Some fuss has been made this week over the comments that Chicago Bulls rookie forward Tyrus Thomas made about participating in the Slam Dunk Contest. Thomas told reporters that he was "Just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day.'' He was also quoted as saying "I'm just into the free money. That's it. I'll just do whatever when I get out there.''
Thomas was fined $10,000 by the Bulls for his comments and he issued a statement apologizing for his comments saying that they came out the wrong way. But my question is this: Why are we so angry at someone for telling the truth?
Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with the philosophy that comes across in his comments one bit. But in a day where athletes and people never give straight answers to questions, why should we vilify someone for speaking the truth? Maybe that's the reason no one gives truthful answers to questions anymore, we don't want to hear the truth. They just tell us what we want to hear.
Tackling Thomas' argument that he's only in it for the money, what's so wrong with that? There are plenty of players in the NBA right now whose only motivation for playing is a paycheck (word to Tim Thomas). What's so wrong with a player admitting that the only reason they're doing something is for the money?
I'm not really sure. I'll be honest, I don't want the NBA to be full of players only playing for dollars. I want players to play because they love the game and they want to win. It makes the game better for everyone. But I do want the truth. I can handle it.
