I haven’t forgotten about this, I’ve just been extremely consumed with school. I am going to be writing a post within the month on a blog that my friend runs about my feelings regarding Bowie as a bust. I will link it here when it’s up.

Regarding Bias:

Actually, Ali, regarding “tragedy”, I think we’re both wrong. And since you’re keen on mentioning Shakespeare, the most important part of his tragedies (which corresponds with Aristotle’s view, the inventor of the term) is that the character involved in the tragedy must realize his “tragic” flaw. Obviously, Bias couldn’t reconcile or realize his inconsistent behavior, he just simply ceased to live. (For that matter, Lewis’s and Gathers’s cases would be labeled as unfortunate, too.)

Secondly, if the “ish was everywhere”, one could reasonably assume that Bias was well aware of cocaine’s affects. I don’t smoke marijuana, but am well-versed in how it seems to affect my friends that do. Bias’s choice to use cocaine wasn’t some inherent flaw within him, but rather a voluntary decision he made. He paid for the consequences, he knew the deal. His death was an unfortunate case.

Moreover, a tragic occurrence provides a sort of clarity for its audience – they are able to understand and comprehend the flaw of the “character” (Bias in this example) and how his inherent blemish ushered in his demise. They understand why the person made his mistake and aren’t inconsolably sad as you suggested sports writers and ballplayers were. (Not because Shakespeare’s works were fiction and Bias was real life, but because there is a level of comprehension involved – why did such-and-such character make her decision and what can I take from it?)

More than 20 years after his passing, people are still weeping over the thought of Bias. Hoops monomaniacs, from the gutter to the White House, still haven’t found consolation. Nevertheless, it is impossible to have a tragic reaction to an unfortunate case, something Ali admitted Bias’s death was. Making such connections seems dubious at best. To this typing, we’re not sure why Bias did what he did – that’s what continues to make others sad, why ballplayers continued to snort the drug (as illest insinuates), etc. There is no clarity to the aftermath of this mess, we will just never know.

The Bias case involved an unfortunate action and hot-blooded response from people in the b-ball sector over the terrible misfortune of losing someone who possessed such wondrous talents. Nothing more and nothing less.

Now, for reasons I will get to later in this post, I don’t think Bias was a bust; his game on the NBA will always be shrouded in the veil of myth. You can’t forecast predictions based off of unknown constraints. I was merely piecing together the asinine claims you all wrote earlier in the discussion. I knew it would make you cats angry, but more importantly, I made the call (in ALL CAPS, no less) to highlight some of the ‘ish I was reading. I mean, y’all laid out various characteristics of a bust/busta, and when I indicated that all of these applied to Bias, everyone returns fuming. How does that compute?

For the record, I have NOT and never will stick anything up my butt. I don’t know how one could conceive of such a notion, unless. . . well, you know. . .

Also for the record: I’d like to apologize for not knowing exactly what a “tragedy” was, although, clearly, Bias’s case wasn’t one.

I’ve been compared to Kidd (I rarely shoot the outside shot and I look to pass first), Steph (mad strong when I drive) and European players (no name-just the style cuz I don’t have a lot flash) by man Milan from Iona. So I guess it just depends on who your around.

Funny thing about it is, Bob is right. The right people who understand ball, see skill and not color. When I first saw Taylor King play at ABCD Camp a few years ago, the first thing I thought was, “man, this kid plays like a young Glen Rice.”

I got a few years on you but I’m sure you remember how nasty Rice was in his Heat/Hornets days. King’s range and ability flat out screamed Glen Rice to me-not Larry Bird, Pistol Pete, J-Will or any other white player.

I didn’t see color. Just his skill.

blk…i dont have words for jennings. watching him go 12-13 in the 3rd quarter….hes the sickest in the league right now. a rookie guard doing things only wilt did is something that isnt getting much airplay and its because he plays for the bucks. plus people are down on the nba and the season is very long. props to bounce for having him on the cover 3 years ago. there is no one more exciting in the nba right now. not lebron or bryant or wade. or melo. no one. and blk, you should have boycotted the knicks years ago. forget about crawford. weve seen players like crawford. jennings is a rare player.

Was LaRue Martin an all-american? I honestly do not remember this dude. Does anyone know his story? We can start an obscure playground file with his story.

Who else could we nominate for the playground twilight zone?

then, jeremy, you go on to say that every player drafted after him who played in the nba had a more fruitful career. indeed bias had no career in the nba. but to call chris washburns (a player drafted right after bias) career fruitful shows you have no idea of what you are talking about. washburn used to get high at halftimes for g.s. and george karl used to tell chris to at least clean your nose if you are going to do that. there are plenty in that draft that did nothing.

blk….you are not beating a dead horse. jennings name is being brought up everywhere. he has killed everyone from rose to the denver guards so far. he needs to be discussed after every game he plays this year to show the ignorance of donnie walsh, who said he didnt have enuff info on him. this is walsh who has been around the nba the last 30-40 years but cant get enuff info on a player.