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Is any press always good press? Ask any pro athlete and the answer will likely be unanimous across the board: no. Chicago Bulls center Aaron Gray opens up about the effects of media attention on his regularly scrutinized team.
When it comes to the glare of the media spotlight, every athlete handles it a bit differently. Some take a cue from their managers or PR staff, and attempt to emit a sense of calm and politeness in front of the camera. Others aren’t as rehearsed, and tend to express themselves more openly and honestly, oftentimes leading to further spotlight of another kind—the negative kind.
Right or wrong, dealing with the cameras, critics and cynics has become a way of life for pro athletes, almost as routine as showing up to practice or winning games.
Since drawing the lucky No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, this season’s Chicago Bulls have been dealing with heightened media scrutiny long before any of its players stepped foot onto the United Center floor.
Between the hype of their No. 1 pick Derrick Rose, salary negotiations with guard Ben Gordon, controversy of a lagging performance by small foward Luol Deng, and of course, the nuances of their newbie head coach Vinny Del Negro, things have been a little crazy for this organization.
“I think you guys [the media] have turned it into a media giant," said Bulls center Aaron Gray. "The way we’ve been approaching it has been real well.”
“When we come into the building, we don’t worry about how much a guy made, what topics are in the media, where you drafted—all that is put on hold. We look at each guy as what’s your role on the team, is he doing what needs to be doing and if not, how can I help him do it?”
Picked 49th overall by the Bulls in the 2007 NBA Draft, Gray has experienced back-to-back years of media frenzy. Last year, the Bulls underperformed and former coach Scott Skiles was canned on Christmas Eve. This year, the Derrick Rose show has ruled the day. After only 24 months in the league, it didn’t take much for Gray to get a handle on the circus that is mainstream media.
“They’re trying to sell papers, they’re trying to sell magazines," Gray said, showing signs that he has learned this tough, but important lesson if you're going to make it as a professional athlete. "They’re trying to do their job to make the biggest kind of story possible. I don’t blame them for doing that, but at the same time, I don’t let it affect me.”
When it comes to the temperamental headlines or misconstrued sound bites that are often used by media to conveniently build up a team or tear one down, Gray portrays a peculiar sense of indifference, admitting that not every athlete can be so forgiving.
“I think it’s different for everyone," he said. "Personally, for me, I’m more upset when I lose a game. Last year, I lost more games in my rookie year than I had in my whole life. I didn’t have 50 plus losses ever.”
“That was tough for me. Losing upsets me more than anything that the papers said.”
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Hailing from the University of Pittsburgh, the transition from the Big East to the big leagues has been a tough one for Gray, as indicated by his inability to deal with the weaknesses he may show at times.
“You go from being the biggest fish to the smallest fish," Gray said. "You go from being the man to really being a role player. It’s hard. You miss that feeling of being the guy that your team looks on during the last few minutes of the game. Lot of times, it was me being more supportive on the sidelines.”
Like any good athlete, Gray is hard on himself in order to become better, but also acknowledges the learning curve that comes from playing with the big boys. Plus, when you consider the changing dynamic that this Bulls’ season has brought, a player quickly learns that playing at your personal best isn’t always an individual effort.
“Coming into this season, I felt like a rookie again," Gray said. "You really have no idea what to expect. You have some ideas of what type of systems and style he [Del Negro] wanted to play, but you have to get a feel see what works and what doesn’t work.”
“You want to bring all the positive attention to yourself that you can, you don’t want coach thinking of you because you’re coming in at 2:30 in the morning when you’re on the road, or because you made it in the papers.”
With such a young group of guys filling this year’s roster, it’s more interesting to note how few stories are written about the good behavior of these twenty-somethings. Outside of league veterans Larry Hughes, Lindsey Hunter, Michael Ruffin, and even Drew Gooden, who all know better than to offer the media a night of negligent behavior, the team is wrought with young, inexperienced pro athletes whose lifestyles have just changed overnight. For all intents and purposes, these guys are allowed to be a little out of hand. Strange, how you don’t often read about a well-behaved Bull over your morning coffee.
“We have a great bunch of guys," Gray said. "There’s no negative. There’s no disputes or fights. I think our locker room is great. You forget that this is a guy that’s making 12 million a year or this is the first pick in the draft of 2008. Guys could be so much more about themselves or cocky, but are nice guys.”
They may all be nice guys, but the competitiveness never ends.
“We’re always searching for something that we can be competitive with, from ping pong to pool to trick shots in the gym," Gray said, laughing. "We’re always searching for things to win, to be able to walk into the locker room with your head high and bragging rights.”
As long as they can keep their competitive edge on the court, the Bulls may just earn some positive reprise from the press, at least until the next ratings drop.
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