BY DAVID THORPE

A few months ago we had to allow an animal hospice service to give our dog a sweet and peaceful passing. He expired in the arms of my wife, who cared for him seemingly every moment of his 10+ years. My daughter was beyond distraught. Weeks later his memory choked her up again, and I reminded her that Spalding had earned those tears. Most adults know the feeling of losing something we love--something in which we have invested time, hopes, and dreams. Our tears are an authentic reaction to loss, and a release. They help us mourn and move on. 

We don’t often see athletes cry, which is strange. To expect them to play with feeling, yet leave that feeling on the floor is not only unrealistic, it’s unwise. Commissioner Adam Silver sees anxious players in the NBA now. One way to alleviate anxiety is to behave authentically. A painful loss, an injury that requires season-ending surgery, or sometimes just failure can end a dream. Why not cry?

Last week Jeremy Lin cried when discuss…