Thunder's Steven Adams dismisses Zach Randolph's criticism
Oklahoma City big man Steven Adams just thinks of himself as an aggressive player.
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2 min read
Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams rubs some players the wrong way. He's a strong, physical presence in the paint, and as a rookie last season he didn't back down from anybody. Some guys took exception to Adams' style, which resulted in five different players being ejected for altercations with him. That included Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph, who was suspended for Game 7 of the first round last season after throwing a punch in Game 6. Unsurprisingly, Adams does not share Randolph's opinion about his game, via the Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry.
“I mean, seven players have gotten suspended because of him. You've got to look into that,” Randolph said. “Why are players getting into it with this particular guy?”
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“Honestly, I feel like that was his whole plan and I fell for it,” Randolph told Memphis reporters Monday. “I take responsibility. I’m too old for that...to get me off of my game and I went for it. It bothered me all summer. That was their plan.”
Adams, perhaps to no one’s surprise, shot down the idea that he had some sort of secret plan to target Randolph, as well as the idea that he’s a dirty player.
“No, not at all,” Adams said Tuesday, hours before facing the Grizzlies in the Thunder’s preseason home opener. “I was just playing hard. I mean, it’s unfortunate that it happened. Honestly, I was just focusing on the game.”
Asked was then asked how he would describe his style of play.
“I probably just say aggressive,” Adams said. “Coach tells me to do one thing then I’ll just go do it. It’s pretty simple. Just go rebound or something simple like that. I just do the best I can. Just hustle.”
Adams said he loved playing against the Grizzlies "because they're as physical as they come." He didn't want to acknowledge that he enjoys getting under opponents' skin or tries to agitate them, saying he has "no idea" why opponents get frustrated. It was basically the same thing he told the New York Times' Billy Witz last season in a story where Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said Adams "acts like he grew up on the farm chasing hogs."
He said, wryly, that he could not understand why he had irritated so many opponents.
“They just seem to not like me,” he said. “I don’t know why. I just play hard. I don’t do anything else.”
No NBA player has gone on record in calling Adams "dirty," but it's clear he's earned himself a reputation. I've seen him unapologetically set crushing screens and deliver hard fouls, but I've never seen him try to hurt anybody or be totally reckless. To me, it's not much different from how Randolph plays -- people just didn't like it because Adams showed absolutely no emotion when things got rough and, well, he was only a first-year player. The reality is, though, that he'll probably be a magnet for flagrant fouls and technical fouls this season.
