How is 24 not already retired

[SkenfromLMF]

I greatly appreciate Kobe, and this may not be a popular sentiment, but it feels like to me, that this retiring the number 24, the players switching numbers and all that are really more about the way he died than his accomplishments in the NBA?(Which were great and amazing, no doubt...no disrespect meant.)   He absolutely was greatly beloved and greatly respected...without question, but he's not alone on his level.

It seems to have a domino and escalation effect as well.  When I've worked with groups that are processing tragic sudden grief, the worst thing to put all of them in a room together to process.  For example, I was called in to deal with a middle school who had just lost 3 students in a tragic car accident.  The teachers had sent any student that was emotional to the lunchroom and when I got there, there was 100 students, some hysterical, but all greatly emotional, in one room feeding off of each other's grief.  It was horrendously unhealthy and was hard to deal with.

I think if we all stepped back a minute, put the feelings of grief aside for a minute, we can acknowledge that he was a great player, but we all know that if he hadn't died early, in a tragic way, and had just lived to be 82 and died of heart disease, that none of these players changing numbers and multiple franchises retiring his number would be happening.

I firmly believe that people have to process grief in the way best for them and that's a wide range of things, and if retiring the number is the thing, awesome...but I also counsel people dealing with grief NOT to make any large decisions with long reaching ramifications, no more major life changes that you don't have to make, until after the initial shock and some time has passed.  For example, don't change jobs or move for a year...

I think that the league and owners would do well to consider this as well.  That being said, again, that is meant as no disrespect to Kobe or in any way trying to diminish his legacy or anything.  I hope this doesn't offend anyone either...not my intent at all or to be insensitive.

No worries... and thanks for your insights.

Outside of that...

No Way should Aguirre's 24 be placed in the rafters.

He was better than Kidd, Nash , Harper or Blackman. If  Mark was the issue why did team fall apart after he left.  Results matter the end of the 80' s was not Mark fault the facts proved that. He went on to win while Mavs sucked without him.

    Those Mavs teams were as good as any Mav team outside of 2011. They could just not best the Lakers.

All time leading scorer in ppg should get you something and he more than any other player put Mavs on tbe Map.

DISAGREEMENTS TO FOLLOW: 

1) The 2006 team was better than any of the Aguirre Mavs teams, and would make the case for the '07 team as well - just not as fervently. But yeah those mid-late 80's Mavs were great until Tarpley got hurt in 87-88.

2) Aguirre was NOT better than Kidd. You can reasonably make that case on Nash, Harper and Blackman, but including J-Kidd makes it foolishness.

Why did the Mavs fall apart after he left??? We thought Detlef Schrempf was a better fit for the team than Karl Malone (84), Don Carter/Sonju extended Tarpley when they should have prioritized Sam Perkins (88), ROY TARPLEY DID DRUGS (∞), and o yeah 24 got to Detroit in exchange for Adrian Dantley (see: Iguodala w/ Memphis)

Why did he win in Detroit?  The Pistons were good enough that he could come off the bench, and BETTER YET he volunteered to come off the bench for the Pistons which was WAAAAAAYYYY more mature than he EVER was in Dallas.

All-Time ppg gets you mentioned in the greatest of team history conversation, just not included among the monuments!