Carl Landry Says Talking Trash Is Just Part of the Game

Carl Landry Says Talking Trash Is Just Part of the Game

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, trash talking in the NBA was considered an art, and Michael Jordan was the king of the castle.  Throughout his career, Jordan craved a psychological edge, and talking trash was his way to demoralize an opponent.  What better way to degrade an opponent by winning both the game and the war of words.  Whether it is about your race, religion, orientation, family, there is nothing that is off-limits when players spar verbally.  But this season, the NBA is cracking down on players running their mouths and taunting each other in an attempt to change the on-court behavior, and so far we’ve seen a considerable uptick in technical fouls called.

Why are they doing that?

I’m not sure.  To me, trash talking is just part of the game.  Are they now going to start throwing out fans that yell obscenities from the stands?  Sure players are going to get carried away and fights are bound to happen, but to get rid of something that has been part of the sport since Dr. Naismith was shooting in peach buckets is ridiculous! Carl Landry joined KHTK in Sacramento to talk about how long it usually takes a starting lineup to get acclimated to one another and start to play well together, what the most extreme trash talk he has ever heard in the NBA and who is the biggest trash talker on his team, and whether the trash talkers test the younger players more so than the veterans.

How long it usually takes a starting lineup to get acclimated to one another and start to play well together:

“I think it is just a matter of time.  I think you can’t put a certain day, a certain amount of practices, a certain amount of games on that.  It is just going to have to click.  It may be tomorrow.  It may be next month, you just never know.  It is just playing with each other in practice.  Playing with each other in the games, try to watch film and just try to feel each other out.  I think you really can’t put a time on that but you’ll see.  After a while we will just gel and we’ll have a feel for one another and we’ll be rolling and just playing together very well.”

What the most extreme trash talk he has ever heard in the NBA and who is the biggest trash talker on his team:

“On our team?  I’m not sure.  Nobody really talks.  We just go out there and play hard.  The biggest trash talker I have ever played against was Rasheed Wallace.  Some of the things he said to me and some of my teammates, I can’t say over the radio, and if he was playing this year he would probably be suspended the whole season the way they are refereeing the game now.  Rasheed Wallace was probably the biggest trash talker but KG talks a lot as well.”

Whether the trash talkers test the younger players more so than the veterans:

“I think so.  This is my fourth year, I wouldn’t consider me a veteran but my eyes light up when I see a rookie out there trying to guard me or out there on the floor, so your eyes definitely light up.”

Whether Yao Ming does any trash talking:

“That is what I was going to say, if he does nobody knows what he said.  Nobody understands it, but he doesn’t trash talk.  He is a great guy.  I wish him the best with the injury and everything, but he doesn’t trash talk.”