I'm not an NBA fan at all. I'm mildly interested in seeing the Wolves succeed, but have never watched an entire NBA game in my life. However, watching that NBA off season drama can be very entertaining. Most recently the drama revolves around Kyrie Irving and his seeking a new contract. Somehow he's become convinced that after failing to play an entire season's worth of games over the last couple of years, and trying to bail during the bubble season. that he's due a huge long term contract. Obviously he has trouble with the concept of self awareness.
I think that there are two types of people who play professional sports. To some degree this goes beyond sports. We're all motivated by money to some degree, we need to make money to live. Some people choose jobs where the make less money, because of the intangibles (been there, done that). But with professional athletes, we're mostly talking about money far beyond one's needs. The ones who are primarily motivated by competing with the best, and those who are primarily motivated by money. I do think that if you put someone motivated by a desire to compete on a perennially bad team, that they might resign themselves to their fate and just focus on getting paid for something they can't control.
This isn't necessarily about one motivation being better than the other, it's more about being honest about what is motivating you. As fans we'd like our players to be motivated by winning, but it's unrealistic to think they all are.
Clearly Kyrie, isn't particularly invested in winning, you don't play 29 games out of an 80+ game season if you are. Likewise, when Tyreek Hill signed with Miami, it wasn't because KC wasn't going to pay him a huge amount of money. It was because Miami was willing to pay him just a little bit more. The dude is set for life financially, the difference wasn't going to be noticeable for him. He chose a team with a worse QB, and a recent history of mediocrity because they paid him more.
Again, if that's his motivation, cool. I'd just like to see these guys be honest about what they're motivated by. If it's all about "Show me the money!!", that's cool, just be honest about it and don't pretend otherwise. If you're Kyrie, please realize that your look pretty stupid about now.
6 comments:
I watch a lot of NBA and NFL (to my shame based on recent events alone). I was unaware of Irving's seeking a big contract, but his playing time since the Covid nonsense should not be held against him...though it most undoubtedly will. He refused the shot. He should be applauded for that, I think.
As to wanting more bucks, and wanting more bucks being the sole motivation of pro-athletes, I have no doubt that's true of far more of them most would want to believe. Michael Jordan was one case of a guy who could have LeBron-ed his ass all over the league, but he stuck to his contract with the Bulls and busted his hump to prove to his competition they were no competition for him. He claimed to prefer baseball and gave up his dough to prove it, though he had made quite enough to never work again by that time. If he didn't suck at it, he might not have returned to the NBA to make me so happy with another three-peat.
I remember Carlton Fisk yelling at Deion Sanders, who as you may recall played in both the NFL and Major League Baseball, for not running out a fly ball. Just because it seemed clear it would be caught and he'd be out, Fisk told him he was obligated to run it out anyway, which is true. I liked that about Fisk. Sanders was on the other team, but he chastised him anyway. That's a dude who cares about the game.
I think when it's all said and done, the typical pro is in it for both. They're competitors or they wouldn't be in a position to be about the money. Just sayin'...
His refusal to get the shot, which cost him PT and his team games also shouldn't be rewarded with a long term max contract. It's been clear for several years that he's not necessarily committed to playing or winning on a regular basis. No matter how you feel about the shot, his choice not to get it cost his team wins this year. Getting the shot was his choice, but sometimes principled choices have consequences. As the saying goes, "The most important ability is availability.". He hasn't been available at the level his contract would suggest, and he's brought little or no value to his team. The fact that his issue is that he doesn't want to play on his one year $36 million option after his behavior the last few years tell me plenty. The fact that it seems like no other team wants him on a long term, high dollar contract is his problem. If he's looking for a long term deal, maybe he should shut up, play out his current deal for $36 million, and play more than 70% of the games next year.
Obviously there is some of both, but look at guys like Brady and Mahomes who have been more than willing to sacrifice their own contracts for the good of the team.
Oh...don't get me wrong. I don't disagree. I was just adding some details about why he wasn't playing every game this past year. I'm totally down with his reasons with regard to the shot, and I think every damned team which imposed the idiotic "health and safety protocols"...as they liked to call the stupid covid policies...should pay anyone who were denied playing time over it...and then some. But everything you suggest about playing for cash over the love of the game is correct. But the owners will do what the owners will do because they're every bit as driven by bucks as any athlete is. This shot thing becomes just another haggling point.
I've seen too many player suit up and play through all kinds of crap to feel sympathy for Kyrie. He's made it clear that he wants big money for not playing, and it's finally bit him on the ass.
Nah, I think he wants big money because he believes his talent justifies trying to get it. His reason for not playing recently was because he took a stand the others wouldn't. Again, don't get me wrong. I just this case is a bit different than the typical pro-athlete "greed".
The notion that his talent entitles him to huge money is the only relevant factor, while his history of failure to actually do the job he was getting big money for should be ignored, seems absurd.
Sometimes making a principled stand comes with negative consequences, the fact that Kyrie lacks the self awareness to understand that his actions have consequences, simply makes me less sympathetic to his bullshit.
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