Is Hayward a victim of reverse racism on this board?

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

Think of it this way: If Hayward was black and had accomplished the same things that he did in NCAA Tournament, would there be the same type of sentiment on this board? To say that Gordon is not athletic and that he won't amount to anything is the ultimate example of racism and stereotyping. He is much more athletic that he looks. He also graded out quite well at the NBA combine. Who exactly did you want them to draft? Cole Aldrich. Um, no. Paul George. He is the most inconsistent player I have ever seen. Ed Davis? He has project/bust written all over him. Look at it this way: the Jazz worked out Hayward with Luke Babbitt, Xavier Henry, Al-Farouq Aminu, Damion James, and Ryan Thompson. All of the aforementioned players except Aminu were still on the board when the Jazz picked 9th. They obviously liked Hayward better than any of these players, so why should we complain? Hayward must have stood out to the Jazz better than any of the other listed players. Why else would they draft him if he didn't? Who cares about his skin color? Why does it matter? How suddenly we all forget that Deron Williams basically accomplished the same things in the NCAA Tournament that Hayward did and no one seemed to complain back then. Hayward's team actually came closer to winning the NCAA Championship than Deron's team did. Both of them lost to North Carolina teams, in a weird coincidence. Williams's team arguably had better players than Hayward's team.

 

[Chad Feldheimer]

If he ends up an All-Star & Olympian like DWill I will apologize. Fair enough?

 

[TroutBum]

I love reverse racism. Affirmative Action FTL.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

No, it's not racism to acknowledge the simple fact that in the NBA black athletes are physically superior to white athletes due to simple genetic economics, i.e., the breeding of slaves in the 17th-19th centuries.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

On the other hand, his max vert is pretty impressive for a white guy.

 

[Darkwing Duck]

No, it's not racism to acknowledge the simple fact that in the NBA black athletes are physically superior to white athletes due to simple genetic economics, i.e., the breeding of slaves in the 17th-19th centuries.

Wow...

You really believe that?

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

However, Luke Babbitt has a much greater wingspan, much higher max vert, lower body fat, and much higher bench press.

 

[GoBolts]

I think we're complaining because this pick didn't fill an immediate need (not saying that there was a player available to do that or not). We traded away Brewer who plays the same position and proved that he could play in the NBA (though he still can't shoot) for a guy who is un-proven (and can't shoot). Net negative. We are frustrated because we see Boozer leaving, huge contracts for under producing players and no public effort on the part of the organization to address the outstanding team needs. The guys who the frustration should be aimed at are KOC/Sloan/Miller and not the poor kid who just had the best day of his life (and I truly hope he becomes the next Ginobili but the odds aren't good). The fact that he is white just re-enforces the Utah stereotype (even Bill Simmons brought it up in his draft diary on ESPN). Keep hating the race argument but it isn't going to stop anybody from continuing to make it.

 

[VINYLONE]

I dont give a **** if its reverse anything. Haywad is AWS. Another white stiff whose game will not translate into the NBA. Another garbage Adam Morrison. And I'm sure he has a great story behind him and his family life is great and he speaks proper English. Bla, ****ing bla. I want the Jazz to win the championship and this kid will not help us get there.

If he proves me wrong, so be it. But at this point, the kid is a stiff.

 

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

No, it's not racism to acknowledge the simple fact that in the NBA black athletes are physically superior to white athletes due to simple genetic economics, i.e., the breeding of slaves in the 17th-19th centuries.

Um, yes it is. Skin color has absolutely NOTHING to do with athletic ability. Your comment is a classical example of stereotyping. Just because you are black doesn't mean you are a great athlete and you have "physically superior" traits based upon "simple genetic economics" as you so suggest. That is like saying that being white means that you suddenly have a greater level of intelligence or any other superior trait. If being black makes you so much more "superior" as an athlete, why do Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki match up so well against most players they play against? Aren't they handicapped by their lack of "physically superior" traits based upon "simple genetic economics"? What a bunch of crap.

 

[Siro]

Wow...

You really believe that?

That is a bit silly, but there certainly is a difference between how different groups of people play different sports. African Americans (but far from blacks in general) tend to be better basketball players than other groups. Americans of European descent tend to perform better in some of the other sports, or in certain roles in black dominated sports.

That said, it is absurd to object to a player due to his racial makeup.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

Wow...

You really believe that?

Look, if you don't understand genetic economics and how it relates to the history of blacks in America, I'm not gonna spend all day explaining it you.

Put yourself in the shoes of a slave owner in colonial America. If you have 2 slaves put in front of you and one of them looks like Gordon Hayward and the other looks like Amare Stoudemire, which one would you buy?

 

[gomretat]

Yes

 

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

Why? Why does race matter at all? And who's to say that ANY player that we could have drafted would have filled an immediate "need"? Personally, I like the pick. Here's what I think we should do: trade Andrei Kirilenko for a center. Like Andris Biedris, who is probably available now that the Warriors drafted Ekpe Udoh.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

Um, yes it is. Skin color has absolutely NOTHING to do with athletic ability. Your comment is a classical example of stereotyping. Just because you are black doesn't mean you are a great athlete and you have "physically superior" traits based upon "simple genetic economics" as you so suggest. That is like saying that being white means that you suddenly have a greater level of intelligence or any other superior trait. If being black makes you so much more "superior" as an athlete, why do Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki match up so well against most players they play against? Aren't they handicapped by their lack of "physically superior" traits based upon "simple genetic economics"? What a bunch of crap.

Who's the last white player you've seen with the physical gifts of Lebron James, Amare Stoudamire, Ron Artest, Dwight Howard or Karl Malone? I have tremendous respect for any white player that is successful in the NBA because they are at a huge genetic disadvantage. This should be apparent from simple observation. It's really sad that I have to go into the history of the black man's plight in America to explain it to you. Yea, and I'm the racist. Jesus.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

Why? Why does race matter at all? And who's to say that ANY player that we could have drafted would have filled an immediate "need"? Personally, I like the pick. Here's what I think we should do: trade Andrei Kirilenko for a center. Like Andris Biedris, who is probably available now that the Warriors drafted Ekpe Udoh.

It freakin matters dude. Black people are different than white people. Culturally, socially, economically, genetically. There are differences.

 

[Darkwing Duck]

Look, if you don't understand genetic economics and how it relates to the history of blacks in America, I'm not gonna spend all day explaining it you.

Put yourself in the shoes of a slave owner in colonial America. If you have 2 slaves put in front of you and one of them looks like Gordon Hayward and the other looks like Amare Stoudemire, which one would you buy?

And 10 generations isn't enough to affect the genetic makeup of any species on Earth to any extent whatsoever.

It's a ridiculous argument.

 

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

Look, if you don't understand genetic economics and how it relates to the history of blacks in America, I'm not gonna spend all day explaining it you.

Put yourself in the shoes of a slave owner in colonial America. If you have 2 slaves put in front of you and one of them looks like Gordon Hayward and the other looks like Amare Stoudemire, which one would you buy?

Neither, because there would be no way that I could ever be a slave owner. Slavery is just wrong. Treating people like animals is the ultimate example of evil. Also, my ancestors never even came to the United States until long after slavery was abolished. I thought that we were to a point in our society that we no longer care about the look of a man but more about his content of character. Isn't this what Dr. Martin Luther King wanted? Didn't he say in his famous "I have a dream" speech that he "looks forward to a time when his little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character?" Personally, I believe that the very idea of race should be abolished. Those who notice it are extremely shallow and narrow-minded, including Bill Simmons.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

Neither, because there would be no way that I could ever be a slave owner. Slavery is just wrong. Treating people like animals is the ultimate example of evil. Also, my ancestors never even came to the United States until long after slavery was abolished. I thought that we were to a point in our society that we no longer care about the look of a man but more about his content of character. Isn't this what Dr. Martin Luther King wanted? Didn't he say in his famous "I have a dream" speech that he "looks forward to a time when his little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character?" Personally, I believe that the very idea of race should be abolished. Those who notice it are extremely shallow and narrow-minded, including Bill Simmons.

Ahhh, isn't that precious. An idealist. I would love to argue with you about your ideals, but I was arguing about reality. Get back to me when you can step into that plane of existence.

 

[The Ghost of Blue Edwards]

Seriously Matthew, I do apologize if I come off as rude. People with your viewpoint are important to progress in our society. I just think we were arguing different things back there.