Illuminating article on Larry Sanders from six months ago:
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/the-continuing-education-of-larry-sanders
"What any team would have to accept from me, if they want me, is everything that comes with me," he said. "All of my projects and everything I want to do. If that's something they're willing to not just deal with but understand that it's part of me and this is what he brings to the table. It's not just this dreaming kid who wants to do all of these things. He's actually doing it. He's not just our basketball player. He's really good at basketball, but he's not just our basketball player. He's a human who has things that he wants to do."
That likely will not fly. While the same league source admits that Sanders is a "unique case study" in how teams will regard a potential return, he believes that, ultimately, a Larry Sanders comeback could be undone for rather expected reasons. Among them: marijuana, questionable fit in the locker room, and the great unknown of mental health. But the first explanation he offered for why an estimated two-thirds of NBA teams, including his own, won't touch Sanders is the same one Sanders himself offered: that basketball cannot be the only thing on his mind.
"We're not alone in this way. A lot of teams have a culture where basketball has to be top priority," he said. "Careers are so short that, if it's not made a primary focus, you can't really extract the most out of yourself or your opportunity. And Larry is certainly not in that category. Whether it's music, art, lifestyle, et al.—basketball is not his top passion."
That leaves a sliver of potential employers, and who knows which of those would make for a snug fit. The personnel man believes that the only feasible solution is a contending team with an established veteran presence, the sort that Golden State and Cleveland have. A developing team, on the other hand, makes far less sense.
"There is not a team with a front office in their right frame of mind that would send an offer to Larry Sanders knowing that they're in some sort of rebuilding, 'we're all working together to move forward' mode," he said. "I think that's a recipe for disaster."
All of this leaves Sanders and the league at an impasse. The NBA wants Larry Sanders, but only if he's the man he was in 2012-13. Larry Sanders wants the NBA, but only if he can return as an entirely different person.
I can see it now...the night before Game 3 of the Finals...Larry Sanders checks out from the team to do his new cartoon rap..."the Cleveland Cavaliers may be putting their top priority on working together to beat Golden State and repeat as world champions, but I'm a rich human being who has other priorities in my life...I'm not your basketball machine...here, listen to my art"...
