Wojnarowski is the Real Bully

I'm not a fan of Kevin Garnett. But even more, I dislike bad sports writing. And there's plenty out there. Adrian Wojnarowski's article on Kevin Garnett fits that description.

Charlie Villanueva accused Kevin Garnett of calling him "a cancer patient." Garnett later explained that Villanueva had misheard him and that he had said Villanueva was "cancerous to your team and our league." Wojnarowski, for his part, takes Villanueva's side. In his article he creates a false logic that for Garnett's statement to have been accurate, Villanueva must "completely [back] down." I could easily say that for Villanueva's statement to have been the truth, Garnett would have to back away from his.

The bigger issue is that Wojnarowski doesn't believe Garnett would make such a "stiff" statement within the heat of competition. That is essentially the basis for his siding with Villanueva. But it speaks to Wojnarowski's subconscious prejudices about black athletes. Perhaps he feels if black athletes don't throw in a "yo mama" it can't possibly be authentic. In fact, he argues (without any evidence) that it wasn't until Garnett got home and had a chance to think about it does KG come up with his above statement.

But Adrian Wojnarowski is smart. "Too smart, too calculating" to leave himself open to charges of prejudice without covering his bases. He mentions that Kevin Garnett is "smart" (specifically that word) three different times in the article. His overemphasis of Garnett's intelligence, particularly in the wake of him questioning Garnett's ability to spout a simple and coherent bit of trash talk in the heat of the game, comes across as disingenuous.

I cannot speak to Garnett's intelligence. He struggled in high school and couldn't pass the minimum requirements to enter college. That certainly doesn't mean he's not smart. Intelligence can be measured in many ways. But it's not an indication that he is either. Regardless of his intelligence, I believe he is capable of articulating a simple sentiment within the heat of battle, whether "stiff" or not. But Wojnarowski disagrees and his article, which is totally based on speculation, amounts to little more than bullying.