Around the NBA: Bigotry, Thugs, Celtics and Walton

Buried deep in the sports section, April 22, Page D12, were a few paragraphs that mentioned that during a Knicks’ team bible study session, point guard Charlie Ward said, “Jews are stubborn. But tell me, why did they persecute Jesus unless he knew something they didn’t want to accept? They had his blood on their hands.” Guard Allan Houston added, “Then they spit in Jesus’ face and hit him with their fists.”

This bigoted hatred of a people and their religion is outrageous! If the Knicks are learning these attitudes in bible study, it doesn’t commend their approach to bible study. One wonders if Catholics or Baptists, African Americans or Hispanics, were so viciously slandered, if the story might not have been given more prominence? Perhaps we grow desensitized to anti-Semitism because it is omnipresent? If so, more’s the pity.

DEVON SHOWLEY

Cypress

*

I’m tired of hearing how these high school kids are ruining pro basketball. Kobe, Tracy, Kevin, and Darius are saving the NBA.

The people ruining the league are Jerry Sloan, Mike Dunleavy, Pat Riley and all the other dinosaurs who make their teams play thuggish slow-ball, maul their opponents and then have the audacity to whine to the refs about it all game.

Those cowards are lucky that when they tell their players to hit Shaq harder, he doesn’t come over and smack the one giving the order. Who wouldn’t rather watch Kings-Mavericks or Clippers-Rockets than the Jazz or Knicks grind out another 79-77 victory?

I’d tell David Stern to wake up, but nothing’s going to change until he’s gone. In fact, Michael Jordan should hold a news conference to say that he only will come out of retirement if Stern goes into it.

JESSE ENGDAHL

Los Angeles

*

In his column on April 22nd, Mark Heisler said that Rick Pitino got the Celtics only one good player, Paul Pierce. Well, let’s look at this season’s stats for Antoine Walker, whom Pitino coached at Kentucky and for the Celtics.

He is 11th in scoring at 23.4 points per game, better than Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Tim Duncan, Glenn Robinson, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Michael Finley. He is 19th in rebounds at 8.9 a game. He is 10th in steals, averages more than five assists and has made more three-point shots than anyone else.

But all of this does not qualify him to be considered as at least a “good” player? Amazing!

BOB FUGLER

Fullerton

*

Imagine your spouse or supervisor with comments filled with disdain, repugnance, disparagement, dripping with condescension, soaked with feigned enthusiasm, multisyllabic drama, delivered with the aid of never-ending deep breaths, sprinkled with exclamations and rhetorical questions. In other words, having someone speak to you the way Bill Walton speaks to us.

How long could you tolerate it?

J.R. NELSON

Orange