Through Grief, David Lee Shows His Professionalism

Filed under: Knicks

As much as the points he scores, the rebounds he grabs and the wrestling he does with bigger bodies in the post, it's the mental approach of Knicks forward David Lee that will make him a very sought-after free agent this summer.

He is a professional in the truest sense. If the New York Knicks have to sacrifice him as part of their salary cap purge to bigger stars, there will be 29 other teams trying to land Lee. Whoever gets him will be fortunate.

How many times do we read about a player missing a game, or two or three in the NBA while they leave their respective team to attend a family funeral, often for a grandparent or cousin? And then travel becomes an issue when they can't make it back by game time?

More than we should.

While grief can be a very personal thing, impossible to judge from the outside, and one of those touchy things that no one in the league wants to debate, too often it is used as a crutch.

What players sometime forget is how lucky they are to be working this job that pays millions -- that it allows them to provide for their family for generations afterward -- and that there is such a thing as showing loyalty to your franchise.

No one debates that family comes first -- and it should be paramount -- but it also should not stand in the way of fulfilling your obligation.

It's not that Lee isn't close to his family -- he is -- but he took the extra step to make sure he also didn't slight a team that needed him after his grandfather died.

 

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Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/01/17/through-grief-david-lee-shows-what-professionalism-is/