There are more parallels between your struggling love life and a franchise in rebuilding mode than you’d probably like to believe.
Here are a few different kinds of breakups you might have experienced -- except this time you don’t need any Kleenex to dry your tears -- rather find solace in knowing that these players know exactly what you’ve been through.
The Mutual Breakup:
Likely the easiest of all splits, the mutual breakup brings peace to two sides that both want out for their own, often different reasons.
Want to see how beneficial it can be?
Look no further than David Lee.
The talented power forward made a few stops in the league before landing with the Golden State Warriors. What looked like a promising future with the club soon went downhill when Lee was sidelined with a hamstring injury that gave way to the emergence of big man Draymond Green.
Though both were instrumental in the Warrior’s championship run, the front office rewarded Green with a hefty 82 million dollar contract over the next 5 years – signaling an end to Lee’s run in Oakland. With diminishing minutes and a lesser role in the offense, both sides saw it fitting to part ways and send Lee packing in a trade to the Boston Celtic.
The Circumstantial Breakup:
It’s not you, it’s me.
My sincerest apologies if that first line brought back some harsh memories, but with that tinge of sadness now rattling deep in your stomach you can probably relate to Roy Hibbert.
The days of big men running the court from the paint are slowly becoming a distant memory to most NBA fans as teams are now favoring “small ball” that emphasizes more elusive, prolific perimeter shooting.
With the Splash Brothers and Co. climbing the postseason mountain, a cultural shift amongst non-contending teams to play offense centered around the outside shot is coming whether we like it or not.
This is the case of the Indiana Pacers.
In a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pacers shipped Hibbert away for a conditional first round pick in next year’s draft.
Yep, you read that right. The Pacers aren’t even guaranteed that the pick will materialize if it falls outside of the top 3 spots.
Ouch.
This is like when your high school sweetheart lets you know just before you leave for college that long-distance isn’t really their forte.
It’s okay Roy, maybe you’ll find that special spot in L.A.’s paint that fans like me grew up watching in the era of Shaq.
The Ultimatum Breakup:
The “put a ring on it or we’re done” kind of breakup is very real in the Association.
Just ask Lebron James.
You both want to be in this for the long haul, there’s just one big roadblock in the way and if one party is willing to accept it you’re good. On the other hand, it’s also one of the easiest ways to put an end to things.
First he wanted championships, so he left Cleveland.
Then he wanted to go home, so he left Miami.
Now that’s he’s found his likely last stop in his career in northeast Ohio, it’s all about the players he wants with him along for the ride.
Opting out for a second straight year to get what he wants puts the pressure on the Cleveland Cavalier’s front office to make sure they have the roster depth to give James what he needs to succeed. He bided his time, sitting back as Kevin Love and others signed huge deals to ultimately return to the Cavs.
In this case, when Lebron thinks “hey, I want to be here but you need to be here for me,” you better believe that the staff listened.
The Timing is Everything Breakup:
Man, nothing burns more than when you think you’ve found that special someone only to realize they’re just not in the position to give you what you want at the moment.
That’s how the Indiana Pacers must have felt when David West decided to leave for the San Antonio Spurs.
West spent the first 8 years of his career with the then New Orleans Hornets and moved to the Pacers for the following four years.
No one could blame him.
It was an attractive option considering the fresh crop of talent the team managed to draft and develop in that short span. But as shots didn’t fall their way and a championship ring seemed out of reach, West saw it was time to once again pack up and be on his way.
Seeing as he’s on the wrong side of 30 and wants to win more than anything, he penned a deal that would send him to the Lonestar state for the veteran’s minimum of 1.5 million dollars. The tricky thing is, he could have earned 12 million dollars had he decided to stay, but the team doesn’t seem equipped right now to give him the trophy he feels he deserves.
A 10.5 million dollar pay cut to join the legendary trio of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli is the romantic equivalent of “you’re a great girl, but you see there’s someone else and she’s ready to settle down and start a family. Also, she let's me use her Netflix account so that's pretty sweet."
The On Again Off Again Breakup:
This is the most stressful of all breakups. Not for the people in it, but for the friends. One day your buddy is happy as can be and then it’s over…again. Then they get back together...again.
We all have that friend. Please, slap that friend.
No one knows this kind of wishy-washy decision making in the NBA better than Los Angeles Clippers’ Deandre Jordan and his would-be suitors in Mark Cuban and his Dallas Mavericks.
In one of the strangest free agency messes to date, Jordan entered the summer as an unrestricted free agent who seemed ready to run the show in another town instead of playing second fiddle to the explosive tandem of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Reports soon surfaced that Jordan was on the move by verbally agreeing to join Dallas.
A very public, twitter-fueled series of events played out as Jordan decided to change his mind and remain in L.A. This led to Cuban reportedly showing up at the star’s home after his calls began to get ignored and the player claimed he was on a date – that proved to not be true.
It was painful to see it unfold like that. Just like when your friend burns that ugly sweater they got for Christmas from their ex to only get back together and have to field the question “hey babe, where’s that top I bought you?”
