Kaiya is a big, bad bully

04 Mar, 2018 - 00:03 0 Views
Kaiya is a big, bad bully

The Sunday Mail

FORMER ESPN broadcaster Collin Cowheard has an interesting thing to say about the role of tough guys in basketball.

“In the NBA I grew up with ‘if a little guy came down the lane; brother, there was a price to pay.’ Every great dynasty has had a bouncer and so has every popular nightclub!

“And the Golden State Warriors have the best nightclub in the league, and a handful of bouncers, just like great hockey teams have at least one to protect their stars”.

Cowherd made these comments last week on his podcast “The Herd” after the now infamous incident between Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook.

Pachulia is alleged to have intentionally fallen on top of Westbrook during a match between the two teams last weekend as part of a strategy to slow down his rival.

While the Harare Basketball League is a far cry from the NBA, the incident itself and Cowherd’s comments blend well with the narrative that is Anderson Kaiya’s career.

The 23-year-old Foxes centre gets limited game time but remains an integral part of the team.

Kaiya is the go to man when coaches need to bully a troublesome out of the game.

“The guy is a rare breed in the modern game, which in itself is quiet a sad state of affairs,” said Foxes coach Simon Lawson.

“Back in the day almost every championship calibre team had an enforcer; that one player whose sole duty was to disrupt your opponents’ rhythm or momentum.

Classic examples of such players are the Dennis Rodman, Ron Artis and Chris Anderson. Kaiya is one such player and we value him a lot.”

Kaiya appears to have made peace with his place on the team, limited game time, bench warming and all.

“I play either the number four or five (centre or power forward) but to be quite honest with you, those are not my ideal positions.

I see myself more of a number three (small forward) and believe that I could contribute more and get more game time if deployed in that position.

“However, it is not about me, and what I want, but more about what the team needs and how best I can contribute on the court,” he said.

Kaiya is unapologetic about his style of play.

“That’s who I am and am always prepared to get into the game and show whoever we are playing against that I am not someone to be messed with,” he said.

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