Playing for the Denver Nuggets must be a drag.
Never mind the millions of dollars you’re being paid. Or the beautiful views. Or the up-and-coming, free-spirited, young-at-heart atmosphere that dominates the streets. It must plain suck being an NBA player in Denver who likes to have a good time.
Well, really, it shouldn’t. For J.J. Hickson, though, it apparently does.
Folks over at USA Today are reporting that Hickson has been suspended for five games following violations of the league’s anti-doping guidelines:
Denver Nuggets big man J.J. Hickson will be suspended for the first five games of next season because of a failed drug test, the NBA announced Wednesday.
…
The five-game suspension likely comes from a third failed marijuana test, based on the league’s anti-drug guidelines. Harsher penalties are levied on performance-enhancing drug users.
Like the report says, it’s probably weed.
J.R. Smith was handed the same suspension last year for failing three marijuana tests, and the fines and punishments dealt out to performance-enhancing users would be far steeper and garner much more attention.
Plus, you know, Hickson plays in Denver, where weed is legal. Connecting the dots isn’t really hard from there.
But this does beg the question: Should the NBA be more lenient when it comes to marijuana use?
The long and short of this is, no, it shouldn’t.
Weed isn’t legal in every state, so exceptions would have to be made for those playing in Denver. That’s hardly fair, though it could be a boon for the Nuggets’ future free-agency pitches.
Merely letting players experiment while in Denver would be equally problematic. Visiting players could test positive weeks later, then use a recent road trip to Denver as an excuse. It would be a disaster.
Allowing everyone to use it is the only solution. Except it’s not a solution. The NBA cannot legalize the recreational use of something that’s illegal pretty much everywhere. Talk about ridiculous.
There is only banning it for everyone, and then punishing offenders—especially repeat offenders.
To earn this five game suspension, Hickson would’ve had to fail three drug tests. Three. Not one, not two. Three. That’s more than fair, and it gives players multiple opportunities to correct and save themselves.
That a professional athlete can’t stay away from grass when millions of dollars are on the line is pathetic. This isn’t to definitively say Hickson is among them. We don’t know for sure yet. Rather, it’s specific to offenders—both past and present—in general.
Staying off the pipe shouldn’t be that hard, however minor this seems. Peer pressure isn’t that powerful. Partying can be done right without it. Focus can be achieved without it.
Bliss can be found in other, less smoke-able things.
Make note, J.J.—you know, just in case the NBA is actually suspending you for marijuana use and not sheer jealousy of your propensity for helping old ladies cross busy Denver streets while sporting a shirt that reads, “Get high on life, and life alone.”
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
