Why the NBA needs Ja Morant to succeed
Jamarant on IG live in the club with his shirt off polishing a gun that looked like a 380. It resulted in a, you know, let's take a break from each other statement from the Memphis Grizzlies. They didn't term it a suspension. He is under league investigation. Jake, I'll give you my thoughts later. I want to know your thoughts right now. Jamarant on IG live in the club with his shirt off polishing a gun that looked like a 380.
It resulted in a, you know, let's take a break from each other statement from the Memphis Grizzlies. They didn't term it a suspension. He is under league investigation. Jake, I'll give you my thoughts later. I want to know your thoughts right now. Well, that last particular thing you said about semantics was the first thing I was going to say. This was not a quote unquote suspension, right? Which I think that's important.
And I think it's important for several reasons. The first being that the language, as reporters, as writers, the language that teams use in all of their public communications, I mean, people get paid big time money to determine Well, that last particular thing you said about semantics was the first thing I was going to say. This was not a quote unquote suspension, right? Which I think that's important. And I think it's important for several reasons. The first being that the language, as reporters, as writers, the language that teams use in all of their public communications, I mean, people get paid big time money to determine exactly what type of messaging they want to put out there to the masses. And the fact that he was not suspended, I think, is very, very key here being that Memphis, this is John Morant's team, man. Like, that's just the bottom line.
They've been so scrupulous about how they've been building this thing, block by block. exactly what type of messaging they want to put out there to the masses. And the fact that he was not suspended, I think, is very, very key here being that Memphis, this is John Morant's team, man. Like, that's just the bottom line. They've been so scrupulous about how they've been building this thing, block by block. When I talked to them, the Grizzlies are so willing and able to deflect their success levels, just talk about the luck that's been involved and how they've been patient and they haven't been willing to do anything too much to shake up what they're building there. And obviously, this is a giant, giant, giant monkey wrench and all that.
But to not come down and give him, and I'm not saying this to ridicule the process that Memphis did here. When I talked to them, the Grizzlies are so willing and able to deflect their success levels, just talk about the luck that's been involved and how they've been patient and they haven't been willing to do anything too much to shake up what they're building there. And obviously, this is a giant, giant, giant monkey wrench and all that. But to not come down and give him, and I'm not saying this to ridicule the process that Memphis did here. I just think it was super telling that he just taken some time away from the team and Nike is proud of him for getting the help that he says he seeks. This is not being framed as a punishment by any stretch. And I mean, this could be a big inflection point for this franchise moving forward.
I mean, hopefully it is. If you're a Grizzlies fan, if you're someone who's rooting for the franchise, if you're I just think it was super telling that he just taken some time away from the team and Nike is proud of him for getting the help that he says he seeks. This is not being framed as a punishment by any stretch. And I mean, this could be a big inflection point for this franchise moving forward. I mean, hopefully it is. If you're a Grizzlies fan, if you're someone who's rooting for the franchise, if you're just in general someone who is hoping for the well-being of probably the biggest candidate to be the next face of the NBA of American-born players right now, which I know is a great point that you wrote in your column on Yahoo. So I think that all suggests that there's a concerted effort here to try to move forward from this quickly and to leave it in the rear view and to leave it in the rear view if you just in general someone who is hoping for the well-being of probably the biggest candidate to be the next face of the NBA of American-born players right now, which I know is a great point that you wrote in your column on Yahoo.
So I think that all suggests that there's a concerted effort here to try to move forward from this quickly and to leave it in the rear view and to leave it in the rear view if you want to go for the well-being of the NBA of American-born players right now, which I know is a great point that you wrote in your column on Yahoo. So I think that all suggests that there's a concerted effort here to try to move forward from this quickly and to leave it in the rear view if you just in general someone who is hoping for the well-being of the NBA of American-born players right now, which I know is a great point that you wrote in your column on Yahoo. want to go for the well-being of the NBA of American-born players right now, which I know is a great point that you wrote in your column on Yahoo. So I think that all suggests that there's a concerted effort here to try to move forward from this quickly and to leave it in the rear view if you just in general someone who is hoping for the well-being of the NBA of American-born players right now, which I know is a great point that you wrote in your column on Yahoo. And I think you brought the point about my column Jake and that's where I was going to go was unlike in Allen Iverson, who was counterculture and the league was very hesitant to embrace him. The league wants so desperately to embrace Jamiro. Regardless of Memphis, being in Memphis, small market and everything else, he doesn't play for a legacy franchise.
And I think you brought the point about my column Jake and that's where I was going to go was unlike in Allen Iverson, who was counterculture and the league was very hesitant to embrace him. The league wants so desperately to embrace Jamiro. Regardless of Memphis, being in Memphis, small market and everything else, he doesn't play for a legacy franchise. He is so very important to the league. The league is desiring that he steps forward into that post LeBron, post Steph Curry, post Kevin Durant, NBA. Because while the old guys have held on for a very long time, there isn't hardly too many guys next to adjacent Tatum that you can say American-born, bankable superstar on the floor available, all those things. He is so very important to the league.
The league is desiring that he steps forward into that post LeBron, post Steph Curry, post Kevin Durant, NBA. Because while the old guys have held on for a very long time, there isn't hardly too many guys next to adjacent Tatum that you can say American-born, bankable superstar on the floor available, all those things. So they're not trying to come down on him. They want him to succeed. They're going to give him every avenue possible to succeed. In Jake, there are things that work in his favor. Unlike other players that we may wind up talking about on his podcast, his teammates like him.
They play hard for him. So there's a lot of fertile ground there. This isn't someone who is unlikeable to the people who are close to him as far as basketball-wise. So they're not trying to come down on him. They want him to succeed. They're going to give him every avenue possible to succeed. In Jake, there are things that work in his favor.
Unlike other players that we may wind up talking about on his podcast, his teammates like him. They play hard for him. So there's a lot of fertile ground there. This isn't someone who is unlikeable to the people who are close to him as far as basketball-wise. But there's this other element of his life that you're making a $200 million contract. You're playing in Memphis. In Memphis, it's not big enough.
You live in New York, I live in Detroit. Memphis is closer to a Detroit in terms of size proximity. Even though Detroit is worlds bigger than Memphis. And I said it to say, Jake, the bad guys and the athletes don't hang out in different places. But there's this other element of his life that you're making a $200 million contract. You're playing in Memphis. In Memphis, it's not big enough.
You live in New York, I live in Detroit. Memphis is closer to a Detroit in terms of size proximity. Even though Detroit is worlds bigger than Memphis. And I said it to say, Jake, the bad guys and the athletes don't hang out in different places. You know what I mean? There isn't that much space for the guys who make the money not quite the right way and the job of the world to be in diametrically different places. So if you keep toting that thing, if you keep hanging around wanting to play, someone's going to test you. And that's not going to end up well.
And best believe the league knows that. You know what I mean? There isn't that much space for the guys who make the money not quite the right way and the job of the world to be in diametrically different places. So if you keep toting that thing, if you keep hanging around wanting to play, someone's going to test you. And that's not going to end up well. And best believe the league knows that.
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