In the midst of a pretty bad sophomore season, Washington Wizards point guard John Wall came under fire for playing in too many charity and exhibition games during the NBA lockout. Former Wizards coach Flip Saunders mentioned it before he was fired, and then Wall confirmed it near the end of the season. It seemed as if he was ready to change tactics this summer and focus on doing drills in the gym rather than producing highlights in public.
So, in that context, watch John Wall catching an alley-oop from recording artist Chris Brown at a Drew League game in Los Angeles. It's a nice alley-oop, but it's also not the best look for Wall. That's not just because of Brown's history of domestic assault, either. (Hi Team Breezy!)
I've said before that Wall can play in these charity games and still work in the gym, and that remains true. But there's a certain amount of public relations finesse required here, and throwing alley-oops with Chris Brown isn't the best way to convince people (including new full-time head coach Randy Wittman) that you're serious about improving your game. The proof will ultimately come during the 2012-13 season, which is a ways off. However, people are more likely to identify Wall as improved if they're inclined to see him that way. This highlight, while cool, only serves to make him look a little more unserious. It's not the final verdict, but it's all the evidence some people need to cast him as not good enough.
(Video via SLAM)
No comments:
Post a Comment