SI puts down Austin

[CrazyNotCrazie]

In the latest Sports Illustrated (with Dirk on the cover), in the "Who's Hot, Who's Not" section, Austin Rivers is listed as "Not":

"And Duke basketball recruit Austin Rivers showed zero respect, adopting the nickname Subzero, because, he tweeted, "my moves freeze people."

Really, SI? That's the best you've got? Personally, I think it's a pretty cool nickname.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Eh...gotta earn the moniker. We'll see, maybe it will stick. Personally, if I was wearing a jersey, I wouldn't want "sub" anywhere in my name.

[Starter]

On the lookout for the next LeBron to build up and tear down, sports media is very, very sensitive to perceived arrogance in any form. I thought the Sub Zero stuff was fine, just a kid having fun. But Austin needs to be aware he's got a target on his chest.

[SCMatt33]

I don't think that they are so much against the nickname as they are the fact that he has tried to spread it around himself. There is a pretty general consensus out there that someone else has to coin the name. Even though I'm pretty sure Austin has said that he didn't come up with the name, he has been trying to spread it himself.

[Newton_14]

On the lookout for the next LeBron to build up and tear down, sports media is very, very sensitive to perceived arrogance in any form. I thought the Sub Zero stuff was fine, just a kid having fun. But Austin needs to be aware he's got a target on his chest.

Bingo. A bit surprised the media jumped on this, but you are correct on motive. Austin will learn from it.

I don't think that they are so much against the nickname as they are the fact that he has tried to spread it around himself. There is a pretty general consensus out there that someone else has to coin the name. Even though I'm pretty sure Austin has said that he didn't come up with the name, he has been trying to spread it himself.

The thing is, I don't think Austin's intent was to spread the nickname with the hope of it catching on. I think he was just playing around, tweeted it to have some fun and that was it. I could be wrong, but after listening to his comments on it later, I really don't feel he actually wanted people to call him the nickname. My two cents..

[UrinalCake]

The fact that he even got mentioned in that spot should be an indication of how much hype he brings. Though perhaps SI just thought they were being clever with their whole "not hot/subzero" wordplay, and weren't really criticizing him.

[OldPhiKap]

After making fun of "The Black Falcon" and his self-hype, it's kind of hard for me to really defend Austin on this. He better back it up.


It ain't bragging if you back it up. But Austin's been talking more than I can remember any Duke player in a long time. I hope he realizes what he is doing, because this stuff sticks.

But I'm old school -- do it on the court before talking about how you're going to do it.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

After making fun of "The Black Falcon" and his self-hype, it's kind of hard for me to really defend Austin on this. He better back it up.


It ain't bragging if you back it up. But Austin's been talking more than I can remember any Duke player in a long time. I hope he realizes what he is doing, because this stuff sticks.

But I'm old school -- do it on the court before talking about how you're going to do it.

You make a good point. I tend to take the same sort of view... less talk, make the statement on the court.

When I first saw this thread, I wondered if SI was breaking the story about a different Austin and the multiple license plates

[mo.st.dukie]

The fact that he even got mentioned in that spot should be an indication of how much hype he brings.

Seems like he is going to be a lightning rod for media attention. He said he wants to dunk on LeBron and that made it into Sportscenter/Around the Horn/PTI, etc. now this. He may end up being one of the most hyped, talked about, scrutinized freshman Duke has ever had. And he's said in interview that he often has that target on his back because of his last name and his lofty high school ranking. He had high school games televised on ESPN because of him when he was just a sophomore. So he's been considered for 3+ years to be one of the best in his class. People don't like his background, don't like the college he chose, and everything he says and does will be scruitinized even if he is just joking around (which I think he was with regards to the "subzero" comment).

[magjayran]

I follow him on Twitter and I thought it was immediately apparent that he was just having a laugh when he brought the nickname up. He only mentioned it the one time which to me does not indicate that he was spreading it around himself. As soon as the backlash started he made it clear that someone else came up with it and then spent far too much time repeating the fact that it was supposed to be all in good fun. There is no reason at all for SI to pick this up in any capacity.

I make up funny nicknames for myself all the time. Only difference is no one cares.

[Faison1]

One part of me is worried whether the hype surrounding Austin will play out like the Barnes Saga.

Another part of me wonders what Austin will act like if he tastes some serious success at Duke.

But overall, I pray this kid can back up everything with his play...especially in the Dean Dome. Wouldn't that be sweet?

[darjum]

Interestingly Austin has also slipped from projected #1 overall pick a month ago to projected #11 pick in 2012 by nbadraft.net:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2012mock_draft

Regardless, I just can't wait to see number 0 piling up 3's for Duke. Let your play do the talking Austin, all the doubters will see!

[oldnavy]

Well for starters, Austin Rivers has done exactly NOTHING on the college level to earn any nickname... yet. I don't like contrived nicknames and I don't like guys that refer to themselves in the third person either by name or nickname.

I have not followed this closely so I do not know what Austin has said or not said regarding the Sub Zero nickname therefore I am not making a judgment.

I will say this, what I have seen so far which amounts to about 15 minutes combined of All Star games and some of his HS games on ESPN, Austin has a ways to go before he makes a big enough splash to be known by a nickname. Granted All Star games are about a half of a step above those Street Ball shows/games that make me want to wash my eyeballs out after seeing them, but I just have not been wowed yet... I am not saying he isn’t talented, I am just saying with the limited amount of play I have seen both All Star and High School tournament play - he has not impressed me as much as others have.

He may very well be as good or even better as he and others claim he is, but I need to see it against college competition first. Besides, I think if he has to have a nickname and he wants it to refer to cold and freezing, it should be “Black Ice”... every time I hear sub zero I think of that batman character that Arnold played. Not sure why because I think he was Mr Freeze, but that is what pops into my head.

[roywhite]

Yeah, hate to see Austin get zinged like this; even if SI is being a little rough with their comments, it's something that Austin has brought on himself.

As I see it, Austin Rivers is just a few days away from what should be the best thing that ever happened to him....close, daily, enlightening contact with Michael William Krzyzewski.

[Mike Corey]

Humble and Hungry is much better than Sub Zero.

[cptnflash]

Humble and Hungry is much better than Sub Zero.

Amen.

[miramar]

As long as he doesn't get a Skype account I'm good with it.

[oldnavy]

As long as he doesn't get a Skype account I'm good with it.

True. The problem with HB was that almost EVERYONE including himself built that kid up to be something that he or no other freshman could be or ever has been. As a result he looked like a major dissappointment early on when in fact he was a very good YOUNG player who had ups and downs. I still think he was GIVEN the ACC ROY award to some how justify the press's hype of him. IMO Kendall Marshall was clearly the ACC ROY. HB would be a distant second if I had a vote.

I hope that the Duke fans dont do the same with Austin. I think he will be a very good player, but he is young and will have to adjust to playing at the college level.

[moonpie23]

i think it's interesting the difference of hype with how Kyrie came into Duke, vs how HWNSNBM came into unc, and then the subsequent contrast of a year later.

"hype" is a wild ride...I hope austin is mature enough to recognize it and not fall victim to it.

[COYS]

I follow him on Twitter and I thought it was immediately apparent that he was just having a laugh when he brought the nickname up. He only mentioned it the one time which to me does not indicate that he was spreading it around himself. As soon as the backlash started he made it clear that someone else came up with it and then spent far too much time repeating the fact that it was supposed to be all in good fun. There is no reason at all for SI to pick this up in any capacity.

I make up funny nicknames for myself all the time. Only difference is no one cares.

+1 for this. Ok, Austin should own it I guess since he was joking around about it and made it public on Twitter, but he mentioned it all of once. I generally have more respect for SI's journalistic integrity than most sports news groups, but I feel this was a really silly thing to bother to print.

That being said, if Austin didn't already know how much scrutiny he's going to receive given all of the factors that so many of you have mentioned, he knows now. Between his dad, the school he chose, his decommitment from Florida, his cocky although good-natured comments about destroying Lebron on the court, and his reputation as someone who may or may not whine to the refs a little more than usual, there is already enough fuel to light the hatred fires of opposing fan bases. If he decides to let his play do all the talking, that's cool. But if he makes comments that rub the hubris police the wrong way, I really don't care that much, either, as long as he focuses on his play on the court and doesn't say anything that is actually all that bad. People are gonna hate him anyway. In my mind, one tweet about a nickname is not that big of a deal. I didn't even mind Barnes' Black Falcon stuff last year mostly because I thought it was hilarious and was glad to have the material for the Crazies to throw back at him. It really isn't that big of a deal, in my mind.