DeAndre Bails On Dallas: Everybody Hurts
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I thought about writing this blog around 1:00am on Thursday morning after the Clippers did that immature dog and pony show, ignoring Cuban's phone calls, while locking in their coveted starting center and playing cards and doing bits. I figured I would get too emotional and write something regrettable, so I decided to sleep on it.
As I woke up, that feeling was still there.
It's a feeling that most of you reading this have felt a lot: anger, pain, confusion, emptiness, uncertainty and a million other sensations that I can't even begin to describe. I felt it and I wasn't upset about it. I was actually happy. Let's pull back the curtains.
Due to social anxiety, a very low level of depression and a lack of friends in college - I hit a dark spot. I was prescribed prozac to help me kind of stop worrying about everything around me. I was very uncomfortable doing anything in public. I was on the drug during the Texas Rangers World Series run. I felt all the joy, but I never felt the pain. The 2011 World Series was awesome, but it's all a blur to me. I never felt that pain the way I should have, I know this.
Last night that feeling returned. Something I haven't felt in so long. General sports hurt. For what? A spineless, poor free-throw shooting rim protector who doesn't understand the importance of a man's word? Yeah, for him. I don't know why.
For the most part the teams that I pull for have been good for the majority of my adult life. The 90's Mavericks that I grew up idolizing were horrible, but I was so young that I didn't care. Am I prepared to deal with what's next? I'm not sure. I'm not sure Cuban, Carlisle, Donnie, and most importantly Dirk are either. I also don't know them on an intimate level, so I should probably rescind that last sentence.
The point is, if you want to stay with the Clippers, that's fine. Just be man enough to come up with a tiny amount of dignity to speak to Cuban and explain yourself. Maybe don't make Dirk leave his family vacation.
If you want to hurt Mavs fans all over the world, that's fine. If you want to hurt Chandler Parsons and Mark Cuban, that's okay. Don't do this to Dirk. He's done too much. He deserves the respect a top ten NBA legend deserves.
In other words, DeAndre, you disrespected Magic, Bird, Wilt, MJ, Kareem and Dirk. You disrespected Dirk! That frankly will not fly.
You said you wanted to be "the man". Well here in Dallas you're nothing more than a tiny ant.
I'll do the show today because we have to do our jobs, that's what men do.
After today, you'll never be mentioned by name again. I hope to see others take this step too. If you want to be a baby and play hide and seek, instead of addressing your issues, then you won't be mentioned in my estimation.
As for the Mavs, if what happened last night can happen, then anything can happen.
With the salary cap going up, a rebuild won't take as long as in years prior. DeAndre may have crippled us for one year, but he will not ruin any more of our days. We will go to work, we will do our jobs, we will love our friends and family, and we will continue on. We will fly this helicopter into the sun, because we have backbones. We have dignity. We have courage. And most of all, we are Mavs fans!
As legendary actor Bill Pullman said, "We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"
The pain is here. The struggle is real. But we will get our revenge, DeAndre.
After today, you're irrelevant in the eyes of Mavs fans. You're not a person, and I make it my everlasting mission statement to never mention you again....after today.
Kevin "KT" Turner is the producer of the Ben and Skin show on 105.3 The Fan. Follow him on twitter @ktfuntweets or you can email him at kevin.turner@cbsradio.com. KT wants you to know that he loves you.
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