel he is right about Andrew Wiggins. I feel the biggest weakness in his game is his ability to disappear in games, not big games, just games in general. I felt that way when I watched him win a OFSAA championship when he played for Vaughn and last year in certain games in Kansas. Since he is only 19 I cannot believe this bad habit cannot be fixed. I am sure Lebron will help him overcome his shyness and help him be a factor on the floor at all times. AGAIN, BECAUSE HE IS ONLY 19 AND HAS TIME TO GROW!
Then I think of American hockey players who might take exception with being told they lack intensity. I cannot wait for Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick to weigh in on this. He actually questioned their heart and desire! I am sure Mr. Burke will have nothing but glowing reviews of the ignorant comments and God knows how many American fans of the Miracle on Ice might show up at his door.
His major problem is with the generalization of anything and then not admitting his glaring error. To imply that Canadians lack passion is just dumb. To then say we can be passionate about hockey but not basketball is still dumb. If I was going to point a finger at American passion it would directed towards football, the American brand; with baseball and basketball battling it out for second. That said, I would not discredit the passion certain niches have for Nascar, Soccer, Figure Skating, or Rodeo. We love what we love.
The great comparison could be Brett Hull. Son of Canadian hockey legend Bobby Hull and American figure skater Joanne Hull, Brett lead the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup and became a Hall of Famer. He also played for the US in many international tournaments and no one claimed he lacked any sort of passion because of his chosen nationality or dual citizenship.
Andrew Wiggins is the son of American Mitchell Wiggins and Canadian Olympic Sprinter Marita Payne-Wiggins, who was born in Barbados. Which nationality actually influenced him the most? Maybe Andrew has never been pushed to be intense? Maybe he is shy? Or maybe he will become an NBA player who exhibits modesty? Bottom line, whoever he becomes it is because of him, not the flag that he plays under. Yes Canada will be proud of his accomplishments but Wiggins is motivated by himself; just like MJ, Mr. Russell and the many more NBA greats before him.
So Mr. Whitlock has a point about Wiggins and his intensity. I have pointed this out before and I completely agree with him, but you cannot paint everyone with the same brush. If there are NBA Gm's who question Canadian heart, as he claims, they had better give their head a shake. Check out Nash's effort against the Spurs after his bloody nose at the 3:48 mark; is he lacking anything you want in a player?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSzjeA35jwQ
or setting his own nose back into place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9-RaMsKH_Q
The best coaches/basketball minds of the last 20 years are Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, and Phil Jackson. All three welcomed Canadians onto their teams. Canadians did not hurt the development of Stephen Curry. Canadians have played for Coach K. at Duke, Rick Pitino at Kentucky and Dean Smith at North Carolina. Allen Iverson loved playing with Canadians, as did Michael Jordan. A Canadian helped coach the US Men's Basketball Team. A Canadian helped develop Kareem Abdul Jabbar. With all those Canadians in basketball's history, maybe Mr. Whitlock should check his sources. (Oh yeah, we invented the game too!)
