After taking a look at the roster, I can only come to one conclusion who that player might have been.
The Denver Post ran an excellent piece recently titled “Athletes and Pot: Legalized marijuana in a league of its own,” which it spoke of the brewing delimma that will come as marijuana prepares to become legal for retail sale in Colorado after a ballot initiative passed last year.
Professional sports leagues of course have made it clear they don’t intend to change their stances on it being a banned substance they test for.
former Denver Nuggets executive Rex Chapman told the Post a story in which he said he once had to “take a player aside to help him regain his focus because the player was so stoned.”
It was the morning of a 2010 playoff game, and one of the Nuggets had just smoked some nuggets. As the team practiced, the player was so high that Rex Chapman, a team executive at the time, had to pull him aside to get him to focus.
“Across all walks of life and in every profession, people smoke (marijuana). This is no secret, and pro sports are not exempt,” said Chapman, who played 12 years in the NBA. “But employers deserve and pay for A-plus employees. There is a time and place for everything. As a member of a team, guys owe it to their teammates to put their best foot forward.”
Marijuana use is prevalent in every locker room in the league.
But I struggle to understand how said player could have been high out of his mind, during a morning practice in the midst of a playoff run.
Just in case you are wondering who that player was, here’s the roster.
6 Arron Afflalo SG 6-5 215 October 15, 1985 2 University of California, Los Angeles 30 Malik Allen PF 6-10 255 June 27, 1978 8 Villanova University 11 Chris Andersen PF 6-10 230 July 7, 1978 7 Blinn College 15 Carmelo Anthony SF 6-8 230 May 29, 1984 6 Syracuse University 32 Renaldo Balkman SF 6-8 208 July 14, 1984 3 University of South Carolina 1 Chauncey Billups PG 6-3 202 September 25, 1976 12 University of Colorado 25 Anthony Carter PG 6-1 190 June 16, 1975 10 University of Hawaii 14 Joey Graham SF 6-7 225 June 11, 1982 4 Oklahoma State University 31 Nene Hilario C 6-11 260 September 13, 1982 7 3 Ty Lawson PG 5-11 195 November 3, 1987 R University of North Carolina 4 Kenyon Martin PF 6-9 234 December 30, 1977 9 University of Cincinnati 27 Johan Petro C 7-0 247 January 27, 1986 4 5 J.R. Smith SG 6-6 220 September 9, 1985 5
I’ll take J.R. Smith for $600 please.