THE BUSINESS OF CHANGE

Change is a skill. People get paid to manage it and better still to manage how other people manage it. And the reason you can earn a check managing change is because it’s hard.

Derek Fisher wears a #37 on his jersey in Oklahoma City and I’d bet it’s indicative of his age. Ain’t that dude 37 years old? I know he’s about a year up on me which is one of the reasons I’ve always liked him. He’s always reminded me of me, my era and the non-inked up version of the NBA that preceded the current episode. But in the twilight of his career, he was thrown an off-speed business-based pitch that uprooted him from Los Angeles and sent him to the best team in the Western Conference. In some ways it’s a blessing as he brings a distinct championship pedigree to a young squad. He was Captain in Lakerdom but now that word seems too limiting for the role he’ll have to play amongst neophite teammates, many of whom were in middle school when he began his career.

Change messes with your mind yo and the irony is that life is riddled with it. Change starts in the diaper and proceeds to present itself intermittently and abruptly throughout your time on the planet. And I think that changes prepare you for changes to come. NBA veterans like Derek Fisher know that being traded is a possibility which means potential changes in residence, schooling for your kids, ethnic demographics, weather, etc. If you hate change and the flurries akin to it, you’ll want to work on that life skill.

I like how “Fish” is handling change in businesslike fashion. He’s dealing in reality and he wasn’t even traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was actually traded to the Houston Rockets who bought out his contract allowing OKC to pick him up. So unlike Lamar Odom of the Dallas Mavericks who can’t seem to let go of the tumult surrounding his departure from LA, the wily professional is in every Sportscenter Highlight on the night when his new team needed two overtime sessions to run down those pesky Timberwolves led by the ferocious shooting of Kevin Love.

I guess the point is that when you’re moved, change is official. We don’t always get to pick the changes that occur in our lives and when we do, transition is still no easier. But with a new jersey comes a new number often times. Find significance in the episode you’re in today. You can only play for one team at a time. Play the best “you” for the team you’re on today.