Lebron Calls Reporters Question Retarded

[crownsy]

I hate Lebron, but I got to be honest and say I laughed pretty hard after hearing that. It was a terrible question.

How was it a terrible question? he's getting that rep around the league. If you want to say he plays "with a chip on his shoulder" or "close to the line" and not dirty, fine, that's a different discussion, but lets not pretend there isn't a perception that he does everything he can to make sure his opponents pay the price for guarding him physically every night.

and secondly, it wasn't a stupid question because she got exactly what she wanted. She phrased it in a very confrontational way, basically saying "people say your a dirty player, does that tick you off?" looking for a reaction and she got a great immature sound byte out of both of them that's being replayed countless times. That's her job.

It was a terrible question. Who's giving him that rep? What coaches have come out and said that? What players have said that? Are there instances one can point to?

I remember when Hinrich said it once a couple years ago. Anybody else?  And her job is to report - not generate controversy. It's a distinction but it separates the good ones from the bad ones.

Now - let's say there are clear instances of players calling Wade dirty. Then when Wade said, "Who said that?" in response to her original rambling question - she should've said "So-and-so said this, etc." Instead, she just said - "People in general" or something like that. That pretty much screams hack.

You mean besides this playoff series, Last rounds playoff series when he got into it with Mo Williams after a hard foul, getting into it with AI last round after a hard foul, Last years playoff series with us, his constant talk about "toughening up" for the playoffs, and numerous other times he himself has claimed that he plays "with a chip on his shoulder" during the playoffs?

No, I guess you can't

He takes pride in the way he plays. The only question, which i never expressed and opinion on by the way, is whether the way he plays is just old school playoff basketball where you foul guys hard, or if it's cheap, dirty play.

I'm pariah myself and say i think it's the former. He clearly makes guys pay for guarding him physically every night, but i don't think there is anything "dirty" about it. He doesn't go out there with an intent to injure, he goes out there with the intent that when he fouls you, you'll know it, and he's not going to back down from contact.

 I think Rondo landed an unfortunate way last night, and now we tend to lean dirty.

But if one of our guys had done this, like when posey used to foul everyone after the whistle to prevent and ones or powe would make sure to "get his moneys worth" on hard playoff fouls, we'd tell the other team to grow a set and that this is playoff basketball.

[crownsy]

ok im going to try to clarify my comments a bit about the reporter.. the question could have been asked "do you care if you are getting a reputation of being a dirty player?" but instead she asks a question in the most roundabout way.. she is supposed to be a professional and between the way she asks this question to wade and her prior question to spolestra, she in no way should be covering an NBA playoff game

oh and Lebron is an idiot.. honestly i just think he is a very unintelligent person

And yet she got the best quote that's being replayed endless times.

I'm sure here editor is quite happy with the way she asked it 

[winsomme]

I'm curious who the reporter was and how long she's been covering the NBA to ask that kind of a stupid question.

Well the play was dirty and Rondo got injured on it, so I don't see why he shouldn't be questioned about it.

KG has basically said as much...

[BballTim]

I hate Lebron, but I got to be honest and say I laughed pretty hard after hearing that. It was a terrible question.

How was it a terrible question? he's getting that rep around the league. If you want to say he plays "with a chip on his shoulder" or "close to the line" and not dirty, fine, that's a different discussion, but lets not pretend there isn't a perception that he does everything he can to make sure his opponents pay the price for guarding him physically every night.

and secondly, it wasn't a stupid question because she got exactly what she wanted. She phrased it in a very confrontational way, basically saying "people say your a dirty player, does that tick you off?" looking for a reaction and she got a great immature sound byte out of both of them that's being replayed countless times. That's her job.

It was a terrible question. Who's giving him that rep? What coaches have come out and said that? What players have said that? Are there instances one can point to?

I remember when Hinrich said it once a couple years ago. Anybody else?  And her job is to report - not generate controversy. It's a distinction but it separates the good ones from the bad ones.

Now - let's say there are clear instances of players calling Wade dirty. Then when Wade said, "Who said that?" in response to her original rambling question - she should've said "So-and-so said this, etc." Instead, she just said - "People in general" or something like that. That pretty much screams hack.

  Did she ask him if the play was dirty, or if he was a dirty player?

[OsirusCeltics]

Honestly, I actually thought it was pretty funny lol

[outcry]

I was responding to the person who said she's there to get a sound byte. She shouldn't even be in the room if that's the case. Those are the kind of reporters that get zero respect from good reporters.

In what universe? Those good reporters sound like they don't get payed/ understand todays news cycle.

Maybe this was true at some point, i wish it were true now.

But a sports reporters job today is to get interesting material and drive readership. period, end of story. That means sound bytes and discussion material.

You think ESPN gives a [dang] if there reporters are this kind of high brow journalist you want them to be? of course not. they want a sound byte they can play, hype and repeat endless times that people want to see and discuss.

You think the globe or herald cares if an article from one of it's reporters is completely noninflammatory and written in a sterile way if it gets zero page views? of course not, they want an entertaining article for there readers. They will take that one every time over som reporter who asked a bland question and got a bland response.

Reporters aren't clark kent. They aren't held to some code that says you can't ask a tough question. There job is to get interesting information that will drive reader/viewership. obviously this has.

Therefore she did her job.

Interesting material =/= Being confrontational and baiting an athlete to slip up and say something dumb in the moment.

There are plenty of reporters out there that can get interesting tidbits without baiting athletes into saying something dumb.

[outcry]

I'm curious who the reporter was and how long she's been covering the NBA to ask that kind of a stupid question.

Well the play was dirty and Rondo got injured on it, so I don't see why he shouldn't be questioned about it.

KG has basically said as much...

The play was dirty, but there aren't many other instances like that for Wade to be labeled as dirty. Because of that, I think it was a terrible question to ask because I don't believe that anyone in the league thinks he's a dirty player, yet she implicated that other players do think that. It was clear that she was baiting him, plain and simple.

[crownsy]

I was responding to the person who said she's there to get a sound byte. She shouldn't even be in the room if that's the case. Those are the kind of reporters that get zero respect from good reporters.

In what universe? Those good reporters sound like they don't get payed/ understand todays news cycle.

Maybe this was true at some point, i wish it were true now.

But a sports reporters job today is to get interesting material and drive readership. period, end of story. That means sound bytes and discussion material.

You think ESPN gives a [dang] if there reporters are this kind of high brow journalist you want them to be? of course not. they want a sound byte they can play, hype and repeat endless times that people want to see and discuss.

You think the globe or herald cares if an article from one of it's reporters is completely noninflammatory and written in a sterile way if it gets zero page views? of course not, they want an entertaining article for there readers. They will take that one every time over som reporter who asked a bland question and got a bland response.

Reporters aren't clark kent. They aren't held to some code that says you can't ask a tough question. There job is to get interesting information that will drive reader/viewership. obviously this has.

Therefore she did her job.

Interesting material =/= Being confrontational and baiting an athlete to slip up and say something dumb in the moment.

There are plenty of reporters out there that can get interesting tidbits without baiting athletes into saying something dumb.

And there's just as many, i would argue more, that make there living off being confrontational and looking for the sound byte or interesting quote.


Just because you don't like her style of questioning doesn't make her question stupid. your projecting your evaluative qualities of good reporting on her.

[outcry]

I was responding to the person who said she's there to get a sound byte. She shouldn't even be in the room if that's the case. Those are the kind of reporters that get zero respect from good reporters.

In what universe? Those good reporters sound like they don't get payed/ understand todays news cycle.

Maybe this was true at some point, i wish it were true now.

But a sports reporters job today is to get interesting material and drive readership. period, end of story. That means sound bytes and discussion material.

You think ESPN gives a [dang] if there reporters are this kind of high brow journalist you want them to be? of course not. they want a sound byte they can play, hype and repeat endless times that people want to see and discuss.

You think the globe or herald cares if an article from one of it's reporters is completely noninflammatory and written in a sterile way if it gets zero page views? of course not, they want an entertaining article for there readers. They will take that one every time over som reporter who asked a bland question and got a bland response.

Reporters aren't clark kent. They aren't held to some code that says you can't ask a tough question. There job is to get interesting information that will drive reader/viewership. obviously this has.

Therefore she did her job.

Interesting material =/= Being confrontational and baiting an athlete to slip up and say something dumb in the moment.

There are plenty of reporters out there that can get interesting tidbits without baiting athletes into saying something dumb.

And there's just as many, i would argue more, that make there living off being confrontational and looking for the sound byte or interesting quote.


Just because you don't like her style of questioning doesn't make her question stupid. your projecting your evaluative qualities of good reporting on her.

You're right. I am projecting my evaluative qualities of good reporting on her. I never said something like, "that was a terrible question and everyone here should think that also." I was just posting how I felt about the situation and my opinion on it. Nothing more, nothing less. I think reporters who bait athletes to get a sound byte have no right to ask questions because it can cast a bad light on the athlete if he/she slips up. I understand that athletes should be smarter and understand how the media works a bit more, but one stupid slip-up can tarnish an athlete's reputation, which isn't right.

[screwedupmaniac]

I don't like LeBron any more than anyone else on this board.

That said, he IS human, and I thought the question was pretty dumb too. I know LeBron probably shouldn't have used the term "retarded" on national television, as it's offensive to those with disabilities in that realm. However, I can't take a holier than thou approach, because I slip and call things retarded just as much as anyone else.

[steve]

If he said, "That's mentally challenged"... would it have been ok? 

And I think he was calling the idea that it was a dirty play "retarded", not the reporter. 

[Finkelskyhook]

I'm curious who the reporter was and how long she's been covering the NBA to ask that kind of a stupid question.

Well the play was dirty and Rondo got injured on it, so I don't see why he shouldn't be questioned about it.

KG has basically said as much...

With due respect to arguably our most important player....I don't put much credence in what Garnett considers dirty....Ye who initiates many a confrontation and runs like hell when confronted....

That said, the play, after watching it several times, looked pretty sleazy.

Hilarious post by Steve.  And dead on.

[winsomme]

I hate Lebron, but I got to be honest and say I laughed pretty hard after hearing that. It was a terrible question.

How was it a terrible question? he's getting that rep around the league. If you want to say he plays "with a chip on his shoulder" or "close to the line" and not dirty, fine, that's a different discussion, but lets not pretend there isn't a perception that he does everything he can to make sure his opponents pay the price for guarding him physically every night.

and secondly, it wasn't a stupid question because she got exactly what she wanted. She phrased it in a very confrontational way, basically saying "people say your a dirty player, does that tick you off?" looking for a reaction and she got a great immature sound byte out of both of them that's being replayed countless times. That's her job.

It was a terrible question. Who's giving him that rep? What coaches have come out and said that? What players have said that? Are there instances one can point to?

I remember when Hinrich said it once a couple years ago. Anybody else?  And her job is to report - not generate controversy. It's a distinction but it separates the good ones from the bad ones.

Now - let's say there are clear instances of players calling Wade dirty. Then when Wade said, "Who said that?" in response to her original rambling question - she should've said "So-and-so said this, etc." Instead, she just said - "People in general" or something like that. That pretty much screams hack.

  Did she ask him if the play was dirty, or if he was a dirty player?

the play. there's absolutely nothing wrong with that question. I think the questioner actually got cold feet and then started to try to give him an out by saying this was maybe just how it is in the playoffs...

but that said, the question was legit. "what do you say to people who call that play "dirty?"

there's nothing wrong with asking a player what he thinks of people calling it a dirty play when that is exactly what it was...

[indeedproceed]

to be fair...that reporter asked the worst questions of the night

the heat should have expected that question, that was a terrible response by Lebron, total lack of class imo

Agree ... completely classless, and a valid question.

LeBron's reaction was really, really stupid, but that question was just as dumb. It was one of those "I need to get my soundbite, so I'm going to phrase this in an overly complex but ultimately asinine fashion." kind of questions. The stupid kind. Heat shouldve expected it, but it was so dumb, almost as dumb as the lady reporter that asked Chris Bosh about the crick in his neck.

[winsomme]

to be fair...that reporter asked the worst questions of the night

the heat should have expected that question, that was a terrible response by Lebron, total lack of class imo

Agree ... completely classless, and a valid question.

LeBron's reaction was really, really stupid, but that question was just as dumb. It was one of those "I need to get my soundbite, so I'm going to phrase this in an overly complex but ultimately asinine fashion." kind of questions. The stupid kind. Heat shouldve expected it, but it was so dumb, almost as dumb as the lady reporter that asked Chris Bosh about the crick in his neck.

can explain this a little more from your standpoint. why shouldn't Wade have to address a dirty play that he committed?