OKC Thunder: Matt’s Monday Musings – Edition Six

Attitude

How would I describe the difference in the attitude of Roberson and Parsons ? Chalk and cheese come to mind.

Chandler Parsons

I got turned off Chandler Parsons last summer. Not because of his game, because of his attitude. Here is a player who was a second round pick, playing on his second team in five years, demanding a max contract.

Parsons has not managed to play a full season in his six attempts. With his previous history of truancy, why should he get paid the maximum?

I know that there were injury issues for Parsons. To me, this says Parsons will not be a wise investment, not at a max level anyway. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban obviously agreed.

Parsons could have exercised his player option and continued playing for Dallas. He chose not to. My guess is that the jump in the salary cap was like a band playing in his head.

Andre Roberson

Nothing says good attitude to me like a player embracing his role within a team. Roberson has the role of being a stopper on defense. As we all know, basketball players have to be able to play both ends of the  court. Roberson’s offense is less than stellar.

RELATED CONTENT:  Andre Roberson is becoming the OKC minute man

Despite this, Roberson continues to try and space the floor with his three point attempts. It is his cutting game to the hoop which is showing that Roberson is working hard on his game.

The key observation to Roberson’s attitude was his reaction to the news that he had not been traded. Roberson hugs when he is happy. After the news broke that Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott would be coming to the OKC Thunder and Roberson was not a player involved in the deal, he hugged.

Roberson has found himself a niche on the OKC Thunder team. He is comfortable and knows that he is respected by his peers. This speaks volumes about the attitude of Andre Roberson.