My personal reflection during the times I played for Yahoo! Fantasy last season.
If we apply this in every prospective or actual relationship, this is one of the things we look for in a prospective partner. Potential that it would work. What you saw based on previous encounters made you think that this person could make you (or your team) better.
Relationship wise, you thought that both of you started off at the right foot and that your relationship will last a lifetime. Perhaps akin to how we wanted to be like Fairy Tales and that there is no obstacle that would get into your way.
Threats, Challenges, Obstacles and Unhealthy Habits. Every fantasy player who have Nickeil knows in their mind that at one point Brandon Ingram will return and this would mean a return to bench for Nickeil. However, that was not the only issue that Nickeil owners encountered. Herbert Jones, the second round draft pick for the Pelicans that season was actually playing well and was slowly taking playing time away from Nickeil. Not only Herbert Jones, but another rookie in the team was also playing so well in the name of Jose Alvarado. Alvarado was an undrafted guard who was known to make sneaky steals by camouflaging on the court which makes opposing points guards unaware of his tactic which leads to opponents turning the ball over. Reading the comments in Fantasy regarding Nickeil would summarize how fantasy owners reacted to the situation. Some are frustrated, felt they wasted a high pick or cut losses by dropping him and picking up another player who is more useful.
Having Nickeil in fantasy during his inconsistency and performances that perhaps makes you want to pull your hair in frustration is akin to what I might have gone through in one of the guys I met online. Uncertainty, challenges and a bunch of wait and see approaches would factor in on whether you would hold on to a player (or prospective relationship) or let go.
For leagues with fewer teams, Nickeil was already dropped by the time Ingram returned coupled with the rise of Jones and Alvarado for sure. However being in an 18-team league and my ranking is still one of the top in the standings, I was perhaps in the stage where I know there is uncertainty looming towards this player (or prospective relationship status) but because I could still tolerate the situation and I can still function efficiently in life, you seem to brush the issue under the rug, especially if you had the top players and lower drafted players who are paying huge dividends that are performing above or at par with their expected performance.
Similar to relationship that's I was experiencing, treading the waters, going with the flow because I'm still okay. I'm still doing well. However I noticed that I realized that whenever there are no San Antonio Spurs games (I'm a Spurs fan BTW), I would check the Pelicans' game and watch and root for Nickeil to play well because you felt like you wasted a pick on him and hoping you could salvage any possible value out of him. It was so bad that I was hoping that he played well against the Spurs when they played. Glad the Spurs still won even if he played decently. Rooting for him that bad made you looked desperate into holding on a relationship that perhaps not going anywhere.
Turning point? In every NBA season, trades are always in play which would make you cheer or frown depending on which players would be affected by the trade. Some players could benefit from it, some not. Around mid February, Nickeil Alexander-Walker was one of the players who was traded to Portland Trailblazers in exchange for CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. Imagine the joy the remaining faithful Nickeil Alexander-Walker fantasy owners experienced when that news happens. That means he can have more playing time especially Portland was somewhat doing a fire-sale by trading good players like Normal Powell and with Damian Lillard still sidelined with abdomen injury.
However, the joy was short-lived. After he arrived in Portland, he was then traded to the Utah Jazz for Elijah Hughes and Joe Ingles. Utah Jazz, who is a playoff contender, certainly would not let a guy like Nickeil Alexander-Walker play major minutes especially they still have ball-dominant guards on the team in Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson.
In relationship, perhaps there were times wherein we thought that things would get better, that things would finally go into the direction that we wanted. But it ended up giving false hopes or worse than what you are experiencing right now.
Remaining ounce of Patience. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a Jazz player. What would Utah do with him? Would he play big minutes? Spot minutes or just a bench warmer? By this time the remaining faithful might have given up on him because an experienced team like Utah wouldn't want to mesh their current team and a new comer who is not a superstar would not get immediate minutes in the midst of trying to become more competitive.
You may be wondering, what did I do with him? Hold on. Being patient because in every trade who knows maybe some players would eventually be in better positions (in fantasy basketball terms) than where they had been playing before. I normally do not drop players because I felt that impatience and panic would make you unnecessary drop players that you would eventually regret until you are forced to make a decision with whatever is happening to your team (or life).
Perhaps for some rooting for a prospective relationship to blossom, this might be where patience is starting to wear thin. Hopelessness starting to get bigger day after day. Other aspects of your life are starting to affect you which makes you finally decide to...
Let go. Despite some inactive managers, there are still managers who decided to still hold on. After not playing a single game the week before All-Star game and also just one minute post All-Star game and with my team already clinched the fantasy playoffs and with two regular fantasy seasons remaining for Fantasy playoff positioning despite Nickeil's underwhelming performance as your team's fifth pick, it's time to let go.
No Regrets. Dropping him two weeks before the fantasy playoffs somehow helped me find a better and more productive player. It also made you stop having this brief obsession with him and wondering if you made the right decision or will the choice haunt you eventually.Just like in actual or prospective relationships, sometimes letting go is the right thing to do. With my team already in the fantasy playoffs and coasting against the two remaining opponents before fantasy playoffs begin, I know I have to drop him from my team and find another player that is consistently playing. Sometimes we have to accept the fact that we over value something or someone more than what they really are and we sometimes do not realize that there are people in life that we way underestimate and yet they outperform based on our current judgement towards them.
After you made a decision on letting go, things are getting better. You are more relieved at the thought that the struggle, pain and any other negative emotions you've gone through were already gone at last. Even if you learned that the person still wanted you despite the miscommunications and uncertainty you've gone through, with your mind finally decided it's over, any glimmer of hope or potential is already ignored as you know that you cannot afford to wait for the potential or chance to eventually blossom. You've wasted a lot of time in waiting for something that didn't prosper, why wait for another period of time even if the person decided to make changes or attempt to improve it?
There may be no virtual or actual trophy right now for me to prove that I eventually won, but at least what I have right now is peace, certainty and hope that there are great things ahead of me.
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