Andre Drummond, This Will Not Be the Last Time
By Vinny Hardy
Nov 17, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) shows off his tattoo during the first quarter against the Orlando Magic at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Andre Drummond and his Detroit Pistons were having a tough go of it on Friday Dec. 19, 2014. They were playing host to the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors are good (currently 22-6, tops in the Eastern Conference).
The Pistons are not (5-23 as we speak, good for 13th out of 15 teams in the East.)
As you would expect, Toronto was winning 95-78 at the time. At that point Raptors forward James Johnson gets free along the baseline. As the rim protector and last line of defense Drummond rotates over to contest Johnson’s dunk attempt.
The ensuing result does not end well for Drummond.
Johnson cocks it way, way way back and hammers it down on Drummond. He plays it pretty cool afterward as well. If he said anything it must have been pretty subtle. No doubt he has to be feeling pretty good about himself after putting a seven footer on a poster like that. Even so, he was pretty laid back in the aftermath.
Drummond on the other hand is hurting. His team was getting hammered. Now his pride, ego and feelings are bruised and battered. As the rest of the video goes on to show, he acts out on those emotions by decking Johnson the next time down the court.
For what it’s worth, former Cats Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson had Johnson’s back if any additional extracurricular activities had gone down.
Andre Drummond is a solid young big man, he just turned 21 this past summer. Back in the day fights and hard fouls were the order of the day in the NBA. That’s not the case anymore with the flagrant fouls the way they are and leaving the bench penalties being so severe. Drummond never has to be cool with getting crammed on, but he will learn that it’s part of the game at times for big men.
It’s happened to guys a lot better than him and it will continue to occur after he hangs up his sneakers.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the league’s all time leading scorer, synonymous with the Sky Hook, and was pretty good at blocking and altering shots. It mattered not to Dr. J.
Doc got him twice in a matter of seconds in the 1980 NBA Finals.
Poor Bill Walton wasn’t exempt either.
No one in NBA history has blocked more shots than Hakeem Olajuwon. I’m a huge Houston Rockets fan but I have to give credit where credit is due to Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns. This is one of the greatest little man/big man confrontations of all time.
For what it’s worth the Rockets won that playoff series but that was still nasty.
David “The Admiral” Robinson was a great shot blocker in his own right. Michael Finley wasn’t amused.
Who can forget Michael Jordan embarrassing Patrick Ewing?
Or Kobe Bryant on Yao Ming.
Again, Rockets agony for me personally. Kobe also got a young Dwight Howard.
Vince Carter really got Alonzo Mourning as well.
We could literally go on and on and on but that’s enough. The point of all of this? Andre Drummond is not alone, and someone will put him on another poster and it will probably be sooner than later.