Hustla's Handbook (How David West forgot all of the rules when he satdown with a hustla)

"I forgot all about them joints bruh!"

Daniel Radcliffe, the English actor, once said, “When you’re in the position I’m in, you have two options: you can either shut yourself off from everybody, from the world, and not live a full life. Or you welcome everybody into your life and occasionally somebody will try to take advantage. Layne Staley, the lead singer in Alice in Chains, broke it down like this, “We try to be real nice and friendly to people, but sometimes they take advantage of that.” Then Bernard Williams, the English philosopher, spit it like a real O.G. is supposed to with, “We grow a little every time we do not take advantage of somebody’s weakness.”

Well playas…the San Antonio Spurs’ GM R.C. Buford didn’t grow an ounce on Monday when he took advantage of David West’s weakness. What weakness do you ask playboy? His inability to see a boy takin’ advantage of the fact that he wants to win at all costs. These duns are goin’ to sign ole boy to the veteran’s minimum of $1.4 million on Thursday.

Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1^st! I’ve got TALL respect for D. West so don’t think for one minute that I’m blastin’ him for takin’ less bread on his quest to win a championship. However, the duns in San Antonio saw a boy gettin’ out of the ride down the street when he walked in with his emotions on his sleeve and they took advantage of it. Rule No.1 of the Hustla’s Handbook says, “Never show your hand to a boy that you’re tryin’ to negotiate with.” Rule No.2, “Never tell a boy everything you’re thinkin’!” And Rule No.3, “ALWAYS leave your emotions in the ride!”

D. West ain’t no minimum wage type cat! He averaged 14 points and 7 rebounds per game over the past four seasons with the Pacers! I know because I covered him the entire time. He was the freakin’ leader in the locker the entire 4 seasons and he was guaranteed to make $12.6 million this upcomin’ season.

So when a boy says that he wants to win, the hustla on the other side of the table wants to know how bad? Buford went straight gangsta on him and told him that he’d be happy to have him for nothin’. Unfortunately, D. West let his emotions tell himself that he wasn’t worth who he actually was; a leader, a solid contributor, a productive presence and a grown “A” man that has earned that respect both on and off of the floor.

"You did what?"

He took a 90 percent pay cut on a gamble bruh! All of these suckas/media-types out here are automatically crownin’ an old San Antonio team as next year’s champion like they didn’t just see a young Golden State team win the title. The Spurs are a year older bruh. Tim Duncan is 147 years old this year and Manu Ginobili is 143. Sure, they’ve got some young pieces but as unit they’re gettin’ up there. And D. West is about to turn 35 in August! Ain’t no guarantees they’ll even get to the Finals. They didn’t sign LeBron that’s an instant game changer. They signed LaMarcus Aldridge and they still have to play in the West.

Boyz are actin’ like Golden State, Houston and OKC just fell off of the planet earth because the Spurs signed a dun named LaMarcus.

As a grown man with a family and more than 25 years of corporate experience it’s been a long time since I’ve chased money. Because after you get to a certain level of success you stop takin’ positions for the bread. You start takin’ them for the satisfaction of the job. So I get what D. West was attemptin’ to do. However, you never let a boy offer you a job for minimum wage because you’ve worked too hard to get the respect that you’ve earned over the years. Minimum wage is for the mouth breather playboy. That’s means that a boy is usually payin’ you to hold up space at minimum wage. D. West is now makin’ less bread than duns on rookie deals and worse bruh. Think about that for a minute. For what? A chance at winnin’ a title?

His experience and leadership alone is worth at the very minimum $6 or $7 million but to offer this cat $1.4 million is an insult. But what’s real crazy pimpin’, is he took it. So I can’t be mad at R.C. Buford because he’s runnin’ a business and he got what he wanted and needed for absolutely nothin’!

I just don’t see how you can go to work for a boy that doesn’t respect you or your family. To even offer a man $1.4 million after he’s proven to you that he’s a productive leader and player in this league is a slap in the face. But to accept it is even worse.

Let me put it where the goats can get it for you playa. If ESPN came to me today and offered me an opportunity to be an on-air personality but I had to work for minimum wage, I would tell them to kick rocks and their momma's breath stinks! For an up and comin' sports writer workin' for ESPN is like winnin' a championship. "The World Wide Leader In Sports?" However, my dignity means more to me than winnin’ anybody’s championship even if you could guarantee it! Give me what I’ve earned at the bare minimum and that ain’t minimum wage. Stop me when I start lyin’!

Playas Thesaurus:


1) Spit: verb – to say
2) Dun: noun – to person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about bruh and its non-gender specific.
3) Ride: noun – car, vehicle
4) Pimpin’: noun – the person that I’m passionately tryin’ to get my point across to.
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