The whole DH situation made me think of this. Yeah, I don't really like the guy and the whole SVG situation made him look really bad. But, that being said, he's coming off back surgery (which is always serious) and from what he's been saying, he still isn't fully recovered. He's taking a LOT of heat for not playing at a level he exhibited when with the Magic.
Anyways...I see this a lot. A guy gets injured, goes through rehab, etc, comes back, doesn't perform at 100% and he gets slammed. I know these guys are getting paid millions of dollars and have the best doctors in the world, but if anyone has ever played after spraining an ankle or tweaking a knee, you know that most of the time, you're not just dealing with physical issues, but moreso, mental issues. And it's bad enough that you can't play the way YOU want to play, but you also have millions of fans, sports writers, etc just WAITING for any opportunity to chew you up and spit you out if you can't give 110% every single night.
Deron Williams is another guy...playing off injuries and now two bum ankles. He obviously is having a sub par (for his standards) season and fans are RELENTLESS in slamming him.
Sometimes I feel like fans and writers, media, etc...have no idea what it's like to actually play a sport and think that once you're back on the floor, regardless of how serious the injury was, that you should automatically be playing exactly how you were before you go injured.
Re: Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
Related, but a little different subject: Am I the only one that hates it when they replay injuries over and over? "Oh, that's just terrible. It's just hard to look at...now let's see that again."
Re: Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
I don't know man. Hasn't Dwight said a couple of times that he's recovered fully from his injury? Besides the new shoulder thing, I mean.
It's not even like he had a slow start, his play is just plan spotty and inconsistent. He's not playing himself into shape anymore. If he was really injured, why would he be complaining about touches and his role in the offense?
I take back injuries very seriously and know the can really alter a players performance, but aside from people speculating I don't know if I can say with confidence that there are still resonating effects from his surgery, in my opinion it looks like it has a lot to do with effort. Just watching the games in some instances it doesn't even look like the guy is trying.
However, I will say that he looks physically limited in some cases. I wish we as fans could know for sure haha. But on a lot of plays it just looks like he doesn't really give a damn
EDIT: but yeah in general people assume the injuries won't have a bearing on how a player comes back unless it's something really severe like ACL damage or other common injuries
Kobe talks about how the Lakers conflict has been overblown by the media and lots of things are taken out of context.
Really makes me wonder just how "evil" the media is when it comes to this kind of stuff. You know the media LOVES drama so I'm sure it will take any liberties in creating drama where they might otherwise be none or very little.
Re: Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
It's human nature. The human brain is very limited, so when frustrated and wanting to vent they don't consider all the factors and selectively focus on the things that would make the player seem worse.
Re: Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
Just rub some HGH in there.
If he's not capable of doing what he has in the past he shouldn't be complaining about touches or how the offense is structured. Board, D up, and set picks.
Re: Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Real Men Wear Green
Related, but a little different subject: Am I the only one that hates it when they replay injuries over and over? "Oh, that's just terrible. It's just hard to look at...now let's see that again."
ESPN was replaying the hell out of RGIII's knee injury when it happened.
One of the most gruesome injuries I ever saw was Willis McGahee in his last college game. I could not watch the replays. I was squirming as I turned away.
Re: Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
Fans aren't sympathetic to just the general wear and tear of an 82 + playoffs season, you think they'll be sympathetic to a major surgery?
It's dumb, but it is what it is. If any of us had the surgery Dwight had, or an ACL tear, or spinal stenosis like TJ Ford, it'd be a life changing event. Something you talk about for decades, whenever it rains or gets a little chilly out. "Damn knee's actin up again." We expect these guys to bounce back like it's nothing because they have good surgeons and trainers, it's just stupid. These dudes aren't gods, other than friggin Adrian Peterson anyway.
It's the same kind of thing with trades. It'd be great to be a 20 something millionaire and all, but say tomorrow morning you get a call from your boss, "you work in Salt Lake City now." Not knocking SLC, never been there, just using it as a random example. Your entire life's uprooted in minutes.
Are fans not sympathetic enough towards injuries?
