It's easy to hate on handsome Chandler Parsons.
After signing a massive deal with the Memphis Grizzlies last summer, the small forward is having the worst season of his career. Perhaps exacerbating Parsons' poor on-court production (at least in the eyes of some people) is his lifestyle, which includes fancy trips and schmoozing with models.
Grizz faithful have already turned on the 28-year-old, showering him with boos at the Grindhouse, but coach David Fizdale doesn't fault the swingman for any of that.
"I get it," he told ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I get that the fans see social media and see him in Cancun. You know what? If you looked at every other player's social media that wasn't at the All-Star Game, they were probably at a beach, because I was, too. I get them being frustrated with that and the fact that he's single and has got girls that he dates and all that stuff. If I looked like that and I was single, I'd date a lot of girls, too. So get past all of that."
Parsons, who joined Memphis on a four-year deal worth $94 million, has struggled to say the least. He's only suited up in half of the team's games so far this season, having missed time recovering from offseason surgery on his right knee and a bone bruise in his other knee.
And when he does play, it's not pretty. The former Florida standout's averaging career lows across the board: six points on 33.5 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent from deep, plus 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
"I suck right now," Parsons said. "There's no sugarcoating it. It is what it is. I'm just going to continue to work, continue to grind."
His bench boss can vouch for that.
"This guy comes to work every single day on his game, on his body, twice, sometimes three times a day. He's a great teammate. He's really trying his butt off to get his body functioning at a high level," Fizdale said.
