Have The Lakers Walked Away From Xavier Henry?
By Hannah Kulik
Their names are etched in the hearts and minds of Laker fans forever: Baylor, West, Magic, Worthy, Shaq, Kobe, and Pau, the stars who brought the excitement of innumerable NBA finals and championship banners to the purple and gold. We also remember the role players without whom those championships would never have been achieved, names like Goodrich, Wilkes, Cooper, Rambis, Green, Horry, Fisher, Fox, and Shaw.
Although the memory of these great players still burns bright, what is easy to forget is that hundreds of players have worn the Laker uniform since the Showtime Era. Most of their names and faces are long forgotten, faded into obscurity with the relentless passage of time. With that said, I will not forget Xavier Henry.
On December 28, 2014, the Lakers announced he had been cut from the team. The announcement went largely unnoticed, overshadowed by the simultaneous move of claiming Tarik Black off waivers. There was no fond farewell, no discernible praise from coaches or management about his efforts or contributions. He was just gone. After all, he played for the team for little more than one injury-plagued season, an inglorious period likely to go down in Lakers history as the “dark days.”
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Yet some of us already miss “X”. For the sake of full disclosure, he is an attractive man, and for female Laker fans that is not a bad thing. As serious fans, however, that would not hold our attention for long unless he was also a good player, and Henry was a good player. He would have been a great player but for injuries. It could still happen, but he has been forced to endure incredible disappointment which is sad. Laker fans wish him nothing but the best and hope he returns better than ever, even if it is not with the Lakers.
When he arrived in Los Angeles, Henry looked like a star on and off the court. At 6’6,” 220 pounds, he could have been a strong safety or outside linebacker on the football team, but basketball was his sport. He was a highly touted player in high school in Oklahoma City, a McDonald’s All American who was recognized by ESPN as one of the top 100 high school players in the nation. He was heavily recruited by major college programs and chose the University of Kansas, and after a strong freshman year, he made himself available for the 2010NBA draft where he was selected 12th by the Memphis Grizzles.
It is a cautionary tale for athletes who leave college early. Aside from talent, success in the NBA is highly impacted by random, uncontrollable factors such as the culture of the team that drafts you, the coach and whether he likes you or not (for any of a dozen subjective reasons), who is already on the team playing your position, and injuries. In most cases you either impress right away or you are labeled a failure, in which case the rest of your career is an uphill battle to overcome that label.
No one knows for sure what happened to Henry when he was with Memphis or New Orleans. There were injuries, but in the real world there is usually more to the story. What is known is that when he joined the Lakers last season, he was largely unknown to Laker fans and was described as someone with something to prove.
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He quickly made an impression. He had a very strong preseason, opening eyes in a 29-point performance against the Golden State Warriors in the first Lakers’ preseason win in multiple seasons. When the regular season started it was clear he would play an important role on a team that was adjusting to the prolonged absence of Kobe Bryant for the first time in 18 years.
Then there was the opening game against the Clippers. No matter how often Laker coaches and management try to downplay any rivalry with the Clippers, don’t let that fool you, they badly want to beat the Clippers whenever the two teams play. At the time no one gave the Lakers much of a chance to win the game. The Clippers had overcome decades of incompetence to become one of the league’s best teams (with more than a little help from David Stern), and the Lakers were projected to have a miserable season. On top of all that, it was the heralded Doc Rivers’ first game as Clipper’s coach. However, Henry led his team to victory that night, and went on to register four 20+ point games in the early part of the season.
Prior to his injuries, Henry showed he could shoot from the outside. He was fierce in driving to the rim, and if he couldn’t finish he almost always drew a foul. He could defend. He could rebound. We all forget that on last year’s very modest team, with the beleaguered Mike D’Antoni as coach, the Lakers had a winning record after the first 19 games, and they were on a good winning streak.
Henry had big moments — some of his monster dunks were highlights on Sports Center. He was 22, and it appeared the Lakers had finally found the kind of good young player they had not drafted, traded for, or developed in years. Then the Lakers were decimated by injuries and they collapsed; in one game, the team almost had to forfeit because they only had four healthy and available players left in the latter stages of the game.
Henry was one of the injured players. He hurt his knee. When he returned he hurt his wrist. He tried to play through it. Eventually it was decided that surgery was the only option, and his season was over.
There was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Lakers during this past off-season. The team made the ill-advised decision to go all-out to sign Carmelo Anthony and deferred any other personnel decisions, which allowed good free agents (and coaches) to go elsewhere. It was sad that the team lost Jordan Farmar and Jodie Meeks, but fans were happy when they re-signed Henry. This would be another talent-starved roster, which would provide him with a good chance to play big minutes.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. It was reported that he was not fully recovered from his surgeries. He was unable to participate at the start of training camp. It was alarming that by the end of camp he was still unable to join the work-outs. Eventually he was cleared to play, but he was very tentative. It is unclear whether he was still limited by the surgeries, if he was just rusty, or if he had lost confidence. However, it is a long season, so many of us figured he just needed time.
Then the unthinkable occurred: a torn Achilles tendon, the most dreaded injury in sports. The memory of Bryant’s identical injury was still fresh in our minds. We all saw, through Bryant, how long and hard it was to return from that injury and recovery at all is never a certainty. As a fan I was grief-stricken. Imagine how Henry felt.
Then he was cut from the team. It was a painful reminder of the cruel reality of professional sports, where the only question is what have you done for me lately and what can you contribute at this very moment?
No one can be sure what is in store for Henry’s basketball future. There have been no reports on his progress. However, it bears remembering that he is still only 23 years old. Optimistically, there is still time.
Xavier, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, please know that your fans are rooting for you and wish you the best. For one shining moment we thought you might become the next Lakers breakout star. It could still happen for you on some team, so don’t give up. We know the road ahead will be difficult, but you can do it. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, but knowing your faith, if anyone can overcome this adversity we’re hoping it will be you.