Really? I mean, I don't have any links handy or anything, but I honestly remember Houston people saying, "Bah, he's overpaid, you can have him, he's introverted, he's capricious, he's a diva, blah blah blah." I distinctly remember one Houston article about what an introverted weirdo he was, having never gone to a Houston Rockets game after several years there, and when he did, he sat off in a corner of the luxury box, alone.
But me, I willfully chose to ignore that because I thought it might do him some good to get out of the spotlight, pressure situation he was in being the #1 overall pick, and also because he said such nice things about Buffalo when he got here. He loved the small town vibe, it reminded him of home, etc, etc.
And he was GREAT, for those 2-3 years. He's immensely gifted. My god, have you ever seen him up close? I got to sit right behind the bench once two years ago. Even on an NFL sideline filled with very large human beings, he stands out, built like something out of a comic book!
But it seems, when the going got tough for the D last year, he wilted. I'm sad it came to that, but he needed to go. Like I said earlier in this thread, appreciating what Mario did for this team in previous years, and recognizing how things fell off the table last year are not mutually exclusive things.