It’s the NBA playoffs, the Cavaliers are battling the mighty Pistons, and Larry Hughes, one of the top Cav players, isn’t suiting up. In fact, he’s missed two games. His younger brother Justin died last Thursday, and he’s taking care of family business and mourning. He’s not playing on national TV because “That’s what Justin would have wanted.” No, he’s somewhere in St. Louis dealing with a gut-wrenching loss, and the attitude of the Cavaliers is, “If Larry comes back–fine. If not, that’s fine, too. But we’re leaving him alone.”

Good for Hughes, and good for the Cavs. Last November I wrote a blog item about athletes who experience a death in the family, but don’t miss a game because they argue that the family member would have wanted them to play. Which I don’t buy.

Larry Hughes could have gone to any college, but he stayed in St. Louis, his hometown, because of his brother’s condition. He turned pro early, in 1996, because his family truly needed the money, being overwhelmed with enormous medical bills and facing a heart transplant (which Justin got the next year). He took a trade to Cleveland to be near the Cleveland Clinic, a major heart center.

Now Justin is gone, and Larry is taking time away from the team to be with his family and to grieve. And the Cavs have no problem with that. In fact, today the whole team is attending the funeral in St. Louis, rather than preparing for the next crucial game.

It’s nice to see proper priorities every once in a while.