Which Of The Five Stages Of Luka Grief Are You In?

Recovering from what could become one of the biggest draft blunders in league history takes time, and Sacramento Kings fans are having a rough go of it.

The Luka Doncic Mania that has surrounded the NBA during the first month of the season is tough for Sacramento Kings fans to stomach.

He was supposed to be ours. We knew he was the superior talent in the 2018 NBA Draft, and it was fate that brought us the second overall pick during the Lottery. We knew that he was the Chosen One, and knew that our general manager had a keen eye for European talent.

The Kings instead opted to select freshman big man Marvin Bagley III from Duke, citing a better fit for the future alongside De’Aaron Fox who was ready to take the keys to the franchise.

A year and a half later, Luka Doncic is in the MVP conversation and is putting up better numbers than LeBron James did in his second season. He is a triple-double machine and currently has his Dallas Mavericks in the fourth seed in the mighty Western Conference.

Bagley has played in one game so far this season.

Perceptions will very likely change once Bagley returns from injury. He averaged nearly 15 points and 8 rebounds last season in 25 minutes per game, and should see a significant uptick in minutes in his second year.

But for now, there is nothing shielding us from the sadness we get when we see Doncic all over our televisions. We have been through a lot as a fan base and it is time that we address our issues.

What stage of Luka Doncic grief are you in?

Grief has five distinct stages, each with its own characteristics and symptoms:

1. Denial

“This isn’t real. This can’t be happening.”

Most of us felt this way on Draft Day, June 21st, 2018. Hours before the draft even commenced, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski fired off a tweet about the expected first six selections.

We denied the report. We went as far as to question the legitimacy of Wojnarowski, arguably the most well-respected breaker of NBA news. This is not set in stone. Nothing is official until Adam Silver walks out on that stage and reads the card that says, “The Sacramento Kings select, Luka Doncic.”

We can’t be this stupid. We’re not taking a big man from Duke when Vlade Divac has a huge finger on the pulse of the European leagues. He and Vivek Ranadive went to Serbia (twice!) to scout Luka. Luka has even flashed the ‘shaka’ hand gesture in recent photos, something that Ranadive is known to do. It can’t be Bagley. It just can’t.

Like many of the grief stages, you might feel a hint of denial no matter how far along in the grieving process you are.

2. Anger

Many of us are still stuck in the painful stage of anger. We are channeling our intense sadness into feelings of hatred, irritation, and outrage.

We are upset at Divac and the front office. We call for their jobs. We react by pointing out every other questionable move that has been made in the past as further footing to support our feelings of anger.

We are mad at SportsCenter for leading off their broadcast with yet another story about yet another incredible performance from Doncic. He was supposed to be ours, dammit. Liken the feeling to the one of seeing the ex who dumped you be happy with their new partner, successful in their life without you. We just want to change the channel.

We are mad at the Mavericks. They are battling for one of the middle seeds in the extremely stacked Western Conference, and are a year or two ahead of schedule on their rebuild. Meanwhile, it seems like the Kings are on Year 10 of their rebuild, and are still on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Some of you might be taking your feelings of resentment out on Marvin Bagley. Stop that. The man deserves our full support. Let the others talk.

Like denial, there will always be feelings of anger as we move along in the healing process.

3. Bargaining

None of us should be beating ourselves up over this one.

Bargaining is usually full of “what if” statements:

“What if there was something I could have done differently?”

There was nothing you could have done. Period. Divac and the front office had to have known how head over heels we were for Doncic. We posted our excitement on all social media platforms, we made our opinions heard. You did everything you were supposed to do, but the people in charge let you down.

4. Depression

This is the stage that most of us are in. We are clinging to hopes that the Kings can turn their season around while watching the Mavericks zip up the standings. Anger has given way to sadness, that familiar feeling that comes with being a basketball fan in Sacramento.

But we’re used to this. We’ve whiffed on an enormous amount of lottery picks over the last decade, probably more than any other team. We know what its like to pick Thomas Robinson over Damian Lillard, or Jimmer Fredette over Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard.

This type of pain isn’t new to us. Depression is a familiar feeling around these parts.

All of the stages of grief that we’ve made it through previously are wrapped up into one during the fourth stage. We are still in denial, forever angry. Not only is Doncic tearing up the league, but he is just 20 years old and has been mentioned in the same breath as a long LeBron countless times so far this season.

Stay strong, Kings fans.

5. Acceptance

Many of us will never reach this stage. How can we accept what could become one of the biggest draft blunders in NBA history?

“How can we ever be okay with this?”

There is only one thing that can close this wound and ease this pain: the Sacramento Kings winning an NBA championship with Marvin Bagley as one of the key contributors. Anything less is a failure.

Doncic still has 15+ years in his NBA career, meaning that there is plenty of time for him to continue to excel and gather a few championship rings along the way.

It’s going to be a long ride, Kings fans. And it’s going to be a miserable one unless you can learn to let it go. Good luck.