If beauty actually resides in chaos, if such a thing really exists, then Nick Young is immune. He doesn’t know chaos, he only knows joy. This morning was no different despite the sterile surroundings of a hospital room. Attired in a mesh surgical cap and a mundane, if not bland, hospital gown, Nick Young still managed his familiar smile for an Instagram photo that traveled the world.
Mar 27, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight (11) is fouled by Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) during the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks won 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Most important to him (and the Lakers), Nick Young was waiting for it all to get started- the radial collateral ligament repair. It’s too early to speculate on the consequences but most figures lean towards a six to eight week recovery period which should put Nick back on the court somewhere north of Thanksgiving but before Christmas Day.
Accompanying this morning’s Instagram photo were the words #defensehurts. Of course, that has always been the critique of Nick Young, his cheap attraction to scoring and his avoidance of pain as it presents itself in its purest form. So in that way defense does hurt because it exacts a commitment, a plunging into the minutiae. Never in Nick Young’s career has he experienced what Byron Scott, in one week, has exacted: a driven, physically exhausting, punishing tapestry of drills.
Take Nick’s history and set it aside. (ESPN ranked him the #150th best player). He was having a great camp. By all accounts, he had assimilated to the conditioning theater that Byron Scott implemented as part of his aggressive approach. Nick excelled in the 5-on-5 scrimmages and for the first time in his career was engaged in the small details that are necessary for player success. But in a moment he would like to take back, he reached in on a ball, trying to get a steal. He received, instead, a torn ligament.
In reality, defense does not hurt. Tangentially, Kobe Bryant reflected more on the cause than the effect. “That’s what happens when you don’t play defense with your feet. When you reach….”
It’s a hard lesson for Nick to absorb laying in a hospital bed, knowing he is going to miss opening night and all of the Lakers regalia that accompanies it. Nick Young was looking forward to being a Laker this year for innumerable reasons. On the face of it, this year was distinguishable from the last three years of his career. In 2011-12 he had an expiring contract. In 2012-13 he had an expiring contract. In 2013-14 he had an expiring contract. A certain obligation was lifted with his three year deal with the Lakers; all was good. Until that reach of the ball.
Adversity, it is often said, teaches you the limit of your own will. Courage develops in war, not in peace. Mostly, Kobe Bryant told Nick there are ways to approach the unexpected. You can use the language of grief or you can use the language of the redeemed. To put it all into some sort of context, Nick Young’s right hand was injured but his left hand is whole. His legs, his knees are not ruined. The cognitive functions of his brain are still operating at capacity. Same with his vision. With this extended absence, Nick Young’s productivity is of the quiet kind. There is an inverse relationship when you are inert because you have to be. You can push your boundaries into other areas and in Nick Young’s case he can reshape his basketball intelligence as he watches more film than he can stand. This has a point: the examination of patterns and tendencies and tactics. In other words, his injury can elevate a perfection of those things that have always been what people critique when they talk about Nick Young and then, on cue, shake their head.
Apr 15, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott stands on the sideline in the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Byron Scott wasn’t particular sympathetic to Nick Young either. The injury occurred on Thursday. Overnight swelling preceded a MRI diagnosis on Friday. On Saturday Nick was back at practice engaged in drills like everyone else and only stepped aside when ball handling was involved. Byron despises self-pity and barely considered Nick Young injured.
As the Lakers can verify, injuries have ruined their continuity the past two years so this is just one additional mild complication. Byron Scott will figure out what to do in the interim. Jeremy Lin will step into the leadership void of the second unit. Jordan Clarkson and Wayne Ellington will receive more chances. Perhaps Ryan Kelly will get a shot at playing the three when Kobe is out the game.
It is the doctrine of sports: luck, cruelty, benevolence and randomness. Yes, you survive and you advance. But you also survive and recover. And survive, and are born again. Sometimes. Maybe. It you have the desire and commitment and will.