Maybe We Should Stop Begging the Los Angeles Clippers to Hit People

Yesterday, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne quoted Kobe Bryant on how Blake Griffin should handle the hard hits he so often receives. Bryant said, "I'd smack the f--- out of somebody," of the hypothetical situation that would only result in hypothetical punishments for the superstar guard. 

Kobe followed that up with, "At some point, you have to protect yourself. I've had to do it many times in my career. I've seen Shaq do it many times, too. Some guys you just don't mess with."

There has been a lot of chatter about Griffin getting knocked on drives to the rim; the Robin Lopez clothesline was especially egregious.

Charles Barkley chastised the Los Angeles Clippers for not protecting Blake Griffin, saying, "Y'all got to stop them from hittin' that boy." Barkley offered his own Hammurabi's code of, "You take one of their guys out, too." 

I've never played the game at the pro level, and I love Chuck's honest commentary. With all those modifiers, I have to say: This is stupid. 

Kenny Smith and Shaq murmured praise for Barkley's position and there's a crescendo of commentary in support of the Clippers hitting back, or at least doing some tough vague thing to show opponents what's what.

This is fairly hypocritical when those same cultural commenters take a hard stance against Metta World Peace for throwing a vicious elbow. Violence can seem like a decent idea when it's notional, abstract. When it's actually manifest, the result is often one we recoil from. 

Also, the idea that player violence should police the sport makes no sense. Hockey's been operating under this dumb man-code for years, largely impervious to how their sport remains ever violent despite the violence that supposedly quells the violence (Barkley actually supported Clipper goonery, referring to Griffin as a "Wayne Gretzky.")

A culture of "eye for an eye" doesn't exactly work when involved parties have their own version of fairness. It's all an anger-steeped version of a game where the players call their own fouls with fists. In short, a bloody mess. 

If Reggie Evans smacks the f--- out of say, Zach Randolph, I doubt the Memphis Grizzlies will simply recoil in fear. They might hit back, though. There could be a brawl, or harder Blake Griffin fouls down the line that might lead to a brawl. And it would all be an idiotic distraction from a sport you can win by chucking 24-foot jump shots.

Much as we want sports to be some holy masculinity test, basketball is won by a ball going through a ring--it's not exactly Thunderdome, unless of course, we're talking about the OKC Thunder. So perhaps we should stop urging the Los Angeles Clippers to escalate the situation. If Blake Griffin wants to be better-protected, he should probably get a jumper.