I just see it as Christian trying to get folks to lighten up. Nothing wrong with that.
It's kind of like when Michael Jordan chides Gerald Henderson about the times he beat Duke. It's not that Michael is being arrogant or unlikable......wait a minute....maybe you have a point.
Welcome to the 21st Century. Please feel free to leave your emotional baggage from a game played in 1992 at the door.
Call it whatever you want. Its semantics. "Putting your foot down on top of someone," which I will refer to here as "stomping" if only for simplicity, is probably the next most demeaning thing you can do to someone after spitting on them.
What do you think K's response to the situation was?
a) that's not what our program is about
b) it's okay, christian wins, so it's acceptable
I guess you guys seem to be okay with his action, but tolerance of that sort of thing is NOT the kind of thing i would cheer for Duke basketball. What do you guys tell your kids (if you have them) about it? "It's okay to do that son, he didn't put any force behind it and he's a winner, and as long as you win everything is okay." (this sounds so much like ricky bobby raising his kids...) i know if I ever am lucky enough to have kids, and they come across this incident I sure as heck would tell them that it is unacceptable for anyone to act that way, especially someone related to the Duke program and that I would be sorely disappointed if i ever saw a kid of mine act that way during a sporting event.
April 1
Sigh. I'll say again - there's a difference between tolerating something and properly characterizing it. What's funny is that neither the former nor the latter are happening here.
No one is holding Christian's actions against Aminu up as something to emulate, cheer for, or accept. You're acting like we're all enthusiatic supporters of what he did and we're tolerating some horrible evil that was perpetrated. That's not the case. What he did was not appropriate or commendable in any way, but neither is it the act of violence you're making it out to be, such that Christian deserves condemnation or judgment from it. If there was either some intent to injure or the real possibility of harm from the act, different story. But there simply wasn't, and you're making a mountain out of a molehill. As I said, you're apparently more offended by it than the person it was directed to, who I would submit was in a better position than you are to judge the maliciousness of it.
At any rate, we're almost 20 years beyond it, and it isn't worth all of this discussion.
Its over-simplistic. Call it a love-tap if you must. Stomp implies FORCE. If a 7ft dude stomps you, you ain't getting up...
I recall watching an off campus fight once (from my undergrad days NOT @ Duke) where this guy in the ROTC program who was having a fit of roid rage kicked a dudes head (he was already laid out on the ground) like it was a football. I'm surprised the dudes neck wasn't broken.
If Laettners action was truly horrific for you, I submit that you may be somewhat sheltered. Or you are really just inclined to not like Laettner no matter what and this is as good a reason as any.
I'd say it should have been a foul on Timberlake taking a nap in the middle of the floor where someone could fall and get hurt.
Seriously tho - How often has Duke come up on the short end of the being manhandled stick? JJ left most games bloodied. How many drives did Singler have THIS year where he was mugged with no-call. Or last years Blackeyes. Surely there was a foul somewhere in that contact.
Until you express EQUAL outrage in Duke player being mauled, your comments ring hollow. If you have and I missed it in other threads on other days - apologies.
I certainly agree with you that there is nothing wrong with playing your players late in a game even if you are up by a lot if you want them to improve, or have a reason to do it. I especially do not have a problem with playing your players the full game in an elite 8 game. If not then, when? If you have the team to blow out one of the 8 final teams in the tournament, fine. But, I would say that is not much more unsportsmanlike than, in the heat of the moment, resting your foot on someone's chest. I agree Laettner's action is worse and deserved the appropriate punishment he got, but to 20 years later call that "stomping on a guy?" I hope Justin's brother has recovered from the broken ribs and internal bleeding that you seem to feel he must have received from being "stomped on."
By the way, interesting article Stray. Thanks for posting.
“Those two kids, they’re champions,” Krzyzewski said of his senior leaders. “They’re trying to teach the other kids how to become that, and it’s a long road to become that.”
Any chance this thread can get back to discussing whether or not Laettner would be a good assistant coach?
I think he would be a great coach. He had solid post moves. He could hit the jumper. He had the will to win. He has a lot he could share with his would-be players.
I have no idea whether Laettner would be a good assistant coach, though many on the board seem to believe that your reasons, as well as the fact that he is 6'10 would make him a good big man coach. I am pretty sure that those skills, which made him one of the best college basketball players ever, would mean very little as to whether he would be a good coach or not. Just my opinion. 1f
On the other hand, I like that he is interested in coaching and hope he is very successful. One advantage he does have is that he learned from a pretty good college coach.
“Those two kids, they’re champions,” Krzyzewski said of his senior leaders. “They’re trying to teach the other kids how to become that, and it’s a long road to become that.”
As a TEACHER of the game... I'm sure he'll be as successful as he wants to be if he applies the same vigor and determination he did as a player...
BUT, can he escape his perceptions and recruit? If he can pull in good players the sky is the limit. (The pic of his wife was attractive, so he MUST have some salesmanship to him.. )
You grew up a UConn fan. You think that "stomp" is a fair characterization for the sake of "simplicity." Makes perfect sense. In exactly the same way it makes perfect sense that those of us Duke fans who've never rooted for UConn or Kentucky would take a more nuanced look at The Laettner-Timberlake Play, and conclude that the vast majority of non-Duke fans who still mention it continue to blow it out of proportion.
Reasonable people can disagree somewhat about the play. But please spare me the plaintive indignation.
I like how an April Fool's Joke has turned into a meta-discussion on Laettner's stomp.
One other factor that people tend to forget is that Timberlake undercut Laettner immediately proceeding the incident. One of the commentators stated that undercutting was always a dangerous play. In this context, Laettner's actions seems more like a bad reaction rather than an action designed to do harm.
The characterization of Timberlake as being in a "helpless position" is laughable when you realize he got in that "helpless position" by putting Laettner at risk.
Last edited by JayBean; 04-01-2011 at 02:33 PM. Reason: typo