UTDD

70%? Overall?

I didn't mind Hillary's politics all that much, it was her character and honesty I questioned. Even now I don't regret not voting for her as I think that poorly of her in terms of her character. As for Trump, even he hasn't done anything so far that has severely impacted my own life negatively, but of course I recognize his character as extremely suspect to say the least and absolutely I am worried he will rock the boat further in such a way as to have severe negative impact. So I'd probably vote for any current Dem candidate over Trump but even now I am not sure I would vote Hillary over Trump, that's how much I don't like her and it has nothing to do with politics. I suspect my stance on Hillary was likely shared by enough people to possibly have made a difference in the 2016 election, but I really don't know that for sure. I'd easily take Warren over Hillary on character alone before even getting to political issues at all.

Speaking from someone in the "I'm doing fine in this economy and life is good camp" I am MUCH more nervous about Warren than anyone else because I believe she is competent, smart, and maybe the only candidate that would actually try and make significant changes to the country in a way that is more strategic versus over the top politically. Maybe they would be good changes, and I am certainly open to that so it's both a good nervous and bad nervous, but anything that might severely rock the boat is always an unknown that makes me a little nervous because I am generally happy and satisfied in life overall for my family, etc.

It still wouldn't hurt to do a postmortem review of the exact processes/tests that were used in collaboration for reaching a consensus on KD's ability to play and/or risk factor, etc. Having a third party medical board/team review it independently certainly could help identify possible ways to improve future situations with other NBA players. Maybe everything was done correct and there is literally nothing else that could have been done, but with the specific timing/location of the injury and the exact situation involved, it certainly doesn't hurt to review everything that happened for the benefit/sake of other athletes and possibly other teams being able to learn from this as well.

I think the energy of Oracle will possibly make it a tough situation to win, but objectively you are generally right. To me the underreported story of the series is that generally absent a few good stretches, the Warriors defense is just not the same as it was in all their prior years, even with Durant earlier in the playoffs. They have gone from an elite defensive team in the past to an average one now. Toronto has generally been getting decent looks this series and if that doesn't change, I can't see them losing two more in a row. Probably the lone real worry for Toronto is if they will play scared and tight in a possible Game 7.

Maybe Golden State did everything by the book and nothing is wrong, but you still need to investigate what happened because at first glance it sure appears that he went out there with a degree of risk to the same area that may have been (or not) unacceptably high. I'm not a doctor so I'm not going to armchair diagnose needlessly, but when you see a player suffer an injury with that specific timing/location with the prior injury where it was, it's really important to see exactly how Durant was tested/evaluated because you certainly don't want this to happen to another player ever again. Maybe it's a freak injury and incredibly bad luck, but it needs to be looked at by an impartial third party well versed in the subject matter. What if this was a regular season game? Did it being the NBA Finals down 3-1 make the risk a little more acceptable to the people making a consensus decision? What specifically was Durant told about his risk factor going into this game? Did they somehow miss a test/evaluation that other doctors might have been able to perform that might have actually caught some extra information showing a heightened risk factor? KD needs to take the best contract he can right now to maximize his value because you never know how his recovery will proceed by next summer and you know teams are ruthless enough to just drop any player off the map with no offers at the drop of a hat. I still think he will get max offers from teams even knowing he likely doesn't suit up until at least the 2020-21 season. The take about Durant being a good guy and still being able to recognize that he has flaws is pretty spot on and I hope he recovers well going forward.

I think he will get max offers and he should take a long term contract precisely because he has gotten a presumably serious injury and you don't know that you are ever 100% the same ever again (hate to say it but it's possible) so get the maximum deal you can now.

I really, really hope the Golden State organization gets some scrutiny for everything, it could be an honest mistake or really bad luck, but this should be looked at carefully. The timing is very upsetting to me as this may have ramifications beyond this season.

I think their only two best options most likely with hindsight were to keep Barnes or actually wait another year with a one year stop gap for better options long-term. I think Barnes on the team does beat Houston (mostly because I just don't trust Harden when it counts to be blunt) but LeBron is another story perhaps. I think that 2017 Cavs team was really good offensively. They are obviously very lucky they didn't have to consider Batum (I think that might have been a possibility at the time) because of how he has turned out.

You can't really compare KD replacements say last year due to the cap, you have to go back to when he first signed. Who else could they have gotten instead and would that team have been able to win titles? They would not be as good with almost anyone else they could have gotten but it's certainly possible they could have still had a dynastic type of run with another very good star instead of KD. Or perhaps possibly a deeper bench overall and a good but not great wing could have still been a very formidable team. I really feel for Durant right now. He's got to be frustrated that he's not back, and it's clear now that he could possibly come back and try and lead a compelling narrative/story for his career. At the same time, if his body is still not responding well, there is no doubt some risk - possibly severe risk - in coming back prematurely and he's just about to likely sign his last huge contract. I have to imagine some of his people are telling him to take the safe route and not play and at the same time Durant has got to be itching to play. It doesn't look like the uber team of Kawhi/Durant on say the Clippers will happen, so I'm not sure he is in title contention right away next year if he leaves Golden State. I'm not buying Kyrie/Durant being enough to win a title personally without more strength on the roster. (not KD's fault, Kyrie is good just not someone I trust right now 100%)

Lol, me too. I feel so bad laughing so hard at this one. Ahh, not really.

I don't doubt it, there are plenty of very thoughtful and intelligent people populating these threads (ok maybe not a few of the other forum areas at times) and one person I respect greatly is all in on Pete (and he's definitely not a progressive type) so he's got me curious enough to pay attention down the road when it counts. I completely admit my own skepticism in wondering out loud if a gay candidate can win the Presidency in 2020 in today's America (Trump's election has really made me wonder about Americans in general and I've voted Republican before so it's not a party issue at all), but that certainly won't impact me personally at all.

Partially arguable, but I doubt most would disagree that LeBron's passive aggressive nature at times has not been the right way to approach things. LeBron maybe more than any other true great player (Top 20 types all time) I believe really missed out having a truly strong coach that could have served as a great mentor/even father figure when he was early in his career. His career has still been great and he's easily a Top 5 player all-time (most intelligent analysts probably have him Top 3 worst and I agree with this 100%) but I still think he missed out badly on that kind of coach and how it could have helped him avoid say the 2011 problems he had in the Finals and some of the subtle antics he has employed even later in his career.

I really think subconsciously I have been doing a very similar process to your own and like these factors too. I have kind of always (before considering any issues/party) applied my own standards which I always felt were wisdom/intelligence, integrity/character, competent/can get results, moral courage beyond just being honorable/non-corrupt (to stand up for the right thing even against their own party/typical polls/trends), and lastly leadership/inspirational gravitas when a true crisis may arise and the country needs a brave/healing leader than can inspire/motivate/heal and move people/country to a better place and partially related to this inspiration trait someone your children can be proud of as the leader of the country. With this Dem crop, I haven't yet found one meeting all of this, but that's pretty rare as it is, so you take the best you can get and I haven't fully paid attention yet so it could still happen.

Me too. The UBI is one area of debate, but the far bigger issue that should be discussed is the future of automation/technology and what impact that may have on our working population down the road. Social stratification between the top 1% and bottom say 50% of Americans could even more severe than they are now if people/industries do not adapt to the reality of a changing world. On a very minor anecdotal scale, I just saw about 20 employees at a very well known tourist site famous worldwide pared down to 3 FT, a few more part-time because there are now electronic ticket distributors, check outs, etc. If any corporation anywhere can save any amount of money eliminating human capital without the PR/optics blowback killing their long-term outlook/branding/metrics (especially the threats of legal exposure, harassment, insurance, etc which are often far scarier than just the labor cost) they are probably going to consider it. I personally can say flat out that I would feel like I am not serving a fiduciary duty to shareholders if I would not be considering this option if automated costs were even slightly higher than human labor costs just because of the elimination of these corollary issues alone. (Just one sexual harassment lawsuit, just one work comp case, just one equal opportunity suit, just one age discrimination suit can destroy so much efficiency and it can literally cripple weaker and/or smaller companies) Some positions require human thinking and innovation or other specific skills, but the automation positions don't need these skills (why they are considered in the first place) Humans are far more trouble beyond cost than machines in other areas, and people ignore the realities of future automation at their peril. They probably need to learn to adapt to this -- not right now -- but I would predict for damn sure your kids and beyond.

Mostly agree but still I would say Beto pulling more in a non-presidential election isn't too shabby. Clinton was likely a terrible candidate for Texans too compared to if say Biden was the nominee. Still, I agree it's a high bar.

GS without Durant AND Iggy is a decent difference to me than just not having Durant. I would favor Toronto if both are out for the series as their wing depth against Toronto would be pretty razor thin. I think Durant is likely to return but what we don't know is how rusty/effective he will be but you figure at worst he will be pretty solid. I'm not so keen on Cousins either for the entire series being a great factor and I'd even question even using him if he's not showing the right impact quickly on the floor.

One should look up Klay's numbers - especially shooting - without Curry on the floor during the last five years. Probably somewhat interesting in seeing his utility in life without that huge gravity out there.

Klay was ice cold for too long earlier in the season. I think his vote is exactly where it should be, right about where Beal is and below the guys who made Third team. I think they nailed First-Team All-NBA too, I suppose some could argue Embiid/Jokic and Durant/George but I'd lean towards the way it ended up.

It's just way too easy now to watch condensed and specific highlights for what you exactly want without commercials, waits, unnecessary fluff, and anything else that isn't exactly what you want to see. I probably stream about 90% of sports related things now, and that 10% is only specific things like Longhorn football and I bet someday I will approach 100% if streaming gets more interactive and better in quality. Imagine if later you can be watching a game and at the same time pull up specific information you want to know in real time right away in a way that enhances the viewing experience that much more. I even stream a lot of NBA games now because I actually enjoy seeing different broadcasters/perspectives versus the same constant national talking heads over and over.

Someone on another site I read had posted that of Durant's 28-18 record without Curry, that 10 of those games were without Draymond too and the record there was 5-5. Not sure if this is true as I haven't looked it up, but it's a private site for mostly professional basketball analytic types so I think it might be right unless they made an honest mistake somehow.

That 9 for the Knicks since 2000 really stands out...

Definitely agree with you about 2017 and I think Golden State cruises against Cleveland in 2018 without KD, but the Houston series is the real question there. I don't think any team this year is as good as 2016 or 2017 Cleveland so I think Golden State can win this year without KD if Draymond (I expect Curry and Klay to mostly play well without KD as that's been the pattern fairly consistently) keeps playing at this high level. He's playing fantastic (plus not much drama) right now.

Seems like it. What a mess out in Los Angeles. I'd rate Jerry Buss as maybe one the best owners the NBA has ever had, and now the organization looks fairly dysfunctional. I tend to believe personally that it is probably true that Pelinka is an opportunistic scumbag and took advantage of his situation to try and take out Magic, but I also tend to believe that some of what he was saying (work ethic about Magic) was also true.

LeBron would have always been a Top 10 easily or maybe even 5 player all-time with just Miami, but no doubt that the Cleveland title (especially against Golden State of all teams) was huge in helping drive him into a higher tier all-time (in my opinion up there with KAJ/Jordan). As for KD, if he didn't care about certain narratives that have formed around him, he wouldn't bother to respond to so many irrelevant Twitter people (not talking Broussard types but just random fans with very few followers) out there. I think he should leave Golden State after this year to try and win a title on his own. I think Golden State can win the title this year even without KD if Draymond Green keeps playing like he is, but I think KD might be back by the NBA Finals. Could you imagine Golden State versus say the Knicks with KD in the Finals next year? That would be fun. With Golden State, Durant's the Alex Rodriguez versus Derek Jeter (Curry) of Golden State, there is just no way he will ever get the full respect and admiration equivalent to his talent while on that team. My best friend's wife is a 20 year Golden State fan from the Bay Area, and she thinks Durant is an awesome player, but she also thinks a lot of other stars could replace Durant and the team could still win. Maybe a lot of other Warriors fans feel differently, I don't know. Also just anecdotally I take my youngest to basketball all the time and you pretty much in that age bracket (at least with these specific kids) consistently hear Curry this Curry that Curry awesomesauce, and for Durant what I hear most often is that he couldn't win on his own so he joined a super team (then of course you hear what about LeBron and Miami?) so this narrative from outside seems to have some impact on impressionable young people at least. (I personally think Curry is very popular with kids because he's not an alien genetic freak of nature but someone much more relatable with the kind of game kids can try and emulate for fun in their basketball dreams)