The NBA

[NUguy514]

3 hours ago, Black Knight said:

He says he has an open mind and wants to educate himself blah blah, but refuses to hear what the ADL might have to say.

Yeah, he's proven throughout his career that he has absolutely no interest in trying to educate himself on anything; moreover, like all very stupid, narcissistic, and insecure people in the world, he won't listen to any views that don't reinforce his own because he does not have the mental capacity to self-reflect or process more than one train of thought at a time – or at any time.

[Danielg342]

So Kyrie Irving apparently will not be able to return from his suspension until he completes some kind of remediation program, whatever that means. There's a chance- a good one, I think- that Irving could be gone longer than five games.

Since I don't think I'll add anything by repeating that Irving is a complete whack-a-doodle, I'm going to have some fun predicting the future, because this circus is far from finished. Here's what I think will happen:

• The five games will pass without Irving saying a word. The Brooklyn Nets, for their part, will release some kind of vague, PR statement that really just says "we're taking things day by day" but everyone will still try to interpret it one way or another about how effective the remediation program has been so far.
• The sixth game will come, and the Nets will be non-committal on Irving's return. Irving will again stay silent and he won't play even though the initial five game suspension is up.
• Someone- perhaps Kanye West, perhaps Donald Trump- will blast the Nets and the NBA for "oppressing" Irving and demand that he return to basketball. Someone in the NBA will fire back, but it won't be anyone in any official capacity for the Commissioner's Office or the Nets. Meanwhile, Brooklyn and Irving continue to stay silent on how the remediation is going, and Irving's suspension continues.
• What happens next will depend on whether or not the Nets will blink (because I doubt Irving will):
  • Brooklyn, having now lost all 15-20 games that Irving has so far missed, will ask Irving to recite some PR-written statement that will serve as an apology allowing the Nets to lift their suspension. No one will believe Irving, but by this point the Nets will so desire moving on from the situation that they're better off keeping Irving than by getting rid of him. The Players Association may also force Brooklyn's hand.
  • Brooklyn, despite now being 2-30, decide that Irving is more trouble than he's worth and decide to eat whatever is left of his contract. The next day, the New York Knicks sign Irving out of the belief they can turn him into the next Latrell Sprewell, but instead they get a disinterested Irving who decides to ride out all the years the Knicks gave him and New York continues to crash and burn in irrelevancy. Steven A. Smith quits ESPN on air and moves to the mountains to become a monk.
• Years later, when Irving's contract runs out and he's forced to continue his career in China because no one in Europe or the NBA will want any further part of him, Irving will decry the whole process and paint himself as a martyr. Maybe Trump will pledge to create a "rival NBA" where "free speech is allowed" and Irving will be on board with that, but talk does not go beyond there. Ultimately, at this point we'll just see how much of a waste of time this whole process was, because we know Irving will never change and that money trumps principle every time.

So there...but try to act surprised when it happens.

[cambridgeguy]

10 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

If this story is true, then it's an unfortunate stain on Pop's career as apparently he knew about all the exposing allegations.

He used to joke about retiring a minute after Duncan did.  In retrospect, maybe he should have done that since he would have spared himself the Kawhi drama, mediocre seasons, and now something far worse.  Regardless of what the true story is a lot of people will never believe someone as powerful and connected as him could remain oblivious about this.

On the other hand, Mark Cuban managed to make it through the Mavericks' sexual harassment scandal without any significant hit to his reputation even though one of the most involved owners in sports being ignorant about it seems unlikely.

[LexieLily]

Players' Union may appeal Kyrie Irving's suspension, terms to return to team.

Kyrie is VP of the NBPA and thus part of the executive committee, of course he would want to appeal his own suspension. How is this not a massive conflict of interest?

(It's not like Brooklyn will magically stop sucking if/when he is allowed to play.)

[cambridgeguy]

So for all the talk of Anthony Davis being Mr. Glass, has anyone noticed that other LA star, Kawhi Leonard, has played a grand total of 42 minutes in two games this season and is currently out with no timetable for his return?  Ever since that never ending injury with the Spurs it's always something with him.  It's a shame such a talented player is so physically fragile.

[Black Knight]

21 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Kyrie is VP of the NBPA and thus part of the executive committee, of course he would want to appeal his own suspension. How is this not a massive conflict of interest?

An union's position is typically that it's there to be an advocate for members and that making an appeal is playing out the "legal" process that every member deserves. That it's not the union's place to decide that this or that person shouldn't get the full representation they're entitled to as a dues-paying member. So even though Irving does happen to be VP, there's nothing surprising at all about the union considering an appeal. They would consider an appeal for any player whether he was on the committee or not. And usually the only thing that stops an appeal is if the situation is so cut-and-dry there really is nothing to argue, or if the player himself decides it's not to his advantage to appeal, either for PR reasons or because they would rather get the punishment done now rather than risk losing the appeal and having the punishment drop at an especially inopportune time.

The union also has to consider the setting of precedent, which goes beyond any one member's case, and is a strong argument for appeal regardless of Irving being VP. I do think it's a fair point for an appeal that the Nets have chosen a couple of action items that they can be virtually certain Irving will never fulfill because he is so hard-headed, and so it's essentially their way of keeping him from ever suiting up for them again. It's always just a matter of time before he says or does something else, and the Nets weren't winning when he was playing anyway, so he's not worth the trouble in their view. That said, I ultimately don't think any of their action items are unreasonable and I would deny his appeal if I were the judge or arbitrator. But he and his union have the right to appeal and have that process play out, regardless of the ultimate outcome.

[xaxat]

After reading more about the conditions, I think the Nets needs to make the choice between suspending or cutting Kyrie. These conditions border on a demand for behavior modification, not education. Either they believe Kyrie and his "apology" (I don't) or they don't.

[xaxat]

Brooklyn Nets hire Jacque Vaughn as new head coach

So much for Woj's exclusive that they were going to hire Udoka.

[cambridgeguy]

3 hours ago, xaxat said:

Brooklyn Nets hire Jacque Vaughn as new head coach

So much for Woj's exclusive that they were going to hire Udoka

I think that was the initial plan.  A lot of people were convinced it was Udoka, so I think the Nets only backed off when they decided they didn't want an Udoka headache on top of all the other drama.

[LexieLily]

If Kyrie does return to Brooklyn, what's the over/under on how long it takes him to create another scandal/leave the team for a 'personal break'/disregard the new coach?

[Magog]

The Lakers are now 2-9 after going down to the Clippers 114-101. LeBron got 30 points, but had to leave the game due to an injury to his groin. The rest of the Lakers suck as usual & its going to get even worse for these losers if LeBron is out for a while with that groin injury like he was a few seasons ago. 

Almost every night, I have to hear ESPN feeling sad for the Lakers being very bad this season & now someone from there want them to consider trading Street Clothes (Anthony Davis) somewhere. Frankly, I don't know why would anyone would want Street Clothes on their team since he can't seem to stay healthy & be somewhat reliable when he's on the court. That person even have the nerve to think that those Warriors should consider trading Klay Thompson & Draymond to the Lakers for Street Clothes. Those Warriors & the other NBA teams should tell the Lakers to get lost & stay lost when it comes to trading Street Clothes, Russell Westbrook, or anyone else from the Lakers.

[Salacious Kitty]

Per Woj, the Nets have released Kyrie.

[NUguy514]

26 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Per Woj, the Nets have released Kyrie.

[xaxat]

28 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Per Woj, the Nets have released Kyrie.

Did you get that from Twitter? Because their new policy with blue checks has led to a lot of imposters and I don't see mention of it on the ESPN site or on Woj's real twitter feed.

[Salacious Kitty]

I didn't know about imposters. I did see it on Twitter. Maybe he jumped the gun and deleted it? It had been up for a while when I saw it.

[xaxat]

Yeah, it is tough out there now.

Stay safe.

[Lady Whistleup]

16 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Per Woj, the Nets have released Kyrie.

That was a parody account who paid for the blue check.

[Salacious Kitty]

6 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

That was a parody account who paid for the blue check.

Yes, we figured that out. 

[NUguy514]

On 11/10/2022 at 2:41 PM, NUguy514 said:

I stand by this.

[isalicat]

Wow, Warriors vs. Cavs tonight was like a playoff game. Hope some of you were able to catch it...great game!!

(well, of course the Warriors won. Why do you ask? 😸 )

[Magog]

6 hours ago, isalicat said:

Wow, Warriors vs. Cavs tonight was like a playoff game. Hope some of you were able to catch it...great game!!

Yes, I watched it & it was pretty enjoyable.

6 hours ago, isalicat said:

well, of course the Warriors won. Why do you ask? 😸

🤬 Except for that part. Leave it to those scummy Warriors & ESPN's Golden Boy (scoring 40 points) bringing me even more agony & utter disgust. I'm somewhat surprised that ESPN didn't air this game last night. You would think that it'll give them a break over boo-hooing about the Lakers by having them worshipping their hero & bootlicking one of their favorite teams.

[LexieLily]

Not only do the Lakers suck and have no real avenue to get better, but they don't own their draft pick for 2023 - Pelicans have pick-swap rights from the AD trade. Ha! 

[Magog]

Last night, Steph was being Steph (as usual) by scoring 50 points. Thankfully, the Suns beat up on those Warriors 130-119. I found it very amusing. It would of been even more amusing to me if it wasn't for Darius Garland scoring 51 on the Timberwolves a few days ago, but the Cavaliers lost to the Timberwolves 129-124. 

Unfortunately, the Cavaliers are in a 5 losing game streak right now, which is really bumming me out. 

As for those Warriors, they haven't won a road game yet (0-8) & I didn't realize till a few minutes ago that James Wiseman is currently in the G League. Frankly, there is nothing to worry about when it comes to those Warriors.

[Salacious Kitty]

Yup, they sent Wiseman down to the G League for 10 days. We'll see if getting more playing time helps him when he returns. 

I'm more worried about the horrific road record. They had a recent roadie that included teams like Charlotte and Orlando. The second team isn't stepping up, and the defense is horrible. There's a lot wrong right now.

[Fukui San]

Due to an abundance of injuries, the Heat are playing with 7 players tonight vs. Washington and it amounts to Kyle Lowry + bench players + G League players.

They're now in overtime. Win or lose it's a valiant effort.

[mojoween]

Happy 18th birthday to the Malice at the Palace!  It’s an adult now.

Was Ron wrong?  Yes.  Was that first fan out of line?  Also yes.

Edit:  forgot to lead with - Ben started it.

Edited November 19, 2022 by mojoween

[Lady Whistleup]

Kyrie comes back tomorrow from his seven game suspension. He's making the apology tours. 

Also, Giannis showed a not-so-shining moment last night. After a very rough game in which he went 4-15 from the line, he took his frustration post-game on a ladder:

[cambridgeguy]

The backstory behind the ladder stuff

[LexieLily]

4 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Kyrie comes back tomorrow from his seven game suspension. He's making the apology tours. 

Dollars to donuts he hasn't learned a thing and will embarrass the team in a new way soon enough, but Brooklyn/the NBA is bringing him back under the misguided notion Brooklyn will stop sucking once he returns.

[Magog]

The Nets are playing in Philadelphia tonight against the 76ers & I can't wait to see Ben Simmons fall flat on his face like usually does. He hasn't done that for the past couple of games, but I'm hopeful that Philadelphia will give Ben Simmons that welcome that he definitely deserves. And hopefully the Nets will lose.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Magog

[shoregirl]

1 minute ago, Magog said:

The Nets are playing in Philadelphia tonight against the 76ers & I can't wait to see Ben Simmons fall flat on his face like usually does. He hasn't done that for the past couple of games, but I'm hopeful that Philadelphia will give Ben Simmons that welcome that he definitely deserves. And hopefully the Nets will lose.

I hope the nets lose but sixers are going to be without Embiid Maxey harden and probably Tobias Harris who are all injured right now. That's 4 of their 5 starters .

[LexieLily]

10 hours ago, Magog said:

The Nets are playing in Philadelphia tonight against the 76ers & I can't wait to see Ben Simmons fall flat on his face like usually does. He hasn't done that for the past couple of games, but I'm hopeful that Philadelphia will give Ben Simmons that welcome that he definitely deserves. And hopefully the Nets will lose.

You're in luck! Ben Simmons (a) bricked two free throws on one trip to the line (that gave Philly fans free chicken sandwiches, lol), (b) baited the refs into calling a flagrant one on Niang when Niang barely hit him, and (c) talked smack to the Philly bench and made the 'shh' motion when he made a put-back layup. 

Way to act tough, Ben. Your team lost by nine to a Philadelphia team missing it's three best players, and Tobias Harris got hurt during the game.

AND Brooklyn waved the white flag and emptied the bench with three minutes left down fifteen. Lol.

[xaxat]

On 11/22/2022 at 10:45 AM, shoregirl said:

I hope the nets lose but sixers are going to be without Embiid Maxey harden and probably Tobias Harris who are all injured right now. That's 4 of their 5 starters .

I was really worried when it was announced that that those guys wouldn't be playing for an extended period (Harris has since returned). But they have managed to win 3 of 4 (?) since then.

You go B Ball Paul!

[Magog]

The Lakers crappy season brought me even more joy last night. They were up by 17 points against the Pacers 101-84 with 10 minutes left in the 4th Quarter & the Lakers choked it away by losing to the Pacers 116-115 with a buzzer-beater by a rookie name Andrew Nembhand. Russell Westbrook had a great game last night by scoring 24 points, 4 rebound,s & 6 assists. He was even having some fun during the game for a change, so I won't blame this latest choking on him. 

Overall, the Lakers are 7-12 & they still suck. The Pelicans were definitely laughing at the Lakers last night.

[DrSpaceman73]

Jesus lebron 'why is no one asking ne about Jerry jones!'  Could he be more of an attention whore?..

Just say what you think and quit whining.  

[Crashcourse]

Of course, LeWhine has to make it all about himself. 🙄

[NUguy514]

Fuck Bron-bron, I am MUCH more important and interesting and incisive and superior.  He should be asking ME about Jerry Jones!  Why is no one asking ME about Jerry Jones??

[twoods]

I read the full transcript and he said it in the context that reporters kept asking them about Kyrie and his antisemitic posts, but when Jerry Jones was found to have a picture depicting him as a racist, the media hasn’t brought it up to the athletes. He was calling out the double standard when it comes to a black athlete vs a wealthy white owner. 
 

Now you all may resume bashing Lebron and the Lakers.

Edited December 3, 2022 by twoods

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

I read the full transcript and he said it in the context that reporters kept asking them about Kyrie and his antisemitic posts, but when Jerry Jones was found to have a picture depicting him as a racist, the media hasn’t brought it up to the athletes. He was calling out the double standard when it comes to a black athlete vs a wealthy white owner. 
 

Now you all may resume bashing Lebron and the Lakers.

They asked Jerry jones about it directly at a press conference. 

Numerous articles were written about it. 

He doesn't play in the nfl or for the Cowboys. No reason for anyone to ask lebron about it. 

Dak prescott was asked about it

[Salacious Kitty]

Was Lebron asked, or did he offer his opinion off the cuff? Because I can totally see him doing that.

[twoods]

He offered his opinion off the cuff like he always does, so you were right. I thought his comment was dumb, but I can understand where he’s coming from. 
 

Lakers with a shocking win. Now time to lose another 10 in a row. 

[Lady Whistleup]

A few storylines early in the season that might be important later on:

1. Giannis has been AWFUL at the charity stripe this year. Down to 60% which is getting to be Shaq levels of bad. He got hit with a 10 second violation today. You an tell it's in his head now. 

2. Klay has really been struggling. 

3. Ben Simmons is getting his mojo back and really been playing well.

4. Anthony Davis is playing awesome, and oddly so is Russell Westbrook. The Lakers after a disastrous start are playing a lot stronger.

[Salacious Kitty]

Okay had a 40 point game a few games ago. He actually was playing quite well until the last couple of games. He went for 26 tonight. Not struggling.😊

My night was made much more pleasant watching the Dubs win rather than USC go down in flames. 

[cambridgeguy]

6 hours ago, twoods said:

He offered his opinion off the cuff like he always does, so you were right. I thought his comment was dumb, but I can understand where he’s coming from.

As usual, a typical fan's reaction is almost completely colored by what they think of Lebron.  Don't like him?  FFS, you stupid, egotistical whiner, this doesn't concern you so just shut up.  Like him?  He does have a point about people like Jerry Jones getting a mostly free pass - if a younger Kyrie (or any other player, especially a black one) had been photographed in a comparable situation you can be sure it would have come up a lot more.

[twoods]

Eh, I’m not one of those big Lebron fans. I think his ego has ruined the Lakers for the next decade and think that they rely too much on what he thinks. I don’t like how he handled the China situation at all. 

[Magog]

Last night's game was fun to watch. The Cavaliers beat the Lakers 116-102. Donovan Mitchell got 43 points & Darius Garland got 21 points in the win. LeBron got 21 for the Lakers & after getting 55 on the sucky Wizards, Street Clothes had to leave the game early with flu-like symptoms. Overall, the game went very well for me. Hopefully, the Cavaliers can keep this going. I like the direction this team is going. 

[Magog]

 🤣  Last night's ending of those Warriors - Jazz game certainly put a huge smile on my face. It felt like Christmas came early. 

Warriors - Jazz Insane Ending (Jazz 124 - Warriors 123) (Jazz Broadcast)

ESPN - Warriors (123) - Jazz (124) ending (Warriors Broadcast)

Edited December 8, 2022 by Magog

[mojoween]

Question to Kevin Durant - “what do you think about the Yankees resigning Aaron Judge?” (paraphrasing)

KD - “I’m a Nationals fan, I don’t care about Aaron Judge”

Well.  At least he’s honest.  🙄

[Salacious Kitty]

Good for him. Not everyone bows and scrapes to the mighty Yanks. 

[mojoween]

I TOTALLY get that, but as someone who works a borough over from the Yankees, and as someone who is on TV because of the network that Aaron Judge is currently the face of, I thought he would be a tad more diplomatic.