Tag: NBA

I Love a Good Conspiracy Theory

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It helps if you read the above tweet in the ESPN 30 for 30 voice, but this is the most outrageous yet completely based in logic conspiracy theory I’ve heard in a long long time. So from here on our I will act as if this is fact.

In reality I know the Lakers get generational superstar talent every few years like we’re living in Groundhog Day despite completely mismanaging their entire franchise. They just always have and always will. Players like to be in sunny Cali, near beaches and models and other famous elites. I get it. Doesn’t mean it won’t forever piss me off though.

Whether its AD or Dwight Howard (when he was good) or Pau Gasol or Chris Paul or Shaq and on and on we go. The Lakers always fall ass backwards into supreme talent because they were fortunate enough to move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where there are no lakes.

But Magic Johnson has tampered his ass off for years while pretending to be a legitimate basketball executive for the Lakers. The league has gone pretty easy on him in my opinion, but I’ve already written too many words about Earvin being bad at his job to get into it all over again.

This theory goes right up there with MJ retiring to play baseball because of a gambling suspension and the Knicks using a frozen envelope to land Patrick Ewing. It just makes too much sense to not be true.

OK We Now Know Kyrie Irving is as Good as Gone, but I’m Not Buying Brooklyn Just Yet

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While the biggest news story from the past 24 hours in the Association is obviously the fact that we have a new champion – and I mean a truly “new” champion, as the Toronto Raptors just won their first-ever NBA title – we also already received our first big free-agent news break on Thursday. And it involves none other than one Kyrie Irving.

On Wednesday, Kyrie fired his agent Jeff Wechsler and signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. As a result, the Internet then exploded on Thursday with a hailstorm of “KYRIE IS GOING TO THE NETS” articles; seriously, pretty much everyone and their brother seems to think this absolutely, without a doubt, unquestionably means Kyrie will be in black and white next season. After all, he wouldn’t sign with Jay-Z’s agency if he wasn’t also obviously going to sign with the NBA franchise Jay-Z partly owns, right?

“Sources” are also saying that he is “preparing to sign with the Nets.” So it’s gotta be true then, right? RIGHT???!!!

Here’s the thing, though, folks: Jay-Z sold his stake in the team and gave up any ownership rights to the franchise six years ago! Everyone seems to be forgetting that Jay-Z is no longer (officially at least) associated with the Brooklyn Nets. He will forever be connected with the club, especially after being the driving force behind their big move from New Jersey to the legendary rapper’s hometown in 2012. But again, Jay-Z is no longer a part-owner of the team and has not been for over half a decade.

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H.O.V.A. gave up his role with the Nets a long time ago.

Roc Nation also represents over 20 other NBA athletes (as well as plenty of athletes in pretty much every other sport) from various teams across the league. And besides Caris LeVert, none of them are big-time Nets players – or even on the Nets roster to begin with.

And finally, let’s not act like Kyrie hasn’t mislead us before. Remember last October when he directly told the TD Garden crowd that he was planning on re-signing with the Celtics this summer?

To be honest, I think Kyrie’s signing with Roc Nation has much more to do with his interest in the overall entertainment industry as opposed to an undying allegiance to the Nets. Sure, I do believe he might be seriously interested in playing in Brooklyn. It makes sense, and it could indeed happen. But Kyrie has also always been about his brand off the court, and what better way to take such pursuits to the next level than signing with one of the greatest business men/entertainers in history?

Again, Kyrie signing with the Nets would be quite the boon for all involved. After a sixth-place finish in the East and giving Philly a run for their money in the first round of this year’s playoffs, the Nets are definitely a team on the rise. A guy like Kyrie could easily vault them into the top half of the conference in 2019-20. However, the team would likely need much more than just Kyrie to make them true contenders, and Kyrie knows it. The Nets do have the money to bring in another player along with Kyrie. A lot of people think this might finally be the chance for him to team up with his best bud Jimmy Butler. Kevin Durant is also a client of Roc Nation. Just sayin’.

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Kyrie and Jimmy have always been best buds…

But the Knicks still loom large on pretty much everyone’s horizon. The Lakers also make a LOT of sense for Kyrie, and to be honest they’re the team I’m predicting he ultimately ends up with. Not only would he reunite with the guy with whom he won a ring a few years ago, but he and LeBron have also seemed to rekindle quite the bromance lately. Plus, what better place than Southern Cali to keep making headway in the movie industry?

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…but the King will always be his true love.

So, while it’s pretty safe to say Kyrie will not be a Celtic next season – which, everyone knows, I am more than OK with – I’m not ready to say that we officially know where the first big NBA free agent is headed this offseason. The feelings, desires, and “reported intentions” of NBA athletes today could mean absolutely zilch tomorrow, and we still have a long way to go on this one, folks.

Stay tuned.

Does Kevin Durant’s Injury Change How Players Approach Returning from Injury? Also, How Might This Affect the Celtics?

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ESPN – Warriors star forward Kevin Durant suffered a right Achilles tendon injury in Golden State’s 106-105 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Durant will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the injury, but the emotional looks on the players’ and coaches’ faces told more of the story. League sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski that the Warriors believe the MRI will confirm an Achilles tear.

What an absolute bummer. Say what you will about Kevin Durant, his burner accounts, and his poor handling of media scrutiny, but the guy is a top 3 player in the NBA and is one of the best all around scorers in league history. An absolute baller that is a blast to watch play the game of basketball. If you’ve never seen his HBO documentary “The Offseason” go back and watch that right now because it is A+ content and will definitely make you a KD fan if you are undecided.

So to see him go down with what looked like a clear achilles injury last night was terrible to see. Especially considering he probably returned too soon because his team was in the NBA Finals. Its not like it was Game 7 either, sure the Warriors won last night, but at what cost? They’re still down 3-2 and now KD is looking at a probably 12 month recovery timeframe, just 3 weeks before free agency starts.

It’s important to note the Durant does have a player option for $31.5 Million with the Warriors next year. I’m curious to see how this all plays out though because while he is an all-world talent, will another team really pay him $30 Million just to rehab next season in hopes of securing him for the following 3 years (and hope he’s healthy)? Or would he go out on the market only to have to take an incentive laden deal or in the worst case scenario will he lose out on a huge contract similar to what happened to Isaiah Thomas? Or the Warriors could actually offer Durant the supermax 5-year $220 Million deal because who has a better idea on the severity of his injury than Golden State? Either way you have to imagine this changes the landscape of the NBA for players debating returning to action too soon. Unless its a Game 7 or your an aging vet desperate for a ring, risking further injury (and potentially generational wealth) just ain’t worth it.

And not to make this all about the Celtics, but this could have a snowball affect on the rest of the league, particularly the Knicks, as SNY points out. If KD is seriously hurt, he may just exercise his player option in Golden State while he recovers, which takes him off the board for the Knicks. If they can’t get KD, maybe the Knicks rethink trying to trade for Anthony Davis and/or maybe Kyrie rethinks potentially signing there. Maybe Kyrie takes a look around and realizes Boston is his best shot at winning a title and maybe the Celtics re-sign Kyrie and then they trade for AD. A lot of maybes in there, which is why the NBA offseason is the best show on TV.

PS – Toronto Raptors fans are dirtbags for cheering the KD injury. I hope Steph Curry scores 60 points in Game 6 and rips Drake’s heart out in the middle of Jurassic Park in Game 7.

Isaiah Thomas, Clint Capela, and a Quick Check-In on the Celtics

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In less than 12 hours, we could ultimately have a new NBA champion – as long as Toronto can pull off just one more victory over Golden State tonight in The Six. Even if they don’t, we’re still officially less than a week away from the NBA season being over no matter what. Then the real fun begins, as this will likely be one of the absolute craziest, landscape-changing NBA offseasons in recent memory.

The Celtics will no doubt be one of the most active squads throughout the league this summer, but which direction they choose to go in is the real question. What’s going to happen with Kyrie? Are we really going to get Anthony Davis? What do we do with Terry Rozier? How about going after a guy like Mike Conley (an idea I mentioned in my offseason wishlist piece a few weeks back)? Maybe Kemba Walker is an option? Or could Danny truly be interested in swinging a trade with Houston for a big like Clint Capela, and if so does that mean the whole Davis idea goes out the window???

Yes, it’s quite a lot to digest for even the most die-hard Celtics fan. And due to the incredibly fickle nature of NBA stars nowadays, things can change in an instant.

So rather than speculate on everything that will happen in the coming months, I’ve got you covered on a few tidbits from this past weekend to hold you over, including a former favorite yearning for a comeback as well as Danny’s alleged interest in one of the game’s top young bigs. Let’s hop to it:

I.T. Wants Back In

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This dude just doesn’t quit…but in a good way.

Two years after he was suddenly traded immediately following one of the most impressive, MVP-worthy individual seasons in recent Celtics history, Isaiah Thomas still has nothin’ but love for The Bean. And he let the people know it once again on Saturday with this tweet:

Since it seems pretty apparent that Kyrie Irving – the man for whom Thomas was traded – is on his way out the door, everybody knows the Celtics are likely to have a gaping hole at the point guard position next season. Though the team can simply bring back Terry Rozier (PLEASE DON’T, DANNY!) or go after a slew of other guys via trade or free agency, Thomas seems to think he can still get the job done himself.

And while I love the confidence, I.T., please understand why many are skeptical. After playing in a total of just 44 games over the past two seasons, for three different teams no less, there are those out there who are surprised the 30-year-old is still trying to play at all. His recurrent hip issues – which apparently started during his last season with the C’s – have taken quite a long time to heal (if they even really have at all), and he was only able to play in just 12 measly games for Denver this past season.

However, maybe it took so long because he apparently gutted it out when the issues first arose and played through the pain, a decision which many believe may have severely hampered his recovery. Or maybe he just needed a few years to heal up. Again, the dude is only 30 years old. And above all, maybe he just needs to be back in the place where his heart truly belongs to start playing like the absolute baller he truly is once again.

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Now, can he replace Kyrie’s production? Absolutely not! There are very, very few out there who could. But could he come in and compete with a guy like Rozier if all else fails, or at the very least serve as a nice bench piece and team leader that was desperately missing in last year’s locker room? Why not?!

So, if the price is right and I.T. is willing to lace ’em up for the Green once again, I wouldn’t say no. And Danny shouldn’t either. I would freakin’ love this!

Celtics Reportedly Looking Into Trade for Clint Capela

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On Sunday morning, Basketball Insider’s Steve Kyler tweeted out a report that the Celtics are actively engaged in trade talks for Rockets big man, Clint Capela:

He does note that “everything is fluid at this stage,” and this does not mean that Danny & Co. are definitely ready to change course and build the franchise around the 25-year-old Capela. But where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, and it’s not surprising that the team would be interested.

Capela has been one of the NBA’s best-kept secrets for a couple years now. The 6’10” athletic beast was selected with the 25th overall pick in 2014, and for the past three seasons he’s averaged a robust 14.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Especially with how awful the Celtics were in the rebounding department at times last season, his skills on the glass would be extremely welcomed. His 1.5 blocks per contest also highlight his ability to protect the rim, too. Capela really could be a force on the interior that we haven’t seen since the days of Perk and K.G.

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But we have to be careful to not fall so in love with the player that we completely forget about the fit. I mentioned in my previous offseason piece that I wanted the Celtics to load up on more shooters due to the fact that’s simply how you win in today’s NBA. Again, the top six teams in the NBA in terms of three-pointers made in 2018-19 were, in order: Houston, Milwaukee, Golden State, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and the Celtics. With the exception of one squad (Atlanta), those are all playoff teams – and four were top-four seeds in their conference. Toronto, who is one win away from being this year’s champion, finished eighth. On the flip side, the top-two teams in terms of points in the paint this season were the Pelicans and Lakers. Soooo…yeah. I’ll stop there.

Capela has attempted two total three-point attempts in 295 career games! Just .0027 percent of his career field-goal attempts were from deep, and the guy is pretty much useless from an offensive standpoint when he’s more than five feet outside the paint. So before you start labeling him “our version of Draymond Green” (who owns a 32 percent career mark from three and is an also all-world passer), just don’t. Nahhht even close.

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I’d literally trade the entire franchise for Draymond. Any chance we can make that happen, Danny??!!!

Also keep in mind that if Kyrie does leave, the Celtics would be losing their top shooter from last season. And if we trade the house to get Capela, then Danny better make damn sure he grabs some other players who can shoot the rock, because you just cannot win in today’s game without ’em. You just can’t.

To reiterate, this is only a report, and we also have no idea what a potential trade package would even look like. Also, I totally realize the value of bringing in a young guy with as much talent as Capela. But remember, we might already have a young Capela in Robert Williams, and I feel like there are much more pressing areas of need for this team than what Capela can provide.

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Hey, don’t forget about Time Lord!

This story is still developing, but it might be providing some very interesting insight into the mind of Danny Ainge heading into what will be one hell of an offseason.

Other than that, though, it’s still a whole lot of rumors and speculation at this point. With the draft set for June 20, we may actually get some questions answered before the end of the month, but we likely won’t really see anything go down until free agency starts in July. Either way, it’ll be a blast, and we certainly won’t be bored once the dog days finally hit. Strap in, folks.

Kyle Lowry Thought About Starting Malice at the Palace II Last Night (He Did Not)

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Last night the Raptors went up 2-1 on the Golden State Warriors in a wildly entertaining NBA Finals game, but late in the game Kyle Lowry dove into the front row for a rebound and some fan took it upon himself to try and give Lowry the business.

Lowry actually said on SportsCenter this morning: “He reached over & put his hands on me for no reason then he said a couple vulgar words to me & repeated them.”

Now I know Jeff Van Gundy is kind of the cooky grandpa at this point, but he had absolutely zero sympathy for Lowry.

To which I would agree with in a normal circumstance. Some 6’1″ dude diving into your lap would be problematic if you were just riding the T. But, this ain’t a normal circumstance. No you’re sitting courtside at the NBA Finals. You paid an EXORBITANT amount of money just to sit courtside for fucks sake. So for this guy to act shocked and disgusted when he wasn’t even the one who actually took the hit is preposterous. Lets look at the tape.

Its actually the lady in the yellow that takes the entire collision on the chin. Look at that. Look at where she starts and where she ends up.

Kyle Lowry comes flying in and we see the woman’s head go back..and to the left.

Back and to the left.

That lady got absolutely SMOKED and its this dickhead next to them in the blue polo who’s become rattled by the entire series of events. He’s basically Ari Gold without the witty one liners.

This old rich white guy is lucky Lowry didn’t just snuff him right then and there. I mean have people already forgotten about the Malice at the Palace??

That was a monumental event and will forever be the precise moment in time that historians point to as to why you never fuck with a professional athlete. Its one thing to call a guy a bum from the sidelines, its an entirely different thing to put your hands on him. Once you do that you’re on your own man. If you don’t remember Ron Artest, thats a you problem.

It Would Seem Kevin Garnett Was the Most Generous Athlete of All Time, According to Perk

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NBC Sports – It seems like there is no shortage of Kevin Garnett stories, especially from his time with the Celtics. I mean, it’s been six years since the Celtics traded him and Paul Pierce to the Nets and every once and a while we hear a new story about how great a teammate or how crazy a competitor he was.

In a preview for Kristine Leahy’s show “Fair Game” on FS1, Perkins told a few tales about the future Hall of Famer’s legendary unselfishness, calling him the most unselfish guy he’s ever been around.

I could listen to stories about the 2007-2012 Celtics all day because that is one of my favorite Boston sports eras of all time. As usual, this is a story coming from Kendrick Perkins who has become my new favorite NBA Insider. Perk in particular brought us the stories of Garnett guarding the buffet line like a Faneuil Hall bouncer and who could forget the “real hood shit” arm wrestling story:

So Perk brings us another story about KG, but this one might just bring a tear to your eye. Despite being a clear psychopath, you could always tell KG had a heart of gold. He was just an absolute psychotic competitor who wanted to win at all costs…

…but after the game was a genuinely good dude. Seems like he was a generous guy too:

Perkins, who played with Garnett in Boston for three-and-a-half seasons, recalled how he did not save his unselfishness just for his play on the court, but for interns, assistants, ball-boys and video coordinators too.

“He would have his tailor come in and he’d buy each one of them five custom suits,” Perkins said.

Of course, Garnett wasn’t perfect. In the interview, Perkins mentioned how players had to wait for him on the team plane because he was getting a long massage, and there are the popular stories of Garnett yelling at anyone who took food from the postgame buffet before the players did. But he seemed to always make up for it and then some.

“The biggest thing was when he bought everybody in the organization Rolex watches. That was over the top,” Perkins said. “I tell him all the time, sometimes it’s okay to be a selfish a little bit because he always put himself last.”

That is absolutely bananas. Granted, Garnett made like $326 Million over the course of his career, but suits and rolexes ain’t cheap man. Say its a moderately priced suit for $300, well 5 of those bad boys is $1,500 and a Rolex starts at like $7,000 so thats nearly $10K he’s dropping PER PERSON. Who knows how many staffers he hooked up with that deluxe baller package.

Kevin Garnett, what a guy.

Are We Traveling Back to 2007? The Celtics Are Working Out Greg Oden…Sort Of

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MassLive – This isn’t how Greg Oden saw his career going. The 31-year-old should have been angling for one more long-term contract in what most people expected to be a long career.

Injuries robbed him of that, but not of his passion for basketball. Now the former number one overall pick is focused on a new path: coaching.

“I’m done playing. I helped out at Ohio State for the past three, four years. So I just kinda hit the bug on me,” he told MassLive. “I enjoy working with the players. I enjoy that side of it.”

The pursuit of that coaching career brought him to Boston. He was invited by the team to help out and take the floor with players and to help in their evaluation.

“Just to help out with the pre-draft stuff and see what happens from it,” Oden said. “I’ll take that opportunity from it. It’s the freakin’ Celtics.”

Good for Greg Oden. It’s hard to feel bad for millionaires, but I always felt bad for Greg Oden. The guy was supposed to be a generational talent and was poised to dominate the NBA for years, but his body just broke down before he was even 20 years old. Now he might be back.

In what was actually a grand stroke of luck for the Celtics, they got hosed in the NBA Draft Lottery that year and fell to No. 5, which ultimately turned into Danny trading for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in separate deals that same offseason. As we all know those two moves quickly turned a lottery team into one of the most dominant teams in recent NBA history, which never would have happened if the Celtics had landed the No. 1 overall pick.

Of course there are the conspiracy theorists out there that swear Danny would have drafted Kevin Durant No. 1 overall even though everyone in America had Oden the higher rated player. Danny was fined back in 2007 for contact with Durant’s mom and he more recently swindled Philly and the NBA as a whole when he traded down and still got his guy in Jayson Tatum. So who knows.

Either way, its great to see Oden getting back into the NBA, even if its in a different role than he expected.

 

LeBron is Now King of the Ashes in Los Angeles

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First off its a long read, but if you haven’t already go read Baxter Holmes’ excellent story on the Lakers utter dysfunction. Its nothing short of bizarre that a billion dollar business is run this way. With Magic stepping down as Lakers President, his sniping back and forth with current Lakers GM Rob Pelinka through the media, the owner of the team Jeanie Buss appearing completely checked out, and all other sorts of nonsense, LeBron has essentially become King of the ashes in LA.

Lets start with Magic. After suddenly and bizarrely resigning via a rambling impromptu press conference, more and more details have started to come out. He is described throughout Holmes’ story as having a “striking duality to his personality.” When he was even in the office that is. Some days he would grab ass and work his charm, other days he would blow up on a staffer for booking the wrong rental car.

What. A. Prick. This is a prime example of a boss thats in way over his head, blowing up on employees to make themselves feel like they’re in charge.

This story also drops in on familiar face Rich Paul (LeBron’s agent) who is no stranger to dysfunction and maintains a prominent role in LA. Just as he did in Cleveland, Paul and much of the Klutch team meddled in the affairs of the team on behalf of LeBron to bitch about the coach, the management, the roster and everything else the King didn’t like. And shocker, it sunk the team’s chemistry or at the very least any chance the Lakers ever had at a professional work environment.

This is why people around here have bashed LeBron for years. Not because he isn’t a great player. He is incredible and I watch him play every chance he’s on national TV. But, the guy rocks the boat everywhere he goes and when things go south he cops out with quotes like “I’m not the GM.” It’s why he left Miami. He wanted the all-access pass for his boys (who were on the payroll as official team employees in Cleveland and in LA) and Pat Riley told him to take a fucking hike.

Then theres GM Rob Pelinka who at best is just a space case filling air time with whatever pops into his head. At worst he’s the snake that Magic *buried* on First Take and a guy who lies just to lie. Like this story about the time that Kobe saw The Dark Knight and became infatuated with Heath Ledger. So much so that Pelinka says he arranged a dinner with Kobe and Ledger, except for the fact that Ledger was in fact already deceased at this point in time.

Then theres the blatant lies he tells his own employees. Lies that are very, very easily debunked so you’d have to be a sociopath to just freewheel with stuff like this.

It sounds like Magic and Pelinka deserve each other.

And then theres the Queen Bee Jeanie Buss who sounds like she is running this team like a second semester senior in college. Paying less attention to whats happening in the organization that I would in NBA2K.

Good luck Lakers fans because it sounds like you’re in for some dark days. That is unless another NBA mega star decides they just want to play in Southern Cali and bail the Lakers out of completely mismanaging their team which happens again (Shaq) and again (Derek Fisher) and again (LeBron James).

Either way, dumpster fire was a compliment compared to what this team really is; an unmitigated disaster.

 

A Dialogue On a Manufactured High School B-Ball Team

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Joey B and Red react to the news that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will both have their kids transferring to the same high school to play ball together. Time really is a flat circle, huh?

Joey B:
Hey Red,

To kick things off, where on the scale of Jonathan Moxon’s Dad – Stage Parents do Bron and Wade fall here in terms of winning vicariously through your, in this case, high school basketball player?

Red:

This is simply LeBron reading all of my criticisms of him and the NBA at large for its way too chummy AAU culture and doubling down on the death of competition. Where’s the killer instinct? Idk maybe its because I was always the smaller, less skilled, underdog on all my teams, but I would much rather be leading my hometown public high school to a state title than teaming up with a bunch of other rich kids to go 82-0. Its not like LeBron Jr. needs the exposure for recruiting either!

Joey B:
Ya you make a good point. What is there really to be gained by going undefeated and beating these teams with 6’1 Centers 148-26? It’s like Bron shot DWade a “hey know what’d be fun text?” text and DWade didn’t have the heart to say “…why?” (There was no way this was Wade’s idea).It’s insane that this concept has trickled down to H.S sports though. Whose next? Would you want to see Matt Stafford Jr. chuckin to Megatron III?

Red:
At least LeBron Jr. didn’t get completely cucked like his dad and transfer to D Wade’s son’s school. But this is how Hollywood became a thing. All the best of the best just moved to one part of the world and claimed it for themselves as the entertainment capital. Sounds great right? Except when it creates a gigantic bubble of entitlement and they’re all worse off for it. Learn some adversity guys, it’ll help you in the long run.

Joey B:
Haha totally. It’s almost like Lebron and Wade are becoming a two-headed Lavar Ball. Our sons are playing TOGETHER. In HIGH SCHOOL. Then in COLLEGE. Then in the NBA.

It would be hysteeeeeeerical if either/or/both didn’t pan out and they ended up on the fringes of Lithuanian professional basketball.

Red:
Man not to go off in a completely different tangent, but Lavar Ball is a FORCE of nature. The man just speaks things into existence. He predicted his son would get drafted by the Lakers, he predicted on Colin Cowherd’s show the dumpster fire we’re seeing with Magic and the Lakers now, and he even had me believing all three sons would play in the NBA together. Well once the Big Baller Brand shoe company imploded I had to take a step back, but you just know Lavar will not stop. As a marketing man, I respect it.

Anyways, way to put mountains of pressure on your kids guys. I don’t really know how good these kids are supposed to be so I could be totally wrong here, but just look at Michael Jordan’s son, who’s name is Jeffrey Michael Jordan by the way because MJ is a fucking psychopath. He played at Central Florida and was never going to live up to his dad’s legacy, but at least MJ didn’t shine a goddamn light on the kid just waiting for him to fail in front of millions of people.

Joey B:
Lavar Ball is a categorical piece of shit. /thread.

But in general, even if the kids are supported and nurtured in the right way, imagine the pressure. I mean look what happened to Vince Wilfork’s kid (not linking to it out of respect, you have google). Even if the parent does everything right, if they were a fucking superstar it cannot be easy trying to grow and thrive in that shadow. Hence why really not a lot of start athlete’s kids have made it.

I can think of Prince Fielder and the Long brothers….and that’s it. Kind of a startling statistic.

Red:
I’ve read rumors about how LeBron wants to play until he’s 40 because it would give him the opportunity to play with his son, assuming he’s actually good enough to reach the league. Sort of like Ken Griffey Sr. playing with Ken Griffey Jr. and hitting back to back bombs. I’m not a huge LeBron fan obviously, but it would be pretty cool to see an old ass LeBron Sr. throwing an alley oop dunk up for LeBron Jr.

Joey B:
Yaaaa I can’t stand him and even I have to admit that’d be pretty cool.

Speaking of which zero percent chance Vlad Jr.’s team couldn’t do with a cannon armed outfielder off the bench. Maybe Sr. can’t hit anymore but they still could be on the field at the same time COME ON.

Red:
Love Vlad, but he aged like a can of beer in my trunk. Guy was hobbling around like he was on stilts by his early 30s.

TLDR; Moral of the blog? Have professional athletes for parents and you’re golden!

Joey B:
Or emotionally damaged beyond repair.

Apparently Rob Pelinka is Insane and the Lakers Are Even WORSE OFF Than We Thought

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Remember when Red wrote a wonderful blog regarding the schadenfreude we as Boston fans were feeling as we watched the entire LA Lakers organization implode? That was not even a fortnight (apparently we’re just using that now, shouts GOT) ago and already it seems that Red’s musing were just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Below what doomed Jack Dawson to an icy grave lay even greater and more fundamentally devastating risks to Lakers basketball mortality.

That’s saying something. I mean Red already touched on the fact that Pelinka was a tumor in that organization. Jeanie Buss is listening to everyone and everything except logic and basketball sense. Add that to the fact that it seems like NBA players have woken up to the fact that playing for noted top-5 global narcissist Lebron James maybe isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and man, things were already pretty bad.

Now out comes these stories where Pelinka seems like not just a piece of shit, but an absolute lunatic. First you have all the stories of Pelinka quoting the Bible in reference to players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Just sort of out there references better fit for a WWE ring than the NBA. Now you have this story about Pelinka arranging for Kobe to have dinner with Heather Ledger after he was so enamored with Ledger’s performance in “The Dark Knight.” The only problem is the only time Kobe was in New York after the movie came out was a full year after Ledger died. So that would have been tough to say the least.

To recap, the Lakers are owned and operated by an increasingly isolated owner getting bad advice from possibly worse advisors. Their star player is an egomaniac who doesn’t seem to have the clout or magnetism in the league he once did to get players to come play with him, and the other guy involved is a snakelike pathological liar who quotes the Bible in reference to point guards. Got it.

Red already said the Lakers were a dumpster fire. That fire has now spread.

Isn’t it great?

-Joey B.