Is Dwyane Wade a Dirty Player? Does the NBA Care?

Whenever blood gets boiling in the NBA, one player will try to insult another by insinuating they are a dirty player.  Last year, after the intense Pacers-Bulls match up in the playoffs, Danny Granger of the Pacers said Chicago center Joakim Noah is a dirty player.  This was a ridiculous accusation made out of frustration since Noah is a high-energy player and hustles, and the Pacers were the only team doling out hard fouls and physical play in that series.  But still, when hit with the anger of getting eliminated in the playoffs Granger resorted to the accusation that somebody bends and/or breaks the rules.  Amare Stoudemire did this in 2007 against the Spurs when the Suns were down as well.  Those types of accusations come out a lot when players or fans are upset and many times there is nothing to it, but other times it is worth investigating.

Dirty players are like what Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen would be if they were on the basketball court. They throw out cheap shots oftentimes which could legitimately injure somebody then throw their hands up and walk away like they did nothing.  Sometimes they are subtle plays, sometimes not so much and you get hit with a flagrant.  If it is subtle then it is like a wrestling manager distracting the ref, slipping their wrestler a pair of brass knuckles, the wrestler hitting his opponent with them, then the ref suddenly turning around to see the opponent down as the other wrestler acts like nothing happened.  There are all sorts of guys like that in the league these days.  You hear it mentioned most with Kevin Garnett.

Garnett is a psycho on the court.  His once unbelievable play has declined with age, and up until recently when he's been able to back up his trash talk with stellar performances, he resorted to cheap shots and dirty play to get his message across.  Remember KG undercutting Channing Frye while hitting him in the nuts?  Garnett's bark had become much bigger than his bite (his game) so there was a while there where he just changed his bite to be cheap shots and bully tactics.  He still throws elbows after the whistle and stuff.

Ron Artest/Metta World Peace's elbow on James Harden is the prime example of a dirty play since he nearly killed Harden then acted like he was just flexing.

Kobe Bryant is a dirty player.  This isn't because I love Michael Jordan.  Kobe is a dirty player.  Remember he got suspended twice in the 2006-07 season for first punching Manu Ginobili after a shot, then doing it again to Marko Jaric?  His teammate Derek Fisher is also dirty.  Here's a neat clip of their dirty antics in the playoffs against Houston a few years back.  Somehow Ron Artest got ejected for Kobe elbowing him in the throat and pretending like he did no such thing.  Kobe has all sorts of cheap little elbow and knee plays.  You don't agree? Watch:



Of course the dirtiest of all players is Bruce Bowen.  He used to undercut people all the time, throw drop kicks, knee people in the balls, etc.  You didn't know? Watch:



But now we have an entirely new issue here.  Is Dwyane Wade a dirty player?  Does the NBA's superstar-pampering system enable this?  In my last post I touched on this briefly.  After last night's Eastern Conference Finals victory over the Celtics I feel the need to address it again. And no, this is not just because Wade is on Miami.  The first basketball player whose jersey and shoes I ever owned was Wade.  I have always respected him and been a fan, but I've seen enough in the last year to turn sour on him and think his little slap on Rondo and kick at Kevin Garnett were not just heat of battle coincidences.

Last year. Playoffs. Heat-Celtics. Boston is up 10. Wade loses the ball and drags Rajon Rondo down, dislocating Rondo's elbow and sabotaging the series for the C's:



This year. All Star Game (!!!??!?!). Wade smacks Kobe in the face, breaking his nose and giving him a concussion. A flagrant foul in the ASG? Are you kidding me? Nope:



This year. Regular season against the Bulls. Wade shoves Rip Hamilton for no real reason, gets called for a flagrant:



This year. Playoffs. Heat-Knicks. Wade throws Mike Bibby's shoe into the front row. Not quite as bad as his fouls, but still a dick move:



This year. Playoffs. Heat-Pacers. Wade gets upset he didn't get a foul call so he hockey checks Darren Collison, gets called for a flagrant:



Now this brings us to last night.  The Celtics were trying to even their series with Miami in Game 2, but they blew a big lead and couldn't play defense in the third quarter.  Even though Miami went to the foul line a ton - LeBron almost as many times as the entire Celtics team - Boston could have won that game but they couldn't execute.  Of course it didn't help Wade got dirty in overtime.

First up is Wade's defense against Rondo which somehow resulted in no foul call:



After the flagrant on Kobe in the All Star game and the other cheap fouls Wade has resorted to in recent history I tend to believe this wasn't an accident and he was trying to smack Rondo in the face.  I'm sorry but after you jacked up the guy's arm a year ago and have been building a history of bad fouls lately I don't find it coincidence that you smacked a guy who was lighting up your team right in the face.

Then he came down and had this dagger and-one over Kevin Garnett.  But he was also throwing a dropkick:



Wade leads with the leg right into KG's knee. When they show the replay again at about the 1:35 mark in that video Jeff Van Gundy even comments that could have been an offensive foul. Yeah buddy.  Wade has started to develop a nice little list of questionable play lately.  An All Star game flagrant, the flagrant on Rip, the flagrant on Collison, and the other cheap plays.  Yet he hasn't faced any kind of real punishment for this stuff.

Kobe was suspended for those shots at Manu and Jaric, but that is the most I've ever heard about a superstar being punished for dirty play.  Garnett has never faced any repercussions for his nonsense, and with Wade being on the marketing juggernaut of Miami he damn sure won't face any sort of punishment.  The NBA protects the superstars no matter what, and we're seeing clear evidence of it now.

Robert Horry was suspended for his check on Steve Nash.  Wade only received a flagrant 1 for his check on Collison.  A flagrant 2 is an automatic ejection and you get suspended.  Horry's check on Nash was harder, but still look at the rule.  Wade's check was unsportsmanlike, unnecessary, and excessive.  That was clearly a flagrant 2.  Tyson Chandler's illegal screen on LeBron was originally deemed a flagrant 2 but then lowered to a flagrant 1.  A flagrant 2 is insane since that was a clear flop from LBJ, but a flagrant 1 still isn't right since it was nothing more than an illegal screen.  Wade could have really hurt Collison, it wasn't even remotely a play on the ball or anything, but still it was on the level of the Chandler play?  That does not seem right.  Even his shove on Hamilton was totally uncalled for and could be seen as a flagrant 2.

Why bother calling Wade for smacking Rondo in the face or kicking Garnett? The league will get more money out of the Heat being in the Finals anyways.  Wade is a superstar, unlike Horry and Chandler, so he would never be suspended for that shot on Collison and he would never be reprimanded for his cheap plays in overtime.  This goes for all superstars of course as Kobe's suspensions were an aberration when it comes to how the NBA treats the money makers.

Accusing somebody of playing dirty is pretty serious and oftentimes makes you seem like a crybaby, but it is worth pointing out Dwyane Wade has found himself in some questionable situations in the last year, starting with Rondo's injury.  The legend has been growing since then, and last night on nearly back-to-back possessions Wade added to it big time.  For some reason people keep getting hit when they are around him.  And since it is widely known the NBA coddles superstars, it is no surprise they haven't hit Wade with a flagrant 2 or a suspension for anything he's done.

The Rights and Wrongs in the Sporting World 2: The "I Loathe Miami" Edition

This is a good way to start off this post, even if I don't talk about their late-game fails

It has been a few weeks and there are many things I want to discuss so what better way to do that than to treat the world to another installment of The Rights and Wrongs? We are a few games deep into the second round of the NBA Playoffs so things are starting to get good. There are a great many things floating around my head and I don’t want to forget them so I’ll just get right to it.

The Right:
1. Chan Sung Jung – The Korean Zombie has put himself in the title hunt in the UFC’s featherweight division following a wild victory over Dustin Poirier on Fuel the other night. Zombie seemed to get winded by the time the fourth round came, but he still locked in a d’arce choke and finished Poirier off. It was a great fight with exciting stand-up and grappling, including a wild moment when Poirier took Zombie down, only for Zombie to roll right into a full mount. As far as shows on networks most people don’t get go, this was an exciting main event and Zombie has proven he can deliver an exciting fight every time. His fights against Leonard Garcia, especially the second one in which he submitted Garcia with the twister, were both entertaining and his seven second knockout of Mark Hominick was wild as well. Of course Jung wouldn’t stand much of a chance against featherweight king Jose Aldo, but really would anybody? Jung-Aldo would be an exciting fight and if you through that on the next UFC on Fox and build it up right it can be a good ratings boost and people would love it.

2. Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan – Two of the greatest power forwards of all time, both in the twilight of their careers, have turned the clock back as of late. I have written about how Duncan is amazing here before, but after reading Chris Ballard’s piece on Timmy for Sports Illustrated I like him even more. The best statistic mentioned in the article is the .702 winning percentage the Spurs have had with Duncan, a percentage unmatched in the last 15 years by any other team in any sport. Even in NBA history there has not been such a run. Ballard touches on this for Duncan but it goes for Garnett as well, as both men played fewer minutes per game this season, but if you look at their per 36 minute stats their numbers are right in line with their stellar career marks. Duncan absolutely shit on Blake Griffin and the Clippers in Game 1 of their second round series, hanging 26 and 10 with 2 blocks and 2 steals on them. Garnett is averaging 20 and 11 (I may have done that math wrong) through the nine games Boston has played thus far. On the third page of that Ballard article he points out how Duncan loathes KG, but it is nice to see the rivals both stepping up their game.

3. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan – I will not be watching WWE’s Over the Limit pay per view this Sunday as it is expensive and the card doesn’t appeal to me, but Punk and Bryan are going to put on an awesome WWE Championship match. Bryan is the best technical wrestler on the face of the planet, winning Wrestling Observer’s award for that for the last seven years, and Punk is high up on the list. WWE markets everything around John Cena and he’ll have a stupid match with Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis, but for the Internet Wrestling Community this WWE title match is going to be the true selling point. They’ve worked matches before, in Ring of Honor and the WWE on Raw, but to have the two best guys working a match for the biggest title in the biggest wrestling company on pay per view is what it’s all about. I will definitely be ordering a replay of the show for Bryan-Punk alone.

4. The Return of Paul E. – WWE brought back Brock Lesnar, jobbed him to John Cena, had him “break” Triple H’s arm the next night on Raw, then the next week Lesnar has his legal council announce he had quit the company. Who would be Lesnar’s legal council? None other than the greatest mind in the history of the business, Paul Heyman. Heyman was the head of the now-defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling in the ‘90s. ECW’s hardcore, edgy style was ripped off by the WWE for their “Attitude Era” and WCW mastermind Eric Bischoff hired guys like Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero away from Heyman. He wasn’t a good enough businessman to keep ECW going, but he was brilliant at booking and as an on-screen character. Jim Ross loved doing commentary with him, and as Brock Lesnar’s manager and General Manager of SmackDown he was so entertaining. His mic skills are better than most wrestler’s, and his shoot promo on Vince McMahon is one of the greatest promos in wrestling history. I haven’t watched SmackDown regularly since Heyman was its head booker in 2002-3. He made guys like Kurt Angle, Edge, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, and Chavo Guerrero into gods. I will never forget the awesome fatal four-way between Angle, Benoit, Eddie, and Edge that took place on SmackDown. Heyman always knew what matches would work, and if you gave him a microphone he could get anything over. I don’t like the idea of hiring Lesnar to be this big star then holding him off TV so they can save his 24 remaining dates for the build to WrestleMania next year, but if Heyman is going to be Brock’s mouthpiece and handle this then I’m interested.

The Wrong:
1. Dwyane Wade Part 1 – In Game 2 of the Heatles’ second round series with the Indiana Pacers, Wade committed a flagrant foul on Darren Collison. Now, in the NBA there is a Flagrant 1 and a Flagrant 2. A flagrant 1 results in a technical foul, the team of the player who was fouled getting possession, and a $35,000 fine. A flagrant 2 is all of that, but the player who committed the foul is ejected and can be suspended. Here is the rule on how to define a 1 or a 2. Wade’s foul on Collison was only a flagrant 1, despite being unnecessary and totally excessive as well as unsportsmanlike. Wade hockey checked Collison, but somehow just got slapped with a flagrant 1. A few years back, Shaq at least made a play on the ball when he killed Rodney Stuckey and was hit with a flagrant 2 and ejected. Wade was pissed because he didn’t get a call when he didn’t deserve to get a call, and then he could have really hurt Darren Collison with that shove. There wasn’t even a play on the ball, nothing of the sort. That’s a punk ass foul and you can’t tell me that’s just a flagrant 1, like Tyson Chandler’s screen on LeBron (LBJ totally flopped) in the first round. This is ridiculous. Not to mention, this isn’t the first time Wade has pulled punk stuff like this. Remember last year when he pulled Rajon Rondo down, dislocating Rondo’s elbow and crushing Boston’s title hopes? Or for some reason giving a hard foul on Kobe Bryant in the All Star game this year, resulting in a broken nose and concussion?

2. Dwyane Wade Part 2 – After losing Game 2, Wade complained in the post-game presser that Indiana was celebrating too much after the win. They weren’t, but whatever.  The Bulls were pissed Indiana celebrated after beating them during the season too so this isn't the first we've heard about the Pacers being dicks.  However, if you watched the game with Miami you would have seen the buzzer sound, a few Pacers high five each other, and David West rush everybody off the floor.  No elaborate celebration. Funny Wade complains about celebrations, since I seem to remember the Heat having a championship party before signing anybody other than the big 3. I used to love Dwyane Wade but holy crap this dude is committing punk fouls and acting like a baby. This is why people don’t like Miami. Just shut up and play. We’re just getting started.

3. LeBron James Part 1 – Guys like Derrick Rose come across as humble because they are. Guys like Kobe Bryant come across as fierce, competitive dicks because they are. A guy like LeBron James puts on an act like he is humble and it is bullshit since everybody knows it is an act. If you've watched the Heat-Pacers series you have seen the video clip I'm about to rant on. After winning his third MVP in four years, LeBron said he can’t figure out why his name is mentioned with the greats of the game like Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kareem, etc. Well I could be cheap and say it is because LeBron doesn’t have a title, but it is more fun to point out how full of crap the self-proclaimed King is. Here is a guy who markets himself as “King James” and had ESPN hold an hour-long special on where he was going to sign during free agency. He was spotted wearing a shirt that said “LBJ MVP” a few years back so clearly he believes the hype. Say it is an honor and all that, but don’t act like you can’t believe you’re being mentioned with these people when you market yourself as the biggest and greatest thing to ever walk the Earth. When Steve Nash won his second MVP somebody asked him what comes to mind when he hears the names of the other people who have won multiple MVP awards or won two in a row and Nash replied, “Who doesn’t belong?” Nash never claimed to be King, so being humble seemed pretty genuine. LeBron still comes across as the guy trying to say the right things to make people like him because he realizes The Decision was a bad idea and wants to repair his image. And that is the problem: LeBron worries about his image too much.

4. LeBron James Part 2 – On Wednesday LeBron stated that it is “taxing” to play power forward with Bosh out and that playing 40 minutes or more in a playoff game is a lot and he was hoping he can get some rest. Now maybe some won’t see this as a complaint, but I feel talking about it is complaining since you would never hear Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan hint to the media that their coach should rest them or that they feel very tired playing a different position. Even Carmelo Anthony didn’t care about playing power forward, and he’s smaller than LeBron so going against other power forwards was tougher for him. Melo wasn’t complaining about how he was playing too many minutes or how it took a toll physically. He just wanted to make sure the Knicks were playing good enough defense to win, and that’s a fact no matter how weird saying that about Melo is. Maybe it wasn’t a complaint. Maybe he was just stating the case. I still feel it is worth noting Michael Jordan played 40 minutes or more in 17 of Chicago’s 21 playoff games in 1998, and he was 35 with bad knees. He wasn’t complaining about how playing more with Pippen injured against Utah was “taxing” and hoping he could get some rest, he took it on himself to kick some ass and win no matter what. That’s the mindset of guys like Jordan, Kobe, Garnett, and Duncan. They do what the team needs for a win and they don’t ask for shortcuts and they don’t complain. KG played small forward, then power forward, and now center. Not once did he complain about how physically demanding it was to switch positions or play more minutes in the playoffs. He wanted to win so he shut up and played. Is it so hard to ask that the most naturally talented athlete to ever play the game does the same?

5. NBA Officiating – If anybody reads this correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the NBA instituted a new rule this year that said if you pump fake and then lean into somebody and throw up a jumper as a means of getting an easy foul call the refs won’t call it. I hate that move so I was glad to hear this, but yet I saw Derrick Rose go to the line off one early in the season and I’ve seen Kobe do this all the time. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade make a living doing this as well. In Game 1 against Indiana Wade did this and went to the line in the second quarter, then Dahntay Jones of the Pacers tried the same thing towards the end of the quarter but got no call. I know the Heat are going to get a ton of calls, but with something like that can’t the refs at least be consistent? Correction: So after posting this last night I had to go look up this rule to make sure I got it right. I didn't, as the new NBA rule is for "rip-through" moves, meaning you can't swing your arms into a defender's and then throw up a shot and hope for a foul call. Good thing Brandon Roy retired otherwise he'd be screwed. But that pump fake thing should be a rule since that's as cheap as the rip-through.  Either way, they called it for Wade but not for Jones just a few minutes later. It was the exact same play. That isn't right.

6. WWE Booking – They are most likely going to put the John Cena-John Laurinaitis showdown as the main event for Over the Limit this Sunday. That is totally idiotic since 1) Sheamus is defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and Alberto Del Rio and 2) CM Punk defending the WWE title against Daniel Bryan is going to be a match of the year candidate. If Laurinaitis loses then he is fired and all outside interference is banned. This of course means Laurinaitis is going to win due to some kind of interference, most likely the incredibly lame Lord Tensai attacking John Cena backstage before the match or something. The match will be roughly 8 to 10 minutes long, Johnny Ace wins, Cena will be incapacitated somehow, and everybody except children will be mad Punk-Bryan or the four-way wasn’t the main event.

So that’s about it for now. Game 3 of the Heat-Pacers series is happening as I type this and Game 2 of the Spurs-Clippers is next so I need to get ready.