Where Are They Now, 2010; Part 42
- Kyle McAlarneyAfter going undrafted because of his skin pigment, McAlarney went to summer league with the L.A. Clippers, where his jumpshot was not enough to convince Mike Dunleavy to stop being racist. With no training camp contract forthcoming, McAlarney was unable to cope with the bigotry he faced in America any more, and he moved to Israel to play for Ironi Nahariya. However, Whitey McGrew soon found that he pined for the prejudice he had back home in America, and returned to those shores to play in the D-League. In 43 games split between Fort Wayne and Springfield, McAlarney has averaged 10.8 points and 4.0 assists, numbers which would EASILY get him into the NBA if it wasn't for the fact that he was white. Or something.
If you're unaware of the reason for all this stupid racial talk, you should know that Kyle started it. This video used to be a lot longer, but ESPN cut it down after the controversy it caused. Just know that after the current ending of the clip came the message (not an inference, but an outright statement) that McAlarney's race was everything to do with the fact that he wasn't in the NBA. Mike Dunleavy countered that while McAlarney's shot was nice, they didn't keep him around because they didn't think he could guard anybody, yet McAlarney was not pacified. He thought it was a racial thing.
And that's just not the case, Kyle. You're good, but not good enough. You're a nice D-League player, which is why you fit where you are. Your shot is nice, but the NBA needs a lot more, and you don't have a lot more. Race does not enter into it. If the common belief surrounding your play is that you're an undersized and not particularly athletic jumpshooting specialist with meh point guard skills, that's not because of racial stereotyping; that's because that's who you are. There's no need for the racism angle.
I like Kyle McAlarney, but I don't like crusades about race. Let's just get over it.
(If Kyle McAlarney makes the NBA without significantly adding to his currently defined yet limited skillset, would somebody make an argument for racism the other way?)