I'm an 80s born basketball fan so just to let you guys know, I'm heading in a different direction with this letter. It's probably going to sting what I'm going to say but sadly, I don't care.
To reflect on what the game was I won't do in this letter but I will be addressing the one thing that is affecting the product on and off the court: the youth.
What I've come to say is there aren't many KG's, Kobe's, T-Mac's, LeBron's who came out of high school, were young and came into the league with an impeccable worth ethic and relentless desire to be great. That ship has sailed and while the culture of the world has significantly changed (social media, music, etc), the one thing those guys had were veterans.
Kevin Garnett had Kevin McHale, Kobe Bryant had Eddie Jones, Tracy McGrady had Dell Curry, and other players. Veteran leadership is what made the locker rooms and kept the camaderie together. These guys were taught and shown the ropes of how to be professionals.
I know there were a lot of young players who have come into the league over the past 15 years after doing one to two years of college. There's a long list of them but the reality is, there aren't many stars or superstars in the NBA anymore who did four years of college and are dominant in the league (Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are the exceptions).
What's happened within organizations that you guys run and operate is, you're drafting these young men who mostly come from impoverished circumstances and situations, you're giving them millions of dollars, endorsement deals and telling them to be humble and not expect them to feel invincible and not make reckless, brash decisions. It's silly to me and while y'all are taking advantage of the youth and getting more years out of their potential and talent, now you're facing a more important issue: off-court matters.
I'm not trying to admonish Ja Morant but let's be real here. If he had veterans in the locker room who are well-respected such as Udonis Haslem or Andre Iguodala, chances are, Ja goes to that club without the gun, doesn't stay long and gets out of dodge.
John Wall said in an interview that what the young players were doing on his former team the Houston Rockets would get them kicked out of the league or they wouldn't be playing on most teams. When you hear that, that becomes concerning and you wonder and question what are these young players doing behind the scenes in a social media age where a camera phone is inches away from any player who is in an arena or out in public.
The reality of it is, it's time to look at the landscape of your teams and make certain decisions. It's either get coaches who will talk to young players, you as GMs who step in and have these tough conversations or you get well-respected former players who have been in the league, hire them at player development coaches or senior advisors to you guys so they can speak to the young players on how to move and operate. Then it'll be up to these players to make the right choices and decisions going forward.
Eddie House on the 'Undisputed' show with Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless (when addressing the Ja Morant situation) said that when he was young and playing for the Miami Heat, Pat Riley called him into his office and spoke with him. Eddie recalls Pat telling him that he knows everything and how he moves, parties and to not become the runner (being out and about all of the time). It was in that moment Eddie changed his ways.
To the owners and GMs, how is it that Mickey Arison, Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning are running a well-oiled machine down in a city where there's clubs and restaurants to any player's liking anytime they want and somehow you never hear of them in the news or on the front storylines of Sportscenter?
It's time to take a deep look within some of your organizations. Most of you guys are getting it right in your perspective cities, but a lot of you aren't. While you're canvassing the world looking for young talent to sell tickets and make billions, you're not looking at the bigger picture of these players and how money, fame and social status changes their lives significantly.
Within the past ten years, there have been more situations with players off the court and it's time to address it. If you don't, the product of your teams and the league will take a significant decline. I hope that the Ja Morant situation will open your eyes to what's going on behind the scenes of your teams and you start having conversations with these players. Fame, money and prestige aren't the easiest things to manage and handle, it's time to do your due diligence...
From a concerned NBA fan,
Jamell Crouthers
