Gentry Crossed the Rubicon with inviting AD in the locker room

Sean Payton after an emotional loss in a game the city was passionate about: threatening refs with violence in the tunnel, getting fines etc.


Alvin Gentry: inviting the a-hole that punked half your new team, on the court and off, and the fanbase that underwrites your checks, to metaphorically pop bottles in your locker room after you helped piss away the most important home game of the season to the city.


Honestly, I think the only thing that saves Alvin and Jrue on this is that we still don’t really have a strong Pelicans beat in this city. If this happened in a city like Boston during an underperforming season and Kyrie just trashed the city as a bunch of racists then was high fiving Kemba after the Celtics lost in a heartbreaker a day later, Stevens showing complete apathy over the loss and inviting Kyrie to celebrate their friendships in the locker room, you’d have to get the riot police out to stop fans from burning the place down. The media coverage would be scathing.

Maybe Gentry is one of those guys who prefers to take the high road. If the rest of the team was okay with that, then I don’t see anything to worry about.

I don’t have any problem with Gentry being cordial, if not friendly with AD before and as would be proper immediately following the game.

But Uncle Al basically came back to the lockerroom bro-fricking the guy that many of his players have complicated and undergirding relationships with due to how the situation AD facilitated happened. Their pride will never say it publicly, but the emotion on the court did, that many of these former Lakers have feelings about this situation and Gentry was more concerned with fostering his relationships with those outside the lockerroom than in it. And I’m not really down with that. Same goes for Jrue.

I have no issue with Jrue, but Gentry inviting AD into the locker room is a little much.

It’s concerned observation, not emotion at all.

I see a really solid, young core, with good character guys, that I don’t want to end up like so many before that get poisoned by an apathetic or dysfunctional leadership culture and vets that ingrain toxic beliefs and send the wrong signals to our next generation of players. Stunting that teams development. See the Suns til this season....Or the AD situation.

Remember, one of the ear worms that set off all of the AD drama was Perkins talking up his heyday players, selling AD on Lebron’s greatness, and throwing subtle jabs at the Pelicans organization. He was initially sold as a vet presence under Demps that would provide what Griffin now terms sweat equity, but was instead subtlety, and likely not intentionally, poisoning the well of a fragile locker room that had not found an identity of it’s own yet but was told these are the people you should be letting mentor you about the league.

quote:

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God have mercy, mountain out of molehill

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Maybe, maybe not.

Maybe someone like Zion sees this and thinks nothing of it, or, maybe, like Perkins did with AD, it puts the thought worm in the back of his head that jilting a small market to force your way is an almost consequence free play. That Jrue and Gentry signaling personal loyalty above team loyalty, and embracing a dispassionate competitive spirit the moment the buzzer goes off has no lasting effect, or, maybe it undercuts a little of the culturally competitive team first mentality Griffin wants to foster and Zion and others initially carried over from college.

But if you are running a team, why would you want to test the theory? Why would you reflexively shrug it off? Especially when all of those outside the locker relationships can be nurtured without risking inner-team dynamics?

Some drunk internet tough guys here for sure.

I have an issue with both big time. I am OK with being cordial, but exchanging jerseys for the photo op, and Gentry bending over to be arse fricked by AD is not the kind of toughness you want. I guarantee you that Coach O would not bring in the opposing QB that just beat you into his locker room. Botch mive, Gentry.

Haha yall complain and cry about everything. Now its Gentry and Jrue dont have enough hatred for AD.