I’m not going to post the video on my blog because I witnessed the injury and it made me sick. It kind of reminded me a little of the Joe Theisman injury eons ago. It literally hurt me to see Jalen go down in the manner in which he did.
This Monday morning I in no way want to write about the basketball ramifications of Jalen’s situation and how it will effect the Thunder as a team. There is no basketball chat from me on this tough Monday morning.
Instead… I’d rather write about all the human positives which will surround Jalen as he rehabs and makes yet another comeback from injury in his young career.
I know I’m an older person and not a young basketball star, but I think a few thoughts from my journey back couldn’t hurt anyone.
First and foremost….God. Life is like this. It can be glorious and then it can knock you down hard on your backside in a flash. From my perspective everything begins with our own unique conversations and relationship with God.
Faith. When we get knocked down hard its a test of our faith and resolve. Counting back I think I’ve got through at least six of these in my life. Our faith is everything. It cannot be diminished. If anything, it should be strengthened.
Family. JDub has a wonderful mother, father, and family who will be there in the right way for their son. No worries there. This isn’t a concern, but rather a huge asset.
Teammates and inner circle. I have to confess something here…I was pissed at Sam Presti for about a year when I thought he tanked too hard building this team we now have in Oklahoma City. But as this Thunder team has evolved and I’ve witnessed these guys…I have to fully admit they are a wonderful group of young men who represent our city in a manner which goes beyond winning basketball games. Every one of these guys is first class.
Sam Presti and Coach Mark. Again, the people who surround JDub’s life. Sam Presti is the best GM is the NBA, while Coach Mark has grown into at the least one of the three top coaches in the league.
In the matters above…truly JDub’s cup runneth over and we should all take the time to re-read Psalm 23 today and refresh ourselves and renew our perspectives.
I hope all that wasn’t too much, because I’m in no way a preacher or a angel of any sort. Just a human with a few thoughts.
In closing… the fans in this city. We truly love JDub the young man, and the basketball player. And I hope in this order we all keep JDub in our prayers and thoughts moving forward.
The Thunder have a game tonight versus Phoenix. As a team the Thunder will have to work through this in their own way.
Love, Mike J.