Coping with fame is no slam dunk
For NBA players, the sweltering summer is generally reserved for conditioning, vacationing, and more conditioning. That wasn’t the case for Stephon Marbury and Michael Beasley.
Marbury, the former Celtic who convinced Danny Ainge that his strange behavior was behind him, spent his summer appearing on streaming video, crying, singing gospel songs, eating Vaseline, and smoking marijuana.
Beasley, meanwhile, dedicated a portion of his summer to his Twitter page, alarming friends and fans with disturbing messages that indicated he was suicidal. Beasley checked into a Houston rehabilitation center last month and the Miami Heat expect the second-year forward to return for training camp.
Marbury, a free agent, insisted last week that he has not retired and wrote on his Twitter page that he has five years left.
This offseason has reminded us that NBA players have everyday, everyman problems like the rest of society. The allure of the night life, the millions of dollars, and the pressure to perform may only add to the strain.
Mental health is becoming a major issue in the NBA, and Marbury’s on-video breakdown and Beasley’s quirkiness descending into a cry for help should serve as reminders to fans who believe millionaire athletes live utopian lives.
Professor Amy Baltzell, who coordinates the Sports Psychology program at Boston University and was on the 1992 US Olympic rowing team, specializes in athletes dealing with the pressures of performance and fame.
“We have the American dream that if you are good looking and famous, that will make you happy,’’ she said. “And the truth is, it doesn’t.
“What I have seen over the last decade of work is that athletes are under extreme pressure and expectations, and as you move up the ranks of professional sports, you are under the most scrutiny. And that puts a lot of pressure on those young people who haven’t maybe developed the skills to cope with that stress.’’
Beasley, who attended six high schools in four years, was seen by many as strange, a man-child with a hulking physical frame but a pre-teen’s mind. Those close to him and who dealt with him during his college recruitment and AAU days knew he was unusual, but his mental state was never addressed until it was almost too late.
Ex-Celtic Delonte West was also deemed “strange’’ coming out of St. Joseph’s. After a couple of incidents in Boston and Seattle, he sought treatment during training camp last season and admitted to having anger issues dating to his youth.
Regardless of their lucrative contracts, some young players can’t escape the mental anguish and long-term effects of coming from fatherless homes or difficult childhoods. Unusual hobbies and expensive jewelry can’t camouflage depression for long.
“A lot of pressure comes along with their success,’’ said agent Sam Goldfeder, who represents former Celtic Gabe Pruitt as well as No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin. “And I am not sure there’s a right answer of how to approach everyone. You have to be a grounded individual and have a support group. But there are entrepreneurs, entertainers, and other wealthy people who deal with mental health. There’s not just one factor.’’
Mental-health issues are not new to the NBA, but Twitter and streaming video are. Now, players who ordinarily would keep their problems private can broadcast their opinions and quirky habits on their Twitter page or YouTube.
“The reality is they’re not invincible from mental-health issues,’’ said BU psychology professor Leonard Zaichkowsky, who has been a consultant for the Celtics, the Major League Baseball Players Association, the NFLPA, and the Calgary Flames. “We don’t know the causes of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia or any of the phobias. But it’s typically hushed up because pro athletes are just not supposed to get it.
“But in recent years, they have been much more open to that. The frequency of mental-health issues in recent years with elite athletes is more pronounced than it was a decade ago.’’
While players such as Marbury and Beasley suffer, the NBA takes more of a hands-off approach. The league has a strict substance-abuse policy but has not released a statement about Beasley’s situation. He could face a suspension or be entered into the league’s drug program, if he isn’t already. That is confidential.
The NBA Players Association has a Player Assistance Program that deals with issues such as substance abuse, mental-health problems, and other “behavioral concerns.’’
If the NBA hasn’t taken this issue seriously already, there needs to be more attention paid to mental-health problems among players.
“I think there has been more of a need for sports psychologists to deal with these critical issues,’’ said Baltzell, who is writing a book on the topic, “Living in the Sweet Spot: Preparing for Performance in Sport and Life.’’ “There’s more pressure, more expectations, the stakes are higher, more exposure for these athletes. They are feeling the pressure earlier and more intently than they have in the past.’’
The bucks are stopping here
There are several notable players still looking for work, just two weeks before training camp begins for most clubs. Among them are former Celtics Wally Szczerbiak and Stephon Marbury.Marbury, if you haven’t heard or seen, has made a mockery of himself this summer and likely YouTubed his way out of the league with his strange behavior.
Szczerbiak earned $12 million in the final season of his six-year, $63 million deal, but it was three teams later, with the Cavaliers. What does he have left? That’s a good question, because he didn’t play much during the playoffs. He still can shoot and score in bunches, but Szczerbiak plays little defense and has never had great speed. Add to that a history of foot problems, and his playing days may be over.
Of the four major sports, the NBA may have been besieged most by the depressed economy because the 2008-09 season began in the heart of the decline. Clubs have reacted by cutting back expenses and reducing contract offers, and many players responded by passing up free agency and exercising options.
Jamal Crawford, for instance, may have hit free agency in previous years, but he had no chance of garnering $19 million on the open market over the next two seasons, so he informed the Warriors of his decision and they promptly dealt him to the Hawks.
Perhaps four or five years ago, Crawford would have garnered nearly $10 million per season, but now, like many other players, he has become devalued.
For example, 2005 lottery pick Rashad McCants, who was dealt by Minnesota to Sacramento midway through last season, is hoping for a training camp invite from Charlotte or Denver, according to reports. A 2005 lottery pick of Danny Ainge in Boston, Gerald Green, is also on the market. Green showed raw talent, but never the knowledge of the game or the discipline to emerge as a contributing player.
Perhaps in previous years those types of flawed players with upside would have guaranteed deals.
“It’s difficult to wait and not know where you are going,’’ said former Grizzly Hakim Warrick, whose rights were renounced. “You just have to spend your summer waiting.’’
Warrick signed with the Bucks, who do not have the money to retain valuable point guard Ramon Sessions. The third-year player is still fielding offer sheets. As soon as Minnesota general manager David Kahn lost out on Ricky Rubio for two years, he inherited a salary slot to make Sessions an offer.
Meanwhile, restricted free agents such as Nate Robinson and David Lee (Knicks), Raymond Felton (Bobcats), and Aaron Gray (Bulls) are still waiting for deals from their own clubs and haven’t been offered contracts by other teams.
Expect mutiny when the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2010-11 season.
Etc.
Memphis reluctantly offered Allen Iverson more money by renouncing the rights to the once-coveted Juan Carlos Navarro, a move that gave the club another $900,000. The Spanish guard averaged 10.9 points and 2.2 assists during the 2007-08 season for the Grizzlies but the dealing of his buddy Pau Gasol to the Lakers prompted Navarro to re-sign with FC Barcelona, with whom he was the Euroleague MVP last season . . . One player not broken up over Bruce Bowen’s retirement is Celtic guard Ray Allen. Once when Allen was with Seattle, he kicked Bowen after the Spurs forward undercut him on a 3-point shot. Bowen gained a reputation for using questionable tactics against shooters to make them uncomfortable. The Allen-Bowen rivalry intensified during the Western Conference semifinals in 2005, and Allen had little positive to say about Bowen following that series . . . Quick. Name the league’s third-highest-paid player after Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant: It’s Jermaine O’Neal, who may make more in millions (23) than he averages in points. O’Neal is definitely headed for a pay cut following the season, but the Heat won’t deal the oft-injured center to gain salary-cap space to sign a premium free agent, as they hope to entice Dwyane Wade to stay.