Subscribe
Follow Us
In the aftermath of the preseason rankings offered by Sports Illustrated and ESPN earlier in the month, NBA players have had plenty of fodder with where they are ranked. From minimal discretions ranging from a spot to a few, to outright “blatant disrespect” to the likes of Carmelo Anthony ranking 37th and 64th respectively.
While some choose to stay away from the banter and have zoned in to keep their eyes on the prize, some others are hurt and look to either use that hurt as fuel for improvement or rage against their critics.
Anthony is an example of the former, a star who is looking to rebound from a decline in the last couple of seasons and shed the myriad of criticism he's faced from inside the bowels of Madison Square Garden to the outside world and the relentless New York media.
Kevin Durant is an example of the latter, still bothered by the constant criticism from fans, peers, and media alike — even after securing every player's end goal; a championship — and topping it off with a Finals MVP to validate his importance to his team.
Regardless of the reason, players care about how they're perceived — regardless of how much money they're paid or how much they're liked, because according to veteran Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns— the days of being liked, are over.
Article Continues Below“As an athlete, it’s all about confidence in general,” Dudley told NBA.com's David Aldridge. “We as athletes want to be validated by your peers. If you look at this generation, we want to be liked. The Kobe (Bryant), (Russell) Westbrook personalities, those are very rare. LeBron, if he was ranked third, you think he wouldn’t be mad? Now, he might not say anything. But I think guys are looking for validation.”
Unlike previous generations, today's is bunkered with social media, surrounded by tweets, likes, follows, and blocks that have made the NBA world a much more accessible, yet insanely personal business.
“How many times did KD tweet about his haters this summer?,” Dudley recalled. “And he just won a championship. The days of everybody being liked, those are over.”
Jumping back to Melo feeling disrespected, it comes as no surprise after seeing the guys he was next to. Danny Green for example, a borderline starter on a structured team, was ranked 59th, five spots ahead of Anthony, a perennial scorer that has managed 20 points or more in every season of his 14-year career.
“If reporters view Carmelo as the 64th guy, then a lot of other people view him that way, too,” Dudley said. “Now, do we think Danny Green (ranked 59th by ESPN) is better than you? No. But they view Danny Green as being better for their team.”
