Guys?
Anyone?
C'mon! Anyone else terrified of the tattoos and the youths? No?
Well, the Washington Post's John Reid has QUITE the column today making a point to that effect. You want the “food for thought” argument offered instead of things like “facts?” Reid aims to please. You want questions about Wall's decision-making? Oh, Reid's got it handled. And you want those questions to not stem from Wall's suspect jumpers or defensive play or anything relevant, really? Reid is right there, baby.
You see, the problem with John Wall isn't his play on the court. Its his new (benign) tattoos, and how they mark a reversal of a previous decision to NOT get tattoos. That's why he doesn't deserve to make money. That's why he's a potential problem. Additionally, flippdy floppdy slippdy slop, someone is on my lawn, and I pooped my pants:
Posing shirtless recently for an Instagram photo, Wall revealed several tattoos. Wall's interest in body art is surprising, considering he previously said he did not have tattoos because of concerns over his image for marketing reasons. Many NBA players do have tattoos, and Wall isn't breaking new ground in sharing his ink with fans through social media.
But not every player flip-flops on a topic in such a public way. Factor in that Wall is expected to receive a huge payday from the Wizards next month, and the timing of his tattoo revelation raises questions about his decision making. For a franchise with a history of backing the wrong players, that's food for thought.
Yep. Reid says that Wall's tattoos make him more or less cut from the same cloth as Gilbert Arenas, who brought guns into the locker room. The writer—and I use that term loosely—has more where that came from: He offers other baseless comparisons between Wall and NBA stars, which, in the process, COMPLETELY invalidate his overall argument.
Durant, who cultivated a broad-appeal persona, did throw fans a change-up a couple of summers ago by unveiling his “business tattoos,” which cannot be seen when he's wearing his jersey. Before he shook it up, though, Durant already had established himself as a potential great. Even if Durant had tattoos all over his face, the Thunder would have offered him a maximum extension. He's that good.
Like Durant, Wall has strategically put tattoos on parts of his body that might not be visible when he’s in uniform. But if he wanted to keep the ink to himself, why the photos on Instagram?
So, Durant and Wall have both surprised observers by inking tattoos. And they both upload pictures of their tattoos to Instagram. How are they different? Help me. Someone help me.
The average Washington Post reporter makes six figures.
[H/T: SBNation]
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