Pro basketball coach George Karl has ridden herd on some of the best basketball players in America. He is also a deeply flawed man, and in a new book, "Furious George," he makes the mistake of calling out a few players for their bad behavior, or poor performance.
In the book, Karl says of Carmelo Anthony: "He was the best offensive player I ever coached. He was also a user of people, addicted to the spotlight and very unhappy when he had to share it. He really lit my fuse with his low demand of himself on defense. He had no commitment to the hard, dirty work of stopping the other guy."
Carmelo is said to be disappointed.
If there is one thing we have all figured out by now, isn't it that even good people have bad points, and vice versa? We are all infinitely interesting, and generally have many sides to our personalities. Some good, some bad. All of us.
Don't you recognize your own flaws? I certainly do. I can be extraordinarily self-centered, especially if I am depressed. If I get tired, I get aggravated easily. I absolutely despise being told what to do. Frankly, I can be a little childish and grasping. There are probably a few more...
Do I have good points? Yes, a lot of them. Anyone who knows me knows what those good points are...and I sincerely hope they outweigh my bad points. Heck, most of the time I am confident they do. I would bet you are the same.
We are all capable of being jerks, and we are all capable of...not.
So does it surprise you that Carmelo has a few flaws? That, it's possible he has an out-sized ego to go with that boat load of talent? Maybe Carmelo could do with a little introspection to go along with that disappointment.
Karl also made mention that some of the players he coached seemed to have suffered because of growing up without a father.
Oh, lordy. We are not supposed to mention that men are actually IMPORTANT to child development. What was he thinking?
Take it from me, my father, another deeply flawed individual, did not play a large role in my life as a child, and I suffered for it. Heck, I married someone exactly like him, after NOT marrying until I was 45 so I would be able to avoid that. Isn't that a kick in the nickles?
BTW I love my father, and we have, in our old age, reached detente. We have both mellowed a bit, I think.
My fear of rejection goes right back to that 13 year old girl who didn't get a Christmas present from her dad...when her stepsister got a pinball machine.
I am actually looking forward to reading "Furious George." If the world was filled with perfect people we would all be terribly bored. George Karl is hugely flawed...but so were many of the players he coached, and I can't wait to devour every word.