SOMETIMES, there is a need for us to say and express what’s on our minds, damn if some people don’t like it. It’s called freedom of expression, and no matter what these misguided species rant on the streets about democracy being dead or whatever, the mere fact that they get paid and fed for getting their throats hoarse and live another day for another round of doing the same thing is democracy in living color.
Technology had made these expressions of belief more interesting and significant that voicing them out is instantaneous. One medium of expression is through statement T-shirts that we get to see often worn by celebrities and those wanting to have their ideas heard.
What we saw on TV a few days back when Los Angeles NBA teams played separate opponents expressed the league’s views on important issues. In support of the Thousand Oaks, California bar shooting where 12 people died and 21 others were wounded, the Clippers and the Lakers requested Milwaukee and Atlanta, respectively, to wear warm-up jerseys with the word “ENOUGH” printed at the front and the names of the victims at the back.
First to wear the statement T-shirts were the LA Kings a day after the shooting when they hosted Minnesota at Staples Center during an NHL game. The Clippers’ head of basketball operations ordered “Enough” T-shirts to be worn for their game with the Bucks and invited Milwaukee to wear them for the game as well. The Lakers followed.
Thousand Oaks is less than 40 miles away from LA and the show of support from the players sits well with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Saying that the players are not just ball players but also citizens, he supports them on issues that are important to them and to society. “They have strong feelings about what’s happening in society and they react to them,” Silver said.
Enough is in reference to the USA’s love affair with guns and the ease of getting them. There is also the fixation of all things that eject a lethal projectile through a metal pipe here in the Philippines but very rare are random acts of shooting done by psychos where multiple victims are involved. The US is the “land of milk and honey” but basking and lolling on it are deranged and unpredictable horrible individuals.
Also having enough is Minnesota. The Wolves finally got rid of Jimmy Butler and sent his disruptive behavior to the Philadelphia 76ers. He is not exactly your typical good guy with mad skills as he’s on his third team in seven years but the four-time All-Star is an offensive and defensive asset on any contending team and he immensely improved Philly’s power grab for the Eastern Conference supremacy. Think of Butler, Ben Simmons and Joel Imbiid on the court playing together.
The trio will have max minutes and because of this Markelle Fultz will find himself having more time cheering than playing. I would assume Coach Brett Brown would be giving more minutes to JJ Redick since he can also run the point. Mike Muscala, never mind his inconsistent production, will probably move up to the starting unit with the departure of Saric.
In exchange, Minnesota received the productive duo of Robert Covington and Dario Saric plus combo journeyman guard Jerryd Bayless. With their major distraction out of reach and out of sight, the Wolves can set their sights on brighter tomorrows unless Coach Tom Thibodeau, granting he remains in Minnie, again spoils the brew.
Enough already. Appearing in only 10 games this season, Carmelo Anthony is reportedly having his seat taken out of the rocket ship. For reasons only management can tell, his agents are reportedly looking for possible teams that would welcome his services, which could only be a handful.
It was reported that Rockets players and coaching staff felt that Melo had played his last game with Houston. Other reports also say that he will be waived in the near future and that his brief time with the franchise will soon be ending. And now the end is near and Melo will face his final curtain.
Anthony is one of the league’s prolific scorers and needs just 62 points to overtake Alex English’s 25,613 points at No. 18 on the league’s all-time scoring list. The 10-time All-Star has never gone past the first round of the playoffs in his career but had won three Olympic basketball gold medals. His handlers say that he wants to play for a contending team but that would be wishful thinking. His best shot would be on a rebuilding team. Maybe Philly could use his services as a spot-up shooter as they lost at least 30 points combined when they parted with Saric and Covington.
If all else fails, there’s always the Chinese Basketball League or retirement. And why not the PBA? The Columbian Dyip needs a driver./PN
