SAN ANTONIO — The conversation was absurd, and everybody except Quincy Pondexter admitted as much. Still, there are only so many topics to debate in an NBA locker room, and at least this one wasn’t boring.
So every few days for about three months during the 2018-19 season, before games at the AT&T Center, or in Los Angeles, or in Memphis, or wherever else the Spurs happened to be, Pondexter would lean back in his chair and claim he could last a full round in a ring with Mike Tyson.
It didn’t matter that Pondexter, an end-of-the-bench backup for the Spurs at the time, had no boxing experience. It didn’t matter that even past the age of 50, Tyson still cut a figure as imposing as he did when he was heavyweight champion of the world.
Pondexter’s confidence was unshaken, and nobody found this more preposterous than the young Latvian who often sat a couple of lockers over.
Why, Davis Bertans wanted to know, would you risk your body for a fight you had no hope of winning?
In that way, Bertans always was a pragmatist, and it’s no surprise to hear that he still is. This week, the ex-Spur became the first player in the NBA to take measure of what he stood to gain in the Disney World bubble, compare that to what he stood to lose, and officially decide it’s not worth the trip.
It was a sane, practical decision.
And now one wonders how many other athletes soon will come to the same conclusion Bertans did.
It should be noted, of course, that Bertans’ choice was simpler than most, in part due to his franchise’s circumstances and in part because he has some luxuries that, say, a random college football player doesn’t.
The Washington Wizards probably aren’t going to make a playoff run with or without him. And by staying home instead of joining the team with the worst record in the NBA’s restart group, Bertans is forfeiting about $500,000 in salary this year but is all but guaranteeing himself the most lucrative contract of his career.
Even if the coronavirus didn’t exist anymore, Bertans would have no reason to subject himself to a possible sprained knee heading into free agency, especially coming off a breakout season with the Wizards.
But the pandemic is far from over, and it hangs over every millionaire professional, every college-aged draft hopeful, and every high-school benchwarmer who is considering suiting up in the coming months.
We know the rate of positive tests is rising, especially in Florida, Texas, Arizona and other places that are about to welcome back sports. We know the data so far suggests that young, healthy people are less likely to die or suffer severe complications from COVID-19 than other demographics, but we do not know what the long-term effects of the disease might be.
We know that after all of the positive tests on high-school and college football teams, at baseball spring training facilities, and even among the ranks of pro golfers and tennis players, it’s not a matter of if the coronavirus will make its way into every form of competition — including the NBA’s bubble — but when.
That means Bertans won’t be the only athlete to take a pass, even if many of the decisions will be far more heart-wrenching than his was.
Think of the 17-year-old linebacker, excited to finally get the chance to start on the varsity team his senior year, but who happens to live in a house with his grandparents. The University Interscholastic League just loosened restrictions on weight rooms.
Is that kid going to second-guess himself before getting in his repetitions?
Think of the college offensive lineman who’s been pegged by scouts as a second- or third-round NFL draft pick.
Does he decide it’s worth it to maybe get sick and prove himself as a first-rounder?
Think, too, of somebody such as Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, who shares a few attributes with his former teammate. Like Bertans, DeRozan plays on a team that isn’t likely to last long in Florida. Like Bertans, DeRozan has a chance to become a free agent (if he opts out of the last year of his contract).
And like Bertans, DeRozan might be thinking about all of the headaches that come along with restarting a season during a pandemic, including the potential for soft-tissue injuries and the strain of being separated from family.
Is it worth it?
The answer to that question will vary from sport to sport, from team to team, and from athlete to athlete.
And if some come to the realization that the likelihood of pain far surpasses the likelihood of a reward?
If they’re like Bertans, they’ll be able to recognize an unfair fight when they see one.
mfinger@express-news.net
Twitter: @mikefinger
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Davis Bertans makes a choice; will others follow? - Houston Chronicle
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