Spotlight : Safi
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:24 am
Word count: 3,321
“Birds flyin’ high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel …”
-June 16th, 2045
PBSL Draft Night-
The first thing I remember from that night? That I was worried about sweating so much that I’d have sweat stains on the back of my suit jacket. My nerves were on high, high alert, man! Probably wasn’t the smartest thing to wear a light grey jacket and pink shirt. No, while I was nervous, that isn’t what sticks in my mind most. Honestly? Most of the evening feels like a blur now. Almost like an out of body experience. Like, I know what happened and who I met and talked to, but it is as if it was someone else doing those things and I was just witnessing it on TV like everyone else. The one moment that I can explain in detail is the breath that our Commish took between saying “With the 8th pick, the Los Angeles Clippers select …” and then “Safi Fino-A-Laself”.
At that point, I’d already spoken to General Manager Abitua and Coach Durant, but there is still something about that brief pause that heightens every sense you have in your body. It was like the scene in “Days of Future Past” when Quicksilver starts sprinting. I could feel every droplet of sweat tracking their way down my neck, every hair raised on my arms, the way my Mama’s hands wrapped around mine, and the bright flash of cameras, feeling like mini suns exploding in my face. My stomach gurgled and turned, expecting to find out that it wasn’t really the Clippers brass that I had talked with, but one of my old teammates at Stanford playing some cruel, twisted prank.
That euphoric release when he said my name? Better than sex. Yeah, I said it. I cried as I hugged my family. I howled in the air as I stepped up to the podium. I almost tossed the Clippers hat into the air like it was college graduation, but barely held onto it remembering that a photo-op was needed. I bear hugged the commish, certainly sharing my sweat with him in ways that I am sure weren’t pleasant. I don’t care what the hell the cameras actually show, I KNOW I was floating in that moment. Like a young Clark Kent accidentally floating above his bed before learning to fly.
I wasn’t thinking about all the hard work that led to that moment or the harder work that was to come.
I was simply in that moment, which is a rare and valuable feeling.
-September 20th, 2045
Clippers Training Camp-
I wasn’t floating anymore, but I was still on a high. I don’t say this to seem arrogant or anything, but I have succeeded at every level of basketball. Especially up until that point in my life. Yeah, I was only 18 years old when I was drafted, but youth ball, high school and college, I was at the top of my game. I was All-State, All-American and named Mr. Basketball in Oregon my senior year of High School, making me a rare 5-star prospect. When I got to Stanford, I immediately became a starter and was a freshman All-American, All-Conference, Freshman of the year AND made 1st team all-Pac-12.
I list all of these accomplishments because I think it is important to note that I didn’t do all of these things because I was able to just coast based on my athletic ability. There’s a reason that some draft pundits weren’t sure that I’d even be a top 10 pick. I think I even saw a few places that had me a fringe 1st rounder. Athleticism plays a major role in your success in professional basketball, and I won’t pretend that it doesn’t. Unfortunately, I was not given some of those key gifts. I’ve never been particularly quick or fast, though I’m a decent leaper but not elite. I have good height and size, but it’s not exactly typical for a player that needs to play on the wing or with the ball in his hands. Because of these limitations and strange skills for my size, not every coach knew exactly where I should or could play at the next level. That’s at every level. I’ve had to work HARD for everything that I’ve gotten. Every starting position, every star rating, every bucket. Can’t run by guys? I learned to outsmart them. Position, footwork, angles, etc. I have always known I had to simply out work everyone put in front of me.
That’s the mentality I took into training camp. I was easily the youngest player on the roster and coming into camp, and so I had the most to prove. I was lucky to share space that first season with Chadwick Dangerfield and Kenneth Heard. Saavy vets who had no ego. C.D. in particular took me under his wing and started showing me the game in the way that he saw it. Getting that Point Guard POV was invaluable to my early development, and I’ll always love big bro for taking that kind of time and interest in me. Much of the rest of the roster was other young guys like me, just trying to prove that they fit in. Tony P. got drafted a few picks after I did, Diallo came in right before us through the draft.
Then there were the three guys that have stuck around. I don’t mind telling you that we weren’t all best pals when I first came on-board. Quan, Karlo and Donger were all still trying to prove themselves in the league and here I came trying to upstage them in that first camp. We all wanted our piece of the pie, ya know? If it wasn’t for the leadership of Chadwick, we might have never learned to like each other or play well together. We’re men, it’s no surprise that we have egos, and I was an 18-year-old asshole with a chip on his shoulder. You better believe that I came at them with everything that I had, every single day in practice.
On day 1, I put my shoulder into Karlo every time I drove to the hoop. I blocked Quan’s shot. I pump faked Bone and splashed a 3. Then I let them know about it too. Let me just say, that the humble pie that came next didn’t taste quite so delicious. I was hungry and hard-working, but, obviously, those guys were better players than me. Karlo is now one of the premier defenders in the league and he started to show me that potential. Quan is a dynamite scorer and athlete, and he started abusing me on the block, honing his offensive game. Bone is an uber athlete and shooter and boy did he start just jumping over and around me, using every inch of the court. I made it as difficult as I could, but I wasn’t ready. It was a reality that took a few weeks to set in, but once it did, I went into every day knowing that there was something new I could learn from all of my guys. I still trained hard, but we all just met and matched each other’s intensity, and the love and respect grew.
By the end of camp, we were a cohesive TEAM, but while the coaches had told me that I showed them a lot of promise and grit, I was still raw and needed a lot more time with the trainers to see the court. It became a waiting game for me.
Especially once Danny Campbell and Lu Dort would come on-board and turn our aspirations into championship ones.
-2045-2048
Waiting to Load-
It has been an experience to be part of a roster that is going for a championship. Lu and Campbell being traded for immediately put us in that conversation. Lu was not as eager to become a mentor as C.D. was, but I still was able to learn a ton from him just by watching how hard he worked and how much craftsmanship he put into the game on both ends of the floor. I’ve never seen a guy that size outwork so many people for rebounds. The crowds have been electric, and the media was all over the team, covering us from every angle possible.
What that meant though, was that they didn’t have much use on the court for a guy like me who was still growing, learning and developing. It was HARD watching Bone, Karlo and Gray get on the court and play massive roles, while I had to get into street clothes game after game after game. They weren’t even suiting me up for preseason games! I’d be lying through my damn teeth if I said that I didn’t get frustrated or angry at different times the first 3 years of my career. I felt like I had something to give, but I wasn’t given the opportunity to do so. I was afraid that the game would forget about me if I sat too long and that eventually I’d just be a throw-in to a trade to help the stars out more.
Coaches and management were always telling me that they had no interest in moving me. They told me constantly that my future was in Los Angeles and that they loved me and the possibilities. Much like that moment before the official draft announcement though, it was easy to get into my own head and convince myself it was a lie, a trick, and that I was getting the ole bamboozle. I kept my head down and continued to put my shoulder into people, block shots, learn and develop. I trained as hard as I could and each camp, I felt like I was more ready. Still, the DNP-Coach’s Decision’s piled up.
I was close to asking the team to explore trade options. I spoke with my agent about it and asked for the opinions of my family. Ultimately, I decided that I wouldn’t try to shake things up when we were trying to go out and win a championship. I didn’t want to be selfish in that moment, though I felt like it was almost time to think about myself soon. After losing to the Pistons in 6 games, the team made a number of moves, including trading away both Dort and Campbell, which excited me. Like I said … it was time to be selfish. I wanted to play and with those two gone, that meant there were big minutes needing to be filled. I felt I earned some of those for being a good soldier all of this time. Karlo and Bone were still here, and I knew they’d be asked to anchor the offense and defense, but going into the off-season, Quan was also staring at free agency (and thankfully he chose to come back). But then Ousmane Dieng signed with us and a cloud of uncertainty about my role crept in.
Though I WANTED to hate him, Dieng and I became fast friends. We pushed each other in this past camp. We leaned on each other when it became tough, we studied and worked out and bounced ideas off of the other. We understood that there was only one other starting spot on the wings next to Karlo and Bone, but someone was going to be needed to anchor that second unit as well.
Finally getting on the court in preseason was a thrill. Doing so as the 6th man instead of in the starting lineup, left a bad taste in my mouth but it was bittersweet, since I was happy for my friend.
But then the regular season started …
“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me. And I’m feelin’ good … I’m feelin’ good.”
-November 3, 2048
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers
Opening Night-
Preseason hadn’t gone well. We were 1-5 during the exhibition games. Granted, preseason is not exactly the most reliable source to go to for how the games will go once things are for real, but it still wasn’t the results that the coaching staff was expecting or wanted to accept.
A few hours before tip-off, Coach D came to me and let me know that I was going to be starting the game at Point Guard but to expect to play several positions throughout the course of the game. Excuse my language but, I was Fryeing hype! First thing I did was drop a text to Dangerfield, thanking him for all of the Point Guard drills that he put me through. Then I gave some love to Dieng, knowing that he would be feeling some type of way. He sent nothing but love back.
The first few possessions of that game are as blurry to me as most of my draft night. It was all adrenaline and endorphins. I probably looked like a kid set free in a toy store for the first time with no supervision. My wild nerves led to an early time-out, where Karlo put a hand on my shoulder and told me I had to calm down, take a breath and show the world why I was out there.
I did so at the 10:01 mark in that first quarter. We were down 8-6 to the Lakers when Quan inbounded the ball to me. I jogged the ball up the court before finding Kenneth Heard, returning to our team over the off-season. He sent a cross court pass to Karlo, and I immediately rushed down to the post. Once I planted myself there on the block, knowing I had size and strength over the Lakers’ PG, Zike. When Karlo found me with the pass, I shot Heard a knowing look and smirk. I put a post move on him that I learned from Heard on our first day of camp together my rookie season.
Bucket. Tie game. And my career was off to the races.
That was a tight game in that game of our hallway series. A lot of back-and-forth action, lead changes and highlight reel plays. We were losing by 2 points going into the 4th quarter. Obviously not an insurmountable lead, but it was our first small taste of adversity to overcome and overcome it we did.
With 40 seconds left in the game, we led the Lakers by 3, 104-101. With a bucket we could ice the game, but with a bad possession or miss, we leave us open for overtime or worse. I’m the Point Guard, so it is up to me to get us into position. Ball movement was the game, taking down as much time as we could before we found the right shot. Bone bounce passed the ball to Heard in the deep post. I flashed down the right baseline and Heard hit me with a perfect no-look pass. I elevated over Trey Murphy and sunk the midrange shot.
106-101.
Final.
It was a 24 point, 8 rebound, 3 assist and a win debut.
I had fought so hard to get to that moment and I drank every ounce of it in.
-January 18, 2049.
Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers.
Adversity: The Sequel-
As a team we were sitting at 21-14 at this point. Not GREAT but much better than most people expected us to be at since injuries were mounting. Quan broke his leg 11 games into the year, then Karlo went down for an extended period as well. Bone, Dieng and I were doing our best to keep the ship afloat. Personally, I do not feel wrong in saying that I was starting to feel myself. Coach D was starting to trust me more and more and leaning on me to carry a heavy load on the offensive end. My confidence has been growing by the possession. Some of my memorable moments were dropping 34 points against the Spurs and their trifecta on the wing (Montoya, Whitley, Galloway). I scored 30 with 12 boards while playing PG opposite Dort. I was scoring from all levels, against all types of competition. While missing some key players, we were going strong in the conference playoff race as well.
Which meant that the basketball gods needed to up the difficulty on us. 3 minutes into another game in the hallway series, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my foot and made it difficult to put any weight on it. I feared the worst because it was not an injury or sensation that I’d felt before. Frustration kicked into overdrive when I limped over to the sidelines briefly before being helped to the locker room. Hearing the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis made it an easier pill to swallow but it still meant that I would be forced to sit at least a month and maybe closer to 2 of them. As all of us do in these moments, I felt like I’d let my team down, who was already short-handed and needed me to be out there and available. Even if I had wanted to feel sorry for the team or myself, Karlo and Quan weren’t going to let that slide. Just like we have my entire career, when I got into treatment with them, we pushed each other. It was like that first training camp all over again.
All of the respect in the world to Dong Bone and Dieng, as well as the rest of the roster, for helping to manage the schedule and keep us in the playoff race in spite of so much adversity to overcome. Dong made his first All-Star appearance and has put this damn team on his back. When you watch someone compete as hard as he has been? You can’t accept anything less than your best so you can get back out there and give him the backup that he deserves.
I’m coming.
“It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life … for me.”
-March 16, 2049
Los Angeles, CA
The Return-
Karlo was the first of us to get back onto the court and helped get us a few more wins. Gray returned a couple of weeks ago and looked exactly like the guy who showed up those first 11 games. We’re currently riding a 5-game win streak with a big match-up against the Nuggets (one game above us in the playoff standings) on deck. And now I get to re-join my brothers on the court as well. For the first time since November, we get to have our full complement of players all together at the same time.
You never know what the basketball gods will have in store for you. I can’t predict that a season of difficulties won’t find a new way to make us work overtime to attempt to succeed. What I do know is that the league is about to see the best Clippers team that they have this season. I can also guarantee you that I will be my best self. I did not work this hard to sit back and rest now. I’ve grinded my way to this position, for this opportunity, for years now. I’ve felt disappointment, I’ve felt excitement. Through the highs and lows, I’ve never let my eyes drift from the ultimate prize. We … I … want to win and win big. We have a month to show this league that they should fear playing us when the playoffs begin.
And I’m letting everyone know, fans and opposition alike, I’m not slowing down.
It may have taken awhile but, Frye it:
I’M HERE.
I’VE ARRIVED.
And I’m feeling really Fryeing good about it.
“Oh, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel. I’m feeling good. So, So good.”
“Birds flyin’ high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel …”
-June 16th, 2045
PBSL Draft Night-
The first thing I remember from that night? That I was worried about sweating so much that I’d have sweat stains on the back of my suit jacket. My nerves were on high, high alert, man! Probably wasn’t the smartest thing to wear a light grey jacket and pink shirt. No, while I was nervous, that isn’t what sticks in my mind most. Honestly? Most of the evening feels like a blur now. Almost like an out of body experience. Like, I know what happened and who I met and talked to, but it is as if it was someone else doing those things and I was just witnessing it on TV like everyone else. The one moment that I can explain in detail is the breath that our Commish took between saying “With the 8th pick, the Los Angeles Clippers select …” and then “Safi Fino-A-Laself”.
At that point, I’d already spoken to General Manager Abitua and Coach Durant, but there is still something about that brief pause that heightens every sense you have in your body. It was like the scene in “Days of Future Past” when Quicksilver starts sprinting. I could feel every droplet of sweat tracking their way down my neck, every hair raised on my arms, the way my Mama’s hands wrapped around mine, and the bright flash of cameras, feeling like mini suns exploding in my face. My stomach gurgled and turned, expecting to find out that it wasn’t really the Clippers brass that I had talked with, but one of my old teammates at Stanford playing some cruel, twisted prank.
That euphoric release when he said my name? Better than sex. Yeah, I said it. I cried as I hugged my family. I howled in the air as I stepped up to the podium. I almost tossed the Clippers hat into the air like it was college graduation, but barely held onto it remembering that a photo-op was needed. I bear hugged the commish, certainly sharing my sweat with him in ways that I am sure weren’t pleasant. I don’t care what the hell the cameras actually show, I KNOW I was floating in that moment. Like a young Clark Kent accidentally floating above his bed before learning to fly.
I wasn’t thinking about all the hard work that led to that moment or the harder work that was to come.
I was simply in that moment, which is a rare and valuable feeling.
-September 20th, 2045
Clippers Training Camp-
I wasn’t floating anymore, but I was still on a high. I don’t say this to seem arrogant or anything, but I have succeeded at every level of basketball. Especially up until that point in my life. Yeah, I was only 18 years old when I was drafted, but youth ball, high school and college, I was at the top of my game. I was All-State, All-American and named Mr. Basketball in Oregon my senior year of High School, making me a rare 5-star prospect. When I got to Stanford, I immediately became a starter and was a freshman All-American, All-Conference, Freshman of the year AND made 1st team all-Pac-12.
I list all of these accomplishments because I think it is important to note that I didn’t do all of these things because I was able to just coast based on my athletic ability. There’s a reason that some draft pundits weren’t sure that I’d even be a top 10 pick. I think I even saw a few places that had me a fringe 1st rounder. Athleticism plays a major role in your success in professional basketball, and I won’t pretend that it doesn’t. Unfortunately, I was not given some of those key gifts. I’ve never been particularly quick or fast, though I’m a decent leaper but not elite. I have good height and size, but it’s not exactly typical for a player that needs to play on the wing or with the ball in his hands. Because of these limitations and strange skills for my size, not every coach knew exactly where I should or could play at the next level. That’s at every level. I’ve had to work HARD for everything that I’ve gotten. Every starting position, every star rating, every bucket. Can’t run by guys? I learned to outsmart them. Position, footwork, angles, etc. I have always known I had to simply out work everyone put in front of me.
That’s the mentality I took into training camp. I was easily the youngest player on the roster and coming into camp, and so I had the most to prove. I was lucky to share space that first season with Chadwick Dangerfield and Kenneth Heard. Saavy vets who had no ego. C.D. in particular took me under his wing and started showing me the game in the way that he saw it. Getting that Point Guard POV was invaluable to my early development, and I’ll always love big bro for taking that kind of time and interest in me. Much of the rest of the roster was other young guys like me, just trying to prove that they fit in. Tony P. got drafted a few picks after I did, Diallo came in right before us through the draft.
Then there were the three guys that have stuck around. I don’t mind telling you that we weren’t all best pals when I first came on-board. Quan, Karlo and Donger were all still trying to prove themselves in the league and here I came trying to upstage them in that first camp. We all wanted our piece of the pie, ya know? If it wasn’t for the leadership of Chadwick, we might have never learned to like each other or play well together. We’re men, it’s no surprise that we have egos, and I was an 18-year-old asshole with a chip on his shoulder. You better believe that I came at them with everything that I had, every single day in practice.
On day 1, I put my shoulder into Karlo every time I drove to the hoop. I blocked Quan’s shot. I pump faked Bone and splashed a 3. Then I let them know about it too. Let me just say, that the humble pie that came next didn’t taste quite so delicious. I was hungry and hard-working, but, obviously, those guys were better players than me. Karlo is now one of the premier defenders in the league and he started to show me that potential. Quan is a dynamite scorer and athlete, and he started abusing me on the block, honing his offensive game. Bone is an uber athlete and shooter and boy did he start just jumping over and around me, using every inch of the court. I made it as difficult as I could, but I wasn’t ready. It was a reality that took a few weeks to set in, but once it did, I went into every day knowing that there was something new I could learn from all of my guys. I still trained hard, but we all just met and matched each other’s intensity, and the love and respect grew.
By the end of camp, we were a cohesive TEAM, but while the coaches had told me that I showed them a lot of promise and grit, I was still raw and needed a lot more time with the trainers to see the court. It became a waiting game for me.
Especially once Danny Campbell and Lu Dort would come on-board and turn our aspirations into championship ones.
-2045-2048
Waiting to Load-
It has been an experience to be part of a roster that is going for a championship. Lu and Campbell being traded for immediately put us in that conversation. Lu was not as eager to become a mentor as C.D. was, but I still was able to learn a ton from him just by watching how hard he worked and how much craftsmanship he put into the game on both ends of the floor. I’ve never seen a guy that size outwork so many people for rebounds. The crowds have been electric, and the media was all over the team, covering us from every angle possible.
What that meant though, was that they didn’t have much use on the court for a guy like me who was still growing, learning and developing. It was HARD watching Bone, Karlo and Gray get on the court and play massive roles, while I had to get into street clothes game after game after game. They weren’t even suiting me up for preseason games! I’d be lying through my damn teeth if I said that I didn’t get frustrated or angry at different times the first 3 years of my career. I felt like I had something to give, but I wasn’t given the opportunity to do so. I was afraid that the game would forget about me if I sat too long and that eventually I’d just be a throw-in to a trade to help the stars out more.
Coaches and management were always telling me that they had no interest in moving me. They told me constantly that my future was in Los Angeles and that they loved me and the possibilities. Much like that moment before the official draft announcement though, it was easy to get into my own head and convince myself it was a lie, a trick, and that I was getting the ole bamboozle. I kept my head down and continued to put my shoulder into people, block shots, learn and develop. I trained as hard as I could and each camp, I felt like I was more ready. Still, the DNP-Coach’s Decision’s piled up.
I was close to asking the team to explore trade options. I spoke with my agent about it and asked for the opinions of my family. Ultimately, I decided that I wouldn’t try to shake things up when we were trying to go out and win a championship. I didn’t want to be selfish in that moment, though I felt like it was almost time to think about myself soon. After losing to the Pistons in 6 games, the team made a number of moves, including trading away both Dort and Campbell, which excited me. Like I said … it was time to be selfish. I wanted to play and with those two gone, that meant there were big minutes needing to be filled. I felt I earned some of those for being a good soldier all of this time. Karlo and Bone were still here, and I knew they’d be asked to anchor the offense and defense, but going into the off-season, Quan was also staring at free agency (and thankfully he chose to come back). But then Ousmane Dieng signed with us and a cloud of uncertainty about my role crept in.
Though I WANTED to hate him, Dieng and I became fast friends. We pushed each other in this past camp. We leaned on each other when it became tough, we studied and worked out and bounced ideas off of the other. We understood that there was only one other starting spot on the wings next to Karlo and Bone, but someone was going to be needed to anchor that second unit as well.
Finally getting on the court in preseason was a thrill. Doing so as the 6th man instead of in the starting lineup, left a bad taste in my mouth but it was bittersweet, since I was happy for my friend.
But then the regular season started …
“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me. And I’m feelin’ good … I’m feelin’ good.”
-November 3, 2048
Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers
Opening Night-
Preseason hadn’t gone well. We were 1-5 during the exhibition games. Granted, preseason is not exactly the most reliable source to go to for how the games will go once things are for real, but it still wasn’t the results that the coaching staff was expecting or wanted to accept.
A few hours before tip-off, Coach D came to me and let me know that I was going to be starting the game at Point Guard but to expect to play several positions throughout the course of the game. Excuse my language but, I was Fryeing hype! First thing I did was drop a text to Dangerfield, thanking him for all of the Point Guard drills that he put me through. Then I gave some love to Dieng, knowing that he would be feeling some type of way. He sent nothing but love back.
The first few possessions of that game are as blurry to me as most of my draft night. It was all adrenaline and endorphins. I probably looked like a kid set free in a toy store for the first time with no supervision. My wild nerves led to an early time-out, where Karlo put a hand on my shoulder and told me I had to calm down, take a breath and show the world why I was out there.
I did so at the 10:01 mark in that first quarter. We were down 8-6 to the Lakers when Quan inbounded the ball to me. I jogged the ball up the court before finding Kenneth Heard, returning to our team over the off-season. He sent a cross court pass to Karlo, and I immediately rushed down to the post. Once I planted myself there on the block, knowing I had size and strength over the Lakers’ PG, Zike. When Karlo found me with the pass, I shot Heard a knowing look and smirk. I put a post move on him that I learned from Heard on our first day of camp together my rookie season.
Bucket. Tie game. And my career was off to the races.
That was a tight game in that game of our hallway series. A lot of back-and-forth action, lead changes and highlight reel plays. We were losing by 2 points going into the 4th quarter. Obviously not an insurmountable lead, but it was our first small taste of adversity to overcome and overcome it we did.
With 40 seconds left in the game, we led the Lakers by 3, 104-101. With a bucket we could ice the game, but with a bad possession or miss, we leave us open for overtime or worse. I’m the Point Guard, so it is up to me to get us into position. Ball movement was the game, taking down as much time as we could before we found the right shot. Bone bounce passed the ball to Heard in the deep post. I flashed down the right baseline and Heard hit me with a perfect no-look pass. I elevated over Trey Murphy and sunk the midrange shot.
106-101.
Final.
It was a 24 point, 8 rebound, 3 assist and a win debut.
I had fought so hard to get to that moment and I drank every ounce of it in.
-January 18, 2049.
Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers.
Adversity: The Sequel-
As a team we were sitting at 21-14 at this point. Not GREAT but much better than most people expected us to be at since injuries were mounting. Quan broke his leg 11 games into the year, then Karlo went down for an extended period as well. Bone, Dieng and I were doing our best to keep the ship afloat. Personally, I do not feel wrong in saying that I was starting to feel myself. Coach D was starting to trust me more and more and leaning on me to carry a heavy load on the offensive end. My confidence has been growing by the possession. Some of my memorable moments were dropping 34 points against the Spurs and their trifecta on the wing (Montoya, Whitley, Galloway). I scored 30 with 12 boards while playing PG opposite Dort. I was scoring from all levels, against all types of competition. While missing some key players, we were going strong in the conference playoff race as well.
Which meant that the basketball gods needed to up the difficulty on us. 3 minutes into another game in the hallway series, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my foot and made it difficult to put any weight on it. I feared the worst because it was not an injury or sensation that I’d felt before. Frustration kicked into overdrive when I limped over to the sidelines briefly before being helped to the locker room. Hearing the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis made it an easier pill to swallow but it still meant that I would be forced to sit at least a month and maybe closer to 2 of them. As all of us do in these moments, I felt like I’d let my team down, who was already short-handed and needed me to be out there and available. Even if I had wanted to feel sorry for the team or myself, Karlo and Quan weren’t going to let that slide. Just like we have my entire career, when I got into treatment with them, we pushed each other. It was like that first training camp all over again.
All of the respect in the world to Dong Bone and Dieng, as well as the rest of the roster, for helping to manage the schedule and keep us in the playoff race in spite of so much adversity to overcome. Dong made his first All-Star appearance and has put this damn team on his back. When you watch someone compete as hard as he has been? You can’t accept anything less than your best so you can get back out there and give him the backup that he deserves.
I’m coming.
“It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day. It’s a new life … for me.”
-March 16, 2049
Los Angeles, CA
The Return-
Karlo was the first of us to get back onto the court and helped get us a few more wins. Gray returned a couple of weeks ago and looked exactly like the guy who showed up those first 11 games. We’re currently riding a 5-game win streak with a big match-up against the Nuggets (one game above us in the playoff standings) on deck. And now I get to re-join my brothers on the court as well. For the first time since November, we get to have our full complement of players all together at the same time.
You never know what the basketball gods will have in store for you. I can’t predict that a season of difficulties won’t find a new way to make us work overtime to attempt to succeed. What I do know is that the league is about to see the best Clippers team that they have this season. I can also guarantee you that I will be my best self. I did not work this hard to sit back and rest now. I’ve grinded my way to this position, for this opportunity, for years now. I’ve felt disappointment, I’ve felt excitement. Through the highs and lows, I’ve never let my eyes drift from the ultimate prize. We … I … want to win and win big. We have a month to show this league that they should fear playing us when the playoffs begin.
And I’m letting everyone know, fans and opposition alike, I’m not slowing down.
It may have taken awhile but, Frye it:
I’M HERE.
I’VE ARRIVED.
And I’m feeling really Fryeing good about it.
“Oh, freedom is mine, and I know how I feel. I’m feeling good. So, So good.”