At Least It's Not a Blazer This Time

This post has nothing to do with Greg Oden's balsa wood knee, but it was infinitely easier to find a picture of him looking all Odenish and Gregly than it is to find a picture of Shawne Williams rolling up some Yukon Gold.

In case you're not a follower of obscure news items that don't affect, surprise or matter to you in any way, Shawne Williams of the Indiana Pacers (and of the Dwyane Wade / Antawn Jamison School of Asinine Name Spellings) was arrested for marijuana possession the other day. (Being a Pacer fan gets more and more fun every day. Let's go, Raiders...!)

In brief, he was allegedly driving an unregistered car with no driver's license, switching lanes without signaling, in possession of weed, being black after 9 PM and carrying a passenger who had a loaded, stolen 9mm gun in the car with him. (AKA - what Chiles does every Thursday night.) Folks who followed Shawne's life know the story / litany of excuses - he comes from a rough neighborhood, he's seen violence up close, poor family, he's got friends from back there that he's still loyal to, he's only 21, doesn't have the proper role models, you can't ask him to suddenly know how to act just because he has money, blah blah blah.

Another ball player with weed and guns? Another one!?

Here's the question to the AofG... is it so hard to grow up and not be a dickhead who can't figure out how not to get arrested just because one is from "the hood"? Granted - when one suddenly comes into cash, they can't always trust their new friends and need to lean on the folks they knew back when they were nothing, but is it impossible to do that without involving drugs, stolen weapons and (for some ungodly reason) unregistered cars? Discuss.

Comments

[Craig]

The problem with the description you gave of Williams (a least for me) is that yes, you can expect him to suddenly know how to act. It isn't as if he doesn't know the law. For the most part, laws aren't that hard to follow. Don't steal things. Especially not guns. If you steal guns, don't carry them around in your car.

I can't even figure out why he would be driving an unregistered car without a license. Guns and weed you can blame on bad friends, wanting to feel important, wanting to feel high, etc. Those two? I've got nothing. Seriously, when you make enough money that it's easier to write your salary in scientific notation, I think you can spring for the few bucks to get a lisence and registration. The only reason not to is that you just think it makes you harder if you refuse to conform to the rules.

As for how hard it is to grow up and still have friends without risking your career or hurting your teammates, I would think it wouldn't be that hard, but I've not been in a remotely comparable situation.

[TMan]

I don't think it's that hard to grow up with the standard "grew up poor in the hood, but now you're an NBA player" package and not be a dickhead. Most of them do. When was the last time you heard of D Wade getting pulled over with weed and a loaded gun in the car? Ray Allen? Baron Davis? All of those guys grew up in the 'hood, saw violence, blah, blah, blah. But they all had enough sense to take responsibility for themselves and their actions.

I think all this "but they grew up poor" excuse making is part of the problem. If a baller can't figure out, just from watching a week's worth of Sports Center ("Pac-Man! Tank Johnson!"), that the cameras are rolling, people are watching and you will get caught, it's no one's fault but their own. Grown men understand this. Fools do not. Shawne is clearly the latter.

[Itchy]

...and need to lean on the folks they knew back when they were nothing, but is it impossible to do that without involving drugs, stolen weapons and (for some ungodly reason) unregistered cars?

My take on this is that it's not impossible but it can be a hassle. I know, scary...hassles.

This is why: Back when I was a single person I was quite the party dude. I was drunk more than I was sober and was always up for a party no matter what that meant. Then I settled down, got married, and moved away. When I would go home, my friends would want me to hang out, drink, drug, whatever and I wasn't interested. "Well you used to be fun. You used to hang out. You used to do this. What...are you too good for us now?" Yeah...it sorta stings that your friends are all pissed off that you've decided to be a responsible person, but some of us are able to say "Look, I don't do that anymore. We can hang but not like that...got it?" Some of us aren't. Ever heard of peer pressure?

I don't have that whole "I can't look like a punk in front of my friends" thing going on. But, to me, that still doesn't excuse bad/illegal behavior just because you don't want to disappoint your old buddies, if that's the case in this scenario.

I've known people who chose to not work in the mine, be a housewife or a nurse, or join the military and instead went to college, moved away and never looked back. Those people are viewed by some as "forgetting where they came from" or "uppity" because they wanted to better their lives. And for some people, that societal pressure to live up to other's expectations is a hard thing to overcome. But it can be. It's not impossible, which is what you asked. No, it isn't. But you do need to start out with a bit of sense...

In a perfect world common sense would prevail and people would know how to act. But we live in a world where people neglect their children so they can be online playing World of Warcraft all day...I don't see a lot of thinking going on.

[jackie]

"In brief, he was allegedly driving an unregistered car with no driver's license, switching lanes without signaling, in possession of weed, being black after 9 PM and carrying a passenger who had a loaded, stolen 9mm gun in the car with him. (AKA - what Chiles does every Thursday night.)"

You apparently forgot to mention he was driving without a license.

[Jack Klompus]

"it was infinitely easier to find a picture of him looking all Odenish and Gregly than it is to find a picture of Shawne Williams rolling up some Yukon Gold."

Cracked me up.

"and of the Dwyane Wade / Antawn Jamison School of Asinine Name Spellings"

Why, did he get wait-listed at the Anfernee Hardway Institute of Fucked-up First Names?

"being black after 9 PM"

There is no set time on this infraction. But I guess if you weren't so white you'd know this.

[Assman]

You apparently forgot to mention he was driving without a license.

First sentence you quoted, man.

There is no set time on this infraction. But I guess if you weren't so white you'd know this.

True. I figured they had to pull him over for something though. If everyone got pulled for switching lanes without signaling, we'd need more cops.

And for some people, that societal pressure to live up to other's expectations is a hard thing to overcome.

I'm off the impression that if the expectations of others are going to get me arrested / dropped from the league I worked so hard to join, then its not so hard to find your inner asshole and tell those people to fuck off. It's even fun sometimes.

[M. Butler]

Its probably more like they are lazy and give their friends "jobs" to take care of the little things for them (like getting the car registered) and their friends are such lazy worthless douchebags they don't even take care of the smallest responsibilities. Instead of hiring their stoned out friends to be their office manager, they need to hire someone with a brain.

[lattalayne]

I think if you're born stupid coming into money is ulikely to make you any smarter.

[lattalayne]

...UN-likely. The word is UN-likely.

[jackie]

"First sentence you quoted, man."

You'll have to excuse me. I'm an idiot. Keepin' it real!!!

[Art Vandelay]

I don't think I'm qualified to answer the question. I grew up in typical American suburbia. I didn't see a hood until I was like 14. I can answer the question as to whether you can grow up being exposed to nothing that resembles "hard-knocks" and still come out of it as a bad-ass mofo. In my case...most certainly.

[jackie]

"Instead of hiring their stoned out friends to be their office manager, they need to hire someone with a brain.

Or they can just hire super-cool rappers to totally fuck up their contract coming out of college. At least that's what I understand from Ricky.

[Gary]

Haven't these guys seen enough of their colleagues go down in flames to think twice about being in the same situation? "I've got myself a damn good deal here. I REALLY don't want to fuck this up." Repeat after me...

[Itchy]

I'm off the impression that if the expectations of others are going to get me arrested / dropped from the league I worked so hard to join, then its not so hard to find your inner asshole and tell those people to fuck off. It's even fun sometimes.

There are lots of types of people in this world. Some people care what their friends/family think about them and will behave in the manner that they want them to and then other people don't care so much about what others expect.

The ones that care more about the hard work they put into getting into the league and maintaining their status there than they do about the other crap will take your stance, easily.

People do things for weird reasons that do not always make sense.

[Assman]

Or they can just hire super-cool rappers to totally fuck up their contract coming out of college. At least that's what I understand from Ricky.

Please stop. You're simultaneously making me screaming angry and cracking me up. I don't like to giggle when I'm pissed.

Some people care what their friends/family think about them and will behave in the manner that they want them to...

Then I'm glad my team wasted a first round pick / guaranteed contract on the asshole. The team, fanbase, city, entire league and legions of 21 year old black men everywhere that can't afford another reputational hit certainly appreciate that he decided to not offend his friend that night by asking him to please keep the weed and gun in the house. Doesn't he know that as soon as he pulls this shit and gets cut from the league that those same bums won't give a damn about him?

Man, I sound like somebody's dad.

[Jack Klompus]

"Man, I sound like somebody's dad."

Yeah, when did you turn into Furious Styles?

[Assman]

Yeah, when did you turn into Furious Styles?

Well, we've got Doughboy running point after having traded O-Dog away last season. I'll say it fits.

[aaron]

huge fan of Shawne while he was at Memphis (my hometown) - he was a knucklehead then, too. Had a convo with a bunch of my friends from back home about this story when it broke, and the consensus was that he was another victim of "keepin it real". I think this would have happened to him in particular whether he had money or not, ballplayer or not.

[jackie]

"Yeah, when did you turn into Furious Styles?"

Nicely done, Klompus. Just sent me over to google for some Boyz In The Hood quotes. Some classics from Furious up in there.

[DFS]

"How many times do I have to tell you even if she's on the pill, use something anyway? Pill ain't gon' keep your dick from falling off. I don't know why you insist on learning things the hard way, but you gon' learn. Oh, yeah, *you* gon' learn. Pick up that hair."

[DFS]

as for the subject matter at hand I dont think being from the hood and getting money predestines one to make bad decisions any more than being a rich white hotel heiress does

[Babu]

See, now this is the industry I want to start, athlete handlers. An athlete hires my company to supply them with a handler, basically an intelligent dude who follows the athlete/star/Lohan around and pretty much tells them not to do dumb shit.

"Hey, you know what Michael, lets not get into dog fighting, that might fuck up your career"

"Hey, PacMan, lets just order strippers in tonight"

"Lindsay, I think you should maybe have some gatorade and leave the yayo and cristal alone for tonight"

come to think of it, we could just hire jewish mothers whose kids have moved out of the house for this job....

[tennbengal]

Hustle & Flow keepin' it real, represent! You can take the kid out of Memphis, but it's much harder to take the Memphis out of the kid...

Oh, and that series of infractions? I believe that is known as "The Chris Henry"...

[jackie]

Hustle & Flow

Great movie.

[jackie]

Just read Simmons' article on Oden's injury and I definitely did throw up in my mouth.

[Assman]

Just read Simmons' article on Oden's injury and I definitely did throw up in my mouth.

It was pretty classy, wasn't it?

"Hey, everybody - a good player and good kid got hurt, which pretty much ruins his season, the fans hopes and the quality of the league, but, on the positive side, I was right, as usual. Go Celts."

[jackie]

"I was right, as usual"

Simmons wrote: I believed at the time the Oden-Durant thing was so close, ANY potential physical concerns should have swung the choice to Durant; that's one of the reasons I kept writing last June that Durant should be Portland's pick....I probably wrote more words arguing Durant's case than anything I've ever written for ESPN.com.

That quoted bit right there is pretty much where I've finally capitulated to the Simmons is a monumental douchebag crowd.

Despite his beyond absurdly retarded claim that he wrote more on Durant than anything in his espn.com, nowhere in all that writing is he able to cite a single word of concern about Oden getting injured.

Buffoon.

[Assman]

That quoted bit right there is pretty much where I've finally capitulated to the Simmons is a monumental douchebag crowd.

I had been holding out for a while too, but this latest bit (no class, self-promoting), yet another reference to his friend Jimmy and his time spent at award shows (wtf?) and this indefensible "the Patriots cheated - so what?" argument have rendered him unreadable. Last few articles have been skimming-only for me.