That’s not what the NBA wants you to think. And Jayson Tatum probably doesn’t want to think about that much either. He doesn’t process things from athletes at his level. But Tatum was honest On Tuesday, when he talked about shortness of breath during the games more than a month after he tested positive for COVID-19. That he sometimes doesn’t have the same energy he had before.
Here is what he said according to ESPN.com:
“I think it’s a little confusing with your breathing,” Tatum said after the team’s launch on Tuesday afternoon before hosting. Denver Nuggets. “I have experienced a few games in which I do not want to say [I was] struggling to breathe, but, you know, you get tired a lot faster than normal.
“Just by running up and down the field a few times, it’s easier to breathe or get tired much faster. I’ve noticed this since I had COVID. It’s just something I’m working on.
“It’s improved since the first game I played, but I still do it from time to time.”
That doesn’t mean Tatum isn’t effective, because he certainly is.
Even last night he won for 21 in a big 112-99 victory over the Nuggets. But Tatum’s stats have declined since his return. It could only be temporary, but what’s scary is that we don’t know. We know that COVID-19 can scar the lungs in the long run.
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Tatum could recover in time, he probably will. But then … might not? No one can be entirely sure that it will be clear about the effects that will come next month or next year. It is more of a hope. Looks like he should, given that he has to be one of the fittest people around to be in the NBA. But the virus itself wouldn’t have cared much about it.
Even if it remains only a slight shortness of breath, Tatum could and probably will continue to have a great career. Maybe even one in the Hall of Fame. He was one of the biggest stars in the league in the last few years and still with one of the highest ceilings around. He has every chance of being one of the best Celtics of all time, which is not an easy thing to do.
But must the thought behind everyone’s mind be, if it is never the same? If he never regains that explosion that separates him from 98% of the league? Of course, he will still be a top level player, which will make him very rich, very famous and yet he could lead the Celtics to glory at some point. He will hardly suffer.
But we don’t know if that’s all. And if Tatum’s career is restricted in any way, it would be a waste. Will he think that the game this season is worth it if it doesn’t live up to the goals in his head, simply because his lungs are scarred by a virus he shouldn’t have received? If he can’t be the guy Cs uses at the end of the playoff games, because he can’t get enough oxygen? What if it’s worse than that and his life is affected from then on? Or if his career is shortened?
We still don’t know how much of this will happen. The fear is that the number will be much higher than we think now. Just because Tatum was the most honest in this regard doesn’t mean he’s the only one. When we find out, we will probably feel quite different about this season. But no league ever worries about the consequences later, when there will be money now.
Let’s browse the other side of the sports spectrum. Anyone who let the Vegas Golden Knights believe that these gold helmets were a good idea should be beaten with an alligator immediately. Look at these damn things:
It looks like in the movies Gladiator and Throne they hit each other on the highway. There is simply no one on the planet who has said, “Do you know what we need? More Notre Dame. “Even the Irish fighters and their most ardent fans don’t think there should be more. We don’t even need the Notre Dame we have today.
Fortunately, the Knights lost 3-2 in the last minute of regulation to Avalanche. Which is exactly what is worth skating around these bulbs. Chili Peppers tried this at Woodstock, you idiots. Here’s what they became.
Let’s end with LeBron pulling up the logo … and air-balling. And CJ McCollum of Portland, laughing out loud.