Just a couple of years ago, Paul George was widely known around theNBA as one of the best two-way players in the world. He had an MVP-caliber season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, was a dominant defensive player, and could put up 25+ points on the other end of the floor. Sadly, though, his reputation took a massive hit last year when he started talking a big game and couldn’t deliver in the playoffs, contributing to the Los Angeles Clippers blowing a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets.
George’s words prompted some criticism around his colleagues, who believe he’s yet to prove that he’s a top-tier player rather than just an All-Star. And, according to Los Angeles Lakers’ veteran Jared Dudley, that motivated them last season:
“We hear some of those guys talking about how they’re the team to beat in LA.It’s fine if Kawhi (Leonard) says stuff like that. He’s defending a championship. We don’t trip if someone like Patrick Beverley is talking trash; that’s how he feeds his family. We get it. We respect the hustle,” he said on his mini-book.
“But we think it’s disrespectful for Paul George, who hasn’t won, to put himself on the level of Bron (James) and AD (Anthony Davis). This motivates us. When we see those guys around the compound, we don’t really kick it with them. The one exception of course is Markieff, whose twin brother, Marcus, is on the Clippers. This probably keeps tensions from boiling over,” he concluded.
Paul George Claps Back At Jared Dudley
Paul George, however, didn’t even know who was the one who had said all that stuff. When asked about it, he just said“God bless him. God bless you, Jared Dudley. I don’t know what it is. Dudes love throwing my name in stuff, but god bless you, Jared,” looking completely unfazed by the news.
Tyronn Lue Rips Dudley: ‘Who Cares?’
But perhaps the best response to Dudley’s criticism came from Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. Lue held back his NSFW thoughts and summed it up with a quick answer: “Who cares?”
“A book? Jared Dudley? … I know I can’t cuss on here so I won’t, but who cares? Just be who you are, play your game. Who cares what people say?” Lue said.
Well, that pretty much sums it up. Paul George is a top-10 player in the league, while Jared Dudley is – and has always been – a bottom-of-the-bench kind of guy. He’s talking a lot now that he – barely – played for a championship team, even though he went scoreless in the playoffs. So yeah, George shouldn’t mind what he has to say. At all.
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