Rodney, You Plonker



A budding terrorist threat, and a bad influence on Carmelo Anthony ; the sad tale of Rodney White, as told by the San Antonio Express' Mike Monroe (who seems to have rebounded nicely from his days with Hanoi Rocks).

This morning, White is in jail in the District of Columbia, charged with a firearms violation that will rank as one of the dumbest offseason moves by a free agent since Stephen Jackson turned down more than $10 million from the Spurs in the summer that followed their 2003 NBA title.

White and two companions were arrested a week ago after a Secret Service agent heard gunshots coming from a car in which White and his friends were riding, in an affluent neighborhood not far from the National Zoo and within a few miles of the White House.

White's pals have been released from jail on personal recognizance, but he remains in on a charge of carrying a gun without a license.

White once made one of the dumbest plays I ever had witnessed in an NBA game. With the Warriors in the middle of a second-half comeback, from more than 20 down that would result in a crushing defeat for the Nuggets, White stole a Warriors pass at midcourt and drove for what should have been a layup, except that he tried to execute a 360-degree dunk, which he missed — but that on-court lunacy pales, compared to this alleged violation. This move likely will cost him millions of dollars.




(Rodneys White and Trotter)

See, White had become Carmelo Anthony's best buddy on the Nuggets roster. Both players grew up in the greater Washington, D.C., area, Anthony in Baltimore, and began hanging out together when Anthony joined the Nuggets roster. Anthony had made it clear to Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe that he wanted his pal back on the roster, which gave White more leverage than most non-starting small forwards.

Frankly, some members of the Nuggets basketball operations department were very concerned about White's having had a negative influence on the impressionable Anthony last season, on and off the court. They just got all the reason they need to explain to Anthony why the club didn't return his buddy to the roster.

It appears White will remain in jail for another couple of weeks, which makes it unlikely any team will sign him before training camp begins.

By comparison, Jackson's decision to turn down the Spurs' millions last summer seems entirely reasonable.

Posted: Sun - September 12, 2004 at 08:37 PM      

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