photo courtesy of charlesbarkley.com
First of all, on behalf of myself and the entire Sir Charles In Charge staff, we would like to wish all of our American readers and their families a very happy Thanksgiving.
For someone who lives in the “Great White North” (Toronto to be exact), I for one will not be indulging in any turkey, mashed potatoes or stuffing later this evening.
I will however sit on my couch and take in a little NFL football throughout the day, so I’m thankful for that.
With this being my first Thanksgiving as the editor of Sir Charles in Charge, I have decided to begin a brand new tradition here at the site….
The SCIC NBA Turkeys of the Years
Yes, it’s been done in other capacities before, for other sites and television shows (Pardon the Interruption being the most famous), but you know what?
It’s Thanksgiving. Tis the season to be sharing.
Seriously though, who doesn’t like making fun of those who most certainly deserve it?
The NBA has had its share of boneheads (or Turkeys, to remain festive) over the last year, so let’s indulge in their stupidity and look back at some of the biggest Turkeys of 2012.
Enjoy!
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS CENTER ANDREW BYNUM
He has yet to play one game for the 76ers this season.
He can’t seem to stay healthy, at all.
When he’s finally making progress in his rehabbing, he goes bowling and makes his injuries even worse.
O yeah, his hair is really weird too.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD METTA WORLD PEACE
Just when you thought he was turning the corner and becoming a Semaritan we could all love and admire, he went out and pulled something as stupid as this.
The only thing that was missing from that elbow was “Pomp and Circumstance” playing in the background and one giant leap from the top of the backboard on to Harden.
World Peace (or as Steve Kerr likes to call him, “The Artest formally known as Ron”) was suspended seven games for the incident, and rightfully so.
Smart.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS CENTER DWIGHT HOWARD
The creator and instigating force behind “the Dwightmare“.
Howard came out publicly and demanded a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. He then proceeded to opt-in to his contract and stay with the Orlando Magic for one more season, or so we thought.
He got his coach Stan Van Gundy fired and GM Otis Smith canned from the organization.
Ultimately, he got traded anyways and is now a member of the L.A Lakers. “whew”.
DENVER NUGGETS (FORMALLY OF THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS) CENTER JAVALE MCGEE
It’s a damn shame JaVale isn’t playing for the Wizards anymore.
Whether it was stupidity, ignorance or a combination of the two, McGee provided some of the more laughable moments of the year when he played in Washington.
From “volleyball spiking” the ball out of bounds on a blocked shot, dunking the ball off the backboard when the team was down six, or running the wrong way on the court, you could always count on JaVale McGee to put a smile on your face.
For the wrong reasons.
(BONUS)
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES FORWARD MARTELL WEBSTER
With just seconds remaining in the game, Webster steals the inbound pass from the Denver Nuggets and dunks the ball with 1.3 seconds left on the clock.
Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, they were down by three at the time. A dunk brought them to within one, but who cares.
The best part of the video is Ricky Rubio’s “what the hell?!” reaction in the background.
Priceless.
PHOENIX SUNS (FORMALLY OF THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES) FORWARD MICHAEL BEASLEY
That’s just awkward.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (FORMALLY OF THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS) GUARD NICK YOUNG
I’m surprised anyone could hear what Nick was saying, considering his shirt was so damn loud.
What, clothes aren’t enough to make someone a turkey?
Well, how about this?
SCIC LEAD EDITOR CHRISTOPHER WALDER
1) The Charlotte Bobcats won’t win a game until halfway through the month of November (the team is 6-4 as of this writing) 2) Washington Wizard guard Bradley Beal will lead all rookies in scoring (he’s currently fourth at 11.7, a full seven points behind Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard) 3) The Orlando Magic will finish with the worst record in the NBA (The Magic are struggling, but the Pistons, Kings, Cavaliers and Wizards are much worse off)
I guess I can’t be perfect all of the time.
DOH!
Now that you’ve taken a look at some of the biggest Turkeys of the past year in and around the NBA, it’s time for you to select who you want to stand above all the rest as the SCIC NBA Turkey of the Year for 2012….
If you feel we missed anyone important, leave a comment below and let us know of some other NBA Turkeys we should have included.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Christopher Walder is a sports blogger and lead editor for Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter @WalderSports