Wondering where Eric Devendorf disappeared to? How about¬†the New Zealand National Basketball league, where he’s averaging 31.8 points per game, and has caught on as a favorite for his talent and his style of play.
According to Terry Orchard,¬†former coach of Devo’s Wellington Saints, Devendorf is just playing on a different plane:
“That’s just what I call unconscious competence of guys who are very skilled and have the ability to play at the highest level.”
Yeah, we saw that too. The ability to get to the basket and finish with both hands, the great jump shot with the wacky sideways rotation, and the unmatched attitude – for better or for worse.
So it’s good to see Devo excelling somewhere and getting a chance to continue doing what he loves. But would he be viewed as a better player if not for one incident a few Halloweens ago and a little more pigment in his skin?
The second part is what Orchard is curious about:
“If he was black, he would be an absolute sensation. We would see him differently. I’m not coming at it from a racist point of view but he’s an unassuming white guy and he doesn’t have an athletic figure.‚Äù
Wait, what? Unassuming? Did he really say that? It’s ok for me to say that if I ran a 3-second 40-yard dash, I might be able to beat Usain Bolt in the Olympics. However, this is different.
Unassuming? Dictionary, please:
“Exhibiting no pretensions, boastfulness, or ostentation; modest.”
No boastfulness? Modest? Right. At this point we should probably discredit everything Orchard says.
And about being black? Yikes. Isn’t he already a sensation in New Zealand? Is he saying all white guys don’t have athletic figures?
This would be the spot where I’d post the picture of my athletic figure to prove the guy wrong Рif I had one. So we move on.
Sometimes (and especially in this case) things are better left unsaid. Eric Devendorf will likely never see a minute of time in the NBA. If the talent were there, the character issues wouldn’t matter. See: Artest, Ron.
And even if it‚Äôs what¬†everybody is thinking – this guy doesn’t get respect because he’s white – you just don‚Äôt say it.
Suggesting that if Devendorf were black he would be more popular does nobody any good. It makes Orchard look like an idiot (because Devo IS very popular overseas), and it puts Devendorf in an awkward spot.
There’s probably a reporter out there who is dumb enough to go ask Devendorf after a game, “So Eric, you scored 25 points tonight Рdo you think you would have gotten 40 if you were black?”
“What?!?”
“Well Terry Orchard said…”
You see where that’s going.
So, uh, thanks Terry for making everyone uncomfortable.
253 responses to “White Man is Jumping”
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
Fascinating blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog jump out. Please let me know where you got your design. Appreciate it
Wow, superb blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is wonderful, as well as the content!
Terrific post however I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Cheers!
Many hackers are blogging that can remove activation lock and allowing users to restore iDevice without authentication code. But this is shown that is not working the way should be. Many owners currently facing locked Apple iCloud Activation and can’t activate their devices like iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, iPad and iPad Mini. Now for first time on the web we will present you the Bypass iCloud Lock Tool only working tool on the web who will make you happy. For first we will explain how to remove and then will start with removal process. This service is totally for free and is no need to pay for this service, just completed the survey and download will start automatically.
Does your site have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an e-mail. I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it develop over time.
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the page layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Hey there are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Have you ever thought about publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based on the same information you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would appreciate your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e-mail.
Hey there are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
Howdy! Quick question that’s entirely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when browsing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to resolve this issue. If you have any suggestions, please share. Thank you!
Have you ever thought about including a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and everything. However imagine if you added some great graphics or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this site could undeniably be one of the greatest in its field. Superb blog!
Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a twenty five foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
F*ckin’ remarkable issues here. I am very glad to peer your post. Thank you so much and i’m looking forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
Hello are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be really appreciated!
hi!,I like your writing so much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL? I need a specialist on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
Hey there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this site? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
We stumbled over here coming from a different web page and thought I might check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to finding out about your web page yet again.
Heya just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.
Hi! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
I will immediately grasp your rss as I can’t in finding your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please permit me understand so that I may subscribe. Thanks.
Hello! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My website looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to resolve this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share. With thanks!
Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s tough to get that “perfect balance” between usability and visual appearance. I must say you’ve done a amazing job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super quick for me on Safari. Superb Blog!
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thank you!
Great blog you have here but I was curious if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really love to be a part of online community where I can get feed-back from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!
My coder is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a variety of websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it? Any help would be really appreciated!
Hey there, You’ve done an incredible job. I‚Äôll definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this site.
I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing issues with your website. It appears as if some of the text within your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This could be a issue with my internet browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Kudos
Wonderful blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Cheers
Awesome blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely confused .. Any ideas? Thanks a lot!
Greetings! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!
Have you ever considered writing an e-book or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based on the same topics you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my viewers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks
Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome blog you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get suggestions from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!
Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any recommendations?
Magnificent website. A lot of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks to your sweat!
Have you ever considered publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors would appreciate your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an email.
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thank you, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your site?
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?
Good day! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?
Heya are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hey! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to take a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Exceptional blog and terrific style and design.
Hi! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My website covers a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the way!
Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!
Howdy are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello my family member! I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and come with approximately all important infos. I would like to look extra posts like this .
Appreciating the persistence you put into your site and detailed information you present. It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same outdated rehashed information. Fantastic read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.
Hi there just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same results.