If Push Came to Shove... (Irving Trade)

[Prokorov]

So if that's your story, and I appreciate the honesty, why didn't you EVER make the personal sacrifice like refusing that spot in a good college and insisting it be given to a more qualified black man or woman instead?

It isnt just one thing. And it is alot more obvious in hindsight. Im 43. so going back to grammer school or high school, this is like the 80s and early 90s. the idea that inequality was a systemic thing wasnt really acknowledged and access to information wasnt really there with no internet. so you kind of took the news reporting at face value. and my parents where boomers, a generation riddled with racism. so when a minority got the short end, everything in my circle and in the news and in the papers was about how the minority didnt really deserve it or slandered them as a criminal or deviant.

part of it is selfishness. when your young, you typically have tunnell vision. trying to get yours. part of privilige is living in a bubble where everything isnt that bad and the injustices can be explained away. with that, its easy to just worry about yourself... again something minorities and blacks especially dont have the luxury of.

so i guess in short, some of it was ignorance some of it was selfishness and some of it was living in a world that painted everything as normal and just.

And why, until this day, haven't you done likewise with your cush job?

I do now. giving up my job to a black person isnt really a thing. and whatever job i got to replace it would just be the same, me taking the job of someone probably more qualified. What i have done is worked with our owner/CEO to have a mantadory DEI program (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and partnered with organizaitons to help get blacks hired at a more representive rate in my field (IT). We also are spending a ton of resources into STEM programs and working with the YWCA to try and get more women into IT, where the male/female ratios is signifcantly less diverse then black/white

i do a lot personally to, but this isnt about trying to pretend im some saint. im not. but the issue is important to me and im trying my best to be an anti-racist, which is challenging when you never considered yourself racist or perpetuating things to begin with. but i certainly had my inherit biases and ignorances.

You know what, I appreciate your honesty and have a lot more respect for you now. IMO this is your best post ever, and even if we don't agree on this or that, it's obvious that you care about people and I really value that in a person. It's also clear that you are doing what you can to rectify what you view as injustice, and even if I don't see it the same way, I respect your opinion and that you are backing it up with actions, not just words.

God bless your two children too.

I appreciate it. for what its worth, i dont discount your view or your personal story. i have a really different perspective and probably some hard bias' or overcorrections to former bias'. please dont take my rebuttles or disagreements as criticisms of you. i appreciate you digging in and facilitating a real personal discussion and not just trying to go back and forth. i know first hand its easy to do that.

bless you and yours as well.

[harlem_ball]

I like the trade for KAT myself. Kyrie is not dependable. He's a great talent but he's a headache.

I don't see GS moving on that trade with Wiggins unless they get desperate.

[Gooner]

I believe Kyrie will cave in to pressure ultimately, even though he doesn't want the vaccine. He is authentic and a man of principle imo, but he also has some inner battles he is going through, and that combined with all the public pressure can be really torturous for an individual. If he does go through with it howewer, that could be his chance to be remembered as a revolotionary who is ready to make a sacrifice for his principles and something that he perceives to be a greater good, and that's something that motivates him aswell. Howewer, the pressure might be too big, I think he will succumb to public and peer, and possibly family pressure, because I believe his dad is vaccinated.

[Prokorov]

I believe Kyrie will cave in to pressure ultimately, even though he doesn't want the vaccine. He is authentic and a man of principle imo, but he also has some inner battles he is going through, and that combined with all the public pressure can be really torturous for an individual. If he does go through with it howewer, that could be his chance to be remembered as a revolotionary who is ready to make a sacrifice for his principles and something that he perceives to be a greater good, and that's something that motivates him aswell. Howewer, the pressure might be too big, I think he will succumb to public and peer, and possibly family pressure, because I believe his dad is vaccinated.

I think this really misses everything Kyrie is about.

the "greater good" for him isnt basketball. its things like genocide and poverty and social injustice and famine. Also, there is something close to 0 peer for family pressure. his family for sure supports him. And im not sure what peers are pressuring him. KD has his back, and universally his team has supported him thorugh all the times the media dragged him thorugh the mud when he missed time for personal reasons. These guys also dont view things like fans. winning is important but these guys do a ton of not basketball stuff together and support eachother outside that. There may be league pressure. or he may just himself decide he wants to play

He certainly isnt worried about fan or media pressure.

He is going to make his own call on it, and id anticipate his teammates will back him the entire way

[Prokorov]

I like the trade for KAT myself. Kyrie is not dependable. He's a great talent but he's a headache.

I don't see GS moving on that trade with Wiggins unless they get desperate.

Kyrie isnt a headache. he probably rubs racists and republicans the wrong way or those who buy into the media slander. but dude shows up in big ways on and off the court.

[harlem_ball]

I like the trade for KAT myself. Kyrie is not dependable. He's a great talent but he's a headache.

I don't see GS moving on that trade with Wiggins unless they get desperate.

Kyrie isnt a headache. he probably rubs racists and republicans the wrong way or those who buy into the media slander. but dude shows up in big ways on and off the court.

I agree he is a big time player. Top shelf. My beef is he is injury prone and also seems to skip out on a lot of games for personal matters. He's kind of been a part-time player for a while. With a stacked team like Brooklyn it may be dismiss-able but at the same time Kyrie isn't exactly a guy you can rely on day in and day out like a Giannis. Like it or not, that effects a team when the chips are down.

[MrDollarBills]

Kyrie is a 50/40/90 player. I absolutely want him on this team, but he knows what he needs to do because missing 50% of the season for non injury reasons is not acceptable.

Plus, I read the guidelines for unvaccinated players. It sounds like absolute hell (as it should be). He needs to really weigh this out here. And that's the last I'll comment on it. Basketball begins Sunday night!!!

[Prokorov]

I like the trade for KAT myself. Kyrie is not dependable. He's a great talent but he's a headache.

I don't see GS moving on that trade with Wiggins unless they get desperate.

Kyrie isnt a headache. he probably rubs racists and republicans the wrong way or those who buy into the media slander. but dude shows up in big ways on and off the court.

I agree he is a big time player. Top shelf. My beef is he is injury prone and also seems to skip out on a lot of games for personal matters. He's kind of been a part-time player for a while. With a stacked team like Brooklyn it may be dismiss-able but at the same time Kyrie isn't exactly a guy you can rely on day in and day out like a Giannis. Like it or not, that effects a team when the chips are down.

Injuries are a legit issue with Kyrie. Like most smaller gaurds who get to the rim a ton, he is going to miss time to injury. Similarly with KD, he misses alot of time to injury. Having Harden was big (bad luck last year) since he has been an iron man.

Kyrie has missed like 7 games in 2 years with the nets to "personal reasons" 6 of those for the birth of his child, which likely would have been 1 or 2 but that lined up with a long road trip. The other was not playing in minnesota during all the police shooting/police corruption/portests in that state. i believe KAT and others also sat out.

in his 10 year career, he has missed less then 20 games a year to personal reasons. nearly half of those were related to having a kid.

Kyrie has missed, i believe, 3 games for non-family/child related reasons as a net

-1 game the night he found out kobe, his mentor, passed away
-1 game for the minnesota protests
-1 game for undisclosed personal reasons when never got clarity on

If you want to question his durability, thats reasonable. but the idea he is constantly missing time for personal reasons is an overblown media narrative that mostly centers on Kyrie keeping these matters private and it not coming out until later what they were actually for. We see players miss time for thier childs birth, its known up front, and its no issue. kyrie does it and he gets killed for a month before the truth gets out and by then the narrative and hit pieces have already come out.

[Prokorov]

Kyrie is a 50/40/90 player. I absolutely want him on this team, but he knows what he needs to do because missing 50% of the season for non injury reasons is not acceptable.

Acceptable to who? You? Fans? Media? his teammates? Management? Ownership.

I'd say the only people it needs to be acceptable to, in order, are:
-Kyrie
-Ownership
-Management
-Teammates

We already know its acceptable to him. Its appears its acceptable to his teammates, who backed him mostly without any passive aggressive stuff. Management has been quiet as always, and we have not heard from Tsai.

Basketball is a sport and a profession. It isn't something that can dictate Kyrie's life. He can choose what he wants and the consequences and benefits that come from that. If he decides to miss games and the owner/team stand with him, then its acceptable. if they dont it will lead to a hiatus or seperation from the team, which again, if thats acceptable to him, thats all that matters.

As fans its hard to accept that basketball doesnt come first. Or that outside factors can disrupt it. it is not unlike most issues... We live in our bubbles and ignore them and get upset when something pops that bubble and disrupts the normalcy. As of now, we know nothing. I'm sure Marks and ownership know more. I'm sure there is a path and plan they have discussed. maybe its waiting on a state or league exception. id assume they would support and explore a path where kyrie doesnt vax but still plays before going down alternative roads. it will be slow and draw out, which fans will hate and media will pounce on. but there isnt urgency on the team/player end.

Plus, I read the guidelines for unvaccinated players. It sounds like absolute hell (as it should be). He needs to really weigh this out here. And that's the last I'll comment on it. Basketball begins Sunday night!!!

I'm sure he has. I doubt the guidelines are an issue for him

[MrDollarBills]

Kyrie is a 50/40/90 player. I absolutely want him on this team, but he knows what he needs to do because missing 50% of the season for non injury reasons is not acceptable.

Acceptable to who? You? Fans? Media? his teammates? Management? Ownership.

I'd say the only people it needs to be acceptable to, in order, are:
-Kyrie
-Ownership
-Management
-Teammates

We already know its acceptable to him. Its appears its acceptable to his teammates, who backed him mostly without any passive aggressive stuff. Management has been quiet as always, and we have not heard from Tsai.

Basketball is a sport and a profession. It isn't something that can dictate Kyrie's life. He can choose what he wants and the consequences and benefits that come from that. If he decides to miss games and the owner/team stand with him, then its acceptable. if they dont it will lead to a hiatus or seperation from the team, which again, if thats acceptable to him, thats all that matters.

As fans its hard to accept that basketball doesnt come first. Or that outside factors can disrupt it. it is not unlike most issues... We live in our bubbles and ignore them and get upset when something pops that bubble and disrupts the normalcy. As of now, we know nothing. I'm sure Marks and ownership know more. I'm sure there is a path and plan they have discussed. maybe its waiting on a state or league exception. id assume they would support and explore a path where kyrie doesnt vax but still plays before going down alternative roads. it will be slow and draw out, which fans will hate and media will pounce on. but there isnt urgency on the team/player end.

Plus, I read the guidelines for unvaccinated players. It sounds like absolute hell (as it should be). He needs to really weigh this out here. And that's the last I'll comment on it. Basketball begins Sunday night!!!

I'm sure he has. I doubt the guidelines are an issue for him

Bro I'm done with the Kyrie pseudo psychoanalysis to be honest. I don't care about all of that extracurricular stuff you're talking about, Kyrie is an adult, and just because you choose not to treat him as such doesn't mean Joe Tsai and Sean Marks will...or his teammates, if his absences begin to have a negative impact. We're not there yet, so it's whatever for now.

Everything I've heard come out of James Harden's mouth is about winning a championship. That's all that comes down to, and I don't think anyone is going to sacrifice that chance on Kyrie Irving's behalf no matter what you think. He can either be apart of the team, or not, I don't care either way because we have KD and Harden and no one is beating that tandem, but I want him here if he wants to be here. Kyrie is now becoming more of a luxury than a necessity.

[harlem_ball]

Kyrie isnt a headache. he probably rubs racists and republicans the wrong way or those who buy into the media slander. but dude shows up in big ways on and off the court.

I agree he is a big time player. Top shelf. My beef is he is injury prone and also seems to skip out on a lot of games for personal matters. He's kind of been a part-time player for a while. With a stacked team like Brooklyn it may be dismiss-able but at the same time Kyrie isn't exactly a guy you can rely on day in and day out like a Giannis. Like it or not, that effects a team when the chips are down.

Injuries are a legit issue with Kyrie. Like most smaller gaurds who get to the rim a ton, he is going to miss time to injury. Similarly with KD, he misses alot of time to injury. Having Harden was big (bad luck last year) since he has been an iron man.

Kyrie has missed like 7 games in 2 years with the nets to "personal reasons" 6 of those for the birth of his child, which likely would have been 1 or 2 but that lined up with a long road trip. The other was not playing in minnesota during all the police shooting/police corruption/portests in that state. i believe KAT and others also sat out.

in his 10 year career, he has missed less then 20 games a year to personal reasons. nearly half of those were related to having a kid.

Kyrie has missed, i believe, 3 games for non-family/child related reasons as a net

-1 game the night he found out kobe, his mentor, passed away
-1 game for the minnesota protests
-1 game for undisclosed personal reasons when never got clarity on

If you want to question his durability, thats reasonable. but the idea he is constantly missing time for personal reasons is an overblown media narrative that mostly centers on Kyrie keeping these matters private and it not coming out until later what they were actually for. We see players miss time for thier childs birth, its known up front, and its no issue. kyrie does it and he gets killed for a month before the truth gets out and by then the narrative and hit pieces have already come out.

Didn't Kyrie have some issue with protocols and attending a birthday party during the season? Again, these are small, petty issues but they do effect a team if he were depended on. I think the key for the Nets is to make Durant and Harden the leaders so the burden is eased on Kyrie. That will work. Similar to how Chicago dealt with Dennis Rodman. This is all speculation, can't wait to see how it all plays out. It is intriguing.

[Prokorov]

Bro I'm done with the Kyrie pseudo psychoanalysis to be honest. I don't care about all of that extracurricular stuff you're talking about, Kyrie is an adult, and just because you choose not to treat him as such doesn't mean Joe Tsai and Sean Marks will...or his teammates, if his absences begin to have a negative impact. We're not there yet, so it's whatever for now.

If you don't want to hash it out i get it...

As far as "not treating him like an adult" I ask to step back and see which is treating him more like an adult.

1) "you need to do this, because I/others know better, and you dont get to make that choice. I don't care what your reasons are you are paid to do a job so do it" "I dont care if you are ok with the consequences or if your teammates support/dont condemn you for it. you need to do it"

2) "I dont agree with you, but i respect your choice as a man/free american who is breaking no laws. I hope you get it, but you are free to make your choice as long as you accept the consequences; which currently would include losing freedoms (where you can and cant go), Salary ($450K per game), and the scrunity that your celebrity comes with. As well as the required protocols for unvaccinated players" "As long as you continue not to be reckless by using you celebrity to publically spread misinformation (like beal) then i respect your choice although i strongly feel it is not the healthiest choice"

Everything I've heard come out of James Harden's mouth is about winning a championship. That's all that comes down to, and I don't think anyone is going to sacrifice that chance on Kyrie Irving's behalf no matter what you think. He can either be apart of the team, or not, I don't care either way because we have KD and Harden and no one is beating that tandem, but I want him here if he wants to be here. Kyrie is now becoming more of a luxury than a necessity.

Awesome. what was coming out of hardens mouth this time last season when it was him who had some issues... You are marking harden as this ultimate team guy meanwhile he is out of shape, going unmasked to strip clubs, making comments about his teammates. refusing to report, and demanding out of a multi-year deal. so yeah its been roses here in Brooklyn but dont give me Harden as some great example of how to show your a team first guy before a me first guy.

KD has publically backed Kyrie both on media day and in his podcast and on instagram and liked his live stream of the zoom call. You can hope/wish for Kyries teammates to resent what he is doing, but they likely dont

[Prokorov]

Didn't Kyrie have some issue with protocols and attending a birthday party during the season? Again, these are small, petty issues but they do effect a team if he were depended on. I think the key for the Nets is to make Durant and Harden the leaders so the burden is eased on Kyrie. That will work. Similar to how Chicago dealt with Dennis Rodman. This is all speculation, can't wait to see how it all plays out. It is intriguing.

There is no burden and Kyrie is a leader because his teammates love him and view him that way. Kyrie doesnt need to be a leader for the fans or the media. he needs to be for his team (as a net) and his league (as a player rep). He does both and his current and former teammates unanimously love him... most because he does all the things they wish they could do so they dont have to. like take all of these stands and be a pinoneer for money and social justice outside of just their nba contract and influence

as far as the birthday thing. Kyrie was out for the birth of his child. he attended his sisters birthday while out. he also attended a zoom for the mayors meeting on a social justice issue. As mentioned during the time, if he misses an NBA game is he only allowed to do the 1 thing he missed time for and then has to sit quiet in his room the other hours of the day until he plays again? There was no game the night of his sisters birthday and you cant play an nba game over zoom.

Again, all of this stuff looks worse in real time because kyrie and the team dont disclose the reasons. but once it comes out, it really is a non issue.

You can hate on him for not following protocol for his sisters bday (no mask) which cost him time for protocol, so in that regard, yea, thats not good. but him attending the event ans missing time for his kid was excused and it should have been excused.

[harlem_ball]

Didn't Kyrie have some issue with protocols and attending a birthday party during the season? Again, these are small, petty issues but they do effect a team if he were depended on. I think the key for the Nets is to make Durant and Harden the leaders so the burden is eased on Kyrie. That will work. Similar to how Chicago dealt with Dennis Rodman. This is all speculation, can't wait to see how it all plays out. It is intriguing.

There is no burden and Kyrie is a leader because his teammates love him and view him that way. Kyrie doesnt need to be a leader for the fans or the media. he needs to be for his team (as a net) and his league (as a player rep). He does both and his current and former teammates unanimously love him... most because he does all the things they wish they could do so they dont have to. like take all of these stands and be a pinoneer for money and social justice outside of just their nba contract and influence

as far as the birthday thing. Kyrie was out for the birth of his child. he attended his sisters birthday while out. he also attended a zoom for the mayors meeting on a social justice issue. As mentioned during the time, if he misses an NBA game is he only allowed to do the 1 thing he missed time for and then has to sit quiet in his room the other hours of the day until he plays again? There was no game the night of his sisters birthday and you cant play an nba game over zoom.

Again, all of this stuff looks worse in real time because kyrie and the team dont disclose the reasons. but once it comes out, it really is a non issue.

You can hate on him for not following protocol for his sisters bday (no mask) which cost him time for protocol, so in that regard, yea, thats not good. but him attending the event ans missing time for his kid was excused and it should have been excused.

That's a lot of excuses during the season when your mind should be strictly on your team but whatever, I get it, you are a Kyrie apologist. I really don't care to further analyze this and will wait to see how it all plays out. If Kyrie doesn't vax and begins to miss half the season I would definitely pull a trade for a dependable player myself. Period. But I'm not the GM

And yes, being a team leader is a burden. It's the burden of leadership. Ignoring it is delusional and irresponsible.

[haosmoove]

As a long time fan, I care more about the Nets winning than personal agenda from individual players. This may sound insensitive, but we are fans first and foremost and this is what brings us to an internet forum discussing topics of interest.

I respect Kyrie for what he believes in (maybe minus flat earth?) as long as it doesn't impact his on court performance. There has to be other ways to do what he does without impacting his availability for 7 months out of a year. I am tired of arguments that say the team/players should support him because he is what he is. Why can't he be held accountable for simply doing his job? Isn't it a little selfish to only focus on personal goals in a team sport? Not every player / coach / management share his personal agenda, but I am sure winning the chip is a common goal shared among everyone in the organization. We still have time before the start of the season so I am hoping for the best.

Going off the topic a bit, I am wondering what's the perfect scenario for the Nets. Since we don't really need all the regular season wins, does it make sense for Kyrie to only get vaxxed up before the start of the playoffs? For every game he misses, the Nets save on his salary + 3x luxury tax bill.

[Prokorov]

That's a lot of excuses during the season when your mind should be strictly on your team but whatever, I get it, you are a Kyrie apologist.

This isnt really a thing. guys dont have their minds on only basketball. they are not robots. for some, its not even the main thing on their mind and for many they have alot going on. when they are in the gym/the court their focus is there. but otherwise these guys have families, investments, charities, relationships...

And these are excuses, they are facts and realities. It isnt an "excuse" that kyrie had a kid, it is a reality. it isnt an "excuse" that Kyrie missed roughly a dozen games in 10 seasons to "personal reasons" it is a fact.

The rest is objective. you either think a child birth is a reasonable excuse or not. you either think death of friend/family (kobe) is reasonable or not. You either think protest/issues in minnesota is a reasonable excuse or not. In all 50 states your employer can not punish you for a death in the family. Kobe isnt family, but its along those lines. in almost all 50 states, you cant punish a father missing time for his childs birth. im not sure the NBA's wirttive collevtive agreement on these, but the nets excused both (as well as the minnesota thing) so even if you dont see those as reasonable, the team does.

While we are on excuses, id say the excuses come from the other side in the form of "yeah buts..." Kyrie missed time for his kid being born "yeah, but he was on a zoom call with the mayor for a social justice issue. if he can attend zoom he can play basketball".

I really don't care to further analyze this and will wait to see how it all plays out. If Kyrie doesn't vax and begins to miss half the season I would definitely pull a trade for a dependable player myself. Period. But I'm not the GM

And yes, being a team leader is a burden. It's the burden of leadership. Ignoring it is delusional and irresponsible.

It may be a burden for some, privilige for others. its objective. and you already havent waited to see how it plays out. so, its kind of irrelevant

[TheNetsFan]

Going off the topic a bit, I am wondering what's the perfect scenario for the Nets. Since we don't really need all the regular season wins, does it make sense for Kyrie to only get vaxxed up before the start of the playoffs? For every game he misses, the Nets save on his salary + 3x luxury tax bill.

The money from fines and suspensions is put to good use -- it's given to charities of the NBA's and players association's choosing. Players are not paid while they are suspended -- for each missed game, the player is docked a portion of his salary, whether suspended for a preseason, regular season or postseason game (see question number 13 for information on how suspensions impact team salary) as follows:

If the suspension is less than 20 games, 1/145 of his base compensation.
If the suspension is 20 or more games, or an indefinite suspension that lasts at least 20 games, 1/110 of his base compensation.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q107

For certain purposes, 50% of salary not paid to players who were suspended by the league is excluded. For example, if a player with a $10 million salary is suspended by the league for exactly half the season, then he loses $5 million, and 50% of this amount, or $2.5 million, is excluded from certain calculations including escrow and luxury tax. The team does not receive extra cap room which it can use to sign another player.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q13

Half of the lost salary times the luxury tax multiplier would be our tax savings. This assumes, as most seem to believe, that the league would be suspending players for home games, given they have stated that they would not be paid for missed games due to vaccine status.

[GTR11]

Since its a bball area I'll keep it 100% bball related. Not only i agree with Shaq all the way here, I want to add the fact that:
1- there is CBA coming up
2- league already moving towards not allowing unvaccinated people to the games
3- whoever dont like retire. Go play somewhere else

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[harlem_ball]

That's a lot of excuses during the season when your mind should be strictly on your team but whatever, I get it, you are a Kyrie apologist.

This isnt really a thing. guys dont have their minds on only basketball. they are not robots. for some, its not even the main thing on their mind and for many they have alot going on. when they are in the gym/the court their focus is there. but otherwise these guys have families, investments, charities, relationships...

And these are excuses, they are facts and realities. It isnt an "excuse" that kyrie had a kid, it is a reality. it isnt an "excuse" that Kyrie missed roughly a dozen games in 10 seasons to "personal reasons" it is a fact.

The rest is objective. you either think a child birth is a reasonable excuse or not. you either think death of friend/family (kobe) is reasonable or not. You either think protest/issues in minnesota is a reasonable excuse or not. In all 50 states your employer can not punish you for a death in the family. Kobe isnt family, but its along those lines. in almost all 50 states, you cant punish a father missing time for his childs birth. im not sure the NBA's wirttive collevtive agreement on these, but the nets excused both (as well as the minnesota thing) so even if you dont see those as reasonable, the team does.

While we are on excuses, id say the excuses come from the other side in the form of "yeah buts..." Kyrie missed time for his kid being born "yeah, but he was on a zoom call with the mayor for a social justice issue. if he can attend zoom he can play basketball".

I really don't care to further analyze this and will wait to see how it all plays out. If Kyrie doesn't vax and begins to miss half the season I would definitely pull a trade for a dependable player myself. Period. But I'm not the GM

And yes, being a team leader is a burden. It's the burden of leadership. Ignoring it is delusional and irresponsible.

It may be a burden for some, privilige for others. its objective. and you already havent waited to see how it plays out. so, its kind of irrelevant

All that said, if Kyries unavailable for half the season I'd trade him. That's the point. The team doesn't need a martyr, political leader and Flat Earth conspiracy theorist. It needs to use it's capspace on a badass hooper.

[LOUiS-D]

I'm ride or die with Kai. He's the reason we're a contender and not a fiesty young team rounding into a perennial first round exit. I'm disappointed, sure. It all comes down to KD and James. That's who he's accountable to. If they're cool, I'm cool.

The city of NY and the NBA have already used the stick, we should stick to the carrots. I want the Nets to stay a player first organization. That has its downsides, but there's a reason Miami's biggest acquisition since the heatles has been Jimmy Butler despite having EVERY advantage (weather, big market, night life, no income tax, championship pedigree, top tier coaching).