Remember a time when you were sad, angry, or stressed out.  Now think about how difficult it was for you to focus on everyday tasks such as completing work or school projects, finishing chores, or paying bills.  How did it affect your appetite, energy level, and interpersonal relationships?  There is a reason people say not to drive when you are highly emotional - because you are distracted and often impulsive.    

In addittion, depression, as many people may not realize, often causes hearing and communication problems.  It's like hearing things the equivalent of how you would see things in fun house mirrors - distorted and misunderstood, some times being worse than others.  The more personal it is, the more likely the situation is to become distorted.  The more distorted it is, the less likely anyone is to understand what you are experiencing, because you are the only one perceiving the world through these audible fun house mirrors that defy logic and intellect at every turn.    

Now think about living your life this way, day in and day out, for as long as you can remember.  

This is the struggle that many people with depression face.  And this is precisely the struggle that Delonte faced throughout his life; both before and during his NBA career up to the start of this season.  Every time he struggled during a game he would more than likely doubt himself, and when he succeeded it probably was never good enough.  Self criticism is a key to sustaining depression and to overcome that criticism and doubt usually takes more than someone can muster from within themselves.   

Can you imagine how much dedication, determination, and talent it took for him to overcome this emotional disability to become a starting player on a NBA team which is in contention for the championship?  Not to say that his success as a basketball player in itself would help Delonte overcome the hurdle of depression, as he candidly stated that he was about to walk away from his career before the season started, but it does mean that he can now enjoy himself and his confidence is improving along with his game - both on and off the court.  

Delonte is an inspiration for many struggling with long lasting depression and other mental health problems.  He is taking responsibility for his life and taking care of himself in an appropriate manner.  He is, whether he likes it or not, a role model to many - and he is certainly acting like one.  Delonte, probably for the first time in his life, is finally enjoying himself and his life - and you can see his joy on the court, during interviews, and on the bench.  No wonder he feels like a kid on the court - he's living a childhood dream, and doing so in a very successful manner.

While the Cavs are seeking their own championship ring this year, they have the daunting task of sprinting right out of the starting gate without stumbling as they take on last year's national champions, the Boston Celtics.  For some this could be motivation, a springboard into the new season - do well on opening night and anything is possible.  However, if anything goes wrong, it could be a damper on the season and an excuse maker.  Cleveland knows the Cavaliers are good enough to win, it's just a matter of putting all the pieces together with the right timing.  Avoid major injuries, to the body and ego, and they have a great shot.  We have expert leaders and teachers training one another in every aspect of the game.  Our players have skill, intellect, and compassion.

So why is it, the world may ask, that the Cavaliers do not want to support their colleagues in their celebration of last year's accomplishments?  If they did the same to us, wouldn't we say they were just being poor sports?  I mean, last year is overwith and a new season is upon us.    However, if you take a look at the psychological aspects and social dynamics, it makes sense that the team has made a decision to keep themselves distanced from the ceremony instead of being cheerleaders on the sidelines.

With the ring ceremony preceding the game, the Celtics are undoubtedly going to have a rush of adrenaline that can not be captured by the Cavaliers by the pure essense of the situation.  By watching the ceremony and participating as witnesses, they may in fact be giving some of their energy to the Celtics, in turn taking away from their own game.  However, by making a unified decision to sit out the ceremony, the Cavaliers give themselves a better chance as a team to come out onto the floor focused and determined.

It's going to be a tough game - the Cavaliers really don't have anything going for them on paper - they are on the road going up against the championship team on the night they receive their championship rings; however, the Cavaliers often don't go by the numbers you see on stat sheets, and you can't get the team dynamics off a piece of paper.  I have confidence that the Cavaliers will win and, if for some reason they happen to fall short - there are still eighty-one more games to play during the season.  They'll come through in the end and, no matter how you feel about the ceremony, you need to have faith that the team is making the right decision for them.