It didn't feel or seem bad when it happened.
That's what Michael Qualls told me.
And yet here he is, 10 days removed from that awkward landing, still trying to make sense of the torn ACL he suffered in a workout with the Suns. And yet here he is, four days away from the NBA Draft, still hoping a franchise will select him despite being in the process of scheduling a surgery that should sideline him for at least the next six months.
"I know I can't go in right away and help a team out," Qualls said. "But I feel like if a team will stay patient and diligent with me through this process, it'll be a great choice for them."
All injuries to elite athletes are unfortunate -- if only because they're often people who rely on healthy bodies to, at the collegiate level, pay for school, and, at the professional level, pay the bills. So I cringe each time a basketball player destroys a knee or damages an ankle. But I especially hated to hear about Michael Qualls' torn ACL because I immediately remembered the statement he released upon announcing he was leaving Arkansas early.
It wasn't a statement filled with cliches.
It didn't feature the famous phrase "taking my talents."
It didn't even mention the NBA.
Michael Qualls, quite directly, explained he had decided it was time to start a professional career, in whatever form, because he knew it was time to "provide for my family and my son." Quickly, some on social media wondered if it was wise for a projected second-round pick to leave college. And I just remember thinking how silly it was for anybody to wonder such a thing because, again, Qualls has a son, and it's pretty difficult to support a child as an amateur athlete. Making things even more complicated is the fact that the mother of Qualls' son is also an amateur athlete. Her name is Khadijah West; she too plays basketball at Arkansas, for Jimmy Dykes' Lady Razorbacks. So Michael Qualls Jr., who will turn 3 years old next month, has spent much of his life living with relatives while his parents are in school playing time-consuming high-major sports that make having a real job essentially impossible, meaning it was more than sensible for Qualls to choose to change that dynamic after averaging 15.9 points and helping Arkansas return to the NCAA Tournament.
"It's nobody else's job to take care of my son," Qualls said. "That's my job."
And now this.
A leap to contest a shot in a workout. An awkward landing. A torn ACL. A surgery to come. A young father spending Father's Day uncertain of whether he'll actually be able to take care of his son the way he initially planned thanks to little more than bad luck.
Ugh.
So, like lots of you, I'll be watching the NBA Draft on Thursday night with great interest -- eager to see where Duke's Jahlil Okafor lands, how high international star Kristraps Porzingis goes, whether somebody gambles early on the immensely talented but undeniably troubled Robert Upshaw from Washington. And when the second-round comes, I'll be hoping an NBA franchise decides to select and make a commitment to a high-flying athlete even if he's temporarily grounded, if only because I know Michael Qualls' motives for leaving college weren't rooted in flashy watches or expensive cars.
His desire was the same as mine and most fathers.
He just wanted to provide for his family -- specifically his son.
And it'll be cool if a terribly timed injury doesn't prevent him from doing it.
