Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young may be new to the team, but he is already publicly displaying his Laker pride. Doc Rivers recently revealed that he intends to cover up the Lakers’ banners inside the Staples Center on nights when the Clippers have a home game there. Young doesn’t think he should be allowed to do that.
Young, a former Clipper, apparently doesn’t care that Rivers noted that he isn’t try to be disrespectful toward the Lakers. Instead, Doc said he wants to have more banners of his own players hanging from the rafters on game nights. Young is against it.
“We got to talk to Doc,” Young told reporters on Sunday, via Inside the Lakers. “He can’t have that. We have to do something about that .That’s a lot of pull ya’ll are giving Doc. He shouldn’t come and have that much pull. He should come and earn his keep.”
While Rivers has earned respect as an NBA head coach for his title run with the Boston Celtics in 2008, Young feels he is asking an awful lot for a coach who has yet to win anything in LA.
“But he didn’t win no title in L.A,” Young added. “That’s where it’s at. Look at all these banners in here. You can’t shadow those up.”
In Doc’s defense, Young’s opinion is not one that is shared among his teammates. Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and even Mike D’Antoni all said they felt Rivers should be able to do what he wants with the arena on nights where the Clippers are the home team. They even admitted that they would not want to look at another team’s accomplishments during their games, either.
Personally, I don’t feel that it’s disrespectful at all. Fans who go to see the Clippers play probably don’t want to look at Lakers championship banners. They deserve some true home games, as do the Lakers. If it’s something that’s doable, it should be done.
