Ja Morant is deviating from being an Allen Iverson-like sensation to a Gilbert Arenas-type guy who pulled up with a gun to his locker room. Carmelo Anthony is also somebody who followed AI in a lot of ways outside the court, including his fashion sense and all-out-partying lifestyle.
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The former teammate of the NBA’s culture shifter still clearly remembers how David Stern once told him how the NBA uses its private investigators to follow the players and who they hang out with almost all the time when players are outside their home and not on the court.
Stephen A. Smith warns Ja Morant using a Carmelo Anthony story on players’ surveillance
Stephen A. Smith recently used Melo’s statement on a podcast appearance by the former Nuggets star from a few months back to warn Ja Morant.
I am not playing. I told y’all this when I was on ESPN’s NBA Countdown last night. This is not a joke. Im@looking out, just like Melo was looking out. This is no joke! Ja has got to be careful! As does all of them.#CTHO https://t.co/cM1kA2PvG9
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 6, 2023
Melo got an instant warning from the then league commissioner, David Stern, after he and his Denver-based team got themselves in a ‘Malice at the Palace’ like situation in 2006.
Although Adam Silver is not as strict as Stern, he would surely not entertain such antics by any player in the league, be it he is one the youngest stars and the future of the NBA. For now, the 2x All-Star of the Grizzlies has two game-suspension with the league further investigating his case. Don’t be in surprise if he misses some more.
Taylor Jenkins says there’s no timeline for when Ja Morant will return. He says that he doesn’t want to go into specifics but says most important thing is Ja is seeking help. Jenkins calls it an “ongoing healing process” and Grizz will support and hold Ja accountable.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) March 6, 2023
Also read: Why is Ja Morant Out Indefinitely: Taylor Jenkins’ Statement Comes as Huge Worry for Grizzlies Fans
How would the Grizzlies cope without Ja?
If Morant’s suspension is longer than two games, the #2 team in the West would not just be on their worst momentum of the season, but they might also lose a couple of seedings.
Grizzlies’ Sunday night meltdown against the Clippers was just a testament to how incomplete they are without Ja despite having some true value guards to play behind him.
They had already scored 109 points in the first 3 quarters and led the game by 12 points before the start of the 4th, but lost it 135-129 without their suspended closer. If Morant does come back early from this suspension, he must contain his anger, emotions, or whatever he is going through to not pull any of the off-court antics he has been pulling this season.