Fansided

Hey Rondo, my vets didn’t act like this either

By Jeremy Lambert

Dec 23, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo (9) sits on the bench during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Bulls 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo (9) sits on the bench during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. The Hornets defeated the Bulls 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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My vets didn’t use Instagram. Social media didn’t exist. They had those Zack Morris phones that you couldn’t even text. My vets played with the flu. They named a whole game after how hard they played and what they played through. My vets punched teammates in the face if they had a disagreement. That was tough love. Not going to the media and complaining about things. Then they trusted each other to hit the big shot in a meaningful game.

My vets smoked cigars and greeted the other team as they got off the bus. Do you know how humiliating that is for the other team? To see your opponents sitting there and smoking cigars as you get off the bus? The other team should have just gotten back on the bus and saved everyone three hours. My vets took on every challenge. They didn’t have friends on the court. And their only friends off the court were the guys they could embarrass and take money from.

My vets showed up to wrestling events. Scratch that. My vets wrestled in the main event of wrestling pay-per-views. AND WON! My vets turned a shape into a system. Seriously, they did that. My coach saw a geometric shape and was like, “I bet I can create a basketball system out of this.” And my vets were not only crazy enough to believe him, they were good enough to make it work.

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My vets won consistently. You can isolate and win consistently. Just make sure there is a slight push off. My vets were a lot of things. Entertaining, talented, charismatic, demanding. Some of them were probably bad teammates. Their goal was to win. Every game. Every series. Every title. They showed up. They were the greatest ever. If anything is questionable, it’s this era of entitlement.

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