There are superstars and others
A SPIRITED discussion on one of the NBA TV programs on the last day of trading focused on the possible release of Atlanta Hawks’ slasher Josh Smith to another team.
Smith is a nine-year NBA veteran and a reliable big (6-9) that can score and swat shots. Talk centered on Smith supposedly asking to become a “max player” or to be accorded the same financial rewards as some of the big stars of the game.
You know, the LeBrons, Kobes, Dwaynes, Kevins and Derricks that have multi-million contracts aside from their loaded endorsement deals.
Smith felt that he had given his utmost for the Hawks and deserved to be given his financial due. Unlike we ordinary mortals who have to write letters to higher-ups in our offices or arrange “consultative” meetings to request for salary increases, athletes often end up with their cases being discussed by media.
Given the insatiable appetite of the 24/7 news cycle for anything that seems like news, a salary request, no matter how outrageous, is given its 15 seconds of broadcast time or a tweet that can be followed.
Team owners abhor players getting media exposure on salary issues. It’s too one-sided, in what looks a David trying to slingshot the Goliath of an owner.
Smith ended up staying in Atlanta but could again be the subject of trade moves after the season.
Did Smith deserve to be a “max” player? Former NBA coach Mike Fratello explained that Smith was a good player but not a superstar. Smith had to do a better job of bringing it every night and subsequently lifting Atlanta out of the early playoff rounds to get what he wanted.
Players will just have to come to terms with the fact that life is not fair and that there are the truly great ones who have athletic abilities that astound and sometimes have magnetic personalities that just connect them to the fans.
Michael Jordan is the classic example. He had all the skills, the competitive fire and that smile that could enchant even the most stoic non-believer.
Take LeBron James nowadays. The onus of having to finally win a championship is off him after last year’s triumph and he is now playing with supreme confidence. The numbers are astounding what with the 30-point games and the recent 40-points, 16-assists virtuoso act against the Sacramento Kings. This is a superstar and helps pack the coliseums where he plays.
Here at home, there are PBA players who negotiate for better pay since the league is a professional one. Performance and contributions are always yardsticks for financial rewards and employment.
But we have our own versions of superstars, the ones who bring their very best every game, those that make the big plays, take the biggest risks and work the hardest to improve.
Jimmy Alapag, James Yap, and Gary David easily come to mind.
The players who endure and keep a job are those that allow their performances to do the talking. It isn’t really in our culture to go to the media to ask for better pay, whether one is a superstar or not. It’s just bad form.
In fact, even in the NBA, asking for a raise in public, even just giving hints, isn’t that cool. Even if you spin it with lines like “I feel I have given my utmost and I have the stats to prove it,” or “I’ve given this team everything and I deserve some recognition.”
What are player agents for if you don’t let them earn their keep? Let them do the talking with the owners.
