Quote Originally Posted by CameronBornAndBred View Post
What a stupid pictorial, at least they could bother taking a minute or two to write their reasoning with each players. Not only do G and Shane not deserve to be on that list, but probably over half don't. There is a big difference between being "dirty" and a tough competitor. Basketball is insanely physical, but because you fight hard for the points does not mean you play dirty. Now if you coldcock a guy after you dunk the ball...
Well, it was based on a poll of over 100 NBA players, so it might be unwieldy to put together the reasoning.

While I agree there's a theoretical difference between being dirty and being a tough competitor, there's a fair amount of overlap. A dirty player is often merely a tough competitor if you happen to be lucky enough to have one on your squad.

In other Battier news, how about his characterization of LBJ:

"He is a global icon, a basket-ball monolith, the most prevalent and recognizable athlete of our generation," says Battier. "And he's one of a kind, because he's the first to rise to prominence in the Information Age, which is why he's such a fascinating sociological observation. He's accountable every single day for every single thing, from how he plays to what he tweets to what he says in the pre- and the postgame interviews. He has a camera and a microphone on him wherever he goes, and then when he [goes out to] dinner, there's a camera phone on him. This is what he signed up for. There is a price to pay. He understands that. But I don't think a lot of guys could handle it."

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1t57wMxAE