Bogut talks All-Star Game, #1 on BRW list & more on SEN Morning Glory
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It's always great to see Andrew Bogut taking time out for the Australian media, and he certainly put on a veritable treat for the Aussie fans today, with appearances at Triple M's Hot Breakfast, SEN Morning Glory and finally with Hughesy & Kate on KIIS 101.1.
All-Star Game, poor representation of the NBA?
Bogut joined SEN Morning Glory hosts Andy & Gazey in the morning, for a quick chat on the All-Star Weekend's festivities and more. He objectively commented on the All-Star Game's non-competitive and glitzy nature appealing to the "fair weather fan" over the "basketball purist", and that "it's all about highlight dunks and a bit of showboating" and so on.
Taking the 82-game season into perspective, I would tend to agree that the All-Star game serves as a milestone for the mid-season, and an opportunity for the players to get some extended rest for a change, after non-stop flights and nightly games et cetera. It's an event for everyone to enjoy and have some fun, and simply go out there and do stuff that you normally would not do in games (read: play zero defense, chuck countless three pointers and so on). There's enough competitive basketball in the long season to sate everyone's thirst for competition, and the real contest is but two months away in April.
On hearing the suggestion about assigning potential home court advantage to the winning team (similar to MLB), he commented that it might not be the best idea, seeing as the Warriors would likely be ill-served by having "home court determined by a game that isn't taken all that seriously".
Splash Brothers shootouts, Klay's 37-point quarter and more
Bogut also clarified that the Splash Brothers --contrary to popular belief-- did not hold daily shooting death matches in practice, and quoted the mild-mannered Klay Thompson's reaction to his recent 37-point quarter explosion as only saying, "Well, that was crazy." It doesn't come off that way on social media and when we watch Thompson during games, but Klay might actually be the Golden State version of Kawhi Leonard, who always seems so even-keeled in any and every situation.
He also framed his earnings (ICYMI: Bogut was ranked #1 in BRW's Top 50 Sports Earners list for 2014) in a proper light, with a humourous quip that half of it likely went to the state of California in taxes before he even saw it.
Of online media misrepresentation
Bogey also shared his thoughts on the quality of journalism prevalent in today's age. This was in response to the recent eruption in Twitterverse and online media, when he was seen "sleeping" in a video filmed on the team plane after a Warriors victory. (Covered in last week's AITNBA recap.)
People really thought I was passed out...... #dumbdumbs
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) February 11, 2015
Damn this guy @andrewbogut is already passed out on the table, AGAIN, B4 the flight has even taken off! #lightweight pic.twitter.com/KY9qELfZAo
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) February 12, 2015
It's certainly no secret that the internet age has allowed anyone to voice their thoughts with seemingly equal weight on social media. This apparent freedom of expression however, causes potential issues for quality journalism, and it's too early to tell how preventive measures can be implemented on drowning out irrelevant and irreverent white noise. I for one, am glad that it's allowed for a site like ours to flourish without traditional barriers that existed before. It's all on us however, to maintain the quality of our content and make sure it's respectful, non-biased and professional to the best of our abilities.
If you have time, do remember to listen to the show embedded above. Don't forget to follow SEN Morning Glory on Twitter at @MorningGlorySEN