NBA 2022-2023 Season Thread

[shadow_operative 15932]

22 minutes ago, Michael Knight said:

are you an idiot?

 

lebron never wore an afro or entered the dunk contest dummy.

Edited February 10, 2023 by shadow_operative

[Bartles 769]

There was a Matisse Thybulle mural on a bar in Philly, and he went and tagged it "Thank you Philly" in the middle of the night:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoetLTtp_uW/

Fun guy, despite his wellness anti-vax position. Defensive menace, but not really useful on a playoff team.

[Kermit 3162]

8 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

It’s odd to me because on some level it feels heartfelt and genuine, yet also somehow contrived.

Pretty much sums up Lebron’s career. 

[PittsburghTiger 6346]

This was a train wreck.

[d2o 1603]

Everything SAS is involved in is a train wreck.

[Brothahorn 10097]

Everything SAS is involved in is a train wreck.

He's become nothing but a clown after getting paid.

[d2o 1603]

1 minute ago, Brothahorn said:

He's become nothing but a clown after getting paid.

Its brutal man.  They now have him on everything basketball related and his takes are terrible and make it clear he really doesn't actually pay attention to anything but superstar players.  Then he gets offended and acts like he cant believe anyone could POSSIBLY question his judgment/takes.  He constantly makes stuff that isnt about the Knicks, about the Knicks.    The constantly yelling about everything is just the shitty frosting on a shit filled cake.   I actively avoid him.   Stopped watching Countdown before the games or I have it on but on mute until the games start.   I cant stand to hear him for a single second now.

[Pam Cummings 9881]

The studio for the NBA games on Christmas was so bad. You could tell he was cranky and didnt wanna be there and was just being an asshole to everyone. Highest paid guy acting like he shouldn't have to be there wasn't a good look. You don't wanna work on Christmas don't sign a fucking contract that obligates you to do so.

[Blotto 24025]

12 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

did anyone else see that lebron ceremony/speech? man that was awkward and weird. aside from the fact that the entire speech was basically, "wow, what a great role model and leader i am!"

So pretty much like every other time Lebron has reflected on his career. 

[Pam Cummings 9881]

Jordan's hall of fame speech was too mean but Lebron's speech when he broke the record was too fake-nice. You guys really need to decide what you want.

[SilasCoade 2622]

I had no problem with Jordan's speech. Totally authentic.

I have no desire to hang out with MJ but this is a guy who had to destroy a high school kid at his camp for talking shit when he was the undisputed greatest player in the world.

[Kermit 3162]

1 hour ago, Pam Cummings said:

Jordan's hall of fame speech was too mean but Lebron's speech when he broke the record was too fake-nice. You guys really need to decide what you want.

Lebron is fucking fake. I didn’t know this was up for argument. Every single aspect of his life is calculated. Is it wrong to want authenticity from a public figure?

[aggie08 21828]

So, like, are we just pretending that Kyrie and KD didn't plan this in the off-season? "Ok, they're not going to trade us now. Let's play half a season, remind people how awesome we are, let contenders with closing windows reveal themselves, then one of us requests another trade at the deadline."

With the "one of us" implied to be Kyrie since his reputation can't get much lower.

[cmontexas 3373]

3 minutes ago, Kermit said:

Lebron is fucking fake. I didn’t know this was up for argument. Every single aspect of his life is calculated. Is it wrong to want authenticity from a public figure?

Kyrie is pretty authentic.

Of course LeBron is fake as hell, he's been under a microscope none of us can even fathom since he was old enough to drive. He has never been a normal person. He's an easy target and is fun to laugh at but I can't really muster up any real dislike for the guy

[BigOrange1 6611]

i'm so fucking excited for the rest of this nba season.  the west especially should be great, but the battle between milwaukee, boston, and philly in the east should be really fun to watch too.  there are like 6-9 teams that could legitimately win it all this year.  should be a fun end of season and playoffs. 

[UncleSonny 6798]

12 minutes ago, Kermit said:

Lebron is fucking fake. I didn’t know this was up for argument. Every single aspect of his life is calculated. Is it wrong to want authenticity from a public figure?

I don’t know, maybe? It’s kind of an interesting question. Lebron’s entire career focus has been becoming a global brand. Probably even prioritized over being the GOAT bball player. 

I don’t feel like I’m personally owed his authentic self. His public facing persona is more of a business than anything else and he’s so blatant about it that I’m mostly fine with that. I’ll never feel like he’s my favorite player like some other guys who are more real with fans, but I don’t hate him for it. I get why some people do. All part of the game. 

Edited February 10, 2023 by UncleSonny

[Pam Cummings 9881]

16 minutes ago, Kermit said:

Lebron is fucking fake. I didn’t know this was up for argument. Every single aspect of his life is calculated. Is it wrong to want authenticity from a public figure?

I'm not sure that he knows how to.

[Kermit 3162]

8 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

Kyrie is pretty authentic.

Of course LeBron is fake as hell, he's been under a microscope none of us can even fathom since he was old enough to drive. He has never been a normal person. He's an easy target and is fun to laugh at but I can't really muster up any real dislike for the guy

 

2 minutes ago, UncleSonny said:

I don’t know, maybe? It’s kind of an interesting question. Lebron’s entire career focus has been becoming a global brand. Probably even prioritized over being the GOAT bball player. 

I don’t feel like I’m personally owed his authentic self. His public facing persona is more of a business than anything else and he’s so blatant about it that I’m mostly fine with that. I’ll never feel like he’s my favorite player like some other guys who are more real with fans, but I don’t hate him for it. I get why some people do. All part of the game. 

Great points. I guess it bothers me that every time I’ve ever seen the dude, either on the court or off it, it feels like an actor playing a character. It’s fucking weird. I’ll shut up now. 

[ztejas 44233]

10 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

So, like, are we just pretending that Kyrie and KD didn't plan this in the off-season? "Ok, they're not going to trade us now. Let's play half a season, remind people how awesome we are, let contenders with closing windows reveal themselves, then one of us requests another trade at the deadline."

With the "one of us" implied to be Kyrie since his reputation can't get much lower.

Durant doesn't need to inflate his trade value - and why would he want to do that anyway? To take offers off the table and further gut his next team? And why would he play his ass off and get injured again for a team he knew he wasn't going to be on to close the season?

KD got hurt then Kyrie did his typical bullshit Kyrie thing - in part because I think the suspension and forced apology offended him. KYRIE had to play his ass off to demonstrate his value. There isn't any need to overthink this. 

[aggie08 21828]

1 minute ago, UncleSonny said:

I don’t know, maybe? It’s kind of an interesting question. Lebron’s entire career has been around being a global brand. Probably even prioritized over being the GOAT bball player. 

I don’t feel like I’m personally owed his authentic self. His public facing persona is more of a business than anything else and he’s so blatant about it that I’m mostly fine with that. I’ll never feel like he’s my favorite player like some other guys who are more real with fans, but I don’t hate him for it. I get why some people do. All part of the game. 

This. It's easy and fun to poke at Lebron's very obvious fakeness and self-aggrandizing, but I can't imagine being "normal" under his circumstances. I played in a tournament in Vegas that his AAU team was in (he was injured at the time) when he was 17, and he legit needed bodyguards...to protect him from college coaches.

[Message Board User 12407]

26 minutes ago, cmontexas said:

Of course LeBron is fake as hell, he's been under a microscope none of us can even fathom since he was old enough to drive. He has never been a normal person. He's an easy target and is fun to laugh at but I can't really muster up any real dislike for the guy

And not only this but before he was famous his family life was unquestionably fucked up.

Never knew his deadbeat criminal father and Gloria was more interested in smoking crack than being a mom so she fostered him (I've always suspected that part of Lebron's enmity towards Steph is just how different his childhood was vs Steph's - that hatchet seems to be buried now though).  Fortunately for Lebron, he happened to be blessed with otherwordly talent so that very likely saved him from becoming a statistic - the foster parents cultivated Bron's foray into hoops and the rest is history.

[PittsburghTiger 6346]

I was just killing some time and was looking at NBA scoring leaders and their numbers.

LeBron, has made 14,053/27,829, 50.5% of his shots. He has made 2,237 3s and done very well from the FTs with 8,047/10,949 James has made 50.5% of his baskets. In 1,410 games

Kareem, made 15,837/28,307, 55.9% of his shots. He made 1/18 from 3 (kind of funny in relation to today’s game). He also made 6,712/9,304 FT. In 1,560 games

Shaq, made 11,330/19,457, 58.2% of his shots. He made 5,935/11,252 FTs and 1/22 of his 3s. In 1,207 games

Jordan, made 12,192/24,537, 49.6% of his shots. He made 7,327/8,772 FTs and 581/1,778 of his 3s. I thought he’d have been better from 3. In 1,072 games

Chamberlain, made 12,681/23,497, 54% of his shots and 6,057/11,862 FTs and, obviously no 3s. In 1,045 games

Curry, has made 7,247/15,271, 47.4% of his shots. He’s made 3,302/7,723 from 3 and 3,387/3,726 FTs. In 864 games

[Chewbacca 7830]

1 hour ago, BigOrange1 said:

i'm so fucking excited for the rest of this nba season.  the west especially should be great, but the battle between milwaukee, boston, and philly in the east should be really fun to watch too.  there are like 6-9 teams that could legitimately win it all this year.  should be a fun end of season and playoffs. 

As a Nuggets fan, I can't say I'm excited about the changes in the West.  Hate the fucking Suns so much.  I don't hate KD, but he's collateral damage now.

[d2o 1603]

1 hour ago, Message Board User said:

And not only this but before he was famous his family life was unquestionably fucked up.

Never knew his deadbeat criminal father and Gloria was more interested in smoking crack than being a mom so she fostered him (I've always suspected that part of Lebron's enmity towards Steph is just how different his childhood was vs Steph's - that hatchet seems to be buried now though).  Fortunately for Lebron, he happened to be blessed with otherwordly talent so that very likely saved him from becoming a statistic - the foster parents cultivated Bron's foray into hoops and the rest is history.

Yep, its almost a miracle that not only did he make it to league without going to college but has been scandal/trouble free in 20+ yrs under a microscope starting when he was a kid.  A whole lot of well adjusted kids from 2 parent household cant say that once they get an ungodly amount of money.    The Decision (which I really had no issue with) and some awkward interviews are nothing IMO.   He looks to be a pretty devoted husband and father and has broken the cycle that his parents were in.   People like to pile on him for whatever but its all trivial shit.

Edited February 10, 2023 by d2o

[Pam Cummings 9881]

1 minute ago, d2o said:

Yep, its almost a miracle that not only did he make it to league without going to college but has been scandal/trouble free in 20+ yrs under a microscope starting when he was a kid.  A whole lot of well adjusted kids from 2 parent household cant say that once they get an ungodly amount of money.    The Decision (which I really had no issue with) and some awkward interviews are nothing IMO.   He looks to be a pretty devoted husband and father and has broken the cycle that his parents were in.   People like to pile on him for whatever but its all trivial shit.

He and Tiger will always have my ultimate respect, for the hype they lived up to. It's such an insane amount of pressure they were under from a very young age, and for them to deliver on it.....not sure i will see that again in my life.

[Fastbreak 4055]

Cam Thomas fined 40k for saying “we got some good looking guys on this team, no homo”

Who is fucking offended by this?

[ztejas 44233]

6 minutes ago, Fastbreak said:

Cam Thomas fined 40k for saying “we got some good looking guys on this team, no homo”

Who is fucking offended by this?

Yeah my buddy and I were discussing this. Seems harsh. He probably takes home about a mil which means that's two weeks pay for him. 

[Dutchrudder 11244]

13 minutes ago, Fastbreak said:

Cam Thomas fined 40k for saying “we got some good looking guys on this team, no homo”

Who is fucking offended by this?

 

[Pam Cummings 9881]

17 minutes ago, Fastbreak said:

Cam Thomas fined 40k for saying “we got some good looking guys on this team, no homo”

Who is fucking offended by this?

 

[SilasCoade 2622]

33 minutes ago, Fastbreak said:

Cam Thomas fined 40k for saying “we got some good looking guys on this team, no homo”

Who is fucking offended by this?

My guess is the homos.

And I think it's the "no homo" that implies being gay is something to be avoided or shamed that is (mildly) offensive. Fine does seem harsh though. It's the same that Anthony Edwards got and what he said was far more offensive.

[aggie08 21828]

Precedent. You can't fine Hibbert (rightfully) and Jokic for it, then let Thomas walk.

[Wulaw Horn 19597]

18 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

did anyone else see that lebron ceremony/speech? man that was awkward and weird. aside from the fact that the entire speech was basically, "wow, what a great role model and leader i am!", he also said things like, "i dreamt of wearing an afro and flying in the dunk contest like kobe bryant (despite the fact that he neither wore an afro nor competed in the dunk contest at any point during his career), and, "my wife is the real mvp" (hmm, feels like i've heard that somewhere before). this was another one of those moments where, as much as i like lebron, and as much as i don't want to be a hater, he's so awkward at times with how he tries to portray himself that it's hard not to give him the side eye and wonder wtf he's thinking, lol. 

That’s me. I respect Lebron. I admire what he’s trying to do in a lot of ways. He’s not a bad guy at all. But he just annoys the shit out of me. 

He’s got an opinion on every social injustice and will jump in before he knows anything , not admit he’s wrong a couple times when he’s spitting off way too early, and then simp for the Chicoms.
 

You can’t tell me an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere and then filet Morey for his pretty innocuous quote. It’s literally about whatever butters his bread, which cool, that pretty much just makes him human, but he acts like he’s some combination of statesman and savant. and he doesn’t need to speak out on everything but you just can’t take the side of a known oppressor and bad guy because they pay you. 
 

Ignore that kind of thing- he’s the guy who wears glasses without lenses to make himself look smart. And, he’s a fucking basketball genius. He shouldn’t have to try to prove that to anyone. But he does and it’s just cringey.  
 

like I said- I admire so much of what he’s done, he’s a good guy with his heart in the right place but there’s just something that grates about him so often- I think it’s how calculating and inauthentic he is. Jordan was a dick and talked about his supporting cast. At least that was jokester and how he felt about them. Lebron like tries to act like he’s equal and boys with those guys and then he breaks the record and AD and Russ can’t even be bothered to look up and half heartedly clap. 

17 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

It’s odd to me because on some level it feels heartfelt and genuine, yet also somehow contrived.

Yes. That’s a great summation of what I just spent 1000 words saying poorly. 

[Wulaw Horn 19597]

5 hours ago, BigOrange1 said:

i'm so fucking excited for the rest of this nba season.  the west especially should be great, but the battle between milwaukee, boston, and philly in the east should be really fun to watch too.  there are like 6-9 teams that could legitimately win it all this year.  should be a fun end of season and playoffs. 

I’m pretty sure Philly ain’t battling for anything but an auto three seed and second round exit to whoever they play. 
bucks and Celts are clear best 2 teams in the East. 

[Wulaw Horn 19597]

3 hours ago, d2o said:

Yep, its almost a miracle that not only did he make it to league without going to college but has been scandal/trouble free in 20+ yrs under a microscope starting when he was a kid.  A whole lot of well adjusted kids from 2 parent household cant say that once they get an ungodly amount of money.    The Decision (which I really had no issue with) and some awkward interviews are nothing IMO.   He looks to be a pretty devoted husband and father and has broken the cycle that his parents were in.   People like to pile on him for whatever but its all trivial shit.

Yep. Absolutely all of this. He’s a good dude with his heart in the right place with what’s important for sure. 

3 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

He and Tiger will always have my ultimate respect, for the hype they lived up to. It's such an insane amount of pressure they were under from a very young age, and for them to deliver on it.....not sure i will see that again in my life.

You are going to see it up close and personal from Arch Manning baby. 

[Loch Ness Monster 3533]

Yeah living up to the insane hype is cool but most shocking to me LeBron is not only still with his high school girlfriend but never been caught up in any cheating scandals when he has legit 10s begging to suck his dick every day. And this in todays age where everyone can record video and audio at any time to catch something juicy.

[aggie08 21828]

2 minutes ago, Loch Ness Monster said:

Yeah living up to the insane hype is cool but most shocking to me LeBron is not only still with his high school girlfriend but never been caught up in any cheating scandals when he has legit 10s begging to suck his dick every day. And this in todays age where everyone can record video and audio at any time to catch something juicy.

Shit, even if he only has a few very discreet side hustles going on, that's still a testimate to his character.

We all (mostly) love our wives and don't go actively seeking tail. But, holy fuck, if the best looking women on the planet were literally knocking on your hotel door with no effort on your part, and half of your year is a business trip...

[MNLonghornFUKM 8984]

I’d be able to pay cams fine if I was paid a penny for every time I’ve said no homo

[aggie08 21828]

Just now, MNLonghornFUKM said:

I’d be able to pay cams fine if I was paid a penny for every time I’ve said no homo

Yeah, dude, that surprises no one.

[Michael Knight 13236]

5 hours ago, Kermit said:

 

Great points. I guess it bothers me that every time I’ve ever seen the dude, either on the court or off it, it feels like an actor playing a character. It’s fucking weird. I’ll shut up now. 

Would you prefer he get arrested for DUIs or abandon his 8 kids by 5 different women? He's literally been a model citizen his entire life but "oh no hes too fake" or "i don't like that he left a team i wasn't a fan for another team i'm not a fan of". And when he does actually speak up about an important topic he cares about they say sit down and just play basketball.  People are just haters, hes quite simply the greatest basketball player of all time and theres no disputing it.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8984]

Yeah, dude, that surprises no one.

Yeah, dude, can’t be as cool and perfect as you.

[aggie08 21828]

2 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Yeah, dude, can’t be as cool and perfect as you.

I've said it amongst friends. And I'm sure I'll probably say it again.

But if you're habitually saying it, stop. Be better.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8984]

I've said it amongst friends. And I'm sure I'll probably say it again.
But if you're habitually saying it, stop. Be better.

I haven’t said it in 20 years. Jfc

Scratch that. I’ve probably said I’ve had a no homo man crush with some athletes before on here.

Arrest me

[aggie08 21828]

Sorry that you didn't get the response that you were hoping for from your sweet joke.

[Francisco 2.0 32600]

The 4 team Warriors, Pistons, Hawks and Blazers deal may be off.  Payton failed his physical with the Warriors, and it gets worse:

 

https://theathletic.com/4180625/2023/02/10/gary-payton-physical-trade/

 

Quote

Gary Payton II — the Warriors’ high-profile trade deadline acquisition — could miss two-to-three months after a core muscle issue showed up in his physical on Friday morning, league sources confirmed to The Athletic, putting the four-team deal between the Warriors, Pistons, Hawks and Blazers in jeopardy. The Warriors ruled him as a failed physical on Friday, and have until Saturday to go through with the deal as a technical pass of the physical or rescind the entire trade.

 

Quote

This was a surprise revelation to the Warriors during the intake process. There have been behind the scenes discussions on Friday about the possibility of amendments to the trade — or full reversal of the deal. The amount of parties involved (four teams, four players) complicates matters.

Payton, according to sources, had been playing through pain in Portland. Sources added that the Blazers training staff had been pushing him to gut through it, giving him Toradol shots. This had not been relayed to the Warriors during the negotiation process.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2023 by Francisco 2.0

[Message Board User 12407]

Welp.

 

[d2o 1603]

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

Shit, even if he only has a few very discreet side hustles going on, that's still a testimate to his character.

We all (mostly) love our wives and don't go actively seeking tail. But, holy fuck, if the best looking women on the planet were literally knocking on your hotel door with no effort on your part, and half of your year is a business trip...

Right, that is honestly the most surprising thing.    He's had broads throwing drawers at him since he was 16 and he has been all over the world without his wife and we havent even heard any chicks saying he smashed let alone have any extra kids out there.    I wont even lie if I had em chasing me like that I can guarantee I would have got caught up at least once in 20 yrs

[MNLonghornFUKM 8984]

Welp.
 

Some awkward moments coming up for some teams haha. Do they get a chance to rework a deal or is it it done?

[ztejas 44233]

9 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Welp.

 

I don't understand. He'll fit right in. 

[Wulaw Horn 19597]

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

Shit, even if he only has a few very discreet side hustles going on, that's still a testimate to his character.

We all (mostly) love our wives and don't go actively seeking tail. But, holy fuck, if the best looking women on the planet were literally knocking on your hotel door with no effort on your part, and half of your year is a business trip...

Yep. I’d want to stay faithful to my wife. Literally, the only way I think it could happen would be to take her on the road with me. 
@Scipio wrote a great article on Barking Carnival during the Tiger saga about a handsome and famous billionaire called Logan Steelecock. 

[Aqua Buddha 14807]

19 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Yep. I’d want to stay faithful to my wife. Literally, the only way I think it could happen would be to take her on the road with me. 
@Scipio wrote a great article on Barking Carnival during the Tiger saga about a handsome and famous billionaire called Logan Steelecock.