The Wisconsin Badgers obviously could have used Kobe King on Monday night versus the Iowa Hawkeyes, in a game which was hugely critical for Greg Gard midway through this college basketball season. Gard goes deep into his bench. Spreading around minutes keeps this team fresh at the defensive end of the floor. Players such as Tyler Wahl who barely dent the scoresheet are still valuable because they can eat up lots of minutes without being turnstiles on defense. Wisconsin can hold teams to 60 points or fewer with active defenders who aren’t worn down late in the second half.
Within this context, King — one of the Badgers’ better offensive players — could have provided just enough scoring punch to lift UW over the top in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. King might have been the player who could have prevented the late collapse at the offensive end of the floor. We can guess or debate just how much King meant, but this much is clear: With no superstars on the 2020 Badgers, Wisconsin needs an “all hands on deck” contribution model. Everyone needs to chip in for this team to do well.
Moreover, with Brad Davison being less than 100-percent healthy and Micah Potter picking up an ankle injury late against Iowa, King’s presence could have been useful if only as an immediate response to attrition. Yet, we all know he wasn’t available:
#Badgers AM rewind: I updated our story on Kobe King after the loss to Iowa. https://t.co/L9cEvmcMJv
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) January 28, 2020
The obvious and easy temptation in a situation such as this is to excoriate a young man for being a coward or a wimp, as though his frustration with a coach is a grave sin (or any sin at all).
Let’s step away from that temptation. This isn’t bad behavior. This is cutthroat competition, and a college basketball career is a very fragile, short-term organism. It doesn’t have a long lifespan. It is essential, from an athlete’s perspective, to make the most of a career. We see transfers all the time, and if King soon becomes another one, we won’t be surprised.
The argument will be made by some — and it is fair — that if you’re not happy with your role on a team, you should still try to arrive at an understanding with the coach and work through problems so that you can be there for your teammates. I think we can generally agree with that claim. Life being difficult doesn’t mean you abandon teammates or co-workers in a time of need.
Yet: Relationships require a lot of hard work. They go through very difficult periods, sometimes difficult enough that the two people in a relationship (Kobe and Gard as player and coach) need some distance and time to refocus. This is an honest, human conflict. It is part of life. The timing could not be worse, but if any of you have been embroiled in a work conflict, a bad roommate situation, or a contentious family argument that got nasty, you can relate to Kobe King. One can disapprove of his actions yet still retain empathy for him. Adults know how to be critical of other people yet not allow that stern criticism to wipe away their respect or care for that person.
So it should be with Wisconsin fans and Kobe King.
This was a costly DNP versus Iowa, but it is also complicated. Be mad at Kobe King, a member of the Badger family who hasn’t done what the family needed him to do. Don’t let that anger erode your respect and care for him, however.
Let’s see if he and Gard can make peace. This upcoming Michigan State game might be the game which ultimately determines where this team lands on Selection Sunday.