Memphis Grizzlies: Marc Gasol and true loyalty
All players and teams in the NBA would like to think of themselves as loyal. However, Marc Gasol has set the standard.
Loyalty in the NBA is dead.
When Kevin Durant joined the Warriors in 2016, many people said that he had no loyalty. Some even called him a snake. Even if he and the Thunder hadn’t loss to the Warriors the year before, the comments would have been the same.
How dare you leave the team that drafted you? Oklahoma City was always there for you. After all, you practically became a man here. Whatever happened to loyalty in the NBA.
However, here’s the thing about loyalty: It has to go both ways.
Yesterday, the Los Angeles Clippers traded Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in a blockbuster move. The Clippers received semi-stars in Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley along with several picks. All in all, it was a wise move by the Clippers who are trying to get younger while still competing.
Also, it was beyond ridiculous.
The Clippers resigned Blake Griffin by making him feel like a legend, a hometown hero. When they held their pitch meeting with him at Staples Center, the PA announcer said, “Tonight, we’re honoring a lifelong Clipper.”
They also created this tragedy.
Clippers employees wore T-shirt after Blake Griffin's FA meeting likening him to MLK, Obama, Ali, JFK, Lincoln, Gandhi, MJ,Einstein,Mandela. pic.twitter.com/BZtXqhdrWr
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 1, 2017
Now, the Los Angeles Clippers have traded Blake Griffin less than 6 months after comparing him to the likes of MLK and Gandhi.
To be sure, I know I wouldn’t trade Abraham Lincoln for a couple of draft picks.
Regardless of how you feel about Blake Griffin, this trade truly shows that loyalty is nothing more than a joke in the NBA. Can you really blame people like Kevin Durant doing what is best for them, especially when you see how some teams treat their own players?
People certainly can’t blame players for doing what they think is best for them. However, we should truly respect those who choose to stay loyal to their team, knowing that the team may not always remain that way with them.
Marc Gasol is one of those players.
Marc Gasol: Hometown Hero
Truly, Marc Gasol is as Memphis as it gets. Even though he is from Spain, he made Memphis his home as a teenager. It only felt fitting that his incredible career would be spent with the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the summer of 2015, the world was Marc Gasol’s for the taking. With his free agency, he could go anywhere he wanted, whether it was in New York, Los Angeles, or San Antonio. If it was money that he truly craved, he could get it. If it was an NBA title that he wanted, he could get it.
However, home is where the heart is, and that is where Marc Gasol chose to stay.
Marc Gasol chose the path of loyalty. He wanted to retire as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies and see his jersey hang in the rafters one day. He wanted to battle with his best friend Mike Conley. Though he would eventually leave, Gasol wanted to grind alongside his “brother from another mother” Zach Randolph. Truly, Marc Gasol wanted to be home.
It is unfortunate that his desire to be home has led him to the place where he is now.
A Painful Truth
It is painful to say so, but the people of Memphis do not cherish Marc Gasol the way they once did. If you look on social media, you will find no shortage of people who wish to see the Grizzlies trade him (including me). Some do because they believe the team needs to start over, while others do because they simply believe he isn’t as good as he was.
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Marc Gasol and Blake Griffin both reveal a hard truth about the world in which we live: We are useful to people until we aren’t.
Now, Marc Gasol may be much better off on another team in the NBA. Perhaps it would be best for both him and the Memphis Grizzlies to move on from each other. Sometimes, change is necessary.
However, Marc Gasol deserves every ounce of respect and adoration that the city of Memphis can provide him. When times got tough and he could have chosen a better situation, Marc Gasol chose to stay. Remember that the next time someone chooses a place like Memphis over Los Angeles and New York, because there very well may not be a next time.
If you are a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies, let me leave you with some advice about Marc Gasol.
Cherish him.
Marc Gasol is not the player that he was. However, he is still the same person, and that person chose Memphis when few others would have. He very well may not remain here much longer, so cherish the time that he is still here–and be thankful that Memphis got to realize that loyalty does still exist in the world.