2025-26 Lineup Thread -- How's it shakin out?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Jim Jones Kool Aid? He was forced to sip from the cup. Right?

AFM, what else?

[AFM]

Jim Jones Kool Aid? He was forced to sip from the cup. Right?

AFM, what else?

That's right, hemlock, a poison. IIRC he could have avoided his fate by choosing exile instead, but didn't want to go against his own principles.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Wow! He died by choice rather than to recant and fall in line. Gnarly. Socrates sounds like he could have been a Marvel hero.

[nate33]

We have 4 really high hoops IQ vets. Smart, Middleton, Olynyk, CJ. Two super high IQ young’uns - Kyshawn and Champanie. Three super high upside guys with, thus far, holes in their feel for the whole game - Tre, Cam and Bilal.

It’ll be interesting to see what combos Keefe rolls out to accomplish a few things simultaneously if possible:

1. Teach the young uns by playing next to smart old farts.
2. Don’t win too many games.
3. Pump up trade value for vets.

So, I think I’d mix and match a bit. I’d also play to win the in season tourney games. I’d be judicious with dnps.

I could see the starting lineup being something like Smart, CJ, Middleton, Cam, Sarr.

I can understand the motive of showcasing the vets to the rest of the league, as well as just establishing a culture and an hierarchy on the team as far as pecking order and earned respect of the vets with a mentor/apprentice relationship between the vets and rooks/youth. The vets establish the tone of how to play with intelligence and team ball and defense with Smart, CJ and Middleton leading the way. This would also benefit Cam and Sarr playing with them in a differential role of support and picking their spots in the framework of the offense led by Middleton and CJ and playing their part in the team defensive scheme led by Smart.

And from there work in the subs off the bench with Bub, Tre, Kyshawn, Bilal, JC, Kispert, Olynyck.

This is kind if what I'm expecting to start the year until some if not all of these vets are moved throughout the 1st half of the season up to the deadline. And I'm not too concerned about winning too much and blowing the tank, as these vets are good but none of them are superstar difference makers like a Jokic, Embid, LeBron, KD type, plus we're going to get killed on the boards nightly.

There is zero chance that Bilal comes off the bench. None. There is no reason in the world that Smart should start over him when Bilal is a better player than Smart already.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Olynyk will have trade value

No

A player like Middleton isn’t going to teach and instruct. Pull you aside to give tips. He’s still fighting to keep his job as a starter. Prove he’s relevant for a contender to pick up. My read on a guy like Olynyk is that he may be looking to his next career on a coaching staff.

So now you're the NBA player whisperer? You can read into Olynyk and Middelton's psyche and determine that Middelton won't "teach and instruct" but Olynyk will?

Oh lord. This is based on interviews and observations. Both players have been in the league a long time. It’s not impossible to get a read in someone’s character. Demeanor. Interviews with Giannis reveal that Midd doesn’t really talk to Giannis despite the fact that that’s one of his best friends in the league. Olynyk is noted for working with teammates both in the NBA and the Canada NT. I recall reading articles on Yves Missi where KO was giving him tips. Here:

Watch on YouTube

Weird take that you’ve dug in on this one. That vets don’t help teammates improve. I get that you hate KO. Don’t want to have to cheer for him. But denying reality takes things a little far to the point of being pathological. Did KO impregnate your dog or something?

Or if you want to make it about me let’s bump the insults thread and have a shootout. It’s the offseason we can make it last all summer. Let’s have fun.

So, at the end of the rainbow for Kelly Olynyk, he was only in basketball purgatory / hell for a couple of weeks. Now, KO gets to mentor a superstar. He gets to work under the guise of rehabbing Pop, Manu,Timmy, and their 1st-year coach.

The Wizards have given KO something better than a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. More good Dawkins Karma went out. The Spurs will remember, and so will KO.

[payitforward]

Wow! He died by choice rather than to recant and fall in line. Gnarly. Socrates sounds like he could have been a Marvel hero.

Here you go, Ken -- https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil100/04.%20Apology.pdf

[payitforward]

and https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil100/06.%20Phaedo.pdf

The Apology is about his trial; the Phaedo chronicles his final day. Enjoy....

[payitforward]

If you prefer to read them on paper, any local library will have a copy of The Dialogues of Plato.

[dorianwrite]

Don't miss The Symposium

[leswizards]

We only have the defense of Socrates, we don’t have the prosecution’s case. Imagine if all you had was Herman Goering’s defense and were completely ignorant of what he was being prosecuted for. You might come away thinking he is an innocent man.

Socrates was so obnoxious in proposing his punishment, that more Athenians voted for his death than voted for him to be guilty.

[payitforward]

Well... I just spent a little time rereading The Apology -- I recommend it to all....

[AFM]

The Official Greek Philosopher Thread

you know its gonna be a damn long offseason

[80sballboy]

Could Socrates play center or was he another wing?

[Benjammin]

Socrates was a point forward, Plato a shooting guard, and the Big Aristotle a center.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

[closg00]

We have 4 really high hoops IQ vets. Smart, Middleton, Olynyk, CJ. Two super high IQ young’uns - Kyshawn and Champanie. Three super high upside guys with, thus far, holes in their feel for the whole game - Tre, Cam and Bilal.

It’ll be interesting to see what combos Keefe rolls out to accomplish a few things simultaneously if possible:

1. Teach the young uns by playing next to smart old farts.
2. Don’t win too many games.
3. Pump up trade value for vets.

So, I think I’d mix and match a bit. I’d also play to win the in season tourney games. I’d be judicious with dnps.

I could see the starting lineup being something like Smart, CJ, Middleton, Cam, Sarr.

I can understand the motive of showcasing the vets to the rest of the league, as well as just establishing a culture and an hierarchy on the team as far as pecking order and earned respect of the vets with a mentor/apprentice relationship between the vets and rooks/youth. The vets establish the tone of how to play with intelligence and team ball and defense with Smart, CJ and Middleton leading the way. This would also benefit Cam and Sarr playing with them in a differential role of support and picking their spots in the framework of the offense led by Middleton and CJ and playing their part in the team defensive scheme led by Smart.

And from there work in the subs off the bench with Bub, Tre, Kyshawn, Bilal, JC, Kispert, Olynyck.

This is kind if what I'm expecting to start the year until some if not all of these vets are moved throughout the 1st half of the season up to the deadline. And I'm not too concerned about winning too much and blowing the tank, as these vets are good but none of them are superstar difference makers like a Jokic, Embid, LeBron, KD type, plus we're going to get killed on the boards nightly.

There is zero chance that Bilal comes off the bench. None. There is no reason in the world that Smart should start over him when Bilal is a better player than Smart already.

Bilal’s spot is there for the taking if he continues to be a self-own on offense.

[Frichuela]

Bilal and Sarr are 100% going to start, guaranteed. The other 3 are more debatable.

[doclinkin]

Could Socrates play center or was he another wing?

I dunno but Big Sophocles was a center:

Watch on YouTube

CCJ woulda loved this kid. He's beefy.

[Benjammin]

One of Shaq's nicknames was the Big Aristotle.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Wow! He died by choice rather than to recant and fall in line. Gnarly. Socrates sounds like he could have been a Marvel hero.

Here you go, Ken -- https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil100/04.%20Apology.pdf

and https://www2.hawaii.edu/~freeman/courses/phil100/06.%20Phaedo.pdf

The Apology is about his trial; the Phaedo chronicles his final day. Enjoy....

Thanks, Tom!

Finally, I will actually take time to enjoy something besides Japanese porn.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

We only have the defense of Socrates, we don’t have the prosecution’s case. Imagine if all you had was Herman Goering’s defense and were completely ignorant of what he was being prosecuted for. You might come away thinking he is an innocent man.

Socrates was so obnoxious in proposing his punishment, that more Athenians voted for his death than voted for him to be guilty.

The Nuremburg prosecutors pretty much had Goering's and the SS boys' and girls' fate decided ahead of time. "Hitler made me do it" isn't much of a defense. Fat Hermann was a great (big) historic figure.

https://www.historynet.com/larger-than-life-the-infamous-hermann-goring/

My extensive half and hour dive into Wikipedia basically stated the formulating the Socratic method of questioning and not holding to traditional beliefs, and having the audacity to teach that to students is what got Socrates killed. He basically said if after all my learning I realize how little I know ... and that goes for the rest of you bloviated ... well sorta what he said.

You guys are smart in areas I am DUMB. I studied math (until I got to Eigenvalues, Eigenvectors, and Fourier Analysis). I couldn't tell you much more than Plato is different from Play-Doh.

The good news I am curious to learn. History is interesting, particularly in light of understanding how it repeats itself and current events.