J-Speaks: Hawks' Star Forward Suspended For PED Use

Two weeks ago, the National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended second year starting center for the Phoenix Suns Deandre Ayton, for 25 games, without pay after testing positive for performance enhancing drug (PED) diuretic. At the start of his week, another young player was put on the shelf by “The Association” for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.

The NBA suspended Atlanta Hawks’ starting forward John Collins, without pay for 25 games after testing positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2) in the early part this past Tuesday morning.

Collings, who was averaging 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds in the early part of the 2019-20 season became the third player shelved by the NBA for violating the NBA/NBPA (National Basketball Players Association’s Anti-Drug Program, joining Ayton and Brooklyn Nets’ swingman Wilson Chandler, who received also received a 25-game suspension in late August after taking a “small dose” of a banned substance that was identified by the NBA as Ipamorelin, a growth hormone that increases the release of growth hormone.

Collins during this 25-game suspension, which began with the Hawks 108-100 win versus the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs (5-3) on Tuesday night will have to vacate the arena, home and way, two hours before tipoff, but will be allowed to practice with the team.  

The substance that Collins took, according to NBA.com story by Sekou Smith was outside the purview of the Hawks’ training staff. The third-year pro out of Wake Forest University, who was taken No. 19 overall in the 2017 draft said he will appeal his suspension.

“First I want to apologize to my teammates, the Hawks organization our fans, partners and community as a whole for this situation,” Collins said in a statement released through the team. “I understand the impact this matter has on what we are trying to achieve together this season, and I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed in myself for putting all of us in this position.”

“I have always been incredibly careful about what I put in my body, but I took a supplement which, unbeknownst to me, had been contaminated with an illegal component. I plan to fight my suspension in arbitration so I can get back on the court as soon as possible and continue to contribute to our 2019-20 campaign.” 

On the Tuesday edition of ESPN’s “NBA: The Jump,” ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst had said that Collins was using the banned substance to add more bulk so that he would no longer get pushed around at the defensive end, which was also the case for Ayton.

That choice unfortunately caused the Hawks (3-5) to not have one of their cornerstones in the midst of a rebuilding process, which second-year head coach Lloyd Pierce described as “disturbing.”

“It’s tough,” Hawks second-year lead guard Trae Young who had 29 points and 13 assists in the victory versus the Spurs said of the Collins suspension. “I know he didn’t necessarily know that this was going to happen. I feel for my brother and I’ve got his back. For me it’s tough. For the whole team, it’s tough. We are losing a big piece of our team.”

Coach Pierce said that he spoke with the Collins briefly before the tip-off of the Hawks win versus Spurs, and according to a story by NBA.com’s Sekou Smith spent much of his day beforehand educating himself on how to deal with a player being shelved like this. He initially focus was on helping Collins, who he said was “not in a good place” when the two spoke.

As much as he cares about his player’s career on the hardwood, Coach Pierce stated that his main concern was about his well being as a person, which is something he learned firsthand as a member of the Team USA coaching staff at the World Cup this summer working alongside future Hall of Fame head coach of the Spurs Gregg Popovich, three-time NBA champion head man of the Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr and Jay Wright of the University of Villanova Wildcats.

“It’s fitting we’re playing San Antonio tonight,” Pierce said on Tuesday. “It’s unfortunate this situation that happened with John, and everything that has come about on this day. To get a call from Travis [Schlenk] this morning informing me that John was going to be suspended. I go back to the time spent with Coach Pop and the time we spent was, how do you grow and help players? And this is that time.”

“Bottom line is, it’s an unfortunate situation with John’s suspension. And this is what I’ve been charged with as a head coach to help John and support John, and help him get through this, not as a player but as a person. And that’s where my mind is and that’s where my mind went when everything occurred this morning.”

Coach Pierce also admitted that there is a lot that he has to educate himself on from the rules and regulations of PED use, which he said that he’s “unfamiliar” with.  

Whatever happens during this appeal process for Collins, his teammates and the Hawks coaching staff have said they will give him unconditional support, with the understanding that the team still has to continue to go out on the hardwood and perform to their maximum without Collins.

“How do we address it? How do we move forward and what’s the plan to help John during this time? So, you’re disappointed and sad for the team,” Coach Pierce said on Tuesday, adding, “You feel for John. He’s not in a good place and so it’s how to do we help him and how do we help those other guys? Tonight, I’ve got to help those other guys for a couple hours and then we get back to John when we’re done with tonight’s game.”

Free agent addition over the summer in Jabari Parker, the No. 2 overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 draft has started in Collins place the last three games averaging 20.7 points and seven rebounds on 59.1 percent from the field. The Hawks however have lost their last two outings in succession, suffering a 113-93 loss versus the Chicago Bulls (3-6) on Wednesday and then a 121-109 setback versus the Sacramento Kings (3-6) on Friday night.

If the Hawks plan to survive this portion of their season without Collins, the entire team from Young and Parker; rookies Cam Reddish and Bruno Fernando; sharp-shooting second-year guard Kevin Huerter; starting center Alex Len and reserve big man Damian Jones to raise their level of play. They will also need the veteran wisdom of Evan Turner and Vince Carter to rise up and guide these young Hawks through a tough moment.

“Of course, we are going to miss him, but at the same time we still have a to play basketball,” Young said. “That’s all we are here to do, is play basketball.”

Young, who had a second straight double-double of 30 points and 12 in the loss versus the Kings on Friday evening added, “There are lot of guys in here who can play. There are a lot of guys that are going to step up. Like I said, obviously, John is a big piece of our team. It’s not going to be easy to replace a 20 [point] and 10 [rebound] guy like that. We have a lot of guys in here who can make plays.”

The two big takeaways from this latest suspension of an NBA player due to PED use that all NBA players need to know who the kind of people from outside trainers and medical people and what they are being prescribed.

That one decision as we have seen with Wilson Chandler of the Brooklyn Nets, Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns and John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks has cost them 25 games and some serious cash that they will not be getting.

There are no shortcuts to getting better at anything, especially in pro sports. It takes time, effort and surrounding yourself with the right people with the right intentions. Above all it is up to the individual to understand what they are taking and if they have any reservations to not take the substance or to ask the team specifically if the substance is illegal.

“So, I think around the entire league, any player, especially a young player you are re-evaluating who you trust and what you’re taking today,” Windhorst said. “Starting now.”

Hall of Famer and fellow ESPN NBA analyst Tracy McGrady echoed that sentiment by simply saying, “Clear that through the league before you put it in your body.”

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 8/29/19 www.nytimes.com story, “Nets’ Wilson Chandler Suspended 25 Games for Violating N.B.A.’s Drug Policy,” by Sopan Deb; 10/25/19 www.washingtonpost.com story, “Suns’ Deandre Ayton Hit With 25-Game Suspension For Failed Drug Test,” by Ben Golliver; 11/5/19 3 p.m. edition of “NBA: The Jump” on ESPN with Rachel Nichols, Brian Windhorst, Tracy McGrady; 11/5/19 www.nba.com stories, “Hawks Support John Collins As Once-Promising Season Enters Uncharted Territory,” by Sekou Smith and “Hawks’ John Collins Suspended 25 Games;” https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/roster/_/name/atl; and  https://www.espn.com/nba/standings.