Chris Duhon misses a day of work and the sports media makes a Federal case out of it? Look, I'm not defending the irresponsible Mr. Duhon. He deserves whatever penalty his employer gives him. However, missing a day of work isn't exactly all that uncommon for guys in their 20s, not to mention guys in their 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s for that matter. I would think our sports media have more important things to worry about than whether some 25 year old goof showed up for work yesterday. Besides, his absence likely had zero effect on his team's performance yesterday. Talking about him tends to deflect attention from where it really belongs. The real issue with that team isn't the one guy who didn't show up. It is having several guys on that team who do show up are underachieving and playing below their talent. That's a much more important long term issue than Duhon.

Its just another example of the overall lack of character and professionalism on this team.

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From what I remember, this isn't the first time things like this have happened.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

The media loves to paint with a broad brush like this. That's BS. People miss work all the time, yet we don't make sweeping generalizations about the other people who work for the same company as the miscreant. What does one guy missing work have to do with another guy shooting 40% or another guy not guarding Richard Hamilton yesterday? Understanding human performance is more complicated than hanging onto these kinds of media-fueled broad brush generalizations.

Chris Duhon is (supposedly) a professional athelte, and thus should be held to a higher standard and make events, games, and practices on time. As Rick said, this is not the first time Duhon has pulled something like this. I don't care if your a pro sports player, or the fry cook at Burger King, if you keep showing up late to work, expect to be disciplined.

I'm sure the fact that he was at a college bball game the night before, which wasn't held that close to Detroit, did not help his cause.

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Coast , you had the GM of this team on with Waddle and Silvy and he said he's never been around a group that has such a lack of respect for the game OF BASKETBALL and the organization in his 25 years of IN THE NBA.These clowns bitched and moaned about Skiles and they removed him and the current head coach has had to sit 3 other guys for being nothing more than jerkoffs AND NOT ONLY DISRESPECTING THE COACH BUT THE FANS AND BULLS AS A WHOLE.

The NBA IS filled with guys who don't respect the game and just collect paychecks and as an NBA FAN I'm tired of it.

Pay me whatever Duhon is making for one year and I'll be to every damn game, practice and autograph session necessary. Hell, I'll be early to each event. After the year I'll tell everyone to F-off, though.

You guys missed my point. Damn. I guess writing is a skill.

Duhon should be fined. Penalize him. Hell send him to the stocks, I don't care. I'm not reacting to Duhon's act as much as I'm reacting to the media bluster about it. This was the #1 issue for Silvy and Waddle this morning and now for MJH. Why is it the peripheral issues like this merit the #1 story on two shows? There are several Bulls issues directly related to Wins and Losses that seem to be much more important than belaboring the fact they have a few irresponsible kids on the team.

Im sure you will be one of the guys pining for JR Smith to be on the team again.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

If everybody's busting their asses, then it's easy to look the other way.

But Duhon's an egregious example of half-assed effort on a team that too often mails it in. Of course he's getting slammed for it.

If anything, maybe the local guys should be MORE vocal in calling out the Bulls' lack of professionalism.

During last night's broadcast, ESPN noted that Boylan was so disgusted with the team's effort that he ran video at halftime of guys standing around under the basket. Why don't we get that kind of insight from the local media?

I agree with you for the most part Coast.

I do think it's more than "missing a wake up call" however. He made a conscious decision to go to Duke/NC the day before a Bulls game. He didn't ask permission. He had to travel the day of a Bulls game. That's inexcusable. Even if Duhon made it to Detroit in time for the shoot around he still should have been suspended.

I agree that the media is gonna hammer this to death and make it like Duhon should be nailed to a cross for this.

Go ahead and nail Duhon to whatever they wish. He deserves it. While you're doing that though, how about addressing what is REALLY wrong with the Bulls? And it's not just their work ethic. The answer is more complicated than blaming the irresponsible kids not giving effort. It sounds like the announcers fell right into it too last night. I didn't hear it, but that would figure. Blame the kids' effort. Blame the kids not showing up. Blame the kids' poor work ethic. All of that is surely true, but those are not the main reasons this team sucks. Paxson makes that claim because the guy clearly does not want to address what is REALLY wrong with the Bulls. That would mean Pax would have to admit he has been the big failure.

Even with great work ethic, this team would still suck. That's all I'm saying. Talking about this stuff takes attention away from the failures that Pax has had in building this team. How about the Bulls announcers and the local media discussing the fact that Pax has not built a quality lineup through the draft or trades, has a minor leaguer as coach, has nobody on this roster who can consistently guard people, does not have a bona fide NBA center, and has nobody taller than 6-7 who can score consistently? You think they could talk about THAT once in a while instead of simply blaming the kids?

The Bulls suck and, as you say, have no meaningful talent. Not sure what else there is to say or talk about as it relates to the Bull save a sidebar like this.

As long as there is a betting line on the Bulls they are still of interest to Coast and me.

correct. duhon was late a few times last year including once or twice in the playoffs.

It is another example of this team going down the toilet, but I thought some in the media did overhype this.

Easy answer, most of the local guys are just plain lazy. It's easier than doing a real analysis of the problem.

If you want to know why shows spent time on Duhon's snooze-button malfunction, just read this thread. Chris Duhon's douchebaggery is more interesting than the Xs and Os of why the Bulls lost to Detroit.

Today wasn't the first time Duhon has done this either. Or the second. Or the third. It's happened often. Which makes it worth talking about.

Duhon is a below average player who acts like a superstar. So obviously that's going to piss off some fans. And radio hosts, who are also fans.
Mostly.

Of course, it's not just Duhon either. This crap has been happening all year. The big picture for the Bulls is that they have an undisciplined team, with a weak coach and a hopeless GM. All of which were reinforced by the Duhon story.

Isn't that a much bigger issue than another in a long line of forgettable losses?

no. Peripheral issues might be interesting to you but that doesn' t make them any more important than a peripheral issue. You guys disect a Bears game for two days. You usually don't disect a basketball game for two minutes. But it doesn't matter to me, really. I don't come to MJH for hoops insight. I was just making a comment because the guys led off with this at the top of the show and I was afraid they were about to pull a Silvy and kvetch about it for two hours. Fortunately, they didn't.

Nice use of the "kvetch".

And you know MJH never stay on a topic for an entire show. They're way to A.D.D. for that.

Well one thing you have to understand is how important it is to not just show up for work every day, but to put in an effort that shows that you are exceeding at your job. In the case of a baseball player, for example, anybody can just show up in the dugout and be in the lineup and go 0-4 that day, like Cal Ripken, and be accounted for in that regard. However, that does not mean that he is doing his job even though he is showing up for it. I would rather a player not show up at all in the dugout and have the manager scratch him from the lineup if he was not going to give all of his effort.

Now these players who show up for their job, they should be held accountable for what they do when they're on the field. Those who don't show up on the field cannot be held accountable for anything except absence, and that also factors into their Hall of Fame consideration.

But the thing you have to realize is that any player who played for the Machine, if they just showed up, but caused an error or didn't even advance a base runner in their attempt to hit a baseball, they would not be in that lineup the next day regardless of health.

There is something to be said about absence of the body and absence of the mind, and the heart. And that's what has to be determined when talking about the Hall of Fame; and since I am a part of that, I certainly know what I'm talking about.

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Second is better than first when speaking in terms of basemen, and more specifically, me.

Was he at the Duke/NC game the night beofre? Had some highlights on at that gym with no sound?

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

This team sucks because they got exposed last year in the playoffs and did nothing to address it. They came into this season and despite the incredulity of the opposing scouts, did nothing to change how they play. A new coach only has given them a new wrinkle but its the same talent and their physical deficiences (no real height, no low post presence, jump shot dependence) have shown that a new coach can only make so much chicken salad out of chicken shit. It took this town 6 years to admit that Krause didn't have a plan post-Jordan, Paxson could only improve upon his predecessor (how do you go from 72 wins in 1 season to needing three seasons to win the next 72? after Jordan retires. . .but I digress). "Character guys" are a convenient way of explaining second tier players and over-paid guys who would start for other teams but not for long.

Fans don't give dick about character when it comes to winning, winning trumps character every time. Since winning doesn't come often to Chicago, this whole character thing is regularly resurrected and thus overrated. Today's "character" guy is reverred tomorrow for being a dick or an ass and a winner for someone else, and yesterday's winner that now wears a Chicago uniform is best touted as today's character guy.

Don't think so? Who were the character guys on Chicago's winners? And how replaceable were they?

back to letting NCM have her space

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I forgive Duhon. He was hat shopping. If basketball doesn't work out, perhaps he has a career in haberdashery?