I’ve heard the same thing from a Portland media member, at the trading deadline. I don’t feel comfortable speculating about all that was said, but it’s not something that I view as a deal-breaker. I would understand if we didn’t go get him, though.

Pretty much every criticism I can remember hearing has been on the talent side – besides the people who just don’t like his game, he can get down on himself when things are going badly on court (hence the “mopey Iowan” nickname at Blogabull), and he sometimes does stupid things on court when he’s frustrated (throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in the playoffs against Miami a couple of years ago, picking up a frustration foul) – but he can also get into a pretty good groove when he’s mad. Toward the end of the season, we were looking for the other team/refs to piss him off because it definitely seemed to lead to a an increase in production.

Rumor had it that he and Chris Duhon used to party it up a bit. And I’ve known a few people who thought he was conceited/a jerk when they met him in person. Anyway, if he’s got character issues it’s something he can keep pretty quiet, or else he’s really working the Chicago media.

thanks for the link.

if I were doing a thorough vetting of Hinrich in preparation for my team’s potentially acquiring him, I would be a little wary about his relationship with the NBA’s officiating corps.

He’s always been a complainer/whiner — and probably justifiably so when it comes to some of the ticky-tack hand-check fouls he’s always getting zapped with. But there have been times where he flat-out lets it take him out of his game, and in a way where he gets all downtrodden and negative about it. It’s a flaw and I can see it as being a valid concern for certain teams that might have fragile chemistry/effort issues.

So Kirk’s the Danny Ainge of his generation? You say that like it’s a bad thing