"The
injury is affecting me a lot, mostly my shot and dribbling, and there
are times I've thought about not playing," Deng said in his most
expansive comments on the injury. "It's tough. I'm catching passes
without using my thumb and then when I'm shooting, it's almost like an
adjustment with my form because my guide hand is affected."I
can't do now what I was doing at the start of the year. But I've been
playing and we've been winning a little more. So I just help where I
can, even though there are rebounds where sometimes I don't go for them because of my thumb."Even more revealing is why Deng won't sit.
"Last
year when I was sitting (with a stress fracture in my right tibia), I
made a commitment to play all 82 games this season," Deng said. "Even
though it wasn't my fault last year, I didn't want anyone to say
anything about me being soft anymore. That's why I don't want to take
any game off all year. I just want to do my job."
Well it's not surprising that the thumb injury is holding him back. He clearly looks like a different player since the injury. It's interesting to note that Deng feels so much pressure that he won't take any time off to heal the injury due to what he went through last year.
I'm not sure it's the right attitude to take. If he's prolonging the healing process then it might be better to rest him. On the other hand, it's good to know that he values his commitment, knows he let the team down [even if it wasn't his fault], and doesn't want to do so again.
It says something about him that he wants to play through the pain no matter what and do what he can even if it's less. All that said, a struggling Luol Deng is going to make it awfully difficult for the Bulls to win games.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: chicago bulls, commitment, injury, Luol Deng, soft, thumb
I applaud Deng for his toughness but he doesnt have anything to prove by forcing himself to play. People will have their opinions regardless if he plays or not. If he plays through injury and plays poorly people will complain about his play. If he rests his injury so he can play better, people will complain that he is soft. I say do you Luol. Dont get caught up in mindless chatter.
Sounds more like: Don't trade for me, I am hurt! Kobe has also a broken finger and still playing great. What happend to him in 2007-2008 year, the season he decline the 59 millions? Also a broken finger?. He is overpaid no matter what...
It would be nice if his professed reason for playing had something to do with winning a game.
If you look at Deng's quotes on injuries over the last few years, I think quite a few of them are a little dramatic and filled with posturing. You can tell even the reporters(K.C. and Sam) have been skeptical at least of his attitude at times. If he would just say "It's tough playing with it, but I don't want to miss any more time(on the court)," or "I don't want to let the team down," and just leave it at that. That would be the smart and classy way to handle it. Bringing up the not wanting more criticism just sounds like a self-serving pity party. Frankly, I don't want to hear it. Regardless of him playing well this season and the injuries he did have, he still looked like a quitter at times with a bad attitude, and please nobody bother with the excuses for this.
A broken index finger on your shooting hand is fairly equivalent to a broken thumb on your shooting hand in terms of basketball skills, you really can't catch, shoot or drible with either, unless of course you are Kobe Bryant(or Michael Jordan).
Nevertheless, Kobe hasn't missed a beat, in fact he has seemingly elevated his game, just as Jordan always did.
While not minimizing Deng's injury, he comes off as a cry baby again, this episode just enhances his marshmellowness in my eyes. We had His Airness, now we have His Marshmellowness, such a deal.
The difference between Deng's and Kobe's toughness is as vast as is the difference between their talent, and as they say, therein lies the rub.
This is where the PR department of the Bulls has to step in and tell Luol not to make ANY comments regarding the injury that do not basically say, "its tough but Im dealing with it, next question". Because, regardless, he's going to come off sounds like a cry baby, which is exactly how he sounds. No one wants to hear this from him, specifically. I would never argue that a guy should or shouldnt play, you cant say that until you personally are experiencing thier pain...but there is nothing positive that can come from him commenting on it.
He comes off as a whiny little B***, and that is probably not the case...someone from the organization needs to tell Luol not to comment on his injuries...he is not forced to.
a struggling luol will hurt us, but luol on the bench will kill us! no more injuries!!!!!!! i hate seeing hunter and miller playing extended minutes.
Sorry, Sammy, I didnt read your post prior to this...sounds like I said the same exact thing you did!!!!
Maybe Deng could hael that thumb if we traded for Caron Butler....
*heal..........Trade something like: Kirk and John Salmons for Caron and Randy Foye. Maybe we could get Fabricio Oberto too....
Doug-
I agree players should answer questions honestly, however, I think with certain players, discussing certain topics can be damaging to thier image.
For example, while I'd love to know which pistol Gilbert Arenas thinks doesnt kick that hard, I think he'd be better served avoiding the topic. While this is drastically different from Luol's comments on injuries, the concept is the same. The fact remains, no matter what he says regarding injuries, fans are going to react negatively involving him...I feel he'd be much better served not discussing, in detail his injuries. To the best of my knowledge, there are privacy measures in place that allow minimal information to be released regarding injury.
Uh, Doug, did you just call me a dick?!
Doug, I did misread that correct? You didn't just call me a dick? If Deng complains about fans criticizing his desire, which I think was completely deserved with the attitude he showed outside the injury time. He looked like he could care less when he was out on the court. And he says that that is the reason he's playing through an injury now? Good! Then I guess he listens doesn't he. Which probably validates that criticism, his response, more then anything else. There were so many people who felt Deng had a quitter attitude/looked like he didn't give a shit for quite a while there. So why personally insult me for thinking it's lame now to criticize those same fans and myself for bitching about/referring back to a criticism he deserved?
Sammy-
I dont want to speak on his behalf, but Im pretty sure Doug was being sarcastic referring to Deng wanting to play through and injury...
Like, "what a dick, he wants to play through and injury"...
Sarcasm doesnt always translate in text form....but Im pretty sure he wasnt insulting you...thats how I read it...
Thats funny though!!!
two points:
1) While injury is an injury, he is very injury prone and consistenty plays well for a short period and then is injured. This is not to bilittle his injury.
2) The option to rest Deng would be interesting, where with a depleted bench may promote another losing streak.
I am sure that Kobe has been asked a thousand questions about his injury, he dismisses the questions as if there is no injury and performs as if he has no injury.
Deng sounds like a crybaby in his response, Bryant(who acts like an ass most times)sounds like he will bite your head off when he responds to questions about his injuries.
Deng is less tough because he is Luol Deng and not Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. That is just the way the world works, some people are tough and some people are marshmellows.
Nice people are usually not tough people, great in regular human beings, not great in professional athletes. Winning not whining is indeed the only thing, some guy named Lombardi I believe. There is winning and there is misery, some guy named Riley I believe.
Whenever you lose to bobcats,thunder.. that means u've got really a terrible coach in del negro.. i mean their not lakers or boston, again this is a chance for the bulls to win some games, not taking away from durant and the thunder,their playing their best rightnow. but this games are winable for the bulls.. is just that the result speak to it self.. that del negro can be or should be great assistant coach in the nba. not yet ready to lead the bulls in terms of winning! and i also realized that replacing the coach does'nt really solve the teams problem.
I HOPE DOUG! The bulls put together a package to pull a trigger in a trade that will make the bulls better in terms of personel and will benefit them in the free agent next year. And i always thought that this team is new.. not the 2006 bulls anymore.. they should build the team now with DROSe.. and he should be the captain of the ship. the bulls will not compete for a championship this year anyways. so why not make some move now.. get some couple of draft picks.. this organization "is great" to being "zero" starting with the owner and management... i still believe ben gordon will be great with Drose...
By the way i like deng.. but he sould go too..
this is my peak for the next bulls coach this year or next year..
1.AVERY JHONSON
2.GEORGE CARL
3.BYRON SCOT
4.SCOTTIE PIPPEN(ASSISTANT OR COACH)
5.MARK JACKSON