That first charge call 
We legitmately could go a full week without basketball… that sucks
5 Likes
they should have kicked off TBT this upcoming weekend
2 Likes
Later bron bron.
Jett Howard is coming to LA to rescue the Lakers!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And Juwan will be coaching him in '24-'25.
I did see a mock with the Lakers drafting Jett. He makes some sense for them, they desperately need shooting and he fits the style of player they have around Bron and AD right now. Those two would cleanup a lot of Jett’s defensive miscues. Not sure he’ll be a good player by the time Lebron is retired though, their timeline is very much next year and not sure they can count on anything after that.
Bufkin was one of only 4 guys who interviewed with the Lakers at the combine. Realistic chance they get either UM guy in this year’s draft. I personally think Kobe’s gone by then, but who knows…
Neither here nor there, but something occurred to me last night (I didn’t watch the game, I was at my son’s baseball game).
Lebron has never really said or done a thing to offend me, has been a pretty exemplary role model, unafraid to stand up for things he believes in, and is generally pretty bright when he does so. He just seems like a good, gracious guy despite the galactic fame.
Despite this, I think I have rooted for him to eat s**t in every single game he has ever played. What’s wrong with me?
5 Likes
that’s what being the GOAT is all about. you’re so good, it’s unfair, things seem inevitable, you get so much attention, etc. etc.
and that being the case makes the fact that he’s reasonably well adjusted all the more miraculous.
6 Likes
I resolved not to hate LeBron like I hated Jordan and Bird, so I could at least enjoy some of the brilliance. Which led to me kind of hoping the Lakers would win last night so as to see more LeBron. Now I hate LeBron for depriving me of the maximum allowable joy from seeing the Lakers lose.
6 Likes
I grew up a Knicks fan, so my anitpathy for Jordan was pretty natural and not just in this vacuum (I’ve cheered Bulls for basically all of Lebron’s career, so there is some crossover there (he’s sent them home enough) but not anything like what the Knicks/Bulls blood-feud rose to in the Jordan era).
I think Colin’s point is right - he just seems inevitable, and in series where I theoretically don’t have a horse (like Nuggets/Lakers), cheering for the most famous guy playing for the most famous franchise just isn’t happening.
1 Like
I agree with your 2nd paragraph and want to add a bit more fuel by saying that the guy has had the spotlight since he was a kid. The maturity he has shown (disregarding the Announcement which was NBD IMO) given his background and education level is just extraordinary. He has been formally educated up to, say, halfway through high school, and the guy has carried himself so well. I know he’s had support systems in place, esp after getting drafted, but it’s still a two-way transaction. V impressive.
5 Likes
I struggle with my feelings on LeBron as well. I respect him a lot more now than I did when he was younger. I really got frustrated when he basically started orchestrating the player-empowerment era to build super teams and was so full of himself at the time. That bothered me a lot. But now in the twilight of his career I’m able to appreciate just how frickin’ good he has been, how much of a unicorn he is, and how overall he was a genuinely good person while doing it. I respected but hated Jordan (partially being a Pistons fan and partially because he was just not a very good person).
As for next year, everyone just keeps talking about how Pelinka will find a way to get Kyrie Irving to show up and that will solve all of their issues. It has been a long time since Kyrie made a team get better, not worse.
1 Like
I don’t blame him for the player empowerment stuff (they should be empowered, they are what makes the game), the announcement was tone deaf, but he was 25 (not a “kid” but also young enough to lack perspective), and the Heatles were a pretty natural heel for the league (despite in retrospect all three of them being genuinely cool/good guys?). Sports can’t be disentangled from narratives, and the inevitable narrative was going to paint them as a Goliath for a David to slay (and two did!)…nobody roots for Goliath.
It just struck me as I see some media folks hinting that his failure to deliver a win last night was a choke…he’s 38! Jordan was grinding out a laughably inefficient season on a terrible team and giving a #1 pick PTSD at this age!
4 Likes
Agreed. I’ve gotten over that. He’s still a crappy GM, as all stars tend to be, but I agree that now, in the twilight, it’s clear he has deliverd on an immense amount of promise and is due a good dose or respect overall.
But, also, LOL @ the Kyrie thing. LOL, LOL, LOL.
1 Like
Yeah, Lebron the GM isn’t very good and Kyrie is an obvious example of that. I think the Lakers legitimately hit on something with their current roster, and if I were Pelinka I’d try to fill out some version of it again (I’d let D-Lo walk, but Reeves, Hachimura, and even my own punching back Schröeder seem like keeps)
1 Like
Hachi and Reaves, yes. I’m not convinced on Schroeder but he might be decent value for them
Yeah, his salary this year was peanuts and he was clearly worth that. They got a TON of guys and not all of them worked (I was shocked Beasley didn’t, much less so Bamba didn’t) so don’t need to keep them all, but I’d be VERY interested to see what Reaves can do in a full year as a starter.
Cool to see some new blood in the Finals. Is this the first time ever for Denver?
1 Like
yes, first time in 47 year franchise history
3 Likes