THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 21, 1994 TAG: 9411210165
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
In Washington, Heath and Gus have been pushed off the front page by Chris Webber and Juwan Howard.
Out with the old saviors, in with the new.
Now that they've signed Webber and Howard, the Washington Bullets are expected to become a power in the Eastern Conference of the NBA.
Some of the people hyping the Bullets probably are guilty of overrating Webber, who needs some substance and character to go along with his flash.
But I'm not here to question the impact of Webber and Howard on the Bullets. Not now.
What intrigues me more are the attitudes of some of the league's young marquee players.
You can't help but wonder if the Bullets' Jimmy Lynam is supposed to be Webber's coach or babysitter. Both, I suspect.
But Webber, sad to say, is hardly an extreme example of the immature, churlish athlete that seems to be the trend in pro basketball the last couple years.
The sporting world has always accommodated people with severe cases of arrested development. It has always made room for head cases. A few here and there add spice to the games.
But lately, it seems that the boors and overgrown babies are beginning to dominate pro hoops.
It could be that my perception of the new kids on the block is a product of my age. It may have something to do with the definition of style that I embrace. A definition that is considered obsolete by the young, impressionable crowd the NBA covets.
The new generation of basketball stars is colorful in a '90s sort of way. They look at home playing the fool in a shoe commercial.
But when they take that same act to the court, they are laughable. The woofing, the mugging, the self-congratulatory nonsense that goes on is an embarrassment.
I always thought that Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird and, finally, Michael Jordan set the standard for how an NBA star should handle himself.
It seems only yesterday they were the definition of class. And yet, in some ways, it feels as if their work ethic has been missing from the game for 20 years.
They played with a certain dignity that seems to be absent today. With few lapses, they adhered to a code of conduct that still left plenty of room for full expression on the court.
I don't remember anybody being bored by Dr. J., Magic, Larry, Isiah or Michael. But of the best young guns that come most quickly to mind, only Grant Hill, the captivating Pistons rookie, seems to be created in their image.
What happened? Why have many of the newest NBA stars modeled themselves after Snoop Doggy Dogg instead of Magic or Michael?
There is a lot of young talent out there. But Webber, Christian Laettner, Larry Johnson, Glenn Robinson, John Starks, Anfernee Hardaway, Sean Kemp and others are more famous for their petulance than their professionalism.
Their problem is, they have confused personality with being a person.
Too often, all we really know about them is that they are unhappy. They don't like their contracts, or their teammates, or their coach. They don't get enough respect.
Like we're supposed to care.
There is, of course, another school of thought.
It's the one that says the Chris Webbers of the world are what pro basketball fans deserve. by CNB