Basically SAS takes his job very seriously and it's the basis of his identity. He thinks ballplayers should do what they do while he does what he does, and he's spoken on this before. He wakes up in the morning and tells himself "I may not be able to do what the athletes I report on can do

...but they also can't do what I can!

...so in a way we're kind of on the same level

"
So when you have this young, talented NBA player come out and write this article and make some fair, articulated points while mentioning him by name, it kind of blows SAS's mind. He's very intimidated by that and so he gets defensive and starts talking out of character.