Pistons coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy yesterday "owned up to using the phrase 'posse' in a similar vein in regards to black associates" as Knicks President Phil Jackson did when describing Cavaliers F LeBron James' friends, according to Marc Berman of the N.Y. POST. Van Gundy said the James-Jackson controversy "served as an epiphany." He said, "It makes you all think. I think we’ve all got to become aware of our language and attitudes. I’m going to be perfectly honest here. I’ve used that word before. OK. When all that came out, I had to ask myself: Have I ever used that word before with a white player? The answer is no." He added, "I understand why it's offensive" (N.Y. POST, 11/17).
POOR TIMING: USA TODAY's Sam Amick writes Jackson might get a pass for using the word "in another time." However, the present is a time when the African-American community "has every right to be concerned and those of us sensitive to their growing fears must choose our words wisely" (USA TODAY, 11/17). THE UNDEFEATED's Clinton Yates wrote Jackson's remarks were "entirely inappropriate." However, his status as a "revered personality across the league has protected his stance as anything other than reckless." Jackson "drew on a history in this nation of trying to delegitimize the honest efforts of black people to live and exist in a world not built for them." At the core of Jackson’s point is that James is "out of line for thinking that he is more important to his team or the league than anyone else." Yates: "If you want to know how racism works, this is it" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 11/16). In New Jersey, Steve Popper writes of Jackson, "Why did he have to bring up James, the most famous and accomplished player in the game today? ... Most of all, why not just say, 'I’m sorry?'" (Bergen RECORD, 11/17).
DON'T GET TOO AHEAD OF YOURSELF: ESPN's Jackie MacMullan said, "I honestly do not believe that Phil Jackson used that word with any kind of racial overtones." She added, "Did I think Phil Jackson was trying to tweak LeBron about him wanting special treatment? Absolutely” ("OTL," ESPN, 11/16). CBS Sports Network's Adam Schein said, "Let me be crystal clear here: I don't think Phil Jackson is a racist, even though the word ‘posse’ has racial overtones. I think Phil Jackson is moronic. I think there is no reason for Phil Jackson to talk about anything other than Knicks basketball. It doesn't benefit him or the Knicks" ("Time To Schein," CBS Sports Network, 11/16). In Indianapolis, Gregg Doyel asks, "Did you know the word 'posse' had racial undertones? I did not. Had no clue." It is now an "unacceptable word." Doyel: "Going forward, I can accept that. If 'posse' is racially tinged, then it’s a word I won’t use anymore. Because now I know. And now Phil Jackson knows. But do you really think he knew it was racially tinged before this?" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 11/17). SI.com's Michael Rosenberg wrote the term "wasn't always so loaded." However, the word "'Posse,' like 'Negro' or 'Afro-American,' is a word whose meaning and potency evolved over time." Jackson apparently "missed that evolution." But he also "missed some bigger ones." He has "lost his handle on the modern NBA" (SI.com, 11/16).
LEARNING THE BUSINESS: ESPN's Jemele Hill said when James “first empowered his friends” to run his company, many people "thought it was a mistake.” Observers saw is as a "stereotypical situation, which is commonly associated with NBA players.” However, Hill noted James “wasn’t just giving his friends a hookup.” He instead expected them to “learn about the business.” Hill: “It’s no different than what we see businesspeople doing all the time” ("His & Hers,” ESPN2, 11/16). SI.com's Rosenberg noted Klutch Sports Group Founder Rich Paul, one of James' friends who Jackson used the term about, is an "increasingly prominent agent." Rosenberg: "Forget the racial implications. What team president needlessly and mindlessly insults a successful agent? How dumb is that?" (SI.com, 11/16). CBSSN's Schein: "Maverick Carter isn't someone that hangs on. He is a businessman" ("Time To Schein," CBSSN, 11/16).
LOOK IN THE MIRROR: In N.Y., Stefan Bondy writes James should have "learned from his own experience" when he used the word "retarded" to describe an interview question. Bondy: "What he should've exercised instead of hammering Jackson with 'I've lost all respect' -- is that these words don't have to define the person saying them, and change doesn't require casting aspersions to the other side. That's counterproductive" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/17).
