More Jahlil Okafor (and Sixers) Stories Are Rolling Out
Bob Cooney, writing in the Daily News, which, yep, still exists:
Two years ago, according to sources, there was a traffic stop in New Jersey of a car occupied by four Sixers players. There was a small amount of pot found in the car, a source said, but there were no charges. The majority of those players are no longer with the team.
There is the fact that Nerlens Noel was fined heavily and often, to the tune of around $25,000, according to a source, for repeated tardiness and other violations during his first season, which he missed due to a knee injury.
And John Gonzalez, the now-intrepid Jahlil Okafor crime reporter (which, right now, is literally the best beat in Philly sports, sadly enough):
In late October, Okafor allegedly presented a fake I.D. at Misconduct Tavern in Center City, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. Okafor, 19, was refused service, the sources said. One of the sources said he was surprised because Okafor is “a big guy” and “famous” and “pretty easy to recognize.”
Whoa, BIG JAH. Let’s slow the roll a little. A fake ID? Are you trying to get yourself killed? [No but for real: Just find a hook-up somewhere and walk in– YOU’RE THE WOULD-BE NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR! You can find ways to drink alcohol and get your D S-ed. This won’t be difficult for you.]
This is now turning into a witch-hunt. NBA players were caught with pot? A 19-year-old millionaire used a fake ID at a local bar (which used to be a CSN sponsor, by the way)? A star was late to practice? Haven’t heard that one before. Next we’re going to find out one of them has an unhealthy appreciation for non-alcoholic soda drinks. Point is, the Okafor street fight and gun incident are highly concerning fare, but let’s not get bent out of shape about a couple of mundane citation-level offenses. I mean, the entire city is about to give Kobe Bryant a standing ovation tomorrow night, and I’m pretty sure he raped someone.
What is worth noting – and the general crux of all these reports – is the fact that the Sixers seem to have no grasp on the concept that all of this tanking, with obscenely young players, has a human element to it. The losing matters. The lack of leadership matters. I’m on board with the plan, but a danger is that it too greatly impacts, in a negative way, the players around whom the Sixers want to build.
Two league execs explained to Gonzo:
One league executive said “a couple of [veterans]” would help “off the court.” He also called the Sixers “a joke to the entire league.”
Another front office member for another team questioned “why the Sixers won’t surround those guys with security.”
“Damn near every team does that,” the executive said, “especially with their top guys. I guess the Sixers know more than everyone else again.”
That’s the problem. Hell, it’s the problem with Chip Kelly. The progressive approach is great, but you can’t completely disregard convention, because sometimes convention works. The Sixers could still adequately tank with a vet or two on the roster. For real, can’t they just sign Aaron McKie again? He’s probably good for 6 and 3 per night and a couple of saved souls. Can’t be worse than the slop they have out there now.
But even if they did have Old Man McKie on the roster, you’re never going to prevent a few college-aged kids from getting into “trouble.” And what’s interesting to me, is that besides maybe, well, me and Dan Gross, this city’s sports media (or, if you’d prefer, bloggers) made virtually no attempt to unearth similar – likely worse – tales about Jeff Carter and Mike Richards (or Pat Burrell and numerous ever-partying Phillies) in the same way the Sixers’ off-the-court activities are currently being covered. Not saying that’s right or wrong, but there now seems to be a certain voraciousness to find a smoking gun on Okafor. Ah shit, bad pun.
Read: Gonzo on K.Okafor