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SPORTS NOTES EXTRA - JA MORANT - LOST THE PLOT

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

You would think that if one can focus enough to develop their talent to make it to the NBA that if they focused on their behavior and thinking that they could become role models for their youthful fans around the world. Ja Morant is putting his life and career on the line. The question is… will he hang himself? - THIS DAY IN THE NBA - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Tuesday June 20, 2023

LIFE... ON THE LINE

When you consider one has the talent to make it to the NBA you would think they had some common sense to go with that. In the case of touted super star Ja Morant he apparently lost it when he loves to see himself waving a gun in a public environment and on live streaming video. These actions resulted in Morant receiving a 25 game suspension from the league.

In dollars speak it will cost him $2,927,853 of his $9,603,360 salary. The total amount of his punishment will grow as his sponsorship deals may be terminated. Further damage is that he was in line to receive a contract in excess of $200 MILLION in a new deal that was to take place following this season. The rationale is Morant is TAINTED GOODS.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has had two talks with the 23-year-old. The first was following the initial incident when Morant was waving a gun in a nightclub that was captured on security video. That was then made public. He was eventually suspended eight games.

Morant then went into some behavior counseling. That proved to be a waste of time. Following the therapy he went into overdrive by waving a gun in a car with questionable friends on Instagram Live video May 13. A league investigation followed then another sit down with Silver. The results were in but were not unannounced.

The media was sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for an outcome of the second meeting with Silver. Silver avoided passing on the leagues determination for a punishment since he didn't want the news to interfere with the NBA finals.

When the punishment results were announced questions arose if it was severe enough. Comparisons of past fines of previous NBA players for various incidents were scrutinized by many in the media.

The first two league suspension incidents that came to my mind was #1 when then Indiana Pacer Ron Artest went into the crowd of spectators to do some bare knuckle fighting with a fan(perhaps?). He was suspended for 86 games.

The other was then Golden State Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell attacking his then head coach P.J. Carlesimo on Dec. 1, 1997. That cost him a 68 game suspension.

The third incident that came to my mind was the suspension of then Atlanta Hawks John Drew. Drew was a superstar from the time he entered the league… but his problem was DRUGS.

In January 1986, Drew became the first player to be banned by NBA commissioner David Stern for multiple violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

Drew was not on an NBA roster at the time, but the league considered his most recent rehab stint to be his third violation under the league's drug policy. He could not seek reinstatement until the 1987-88 season. Drew opined that the policy "will keep guys from coming forward and admitting they still have a problem."

His situation was embedded in my mind since I never really knew why he was not on a team. When Stern made his decision Drew had played 11 seasons in the league, eight with Atlanta and three with the Utah Jazz. He relapsed during the 1984-85 season and was waived by the Jazz. He was on his career downside.

Despite his drug problem he finished with a career average of 20.7 ppg. That included a career high of 24.2 ppg. during his third season in the league 1976-77. For some strange reason his demise lingers in my mind.

Morant's problem is being immature and lacks common sense as well as socializing with questionable company. The influence of gangster rap music might be an underlying cause of this irrational thinking. Like Drew if he fails to get his act together he could fall prey to a career ending consequence.

Twenty five games may not be enough, particularly since he feels it's OK to posture himself waving weapons around on video twice in a period of a few weeks. What message does that send to those young fans of his?

This raises the question what is it about his fascination with guns and wanting to appear to be a BAD ASS. He has a history of fighting an individual following a pickup game.

Morant is being sued by a high school prospect after a fight during a pickup game in Morant's backyard, where Morant and another individual were alleged to have punched the boy in the head. The teenager told police that Morant entered his house after the fight and came back outside with a gun in his waistband.

What the hell is this super talent risking his body worth millions of dollars in a pickup game?

Silver called Morant's conduct "irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous."

All of these incidents were reported on TMZ a sensationalized channel that harassed WNBA star Brittney Griner. Morant's conduct is as if he wants to portray himself as armed and dangerous.

It's the gun thing that is most disturbing. The league has dealt with gun incidents in the past most notably then Washington Wizard Gilbert Arenas.

Arenas was suspended for the rest of the 2009-10 season (38 games) for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards' locker room in an altercation with teammate Javaris Crittenton and mocking the situation by making finger gun gestures at a game.

The incident stemmed from a dispute over a gambling debt. Both players displayed firearms, although no shots were fired.

You would think that if one can focus enough to develop their talent to make it to the NBA that if they focused on their behavior and thinking that they could become role models for their youthful fans around the world. Morant is putting his career and life on the line. In the case of John Drew when he departed from the league he became involved in criminal activity.

The question now is… WHAT ROAD WILL JA MORANT TAKE?

THIS DAY IN THE NBA

June 20, 1993 John Paxson’s three-point field goal with 3.9 seconds left and Horace Grant’s block of a Kevin Johnson shot in the lane in the final second lifted Chicago to a 99-98 win over host Phoenix in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, clinching the Bulls’ third consecutive NBA Championship. Chicago became only the third NBA franchise (along with Boston, 1959-66, and Minneapolis, 1952-54) to win three straight titles. Michael Jordan of Chicago was named the NBA Finals MVP for the third straight year after averaging a Finals record 41.0 points per game, along with 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Magic Johnson is the only other player in NBA history to win at least three NBA Finals MVP awards.

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