The NBA

[topanga]

1 hour ago, Magog said:

DeMarcus Cousins (Lakers) tore his ACL again today & he might be done for the upcoming season. 

Sad news. 

Yesterday I strained my Achilles' tendon somehow, and I walked around all day with a slight limp. The pain wasn't excruciating, but it was constant and debilitating. 

I can't imagine how catastrophic injuries must feel to guys like Cousins, Thompson, or Durant. 

[Danny Franks]

These big guys still really struggle to come back from injuries, even with all the advances in medical procedures and rehab. Bodies that size seem to just say 'no more' at a certain time.

I think KD will be okay, because he's a skinnier guy who relies more on his technique than his athletic abilities, and Klay because he's younger and doesn't have a long injury history. But Boogie might just be done.

[Jx223]

According to Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter:

The Lakers have agreed to sign Dwight Howard, after Memphis bought him out. His deal with them will be a non guaranteed deal. According to Adrian he had several meetings with the Lakers and they want to give him a chance to show them he's made changes in how he conducts himself. It is reported that Lakers players were involved in this process. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Jx223

[Magog]

19 hours ago, Jx223 said:

According to Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter:

The Lakers have agreed to sign Dwight Howard, after Memphis bought him out. His deal with them will be a non guaranteed deal. According to Adrian he had several meetings with the Lakers and they want to give him a chance to show them he's made changes in how he conducts himself. It is reported that Lakers players were involved in this process. 

Wow. I can't wait to see how Dwight Howard will mess up this opportunity. Even the presence of the great LeBron James won't be able to stop this loser from messing this up. 

Carmelo Anthony should be disgusted right about now. That bum Dwight Howard somehow convinced the Lakers to give him a lifeline & Carmelo is still out of luck in getting to a championship contender. Jeremy Lin's birthday was yesterday so there goes another reason for Carmelo to be infuriated right now.

Speaking of birthdays, Kobe turned 41 today. 

Edited August 24, 2019 by Magog

[Fukui San]

In the World Cup warmups The US team lost an exhibition game vs. Australia (with NBAers themselves in Paddy Mills, Matthew Dellavadova, Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut, and Joe Ingles, breaking a 78 game win streak in international play. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare once games start to count. 

[ketchuplover]

Sterling Brown has been offered $400K more than he should've been offered :(

[Jx223]

The NBA Preseason has gotten underway this week. Tonight at 8pm EST the Lakers will play the Warriors. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are expected to play during tonight's game. 

Here is a list of the preseason schedule and nationally televised preseason games:

https://pr.nba.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/46/2019/08/NBA-Preseason-Schedule-2019.pdf

[Jx223]

I thought that last night the Lakers looked pretty good overall. They definitely have a very big and tall lineup that gave them an advantage over the Warriors last night. Anthony Davis was doing a lot of what he wanted in that game. I know it's only preseason, but I am interested in seeing how the Lakers fare going forward and seeing what happens when they match up with other teams like the Clippers. 

[xaxat]

China really is working to get Daryl Morey fired. 

[benteen]

The NBA is gutless.  We'll see how eager woke representatives like Steve Kerr, LeBron and Pop are to say something about this.  They comment about everything but I would guess that when it comes to China, they won't say a word.

[mojoween]

Would someone please be so kind to dumb down an explanation of Morey v. China v. The NBA?  

I feel like I should be supporting Morey because he seems like a cool guy when I have heard him interviewed but I am not fully grasping what he did and why the NBA has messed up.

[xaxat]

40 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Would someone please be so kind to dumb down an explanation of Morey v. China v. The NBA?  

Here's an explainer from The Ringer.

Morey tweeted (and then deleted) support for Hong Kong protesters. Every Chinese organization associated with the NBA cut or threatened to cut ties with the Rockets or put Morey on blast. Including the Nets owner Joe Tsai.

[mojoween]

Thank you for that!

Yep, I'm with Morey.

[xaxat]

Wow. From Chinese state TV.

Quote

CCTV says "we're strongly dissatisfied and oppose Adam Silver's claim to support Morey's right to freedom of expression."

Looks like Morey's apology wasn't enough. They want total surrender. I'm not sure they won't get it.

[benteen]

What a shock...Steve Kerr has no comment.  He'll play it very safe with whom and what he criticizes but when the NBA's bottom line is involved, he'll bow to his Chinese overlords.  Waiting for LeBron James and Greg Popovich's "no comment" statements.

Edited October 8, 2019 by benteen

[Lamb18]

I don't think Morey has to apologize for anything. I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese government backed down. There might be enough influential people there who like basketball who will put internal pressure on the government. 

[xaxat]

22 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese government backed down. There might be enough influential people there who like basketball who will put internal pressure on the government. 

I would be. It's not just the government. The entire basketball establishment in China (TV networks, the Chinese Basketball Association etc.) has come out firing. Including Nets owner Joe Tsai, who founded the Chinese equivalent of Amazon.

I think it's more likely that the NBA backs down and we get a "retirement" from Morey "because he doesn't want to be a distraction."

[mojoween]

Which is all bullshit.  Morey has nothing to apologize for and for China to act like this after ONE comment from ONE man?  Fuck them.

[mojoween]

It just occurred to me that we don’t know what Pop thinks yet so I hope someone is getting on that.

[Wildcard]

17 hours ago, mojoween said:

It just occurred to me that we don’t know what Pop thinks yet so I hope someone is getting on that.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27802144/spurs-gregg-popovich-lauds-adam-silver-response-amid-china-rift

[Fukui San]

Think NBA needs China more than China needs the NBA. 

[benteen]

7 hours ago, Wildcard said:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27802144/spurs-gregg-popovich-lauds-adam-silver-response-amid-china-rift

So Popovich defended Silver's weak response while saying nothing on China and Hong Kong.  So brave...

Edited October 9, 2019 by benteen

[ebk57]

How about those Mystics!!!!  

🍾🏆

[QueerGirrl]

12 hours ago, ebk57 said:

How about those Mystics!!!!  

🍾🏆

Good for them.  I'm still a EDD fan even though she left us.  The Sun did a great job too.  

[mojoween]

I feel like Snidely Whiplash twirling my mustache and cackling but is it happening?  Are people going to start turning on LeBron?

[xaxat]

I am. Renowned Asian studies scholar Lebron James comes out criticizing Morey for being uninformed? That whole thing felt like it was scripted by the Chinese Communist Party. Which it may have been.

LeBron needs to think of what people went through during the Civil Rights movement that helped make him a millionaire. 

[AimingforYoko]

To be fair, what LeBron was talking about was that if China pulls out of its partnership with the NBA, revenues will shrink, the cap will be cut and players are going to get squeezed. It's definitely not a good look for LeBron, but his point was, think how many people will be affected before you tweet.

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

To be fair, what LeBron was talking about was that if China pulls out of its partnership with the NBA, revenues will shrink, the cap will be cut and players are going to get squeezed. It's definitely not a good look for LeBron, but his point was, think how many people will be affected before you tweet.

LeBron also was talking about the fact that the Lakers and Nets were in China at the time Morey made his original remarks and there was tremendous public backlash there, causing the cancellation of multiple press conferences/appearances due to the concern about further inflaming the situation while players and team officials were still in China.  He has a very small point, there and I think that is why he said that he wished Morey had realized the potential consequences and waited a few days before posting his comments.  Certainly, NBA players travelling in China are going to be pretty conspicuous and I would imagine they were concerned about their safety for the remainder of the trip.

Otherwise, and I say this as a fan; LeBron can STFU.

[xaxat]

As Deadspin wrote, 

Quote

if NBA players are put in genuine danger by a single tweet while in China, that seems like a pretty good reason for the NBA to not send players to China in the first place

And, to the best of my knowledge, no one in the league has responded to Chinese state TV saying that free speech in the United States of America doesn't apply when talking about Hong Kong.  I know I posted this quote earlier, but it's important.

Quote

"We're strongly dissatisfied and oppose Adam Silver's claim to support Morey's right to freedom of expression," the statement read. "We believe that any remarks that challenge national sovereignty and social stability are not within the scope of freedom of speech."

In the United States.

As for lecturing people about being "educated", perhaps LeBron should have "educated" himself more about Antonio Brown before he decided to participate in Brown's rehabilitation tour. (Brown subsequently got cut from two teams in a matter of two weeks.)

(Yeah, I'm feeling salty today.)

Edited October 15, 2019 by xaxat

[NUguy514]

LeBron, honey?  Hi, Daryl Morey has degrees from Northwestern and MIT and tweeted something that seemed like he was exactly informed about the protests in Hong Kong, and I'm frankly glad he didn't consider or realize the potential financial implications of his tweet.  You, on the other hand, seem woefully uninformed about your own hypocrisy: the freedoms you enjoy here are great and inalienable, but who cares about those victimized by the totalitarian regime that you and your stupid league have gotten into financial bed with since it might affect your bank account.  And then trying to backpedal that, well, see, we could've been in physical danger, that's what I meant?  Nope, nice try, we know it was all about the Benjamins, baby.  You're a fucking greedy coward and always have been.

I have exactly zero fucks to give if the NBA and its players all feel the sting at the bank because they never should've cozied up to the Chinese government in the first place as the fallout from Morey's tweet has more than laid bare.  It's only surprising it took this long for someone in the NBA to do something to cause the Chinese government to throw a temper tantrum.

[Silver Raven]

Enes Kanter is criticizing both his native Turkey and LeBron.  "Freedom isn't free."

https://www.dailywire.com/news/turkish-born-celtics-player-rips-lebron-over-china-comments-freedom-is-not-free

[NUguy514]

While I'm at it, I think it's worth posting this LeBron tweet from MLK Day 2018:

Seriously, what a greedy, cowardly hypocrite.

[Ohwell]

Just saw on the NBC Nightly News promo that protesters in Hong Kong are burning LeBron's jersey.  Good for them.

[mojoween]

In “explaining” his idiotic statements, LeBron basically told Daryl Morey to shut up and dribble.  Good look, LBJ!

[benteen]

I didn't think the NBA could have had a worse response to the whole China situation until LeBron told Adam Silver, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich and Steph Curry to "hold my beer."  Turns out LeBron is a coward and a hypocrite.

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, benteen said:

I didn't think the NBA could have had a worse response to the whole China situation until LeBron told Adam Silver, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich and Steph Curry to "hold my beer."  Turns out LeBron is a coward and a hypocrite.

The way the NBA has handled this whole thing, top to bottom, has been terrible.  Obviously, all they are about is the money and they're allowing the Chinese government to stifle free speech in this country because of it.  Disgusting kowtowing to bullies.

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm all for anyone speaking their mind. I can't stand the 'shut up and play' attitude because politics and sports have been intertwined since the beginning of time, but, on the other hand, you don't have to have a response all the time to everything about everything. Discretion, valor, etc. 

[benteen]

LeBron has harped about wanting to be socially active.  But he proved that he's only a social justice warrior when it doesn't affect his bank account.  Now all of a sudden he and other outspoken NBA players and personalities have nothing to say.

Edited October 18, 2019 by benteen

[Crs97]

I am reminded of Tiger making Nike commercials about golf courses that historically would have refused him entrance because of his color.  Then he was asked about women who wanted to join Augusta and suddenly he was just a golfer who couldn’t possibly know anything about social issues.  Very disappointing, LeBron.  Hope to see you self-reflect on this one.

[Jx223]

The NBA regular season begins tonight. I am interested in seeing what happens this season, especially with all of the new lineups for several teams this year. 

[Jx223]

It was nice seeing the Raptors get their ring and raise their banner. They also got the OT win against the Pelicans.

Also, I thought that the Lakers/Clippers game was good. It was entertaining and competitive. The Lakers struck first, but Kawhi, Patrick Beverly and Lou Williams played well for the Clippers and both teams went back and forth. The Clippers bench did a nice job of contributing to their team, particularly in scoring and rebounding.  They have a good productive bench. 

Danny Green did a good job of helping the Lakers after he heated up in the 3rd quarter and made the game close. He had a very productive night and helped keep the Lakers in the game. Especially since LeBron barely scored in the 2nd half.  (He had like 2 points in that half) Ultimately, though the Cilppers were able to pull away in the fourth and get the win. 

And even though it was a Clippers home game, it seemed like the crowd favored the Lakers. They booed Kawhi when he was talking and seemed to cheer quite a bit ( and possibly more) for the Lakers.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Jx223

[twoods]

Those NBA rings are so ugly. They look like little light bulbs attached to their fingers. 

The Lakers-Clippers game had the intensity of a playoff game. Good basketball.

[AimingforYoko]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

Those NBA rings are so ugly.

What about Drake's? 

Wait...Drake got a ring? Drake got two rings?

[Jx223]

Steph Curry broke his left hand after suffering a very hard fall in tonight's Warriors/Suns game. I wish him a healthy recovery.

It has been a very rough start to the Warriors season after losing KD, and Klay being out for much of the season. Even though it's early in the season, they have not looked good and have played poorly against teams like the Russell Westbrook-less OKC and the Suns tonight, when at one point there were down 30+points and the Suns went on like a 30-1 run. They don't really have a bench and that is hurting them.

I'm not sure how long Steph will be out, but this is definitely another big blow for them. Some analysts have predicted they won't make the playoffs. I didn't want to go that far at least not before tonight, but after Steph's injury I do wonder. This may just end up being a really rough season for them. Though things could definitely look up for them once everyone gets healthy again. (Even if that doesn't really happen until next season).

Also, the Rockets/Wizards had a wild game tonight, where both teams scored 150+ points each. James Harden scored 59 points and Russ had a triple double. Watching the Rockets play so far this year has been interesting. They are trying to figure things out with having both Jams and Russ on the team. I do think that Russ has been playing well with them so far. He has brought good energy to the team and has come up clutch for them. I am interested in seeing how they fare throughout the season. 

And Joel Embid/Karl Anthony Towns got into a fight tonight, where they were both ejected. I wonder if there will be any suspensions coming from their fight. The Celtics also ended up playing a good game against the Bucks. They were down at first, but they did a nice job of coming back and getting the win. 

[roamyn]

I hope Stef has a good recovery, takes a long time to come back, and enjoys not getting pushed around every night.

But for the white collar band wagoners (you know, he ones that made tickets sky rocket), I laugh....😂

[Jx223]

I accidentally posted in the wrong thread.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Jx223

[xaxat]

I miss Deadspin. I can see it now, "How many gummis did Dion Waiters eat? An Investigation."

[biakbiak]

This amused me Houston was playing the Clippers and Doc Rivers was upset at a call so his son Austin who plays for Houston encouraged the refs to give him a Technical they did and Doc was ejected.

[Jx223]

Melo has joined the Portland Trailblazers. I am interested in seeing how he does with them.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28082614/source-trail-blazers-signing-carmelo-anthony-non-guaranteed-contract

[Magog]

13 hours ago, Jx223 said:

Melo has joined the Portland Trailblazers. I am interested in seeing how he does with them.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28082614/source-trail-blazers-signing-carmelo-anthony-non-guaranteed-contract

I'm certain that Carmelo wishes that he was picked up by a certain contending team (Lakers). The Trail Blazers are not championship contenders. 

I don't know when those Warriors are going to play the sorry Knicks in MSG this season. But, I'm going to be very sad that I won't get to see if Stephen Curry can get 50 points on these losers. Even though I absolutely despise Stephen Curry with a passion, I take no great joy in seeing him breaking his hand & being out for 3 months. 

As for those Warriors, they may suck right now because of injuries & I hope they don't get a top 10 pick in next yrs NBA Draft. But, they're still those same scummy Warriors that ESPN roots for like they root for the Lakers.