:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18569009/breaking-bad-logo.0.jpg){kind=logo}
Unless you live under a rock, you either watch Breaking Bad or know someone who does. Millions tune in to AMC every Sunday night to witness new episodes of what many have deemed to be one of the greatest television shows of all-time. Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White's incredible transformation from a straight-laced family man to a menacing drug kingpin. If you have yet to see the show, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning. Today.
Breaking Bad is a remarkable examination of the darkness in a man's character and what can evoke it. In Walter White's case, cancer is his catalyst, family is his excuse, and chemistry is his method (pun absolutely intended). In a scene from the show's pilot episode, Walter White describes chemistry as the study of change, a constant cycle of "growth, then decay, then transformation."
This concept of "growth, decay, and transformation" is seen on a regular basis in the NBA. In the last decade, the Phoenix Suns have been a great example of this process: growth from 2003-07, decay from 2010-13, then transformation from 2013-? The team's front office seems to have learned from the decay of the 2010-13 seasons that a full-on rebuild, a complete transformation was necessary. They learned their lesson: "no more half-measures." The Suns hope their "full-measure" transformation leads to more growth instead of further decay. Will the Suns prove to be on-court Heisenbergs in the future? Only time will tell.
----------
Special thanks to Richard Parker for his exceptional contribution above. Yes, everything above this is Richard, not me.
In addition to touching on this analogy Kris and I discuss Michael Beasley and Channing Frye with emphasis on the team's handling of their respective situations and the perception of their character.
Special thanks to Kris for his exceptional job doing our show prep. Yes, I have tricked Kris into doing my show prep.
----------