The NBA doesn’t want you to think. And Jayson Tatum probably doesn’t want to think about it much either. It’s not how athletes at their level process things. But Tatum was honest On Tuesday, when he spoke of shortness of breath during the games more than a month after testing positive for COVID-19. That sometimes doesn’t have the same energy as before.
This is what he said according to ESPN.com:
“I think it hurts with a little bit of breathing,” Tatum said after the team’s shooting Tuesday afternoon before organizing the Denver Nuggets. “I’ve lived some games where I don’t want to say [I was] struggling to breathe, but, you know, he gets tired much faster than normal.
“Just running up and down the field a few times is easier to breathe or get tired a lot faster. I have noticed this since I have COVID. I’m working on something.
“It’s improved since the first game I played, but every now and then I face it.”
That’s not to say Tatum isn’t effective, because he sure is.
Even last night he won 21 with a big 112-99 win over the Nuggets. But Tatum’s stats have fallen since his return. It might just be temporary, but what’s scary is that we don’t know. We know that COVID-19 can heal the lungs in the long run.
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Tatum could recover in time, probably yes. But then … maybe not? No one can be completely sure that they will be clear about the effects that will occur next month or next year. It is above all a hope. She feels like she should, as she has to be one of the most fit people to be in the NBA. But the virus itself would not have worried much.
Even if only a slight shortness of breath remains, Tatum could and probably will have a great career. Maybe even a Hall of Fame. He has been one of the biggest stars in the league for the past two years, and still has one of the highest ceilings. He has every chance of being one of the best Celtics in history, which is not easy to do.
But the thought behind everyone’s mind has to be, what if it’s never the same? What if he never recovers that explosion that separates him from 98 percent of the league? Of course, he will still be a top-tier player, which will make him very rich, very famous, and yet he can bring the Celtics to glory at some point. He will hardly suffer.
But we don’t know if that will be all. And if Tatum’s career slows down in any way, it would be a waste. Will you think playing this season is worth it if you don’t meet the goals you have in your head simply because your lungs are scarred by a virus you shouldn’t have gotten? If he can’t be the type the Cs turn to at the end of the playoff games because he can’t get enough oxygen? If it’s worse than that and your life is affected from here on out? Or if his career is shrinking?
We still don’t know how many will go through it. The fear is that the number will be much higher than what we are considering now. The fact that Tatum has been the most honest in this does not mean that he is the only one. When we find out, we will probably feel quite different about this season. But no league ever cares about the aftermath when there is money now.
Let’s go to the other side of the sports spectrum. Anyone who lets the Vegas Golden Knights think these gold helmets were a good idea should be quickly hit with an alligator. Look at these fucking things:
They look like the movies Gladiator i Tron crashed into each other on the interstate. There is simply no one on the planet who has said, “Do you know what we need? More Notre Dame. “Not even the Fighting Irish and their most ardent fans think there should be more. We don’t even need the Notre Dame Cathedral we have today.
Fortunately, the Knights lost 3-2 in the last minute of regulation in the face of the avalanche. What exactly do they deserve for skating with these light bulbs. The Chili Peppers tried it in Woodstock, asshole. Look at what they became.
Let’s finish with LeBron starting from the logo … and the air balloon. And CJ McCollum, of Portland, with a blunt laugh.