Disclaimer: As someone who's struggled with depression his entire life, I'm well aware of just how important mental health is.
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African-Americans are, according to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, 20 percent more likely than the rest of the population to suffer from various ailments, including post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD and depression.
All that being said, it's still hard not to be critical of Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry's decision to head into the locker room Thursday night during the second quarter of his team's 108-89 loss in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the No. 1 Cavaliers. The All-Star said he needed to "decompress" and "reconfigure" himself. During his absence, the Cavs went on a 12-2 run and distanced themselves from the Raptors for good on their way to taking a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Who knows what they went through mentally, but could you imagine Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant taking a five in the same situation? If LeBron James had done it, the Twitter vitriol alone might've forced Minister Louis Farrakhan to call on the Fruit of Islam to protect the King of AK.
None of us has access to Lowry's medical records, but he's never acknowledged any psychological issues publicly. However, that doesn't mean he doesn't have any. In the postgame news conference, he mentioned that he's taken himself out of games for similar reasons in the past.
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On the surface, it may sound cruel, but regardless of what Lowry was going through he probably should've sucked it up for the time being. Decompression and reconfiguration is exactly what halftime, which was only minutes away, is made for. Sticking it out for just a little while longer with his teammates on the floor, then heading back to face his issues away from ESPN's cameras, would've been a much wiser decision. If he really has mental problems, exiting the contest in such a fashion amid the bright lights and big stage of an ongoing NBA playoff game would only make his burden appear that much heavier.
Even if you're limping, you're still standing. Pulling yourself from the game for the whole world to see is tantamount to quitting. It hurt his team, and might've conceded a victory to the bad guys in another battle far bigger than the one going on the court.
Nearly as unbelievable as Lowry's act was that he told the truth about it afterward.
Earlier this week I was exchanging text messages with my brother from another mother, John. I met him in college, but we might as well have known each other our whole lives. If I can't count on him for anything else, I know he's going to keep it funky about this thing called life. During our correspondence he dropped this gem: "Honesty is the best policy, but sometimes you gotta lie."
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Don't think that's wisdom? Try not using it the next time your significant other asks you whether they look fat in an outfit or how their new hairstyle looks when you really aren't feeling it, and let me know how that works out for you.
Somebody on the Raptors' PR team should've put a bug in the young man's ear.
Friday, ESPN Front Office Insider Aminu Elhassan said that Lowry should've simply said he had to go to the bathroom. It might've given social media a few jokes, but who wouldn't have been able to relate to that? It's better than folks questioning both his head and his heart the way they are now.
Lowry's averaging just nine points a game in two meetings with the Cavs in the playoffs. But he worked himself out of a shooting slump, putting together back-to-back performances of 35 or more points to close out Toronto's semifinals series against the Heat.
Hopefully, he can overcome his struggles between the lines and between his ears.