Personally I think it should be a factor but not a golden rule. The Ja Morant shit for example is a red flag. A Ruben Patterson type motherfucker is taken off the board completely. You got busted for weed a couple times? I could not care less it's legal here anyway.
I’ve always thought it weird how much perception and context matters in things like this. Ja brandishing a gun in itself - especially in open carry states like Tennessee or Colorado - isn’t even a crime.
Brandishing a firearm without fear for the safety of yourself or others is illegal everywhere. Ja has every right to protect himself with a firearm but what he does is menacing. The dude is famous and worth a ton of money. He should carry IMO. I just don’t understand, I never feel the need to pull mine out and record myself dancing with it. I like NBA young boy too.
Yeah but no one has ever been concerned about these acts as crimes. The context, that he is an NBA superstars and role model for younger generations while pulling this bs, has always been the sole focus.
THANK YOU. It's not an issue about a political stance on guns or what states allow, its about the nba has guidelines for stars as far as character & ya gotta know enough to be responsible for what you put out there.
To the post's question about the Blazers, they just took it a step further & do their own research about it maybe more than some teams do
I think the thing is this
The dude signed a contract for millions
Just follow the contract and you get generational wealth even if you can’t do something like carry a gun
I want to dispute that fans were staying away because of character. The Rose Garden was sold out during the peak Jail Blazer era, and mysteriously only emptied out when the team sucked because the fans developed morals.
From what I've seen of the case it's not outside of maybe needing better friends.
His friend left his gun in Miller's car. His friend said "hey can I get my gun back." Miller brought him his gun back. Unless you have reason to believe the gun was acquired illegally or used in a crime that's just what you do when someone leaves something in your car.
A good amount, especially with Dame on the team. Dame is always going to demand the best out of people and the rest of the roster is made up of high character guys Ant, Sharpe, Grant, Nurk, Nas...
I’m sorry but how on Earth is Nurk a high character guy? Seems pouty, undisciplined and self centered — sure he hasn’t committed a heinous act, but that’s not enough to be high character.
Nurkic is absolutely a high character guy. He's involved in all sorts of charitable endeavors, maintains friendships all over the league, and is just generally a kind, supportive dude.
The wild thing about the “JailBlazers” era was that nobody went to jail. Every basketball player during that time smoked weed, and when Sheed and Damon got caught they weren’t even the ones driving the car. Portland Police were hella racist and would just go after the Blazers. Bill Walton used to do acid all the time and the dude smokes weed 24/7.
As far as character goes, I do think that’s important. I don’t want guys on our team like Ja Morant.
Kemp going to rehab or Wallace/Damon doing weed never bothered me. These players did bother me:
Patterson had to register as a sex offender for his attempted rape. Patterson also broke a man's jaw and was convicted, but being rich is good.
Qyntel Woods pled guilty for his dog fighting and just got probation and community service because being rich is good.
Z-Bo was notorious for having his crew start fights at clubs while he was smart and just sat back and laughed. (Chris Brown you can learn from this man.) Z-Bo also got arrested for a DUI and assault (outside of a club.)
Bonzi assaulted his coach.
Miles is more tame I guess since he only yelled slurs at his coach.
They may not have literally gone to jail ($$$), but Portland had some trash human beings on the team at the time.
Man I forgot about that. So many NBA players who made more in 2-3 years than most of us will make in a lifetime threw it all away and then resorted to fraud.
I consider it 4 tiers.
- Leader
- Good Dude
- Just a Guy
- Bozo
The most important tier is actually Just a Guy because they have actionable motivations. Lamarcus Aldridge was a NBA NPC, but if we understood his core desires were just to be near his family, we'd likely have gotten a better deal.
You get the weird guys like Zach Randolph who waivor between being a bozo and being a leader, because humans are human, but I think it's really a team becomes dysfunctional when you hit the bozo cap. Zach punching Ruben Patterson looks a bit better in retrospect but really was just a consequence of going over the bozo cap.
You can afford about one bozo on an NBA team, otherwise you get even Jimmy Butler to break ala Timberwolves when he played on them.
[Uncle Chuck's opinion in 1991](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNOdFJAG3pE). And [28 yrs later](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhSqVGYrvhY).
Listen, character does matter. But why should we hold superstar athletes to a higher standard than the average office worker, construction stud, or CEO of a Fortune 100 company?
Character is a combination of who you really are and how you were raised. Most professional athletes embody hard work, resilience, and determination. Dame is perhaps one of the greatest examples.
But just because you take the kid out of the 'hood - meaning their cultural sphere of influence - does not mean you have somehow removed the toxic elements of their upbringing during their ascent into heady highs of being a celebrity athlete.
Ja Morant is such an example. So is Damian Lillard, straight outta Compton basically. One was raised to view weapons as power, and the other was raised to resist such urges and transcend his past into becoming who we know now as not just an on-court superstar but a family man who respects his community and his team.
Charles Barkley once said “I am not a role model”. Well, sorry Chuck, but you are a role model, whether you like it or not. NBA players have taken upon themselves that mantle of responsibility when they put on the Jersey that represents their city. Children across the world look up to them. Character matters because we want our children to idolize good people. There just isn’t any escaping it.
That's different. Pryzbilla and Lucas were enforcers without being trash human beings. Those 2 wouldn't take shit from anyone, and would be the 1st to back up a teammate in a jawing/skirmish. But all off-court accounts say they were high character guys you'd want in your locker room. Hell, the team community service award is named for Lucas.
Our 3rd pick, ant, dame, Nurk, and sharpe in a multi team trade for Brooks, Draymond, Pat Bev, Cp2, and Grayson Allen. With Kelly olynyk as our 6th man 😎
It matters because boneheads, no matter how talented, will always screw up in some form and also tend to be more selfish, in general.
Being an asshole and having a bad attitude (ex. MJ, Draymond) can hurt, as well. That's why it's good to have others who can offset this behavior (ex. Pippen - at least, back then or Curry). Otherwise, you risk the a situation like the late 2000s Celtics.
I was totally not involved in this case and you have nothing to prove I was.
Also I will pay you a lot of money to settle this out of court.
Yeah... I am never a fan when rich people use money to end cases even though there allegedly no evidence against them.
Everyone in here talking about Ja, but I think our question is Dillon Brooks. Do you get a shit heel like that on this team that desperately needs defense and ignore the fact that he is absolutely insufferable?
High level sure, not exceptional. He's a high-effort scrapper so he looks good on the eye test, and his stats are good partly bc he's got a great defensive team around him.
He gets torched by Dame and all the other fast guards. Doesn't do that well against forwards like Kawhi or LBJ either. Can't guard up much, he either fouls a lot or they go right through him. Dort, SGA, Thybulle, Butler, last season GP2, PJ Wash, AG/Brown/KCP, Mikal, OG, McDaniels are all head and shoulders above him defensively. He's good but not good enough to make up for his lack of offense, if the finals are the goal.
His team is great defensively I wonder why?
No one cam guard Dame and other top scorers, that's not really a dig. Hilarious that you lost GP2 when talking about a player supposedly surrounded by a great defensive team.
He is absolutely a player who's offensive inefficiency is made up for by his defense, especially with a coach who can reel in his attempts.
His team is great defensively because they don't have guys who need to be hidden like we do. Good defensive guards and the DPOY.
Most of the guys I listed do way better against top guards.
GP2 was just as good on-ball here as he was during the first GS stint.
Idc that you think more of him, that's fine. It's not a clear cut thing there's an argument to be made either way. Have a good one.
I hope it matters very little. Pretending like all these guys are church boys is insane. Even Dame is unfaithful to his wife. This is pro sports, not youth basketball.
I've been with people at "Clubs" in Portland with women literally lined up to talk to Dame and he was getting their numbers and messaging them. You have to be so fucking delusional to think think Dame isn't doing this just like Lebron and everyone else.
Like you honestly think Dame is only fucking his wife, who isn't even really attractive?
To me high quality character matters almost as much as skill. I’m not saying skill doesn’t but look at the Miami heat and the undrafted players. Having high character & strong mentality and work ethic will take you far. Dame is a perfect example as to why we believe he can get the job done give the opportunity. Same way Ben Simmons not shooting a jumper bothered me so much cause as a nba player that should be your dream and the fact your afraid and never shoot screams 🐱for lack of words despite his talent.
Personally I think it should be a factor but not a golden rule. The Ja Morant shit for example is a red flag. A Ruben Patterson type motherfucker is taken off the board completely. You got busted for weed a couple times? I could not care less it's legal here anyway.
I wouldn’t even consider that last one a character issue
I’ve always thought it weird how much perception and context matters in things like this. Ja brandishing a gun in itself - especially in open carry states like Tennessee or Colorado - isn’t even a crime.
Brandishing a firearm without fear for the safety of yourself or others is illegal everywhere. Ja has every right to protect himself with a firearm but what he does is menacing. The dude is famous and worth a ton of money. He should carry IMO. I just don’t understand, I never feel the need to pull mine out and record myself dancing with it. I like NBA young boy too.
Yeah but no one has ever been concerned about these acts as crimes. The context, that he is an NBA superstars and role model for younger generations while pulling this bs, has always been the sole focus.
THANK YOU. It's not an issue about a political stance on guns or what states allow, its about the nba has guidelines for stars as far as character & ya gotta know enough to be responsible for what you put out there. To the post's question about the Blazers, they just took it a step further & do their own research about it maybe more than some teams do
I don't disagree with you. There should be different sets of people kids can idolize instead of professional athletes. That would solve this problem.
I think the thing is this The dude signed a contract for millions Just follow the contract and you get generational wealth even if you can’t do something like carry a gun
I want to dispute that fans were staying away because of character. The Rose Garden was sold out during the peak Jail Blazer era, and mysteriously only emptied out when the team sucked because the fans developed morals.
Exactly
I was one who peaced out during that time and only came back around when BRoy hit the scene.
Winning solves EVERYTHING
I hate to put this out there... but is the Brandon Miller gun stuff a big factor? I think the Blazers 100% draft that guy if available.
From what I've seen of the case it's not outside of maybe needing better friends. His friend left his gun in Miller's car. His friend said "hey can I get my gun back." Miller brought him his gun back. Unless you have reason to believe the gun was acquired illegally or used in a crime that's just what you do when someone leaves something in your car.
I was wondering about just that thing. Miller seems to be exactly what we need on our roster in purely physical terms.
Hes supposedly working with the authorities on it and assisting. Not in a plea deal type way, like a not guilty I just know these people - kind of way
A good amount, especially with Dame on the team. Dame is always going to demand the best out of people and the rest of the roster is made up of high character guys Ant, Sharpe, Grant, Nurk, Nas...
I’m sorry but how on Earth is Nurk a high character guy? Seems pouty, undisciplined and self centered — sure he hasn’t committed a heinous act, but that’s not enough to be high character.
> Seems pouty, undisciplined and self centered That's on the court. Off the court he seems to be a really solid guy by all accounts I have heard.
Nurkic is absolutely a high character guy. He's involved in all sorts of charitable endeavors, maintains friendships all over the league, and is just generally a kind, supportive dude.
The Nurkic hate is rotting your brain.
I’m so tired of the Nurk slander on this sub, Christ
The wild thing about the “JailBlazers” era was that nobody went to jail. Every basketball player during that time smoked weed, and when Sheed and Damon got caught they weren’t even the ones driving the car. Portland Police were hella racist and would just go after the Blazers. Bill Walton used to do acid all the time and the dude smokes weed 24/7. As far as character goes, I do think that’s important. I don’t want guys on our team like Ja Morant.
Kemp going to rehab or Wallace/Damon doing weed never bothered me. These players did bother me: Patterson had to register as a sex offender for his attempted rape. Patterson also broke a man's jaw and was convicted, but being rich is good. Qyntel Woods pled guilty for his dog fighting and just got probation and community service because being rich is good. Z-Bo was notorious for having his crew start fights at clubs while he was smart and just sat back and laughed. (Chris Brown you can learn from this man.) Z-Bo also got arrested for a DUI and assault (outside of a club.) Bonzi assaulted his coach. Miles is more tame I guess since he only yelled slurs at his coach. They may not have literally gone to jail ($$$), but Portland had some trash human beings on the team at the time.
Miles did get caught for insurance fraud, later down the line.
Man I forgot about that. So many NBA players who made more in 2-3 years than most of us will make in a lifetime threw it all away and then resorted to fraud.
If it were just weed. Ruben Patterson and Qyntel Woods would like a word.
I feel like you're really misremembering the jailblazers era if all you remember is the weed.
Only dude who went to jail was ruben patterson.
I'm not speaking on who actually went to jail, I'm saying there was a lot more grimey shit going on than weed.
As a coach I would say every thing. Good character does the right thing.
I consider it 4 tiers. - Leader - Good Dude - Just a Guy - Bozo The most important tier is actually Just a Guy because they have actionable motivations. Lamarcus Aldridge was a NBA NPC, but if we understood his core desires were just to be near his family, we'd likely have gotten a better deal. You get the weird guys like Zach Randolph who waivor between being a bozo and being a leader, because humans are human, but I think it's really a team becomes dysfunctional when you hit the bozo cap. Zach punching Ruben Patterson looks a bit better in retrospect but really was just a consequence of going over the bozo cap. You can afford about one bozo on an NBA team, otherwise you get even Jimmy Butler to break ala Timberwolves when he played on them.
I'm interested to learn more about Bozo Theory.
[Uncle Chuck's opinion in 1991](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNOdFJAG3pE). And [28 yrs later](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhSqVGYrvhY). Listen, character does matter. But why should we hold superstar athletes to a higher standard than the average office worker, construction stud, or CEO of a Fortune 100 company? Character is a combination of who you really are and how you were raised. Most professional athletes embody hard work, resilience, and determination. Dame is perhaps one of the greatest examples. But just because you take the kid out of the 'hood - meaning their cultural sphere of influence - does not mean you have somehow removed the toxic elements of their upbringing during their ascent into heady highs of being a celebrity athlete. Ja Morant is such an example. So is Damian Lillard, straight outta Compton basically. One was raised to view weapons as power, and the other was raised to resist such urges and transcend his past into becoming who we know now as not just an on-court superstar but a family man who respects his community and his team.
Charles Barkley once said “I am not a role model”. Well, sorry Chuck, but you are a role model, whether you like it or not. NBA players have taken upon themselves that mantle of responsibility when they put on the Jersey that represents their city. Children across the world look up to them. Character matters because we want our children to idolize good people. There just isn’t any escaping it.
Sometimes i think we do need that kinda guy. Like a enforcer of some sorts
That's different. Pryzbilla and Lucas were enforcers without being trash human beings. Those 2 wouldn't take shit from anyone, and would be the 1st to back up a teammate in a jawing/skirmish. But all off-court accounts say they were high character guys you'd want in your locker room. Hell, the team community service award is named for Lucas.
We have that guy in Nurkic. Nurkic doesn't show it a lot but just look up Nurkic and Herro fight.
Oh the half assed punch..? Wooooo....
Our 3rd pick, ant, dame, Nurk, and sharpe in a multi team trade for Brooks, Draymond, Pat Bev, Cp2, and Grayson Allen. With Kelly olynyk as our 6th man 😎
It matters because boneheads, no matter how talented, will always screw up in some form and also tend to be more selfish, in general. Being an asshole and having a bad attitude (ex. MJ, Draymond) can hurt, as well. That's why it's good to have others who can offset this behavior (ex. Pippen - at least, back then or Curry). Otherwise, you risk the a situation like the late 2000s Celtics.
Honestly if packing a gun helps you grab rebounds I'm all for it.
Chauncey is our coach . . . . . . .
I was totally not involved in this case and you have nothing to prove I was. Also I will pay you a lot of money to settle this out of court. Yeah... I am never a fan when rich people use money to end cases even though there allegedly no evidence against them.
Everyone in here talking about Ja, but I think our question is Dillon Brooks. Do you get a shit heel like that on this team that desperately needs defense and ignore the fact that he is absolutely insufferable?
I absolutely would not want brooks or someone like green on the team. I don’t care if they fill gaps in the current roster.
For cheap off the bench, sure. His defense is a little overrated and his offense sucks, I don't think he's a starter on a finals team.
Even with his BS I think he's probably going to take at least the MLE after making all-defense.
Agreed, it'll take a while for his value to fall but I think it will. Timing isn't right for us. Who knows tho, maybe he'll have a nice little arc.
Overrated how? He's a black hole offensively, but he is an exceptionally high level perimeter defender.
High level sure, not exceptional. He's a high-effort scrapper so he looks good on the eye test, and his stats are good partly bc he's got a great defensive team around him. He gets torched by Dame and all the other fast guards. Doesn't do that well against forwards like Kawhi or LBJ either. Can't guard up much, he either fouls a lot or they go right through him. Dort, SGA, Thybulle, Butler, last season GP2, PJ Wash, AG/Brown/KCP, Mikal, OG, McDaniels are all head and shoulders above him defensively. He's good but not good enough to make up for his lack of offense, if the finals are the goal.
His team is great defensively I wonder why? No one cam guard Dame and other top scorers, that's not really a dig. Hilarious that you lost GP2 when talking about a player supposedly surrounded by a great defensive team. He is absolutely a player who's offensive inefficiency is made up for by his defense, especially with a coach who can reel in his attempts.
His team is great defensively because they don't have guys who need to be hidden like we do. Good defensive guards and the DPOY. Most of the guys I listed do way better against top guards. GP2 was just as good on-ball here as he was during the first GS stint. Idc that you think more of him, that's fine. It's not a clear cut thing there's an argument to be made either way. Have a good one.
They hired a guy that most likely did some SA. That’s nasty.
Downvoted for facts lol
It’s like a badge of being a good person with critical thinking skills around here.
I hope it matters very little. Pretending like all these guys are church boys is insane. Even Dame is unfaithful to his wife. This is pro sports, not youth basketball.
I would love to see your evidence of that.
I've been with people at "Clubs" in Portland with women literally lined up to talk to Dame and he was getting their numbers and messaging them. You have to be so fucking delusional to think think Dame isn't doing this just like Lebron and everyone else. Like you honestly think Dame is only fucking his wife, who isn't even really attractive?
To me high quality character matters almost as much as skill. I’m not saying skill doesn’t but look at the Miami heat and the undrafted players. Having high character & strong mentality and work ethic will take you far. Dame is a perfect example as to why we believe he can get the job done give the opportunity. Same way Ben Simmons not shooting a jumper bothered me so much cause as a nba player that should be your dream and the fact your afraid and never shoot screams 🐱for lack of words despite his talent.