Anointing of Stars Needs to St

On October 23, 2006, the Dallas Cowboys sported a 3-2 record going into a Monday Night game at home against the New York Giants. At halftime of the game, the Cowboys trailed 12-7. Veteran Cowboy quarterback Drew Bledsoe had completed seven of 12 passes for 111 yards with one interception. 

Cowboys’ head coach Bill Parcells decided to make what amounted to a franchise-altering switch before the second half of the game, replacing Bledsoe with an undrafted 26-year-old named Tony Romo who signed with the Cowboys just two years prior, in 2004. 

The Cowboys won six of their next eight games with Romo starting, one of the quarterback’s efforts being a 306-yard, five touchdown game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Parcells, 64 years old and a two-time Super Bowl winner, knew better than to prop up the quarterback that he saw great potential in. 

“Let’s put the anointing oil away,” the coach told the press at one of his media availabilities. “Potential is nothing. Performance is everything,” was also one of Parcells’ go-to lines.

It happens far too often in professional sports. When a player is on a roll, or shows flashes of special talent, media and fans alike begin to make premature claims - “he’s just like”...he's better than…he will be”. 

Enter the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards. Let me preface this by saying that this is not a knock. Not a dig. Not a criticism. There is no denying his talent or ability. He’s bordering on superstardom. His game is exquisite. He is exciting. Effervescent.

Just 23 years old, the top choice in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Georgia has made three consecutive all-star teams and two straight All-NBA 2nd teams. He has put together two consecutive seasons of at least 25-5-5 and led the NBA in 3-point attempts this season, making 39.5%. He’s durable, 381 games in his career including 79 in each of the last three seasons.

The sturdy 6 foot, 4 inch, 225 pound Edwards is a super athlete who will dunk on you in a flash, hit a triple, and take the ball from you and dunk at the other end. In a time that has become rampant with the analyst term “two-way player”, Edwards fits the description perfectly. He has personality and showmanship to go along with his top-level talent. He has “it”.

His team defeated Kevin Durant last playoffs and LeBron James and Stephen Curry this playoffs. In back-to-back campaigns, he has slayed three Hall of Famers. 

Comparisons have been made to Michael Jordan. He even takes after His Airness at times in the way that he looks. Frankly, he does have a resemblance in the face to a young MJ. Comparisons have been made to Kobe, too. His mentality. His ability. 

And therein lies the problem. 

Fans and the media are always in a rush to look for the next. The next Jordan. The next face of the league. 

There is always a rush. No desire to let things play out organically. No desire to give it time. 

In Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 27, Edwards scored 43 points. In consecutive games against the Golden State Warriors in round two, he scored 36 and 30 in consecutive games. In Games 2 and 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in this Western Conference Final, he scored 32 in Game 2 and 30 in Game 3. In Game 1 of this series, he shot 5-for-13 for 18 points. In Game 4 on Monday night, he shot 5-for-13 for 16 points. 

On the other side of the floor in this series has been the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has scored 31, 38, and 40 in three of the games in this series. As bright a star as Edwards is, Gilgeous-Alexander has outshone him.

Shai is the MVP. Edwards is the game’s best 2-guard. Both have been pondered as the next face of the league. 

But just as observers were so quick to label Edwards as such, they are so quick to criticize him when he struggles. 

And therein lies the problem. 

There is no patience among fans and media today. We want everyone to develop fast, everyone to succeed quickly. And if that does not happen, criticism comes in droves. 

It is as if Jordan, who won his first title at 27, never had to go through the growing pains of the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons. It’s as if Bryant, who won his first title at 21, never shot four air-balls consecutively against the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals. Bryant was 18 years old. It’s as if James never lost to the Spurs in 2007 or the Celtics in 2008. 

Learning experiences. Character builders. 

Edwards is 23 years of age. To put his youth into perspective, he was not even born in June of 2001 when Bryant won his second championship.

He is a superstar player whose success has come quickly. He has been to a Western Conference Final. He has lost a Western Conference Final. And he very well could be hours away from losing another Western Conference Final. 

Not every player wins a title at 20 like Magic Johnson. Not every player wins at 21 like Kobe. Not every player wins at 24 like Kareem or Bird. And that is ok. 

Let’s all take a breath and give Anthony Edwards some time.