Frank, if anyone, knows that NBA teams don’t need any extra media scrutiny. But he’s convinced Collins would have no negative impact. “It won’t become a distraction,” says Frank. “I’m telling you, in my eyes, this is how it will play out. Whatever team he goes to, there will be an initial story. And then everyone moves on. I’m telling you, it will not be an issue in the locker room. It won’t even move the needle in the locker room. It won’t be a ripple effect. People are going to embrace him because of who is he.”

Frank isn’t just naively sticking up for a former player. The novelty of a gay team-sports athlete will wear off pretty quickly. From a fan’s point of few, Jason Collins will still be the same 7-foot role player that he was this year, and in years past. He’ll either improve, or regress — just like the Jason Collins we thought was straight would have done.

And off-the-court, Collins could help a team increase its reach, to gay and lesbian fans in the community. “An owner may say, ‘here’s a guy who can strengthen our connection to our fan base, and be an ambassador,” says Paul Swangard, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. “‘Jason Collins offers value beyond wins and losses, so we might as well take a chance on him with our 13th roster spot.’ I hope that happens.”