Dennis Schroder is the butt of many media writers, talk sports radio and fans jokes this offseason. He made the wrong decision about his contract and if you passed basic math, that is considered obvious. Granted Lake Show Life knew that the “Dennis the Menace” experiment would not work in any way besides the books (Schroder made approximately 200,000 LESS than Danny Green!).
However, the jokes and social media memes against Schroder are unfair (Belly aching style funny…but unfair!) and really need to stop.
NBA fans love to hear the stories of NBA players that bet on themselves and collect those huge contracts. It’s an example of the American dream of working hard and keeping their eyes on the prize.
Well, Dennis Schroder is the cautionary tale of the dark side of players deciding to bet on themselves. It’s common knowledge now of how the Los Angeles Lakers offered Schroder a 4-year, $84 million contract extension and how he rejected the highest offer the franchise could give looking for more in free agency.
Well, you see…what had happened was…
Dennis Schroder rolled the dice and came up craps, which was his level of play for the most part for the rest of the season. The market for Schroder’s services at his prices of $100 million-plus was nonexistent, and he was forced to sign a one-year deal with the Celtics at $5.9 million. How bad is this situation? He wanted $10 million.
Schroder did what most athletes do during a media storm…go to Instagram.
"“I’m proud to announce that for the 2021-22 season I’ll be playing for the Boston Celtics!” Schroder wrote on Instagram. “This is one of the best franchises in NBA history and it will be a honour to put on the green and white and do what I love! I’m going out there every night and leaving it all on the floor for the city!! Who’s ready?”"
The Boston Herald had a take on Dennis’ state of mind and short-term plans.
"“’He’s only interested in one year, and then getting back out there,’ said the source, who added that Schroder has also run into another problem — the sudden lack of available starting point guard jobs,” “’He needs time — I think he’s in a state of shock because of what he’s done,’ the source said of Schroder turning down a four-year, $84 million offer last season from the Lakers, who responded by trading for Russell Westbrook.”"
Take one minute to listen to this video here. Marcellus Wiley is a former pro athlete and he can break this situation down better than anyone in the media can with Dennis’ situation right here.
.@MarcellusWiley feels sorry for Dennis Schroder after turning down $80M+ contract with Lakers & signing with the Celtics on a 1-yr $5.9M deal. pic.twitter.com/EmIdQRe7uA
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) August 11, 2021
Basically, Dennis Schroder lost out on roughly $75 million.
The internet has been pretty rough on the former Lakers guard (Lake Show Life included!) and it needs to stop. Why? Dennis Schroder is far from the only player to bet on himself and lose. Heck there are players that have made a bigger mess than Dennis. One player lost his NBA CAREER!
The Lake Show Life writer who basically foreshadowed Schroder’s collapse last offseason through to the playoffs is returning for an offseason report to defend “The Menace”. To the longtime readers of Lake Show Life, this is definitely not on their 2021 Lake Show Life bingo card. (Am I lying Corky, Kinfolk and Slick?)
Lake Show Life presents a special report on players that made contract decisions so bad, they made Dennis Schroder look like Rich Paul. Buckle up because after the last player, it’s guaranteed that things with Dennis will not look as bad as they seem. Right? Hit the purple button and let’s get started…