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Al Horford: Paving the Way for Return Trip to ECF

By Matt Walker

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Fatigue. It’s a dirty word in the world of sports. Whether you’re a quarterback, a point guard or the head sweeper for the neighborhood curling team, the second the words “I’m too tired” slip from a set of lips is the second they’re censored by platitudes and utterances of “Tired? Everyone’s tired. That’s not an excuse.”

-= Related: Al Horford: Atlanta Hawks’ New Vocal Leader? =-

“I have decided not to participate in the tournament in an effort to better concentrate on improving my game and better focus on my full recovery after this long last season.”

True, it’s not an excuse. It’s more of an explanation, a reason why some fingers have rings, why some shelves hold trophies and others do not. Fatigue leads to injuries. Injuries lead to losses. Losses send you to the lottery. And then, the next thing you know, you’re trading away your veterans and drafting young guns, padding the pine with youth to revitalize a once-hopeful franchise.

Fatigue also plays a role in bad decision-making. Bad passes, blocked shots, air balls, shot clock violations, these are all the effects of a weary mind, of weak knees, of outright exhaustion.

It also pushes otherwise respectable athletes to do things they wouldn’t normally do, like, say, give the People’s Elbow to an opposing player. That’s why I know that Al Horford was well rested when he decided to forgo playing for the Dominican Republic, his home country, in the FIBA Americas Tournament.

“Given the concerns about my participations in the FIBA Americas Championship,” he wrote, via Twitter, in a post translated by the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore, “I inform you that I have decided not to participate in the tournament in an effort to better concentrate on improving my game and better focus on my full recovery after this long last season. It is an honor to play with the Dominican team and it’s something I’ve always done with great pride but this decision is the best for me right now. I appreciate the support of my fans and send best wishes for the team.”

May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) reacts after an apparent injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Cavaliers won 94-82. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

As you might recall, and as I alluded to earlier, Al Horford was last seen going all WWE on Matthew Dellavedova, getting tossed from a game for retaliating to an “alleged” lunge at an already banged-up knee. Add that Paul Millsap was playing with a sore shoulder and, in the same series, Kyle Korver broke a leg, literally — to the same “try-hard” point guard, I might add — and you have cause for avoiding all extracurricular activities.

But there’s something bigger at play here, something broader. You don’t disappoint your hometown team for nothing. I mean, Al Horford said it himself, “It’s something I’ve always done with great pride but this decision is best for me right now.”

It also happens to stand as the best option for a franchise that just saw sixty wins, a nineteen game win streak and its first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. A trip that ended in a very nasty and embarrassing fall.

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After getting ousted from the playoffs for the third consecutive season by the Detroit Pistons, Michael Jordan, his Airness, the Greatest Of All Time, admitted to being undersized. He said he was, “tired of taking the physical punishment,” as told by David Halberstam in Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made.

Michael made the necessary adjustments. He changed up his routine. He got stronger, upped his game, sent it into the stratosphere. And then the Bulls won a championship, their first of three straight.

Al Horford, of course, isn’t Michael. But he’s tired just the same. Tired of coming up short. Tired of being tired when it matters most. And choosing to sit out while his compatriots vie for a chance at another kind of trophy — and a trip to the next Olympics, no less — is a decision that will likely pay dividends come may — and hopefully June — of 2016.

It’s a step in the right direction, towards the realistic goal of winning an NBA Championship, one made with knees unfettered by you know what.

Next: Dennis Schroder: Ready for the Spotlight in 2016?

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