It saddens me that Boban Marjanovic has become a fan-favorite “meme” player, trotted out to the patronizing cheers of the fans, often in blowouts. It seemed like his career trajectory was going to place him squarely in the “legit role-player” category, but it hasn’t turned out that way at all. He was always a fan-favorite, but at least in San Antonio, his appearances felt serious, like he was just another player playing to win, albeit a very big player. Perhaps it was the somewhat staid culture of the Spurs that made me feel that way, I don’t know. But now he feels like a sideshow act, every action met with wild cheering and excessive celebration.
If his minutes were more consistent and more numerous, the novelty would wear off a bit, certainly. The fans’ ironic cheers would be directed at different players, like J.J. Barea or Antonius Cleveland, with a small amount reserved for Marjanovic.
But I have given up hope of him ever receiving consistent minutes. Maybe if he ends up on a truly bad team, he could earn real playing time, but that’s a longshot. This is the reality for Marjanovic now. 12 points and a three-pointer with 20 seconds left. SucksDick “Rick” Carlisle has made sure of that.