The NBA

[AimingforYoko]

Wow, I knew David Griffin was good, but holy shit. He might actually have a shot at keeping AD.

[Kip Hackman]

20 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Wow, I knew David Griffin was good, but holy shit. He might actually have a shot at keeping AD.

Why bother? It'll take a Supermax contract to keep him around. 

Make the best trade you can, and get some good, young talent to surround your new star ... who'll be on a rookie contract for a while. 

[mojoween]

So the Knicks will still get Barrett or Morant right?  That’s no small shakes.

[DrSpaceman]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

So the Knicks will still get Barrett or Morant right?  That’s no small shakes.

Probably Barrett.  Pretty sure Morant will be #2 pick. 

And if Ja Morant survives the last episode in Westeros.  He has a great Game of Thrones name. 

Or they could try to make a trade.  Rumor was they are shopping the #1 pick if they got it. 

I know the NBA hates it but I am glad NY or LA did not get the top pick.

Will be interesting to see what NO can do now.  Probably taking Zion and trading away AD. 

[ganesh]

I feel like this is what the Warriors series will be like. Portland will have some runs here and there, and it will be reasonably close for the most part, but then GS will pull away. 

I'd probably suit up Durant for Game 2, but I would limit his minutes a lot. There's no need at this point. 

[scorp01]

Kerr said yesterday that Durant wasn't close to coming back so I doubt we'll see him in game 2.  

If Portland doesn't adjust their defense, Golden State won't need Durant to play on Thursday anyway.

[Magog]

The New Orleans Pelicans got the first pick last night. At least, they have a competent GM in David Griffin to at least make that team relevant. David Griffin doesn't suck like Dell Dumps. 

Quote

I know the NBA hates it but I am glad NY or LA did not get the top pick.

Thankfully, Zion Williamson won't be going to the Knicks so I don't have to root for him to fail. It just sucks that they got a top 3 pick (pick #3). Stephen A Smith is sick to his stomach right now about this & his anger over Zion not going to New York really puts a smile on my face. Just for that, I hope that the Pelicans will win an NBA Championship before the Knicks so I can see him really lose it like he did when the Cavaliers won the championship 3 yrs ago.

Speaking of the Cavaliers, I don't even know who the hell is going to be there at #5 who is going to be worth a damn. Its bad enough that they now have a doofus as a new head coach (Jim Beilen) that makes that idiot Larry Drew & that dunce Mike Brown look like geniuses. 

At least the NBA Draft was entertaining unlike that game last night. Mr. "Goody Two Shoes" made 9 3-pointers last night in a walk in the park 116-94 victory.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Magog

[twoods]

Haha Knicks! Now we can stop listening to the Zion/AD/Durant nonsense. I can’t believe this was a thing before they even got the first pick. 

Excited the Lakers went up a lot, but they will probably throw this pick away like they have the others. Lebron will probably dictate who they pick.

[roamyn]

Zion going first doesn’t guarantee the Pelicans will win with him.  With the exception of LeBron & Kyrie (both w/the Cavs), no #1 has won a title w/the team that drafted them, since Tim Duncan. 

And yes, David Griffin is a great GM.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

6 hours ago, Magog said:

Mr. "Goody Two Shoes" made 9 3-pointers last night in a walk in the park 116-94 victory.

So he's a goody two shoes, smug, AND evil? My goodness, how does he do it? 🤔

[ganesh]

Toronto really let that get away.

Hey, you don't have to jack up a long 3 only down 4. A quick 2 works. 

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

So he's a goody two shoes, smug, AND evil? My goodness, how does he do it? 🤔

I only think he's a faux goody two shoes who is actually smug.  Not so much evil as phony.  Glad you like him though.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Okay. 🤷‍♀️

[DrSpaceman]

7 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I only think he's a faux goody two shoes who is actually smug.  Not so much evil as phony.  Glad you like him though.

You can dislike him all you want. 

I don't think there is anything faux about him or his family though.  I live literally 10 minutes from where he went to college.  His family still lives in Charlotte.  His mom helped open a Charter school near where I live.  Everyone loves him and the whole family here.  I have heard nothing that would indicate he isnt exactly who he portrays himself to be. 

He probably is smug, but most great players are pretty smug, and with good reason.  When you've proven yourself to be one of the greatest shooters in the history of the game, its bound to happen. 

Goody two shoes?  You could call him that.  He certainly is different than many other NBA stars, which is not a bad thing. 

But phony?  Absolutely no evidence that is true. 

For phony.........look to Lebron.  I didn't tell the Lakers to try and hire Ty Lue.  I had no idea Magic was leaving the Lakers!!  I don't know why Jason Kidd was hired as a "prominent assistant".  Meanwhile he is pulling the strings behind the scenes the whole time. 

Edited May 16, 2019 by DrSpaceman

[Kip Hackman]

I don't root for Steph because he's a Davidson guy.

But I will say this: Watching the Dubs win without KD is far less annoying than watching them win with him.

[ganesh]

I don't really have a problem with dynasties. I rooted against Boston in the 80s, but I root for GS now. The NBA has always thrived on them. And for some odd reason the Knicks who never really have done much. 

Here's the thing about dynasties though - beat them and they won't be anymore. The Pistons eventually caught the Celtics. The Bulls caught the Pistons. (Then it was all a mess in the late 90s because no one could shoot). Anyway though. 

Edited May 16, 2019 by ganesh

[xaxat]

4 hours ago, DrSpaceman said:

For phony.........look to Lebron.  I didn't tell the Lakers to try and hire Ty Lue.  I had no idea Magic was leaving the Lakers!! 

I actually believe LeBron on that one. From what I've read about that "press conference", it sounds like Magic himself didn't know for sure he was leaving until the words actually came out of his mouth.

[topanga]

6 hours ago, DrSpaceman said:

For phony.........look to Lebron.  I didn't tell the Lakers to try and hire Ty Lue.  I had no idea Magic was leaving the Lakers!!  I don't know why Jason Kidd was hired as a "prominent assistant".  Meanwhile he is pulling the strings behind the scenes the whole time. 

I keep hearing rumblings that LeBron wants to be seen as a nice guy but becomes a psychopath with his teammates and superiors. Although if he pretends to be nice, doesn’t that make him a sociopath?

Anyway, as a LeBron apologist, I’d love to know the truth. 

I wish I were like Skoda on Law and Order and could force him to sit down with me for an in-depth psychological interview. 

Maybe it’s the syndrome of being an elite athlete who’s been worshipped your entire life, so you’re an arrogant asshole. Most professional athletes don’t escape that one. 

[ganesh]

I can't imagine that people at elite levels of the professions aren't somewhat assholeish though. 

[roamyn]

I don’t think an “arrogant asshole” would do as much for his community,as LeBron has done.  He still lives in Akron during the off season, as well.  Even when he broke our hearts and left for Miami, he continued to support the kids in Akron.

 I’m not a fan of Steph, but he seems like an okay guy.  Unlike his wife.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

OMG, people need to stop putting Curry's wife down. She's damned if she do, damned if she don't. If she doesn't do anything, they'll call her a lazy SAHM. If she takes advantage of her situation in life, she's seen as an attention ho riding the coattails of her husband. Whatever she says, people dissect and pull apart and criticize. For the record she's very friendly. When my mom went to pick up some prescriptions at Rite-Aid a few weeks ago, Ayesha was there with their baby son, also picking up something. Had a lovely conversation with her and there was no attitude, no divaness, none of that. And when I crossed Steph & Ayesha in the parking lot of my local Whole Foods a couple years ago, they had brought their own groceries (with their own bags, that's what we do in CA) to their own car, and put them damn own groceries away. They're actually pretty fucking down-to-earth.

Edited May 17, 2019 by MVFrostsMyPie

[Ohwell]

My only issue with Ayesha Curry is the issue I have with a lot of well- known people, and that is they tell too much about their personal lives.  In her case, I really didn't need to hear about how she regretted getting her breast implants.  TMI. 

Also, I'm sure there are a lot of SAHM sports wives that we don't hear about, and they're probably perfectly fine with that.  I know I would be if I were one.  

[ganesh]

2 hours ago, roamyn said:

I don’t think an “arrogant asshole” would do as much for his community,as LeBron has done.  

I have zero issues with any of the superstars in any sport. I'm talking about when it comes to practice, drive, motivation for winning games, when you talk about any of them in any sport, yeah, they probably yelled at teammates in practice, maybe took a swing at a teammate, threw a ball at someone, hit a hard foul. That type of stuff. 

Being nice doesn't win championships. Winning does. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

47 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

Also, I'm sure there are a lot of SAHM sports wives that we don't hear about, and they're probably perfectly fine with that.  I know I would be if I were one.  

But well, you're not. 

I think we hear about Ayesha, for example, more than other basketball wives, because well, she's successful, and so is her husband. Not to mention, she has a personality, whether or not you like it. So, we probably don't hear about a lot of SAHM basketball wives, whether they want the attention or not, because they're basically irrelevant. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Jx223]

That was a tough loss for Portland. CJ McCollum blew a lot of shots in the 4th quarter of that game. Missed opportunity for Portland to get this win (after having a nice lead early on) and head back home with the series evened up. I hope they don't get swept and can win both of the games at home.

[ganesh]

6 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

CJ McCollum blew a lot of shots in the 4th quarter of that game.

He made some really poor shot selections in the 4th. He wasn't the only one though. They slipped on several offensive rebounds too. 

I'm a casual fan at best, but it seemed to me in this game that GS *didn't* give up easy 2s to kick it out back for 3. There were like three alleys in the 4th, and several backdoor cuts to easy layups. As much as they're known for offense, the game ended on a slick, clean steal. 

Really exciting game.

I'm basically over showing the Curry parents. Let's be more judicious in the panning to them. Though they seem like good sports, and it's not their fault. 

[mojoween]

The Curry’s cheated with their jersey coin flip, by having the back of the jersey be the other team.

I feel like if their dad wasn’t Del Curry, we might not see them as much?

[DrSpaceman]

20 hours ago, xaxat said:

I actually believe LeBron on that one. From what I've read about that "press conference", it sounds like Magic himself didn't know for sure he was leaving until the words actually came out of his mouth.

I don't think Lebron knew in the sense he was told "I'm leaving" by Magic before it happened

But on the other hand, to be 'shocked' in the sense you had no idea there was trouble in an organization full of chaos and that Magic might be frustrated by it all, since it is very different I am sure than when Jerry Buss, who he was extremely close to, ran the organization, is hard to believe. 

The season has been a disaster, there is no indication its going to necessarily get better soon, no one seems to know who is in charge, I am sure Lebron had to at the very least know of the frustration on the part of Magic throughout the season, even if he had just talked to him before it happen.  Add it all up, you can't be too surprised by it all in retrospect. 

I mean this is a team that even after Magic left

1. Was TURNED DOWN by Ty Lue, hardly a highly sought after coach by anyone in this league not named Lebron James and

2.  Basically it seems hired a figurehead coach in Vogel with Jason Kidd having it seems equal or almost equal power as a "prominent assistant" because they were too much of a wimpy organization to stand up and admit that despite his shitty personal history and mediocre professional history, they still want him as coach.  I don't ever recall such a situation before in any sport with a head coach.  Either say we don't care and we are hiring him anyway or turn him away and give him a few years, hire him then.  But know, they make him a "sort of head coach" in the meantime.......just weird. 

You can't be too surprised anymore by anything this organization does

I hate the Lakers though, always have, so I love seeing them self destruct.  All the better than Lebron is caught up in it as well.  And lets face it, he may say otherwise, but his focus is not on winning a title now.  If it was, he would have signed a one year deal last year and be out the door in two seconds once the season was over and going somewhere else.  He is there to prepare for his post NBA movie/Hollywood career

[Magog]

9 hours ago, Jx223 said:

That was a tough loss for Portland. CJ McCollum blew a lot of shots in the 4th quarter of that game. Missed opportunity for Portland to get this win (after having a nice lead early on) and head back home with the series evened up. I hope they don't get swept and can win both of the games at home.

The current Powerball Lottery jackpot on Saturday Night is $270 Million & I have a better chance of hitting all 6 numbers of that jackpot than the Trail Blazers winning both Games 3 & 4. 

Basically, it was just another predictable stroll in the park comeback by those Warriors. Those Warriors were losing by 15 points (65-50) at halftime & I was still certain that they're going to win that game. 

[Ohwell]

11 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

But well, you're not. 

I think we hear about Ayesha, for example, more than other basketball wives, because well, she's successful, and so is her husband. Not to mention, she has a personality, whether or not you like it. So, we probably don't hear about a lot of SAHM basketball wives, whether they want the attention or not, because they're basically irrelevant. 🤷🏻‍♀️

No need for the snark, I was just saying that there are probably a lot of SAHM sports wives that we don't hear about.  That's all. 

[doodlebug]

14 hours ago, Ohwell said:

My only issue with Ayesha Curry is the issue I have with a lot of well- known people, and that is they tell too much about their personal lives.  In her case, I really didn't need to hear about how she regretted getting her breast implants.  TMI. 

Also, I'm sure there are a lot of SAHM sports wives that we don't hear about, and they're probably perfectly fine with that.  I know I would be if I were one.  

I have an issue with her because she shoves her kids out front and center for attention.  Riley has her own public  Instagram account for God's sake!  She's selling her kids' childhood for attention and I think it is rather selfish of her and Steph to use their kids like that.  And I felt that way ever since the Warriors first title when Steph insisted on dragging his toddler to EVERY SINGLE press conference and pushing her front and center.  No kid needs that and I continue to feel they are very selfish and are exploiting their kids for fame and profit. 

I don't care how nice they are at the grocery store, there is nothing nice about the way they use their kids as PR tools.

Edited May 17, 2019 by doodlebug

[doodlebug]

13 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

But well, you're not. 

I think we hear about Ayesha, for example, more than other basketball wives, because well, she's successful, and so is her husband. Not to mention, she has a personality, whether or not you like it. So, we probably don't hear about a lot of SAHM basketball wives, whether they want the attention or not, because they're basically irrelevant. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ayesha has been successful at using her husband's basketball fame to push her way into the spotlight as some sort of cooking/homemaking expert.  If he wasn't in the NBA, she would've never been able to ride his coattails and no one would know or care who she was.  The only thing she has succeeded at is being an attention whore. The fact that she's not above exploiting her young kids to get press just demonstrates how very thirsty she is.

Edited May 17, 2019 by doodlebug

[ganesh]

I wouldn't know who Steph Curry's wife is if she came into my office and kicked me in the ass. 

[Crs97]

I have to say that I was not an Ayesha fan and was about to post asking if she was the one who made a comment about missing male attention.  Then I remembered google is my friend and ended up watching the entire red table talk with the Curry women.  It made me like her more than I did before, as it puts some of her actions in context.  Did she make that comment?  Yes, but the question was how they deal with women throwing themselves at their husbands, and I think she was talking about how it can affect your self esteem, especially if women are swarming your husband and no one is even looking your way so you feel extra insecure.  Anyway, she was much more relatable there than she has been on other things I have seen.

[Jx223]

I am very disappointed with the way that the Trail Blazers played tonight. They lost an 18 pt lead and played very lackadaisical basketball, in the second half. Especially the 3rd quarter. They didn't play with enough urgency. Damian was also trying too hard to sell fouls.

Draymond acted and played like he wanted the win more than any of the Trail Blazers did. They really needed to do better and someone should have taken over that game, (like Damian or CJ) and led the team to the win. 

Now with them losing yet another game, they are 1 game away from being swept. I hope they don't get swept but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

[kathyk2]

24 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

I am very disappointed with the way that the Trail Blazers played tonight. They lost an 18 pt lead and played very lackadaisical basketball, in the second half. Especially the 3rd quarter. They didn't play with enough urgency. Damian was also trying too hard to sell fouls.

Draymond acted and played like he wanted the win more than any of the Trail Blazers did. They really needed to do better and someone should have taken over that game, (like Damian or CJ) and led the team to the win. 

Now with them losing yet another game, they are 1 game away from being swept. I hope they don't get swept but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

I think Steve Kerr should be the Coach of the Year. Whatever adjustments he makes at halftime work like a charm.

[ganesh]

35 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

They didn't play with enough urgency.

They played much much better in game 2. This is the game where your stand. 

[ganesh]

I was traveling today so I only got to see from the 4th quarter but I'm sick of Drake. I loved that they showed the Reggie Miller clip. 

[Jx223]

I am glad that the Raptors won tonight's game.  Kawhi played well and came up clutch for them in the 2OT. They were also fortunate that Giannis didn't play well.

I think that the Bucks will win this series, but I am glad that the Raptors at least won't get swept.

Edited May 20, 2019 by Jx223

[ganesh]

27 minutes ago, Jx223 said:

I am glad that the Raptors won tonight's game.  Kawhi played well and came up clutch for them in the 2OT. They were also fortunate that Giannis didn't play well.

And fouled out. He has to learn how to play with 5 fouls. 

[Magog]

Did anybody see the Magic Johnson interview today on ESPN First Take telling his side of the story on the Lakers situation & basically throwing Lakers GM Rob Pelinka under the bus? 

I guarantee that this interview will be more interesting than the Trail Blazers getting dog walked by those Warriors again tonight.

Edited May 20, 2019 by Magog

[cleo]

19 hours ago, ganesh said:

I was traveling today so I only got to see from the 4th quarter but I'm sick of Drake

yeah I'm a Raptors fan but I wish Drake would sit down and STFU. First of all, the team isn't good enough for him to be swaggering around and talking trash. They are likely going to lose this series. And even if they were the bestest team ever, it's embarrassing and annoying. Other celebrities manage to watch sports events without making a complete ass of themselves. 

Drake has always rubbed me the wrong way. 

[AimingforYoko]

2 hours ago, Magog said:

Did anybody see the Magic Johnson interview today on ESPN First Take telling his side of the story on the Lakers situation & basically throwing Lakers GM Rob Pelinka under the bus? 

That's what happens when you've got that DGAF money.

[Crs97]

2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

5 hours ago, Magog said:

Did anybody see the Magic Johnson interview today on ESPN First Take telling his side of the story on the Lakers situation & basically throwing Lakers GM Rob Pelinka under the bus? 

That's what happens when you've got that DGAF money.

I wonder if any of those who have been laying this at LeBron’s feet will admit they were wrong.

[doodlebug]

35 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I wonder if any of those who have been laying this at LeBron’s feet will admit they were wrong.

Don't hold you breath waiting for it.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

[Ohwell]

It was merciful of the Warriors to put Portland out of its misery and just end it.

[Fukui San]

The Draymondaissance is something to behold. 

[Ohwell]

Draymond has a big mouth that you either love or hate.  I love it.

[ganesh]

I wasn't able to watch because of a work thing but I saw some of the 3rd at dinner. I figured Kerr would have put the brakes on once Portland started pulling away and close out in Oakland. Then again I suppose now there's an extra 2 days of rest. I bet they're rooting for the Raptors tonight.