Memphis star Ja Morant drives against Warriors guard Stephen Curry on Jan. 25. Morant could learn a lot about how to conduct himself from Curry.
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesThe Golden State Warriors’ most recent memories at Memphis’ FedEx Forum are of losing consecutive road playoff games last spring. That tense series was billed as a potential changing of the guard: a young and rising Grizzlies team trying to knock off an aging champion. A generational talent in Stephen Curry potentially giving way to a new generation’s star in Ja Morant.
It didn’t happen then. After losing Games 2 and 5 in Memphis, the Warriors closed out the Grizzlies in Game 6 at Chase Center.
And it might not happen now. Rather than climbing the next rung on the ladder of greatness, the Grizzlies find themselves teetering in a precarious situation, struggling with how to handle the heights of success.
The Warriors are almost certain to not face Morant on Thursday night. The Grizzlies’ 23-year-old guard is away from the team indefinitely, as the NBA investigates his troubling behavior.
Early Saturday morning after a loss in Denver, Morant posted an Instagram Live video of himself dancing at a nightclub, flashing a gun against his face. Idiotic behavior, under any circumstances, for a face of the NBA with a $200 million contract and lucrative corporate sponsorships. Inexcusable behavior considering that, just three days earlier, Morant was the focus of a damning story in the Washington Post that chronicled a series of troubling incidents, some involving guns.
Before the day was done, the NBA announced its investigation, and said Morant would be away from the team for at least two games. Colorado authorities are also investigating. One of the issues likely of interest is if Morant carried a weapon onto the team plane.
Either Morant didn’t understand how damaging the Post story was to his brand or he didn’t give a damn because he thinks the rules don’t apply to him. Naive, arrogant or reckless, or all of the above?
Right now, in regular-season crunch time, he’s paying the price. Through Monday, the Grizzlies were in second place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Kings. But a prolonged absence by Morant could send Memphis plummeting in the tightly packed standings.
Stephen Curry shoots against Grizzlies players Brandon Clarke (15) and Ja Morant. The Warriors most likely will not see Morant on Thursday when Golden State visits Memphis.
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesMorant is the most exciting young player in the league. His high-flying ability, his breathtaking moves at the rim, his on-court creativity, are mesmerizing.
He has all the skills. But he seems to be missing something in the form of guidance.
After the announcement of the NBA investigation, Morant issued a contrite statement through his management agency:
“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
Well said. But the same agency that crafted Morant’s message has, along with others in his support group, already spent a lot of time attacking the messengers and portraying Morant as an innocent victim. They called the Post story “irresponsible and defamatory,” and implied that a 17-year-old who was beaten up last summer at Morant’s house during a pickup basketball game had filed a civil suit merely to exploit a mega-rich player.
Morant’s response to criticism has been to be defiant on social media. The Grizzlies have been muted in their reaction, clearly not wanting to alienate their No. 1 player.
The Grizzlies’ aspirations to greatness aren’t unfounded: Morant’s star power gives the team a swagger and cockiness. But to this point, they are merely kings of a small market. They haven’t achieved anything yet, so all their low-simmering defiance and bravado seems out of place, much like Dillon Brooks’ premature assertion in May that “we want to keep building this dynasty.”
A championship, let alone a dynasty, takes a lot of hard, serious work, attention to detail and good decision-making.
Morant is young, but he has been in the league long enough to know that there’s a limit to tolerance, even for the best players. He was only 10 years old when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other in the Wizards’ locker room and were suspended for the rest of the season, an incident that derailed both careers.
Who is guiding Morant? His parents seem to be part of his posse. His dad has become famous for heckling other teams from his courtside seats; his mom, according to the Post, called her famous son for help in a dispute at a retail store and he turned up with nine others and a confrontation with security turned violent. His best friend has been involved in at least two of the troubling incidents.
Morant has plenty of other places he can turn to for guidance and knowledge of what it takes to be a champion. The NBA superstar fraternity is small and led by elder statesmen who take their positions of leadership seriously and rarely make missteps: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard.
And, of course, Stephen Curry.
All those players also have close groups of supporters. Some might carry arms to protect themselves. Some engage in silly social-media behavior. But none has stepped into a self-made issue like the one that Morant has created.
The Warriors and Memphis are considered rivals, even playing each other during NBA “rivals week,” and both teams’ fans are amped for rematches. This week is another chapter in that story.
But if the Grizzlies really want what the Warriors have, they need their next-gen star to pay attention to the current-gen star wearing No. 30 for Golden State.
Stephen Curry never has to be saved from himself.
Reach Ann Killion: akillion@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @annkillion
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