Around the NBA (Part Three)

[KGdaBom]

Oklahoma City Thunder rookie big man Thomas Sorber tore the ACL in his right knee and will miss the 2025-26 season, the team announced.

Sorber, the 15th pick in the draft out of Georgetown, was injured during a workout in Oklahoma City on Thursday.

This will be the second straight season that an Oklahoma City first-round pick missed the entire season because of an ACL tear. Guard Nikola Topic, the No. 12 pick in 2024, was recovering from surgery when the Thunder selected him in the lottery.

Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game as a freshman at Georgetown last season.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46169076/thunder-rookie-thomas-sorber-miss-season-torn-acl

This sucks for Sorber and the Thunder. If we had drafted him instead of Berringer I wouldn't have complained on draft night. Knowing what I know now regardless of injury we got the better prospect IMO.

[minimus]

He will be fine. Like Holmgren, Topic before.

[Domejandro]

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I like this price point for Chicago.

[Klomp]

Spoiler:

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I like this price point for Chicago.

I don't mind it potentially for us either

[KGdaBom]

Spoiler:

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I like this price point for Chicago.

I don't mind it potentially for us either

Would you trade Julius Randle for him?

[minimus]

Read on Twitter

[Neeva]

Who cares Brogdon is cooked.

[Klomp]

Crap, I just realized that new Nuggets coach David Adelman could just stick Jokic into the 'corner offense' all game long and then the whole league is cooked.

It might even challenge this all-timer...

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

[younggunsmn]

The more I read about this Kawhi Leonard situation the more I'm convinced the league needs to throw the book at the Clippers and take away like 5 first round picks and void Leonards contract and forbid him from signing with LA.

But SIlver is already hedging with crap like "burden of proof is on the league" type BS.

So Leonard was getting 7+ mil a year in no show endorsements from what turned out to be a green invenstment ponzi scheme company.
While bigger names like Leo DiCaprio were only getting 2 mil total.
And both Ballmer (50+ million) and his minority owner were funneling money into said company.

Seems like pretty clear cut money laundering to me. Especially with the timing of some of the investments and payments.
And with people already going to jail over it, if the Feds want to look hard enough they could build a case against Ballmer, Leonard, and his minority owner too over defrauding the other investors in the company as well as money laundering.

This is much worse than the Joe Smith scandal which was just blatant stupidity and making future promises they were not allowed to.
It didn't involve subverting the salary cap to give the player extra money beyond his allowable max contract like they did with Leonard.

If they don't come down massively on the Clippers this is gonna be the modus operandi of every super rich owner going forward.
But I'm skeptical because its Silver and its the biggest owner in the biggest market in the league.

I read someone saying a front office source made the analogy that if free agent tampering was like a traffic ticket, subverting the salary cap like this would be first degree murder.

[KGdaBom]

The more I read about this Kawhi Leonard situation the more I'm convinced the league needs to throw the book at the Clippers and take away like 5 first round picks and void Leonards contract and forbid him from signing with LA.

But SIlver is already hedging with crap like "burden of proof is on the league" type BS.

So Leonard was getting 7+ mil a year in no show endorsements from what turned out to be a green invenstment ponzi scheme company.
While bigger names like Leo DiCaprio were only getting 2 mil total.
And both Ballmer (50+ million) and his minority owner were funneling money into said company.

Seems like pretty clear cut money laundering to me. Especially with the timing of some of the investments and payments.
And with people already going to jail over it, if the Feds want to look hard enough they could build a case against Ballmer, Leonard, and his minority owner too over defrauding the other investors in the company as well as money laundering.

This is much worse than the Joe Smith scandal which was just blatant stupidity and making future promises they were not allowed to.
It didn't involve subverting the salary cap to give the player extra money beyond his allowable max contract like they did with Leonard.

If they don't come down massively on the Clippers this is gonna be the modus operandi of every super rich owner going forward.
But I'm skeptical because its Silver and its the biggest owner in the biggest market in the league.

I read someone saying a front office source made the analogy that if free agent tampering was like a traffic ticket, subverting the salary cap like this would be first degree murder.

You're preaching to the choir with me.

[frankenwolf]

The more I read about this Kawhi Leonard situation the more I'm convinced the league needs to throw the book at the Clippers and take away like 5 first round picks and void Leonards contract and forbid him from signing with LA.

But SIlver is already hedging with crap like "burden of proof is on the league" type BS.

So Leonard was getting 7+ mil a year in no show endorsements from what turned out to be a green invenstment ponzi scheme company.
While bigger names like Leo DiCaprio were only getting 2 mil total.
And both Ballmer (50+ million) and his minority owner were funneling money into said company.

Seems like pretty clear cut money laundering to me. Especially with the timing of some of the investments and payments.
And with people already going to jail over it, if the Feds want to look hard enough they could build a case against Ballmer, Leonard, and his minority owner too over defrauding the other investors in the company as well as money laundering.

This is much worse than the Joe Smith scandal which was just blatant stupidity and making future promises they were not allowed to.
It didn't involve subverting the salary cap to give the player extra money beyond his allowable max contract like they did with Leonard.

If they don't come down massively on the Clippers this is gonna be the modus operandi of every super rich owner going forward.
But I'm skeptical because its Silver and its the biggest owner in the biggest market in the league.

I read someone saying a front office source made the analogy that if free agent tampering was like a traffic ticket, subverting the salary cap like this would be first degree murder.

I agree 100%, but I read that there is something in the CBA limiting what punishment can be doled out in an instance of evasion. Nothing close to what the Wolves got with Joe Smith.

[BlacJacMac]

The more I read about this Kawhi Leonard situation the more I'm convinced the league needs to throw the book at the Clippers and take away like 5 first round picks and void Leonards contract and forbid him from signing with LA.

But SIlver is already hedging with crap like "burden of proof is on the league" type BS.

So Leonard was getting 7+ mil a year in no show endorsements from what turned out to be a green invenstment ponzi scheme company.
While bigger names like Leo DiCaprio were only getting 2 mil total.
And both Ballmer (50+ million) and his minority owner were funneling money into said company.

Seems like pretty clear cut money laundering to me. Especially with the timing of some of the investments and payments.
And with people already going to jail over it, if the Feds want to look hard enough they could build a case against Ballmer, Leonard, and his minority owner too over defrauding the other investors in the company as well as money laundering.

This is much worse than the Joe Smith scandal which was just blatant stupidity and making future promises they were not allowed to.
It didn't involve subverting the salary cap to give the player extra money beyond his allowable max contract like they did with Leonard.

If they don't come down massively on the Clippers this is gonna be the modus operandi of every super rich owner going forward.
But I'm skeptical because its Silver and its the biggest owner in the biggest market in the league.

I read someone saying a front office source made the analogy that if free agent tampering was like a traffic ticket, subverting the salary cap like this would be first degree murder.

I agree 100%, but I read that there is something in the CBA limiting what punishment can be doled out in an instance of evasion. Nothing close to what the Wolves got with Joe Smith.

There are ways!

The penalty can expand if the violation falls under the “No Unauthorized Agreements” clause, in which case the Commissioner can levy up to the following:

• $7.5 million fine;

• forfeiture of draft picks;

• void the player contract and player faces a $350,000 fine;

• suspend team personnel for up to one year;

• void any transaction or agreement in violation;

In this case, the Joe Smith/Timberwolves penalty would be within the bounds of the league office.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/possible-punishments-for-clippers-questions-loom-over-nbas-investigation-of-kawhi-leonard-deal-140314949.html

[KGdaBom]

The more I read about this Kawhi Leonard situation the more I'm convinced the league needs to throw the book at the Clippers and take away like 5 first round picks and void Leonards contract and forbid him from signing with LA.

But SIlver is already hedging with crap like "burden of proof is on the league" type BS.

So Leonard was getting 7+ mil a year in no show endorsements from what turned out to be a green invenstment ponzi scheme company.
While bigger names like Leo DiCaprio were only getting 2 mil total.
And both Ballmer (50+ million) and his minority owner were funneling money into said company.

Seems like pretty clear cut money laundering to me. Especially with the timing of some of the investments and payments.
And with people already going to jail over it, if the Feds want to look hard enough they could build a case against Ballmer, Leonard, and his minority owner too over defrauding the other investors in the company as well as money laundering.

This is much worse than the Joe Smith scandal which was just blatant stupidity and making future promises they were not allowed to.
It didn't involve subverting the salary cap to give the player extra money beyond his allowable max contract like they did with Leonard.

If they don't come down massively on the Clippers this is gonna be the modus operandi of every super rich owner going forward.
But I'm skeptical because its Silver and its the biggest owner in the biggest market in the league.

I read someone saying a front office source made the analogy that if free agent tampering was like a traffic ticket, subverting the salary cap like this would be first degree murder.

I agree 100%, but I read that there is something in the CBA limiting what punishment can be doled out in an instance of evasion. Nothing close to what the Wolves got with Joe Smith.

There are ways!

The penalty can expand if the violation falls under the “No Unauthorized Agreements” clause, in which case the Commissioner can levy up to the following:

• $7.5 million fine;

• forfeiture of draft picks;

• void the player contract and player faces a $350,000 fine;

• suspend team personnel for up to one year;

• void any transaction or agreement in violation;

In this case, the Joe Smith/Timberwolves penalty would be within the bounds of the league office.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/possible-punishments-for-clippers-questions-loom-over-nbas-investigation-of-kawhi-leonard-deal-140314949.html

I love it.

[Klomp]

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[KGdaBom]

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Doesn't this suck giant donkey dong.

[minimus]

Is Reed Sheppard the best HOU backcourt option right now?

[moretins]

Is Reed Sheppard the best HOU backcourt option right now?

Houston fans are being catastrophic. And I think this opens up an opportunity for Sheppard and Amen to grow. Before the trade deadline, they can even look at options to move VV and their picks for a top player. I don’t see them as being that bad.

Watch out for Sheppard, he could be the surprise.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Any team with a spare PG needs to be desperately trying to steal Eason from Houston. It's all lined up now with them bringing in KD and extending Jabari - try to steal Eason for 65 cents on the dollar.

[BlacJacMac]

Is Reed Sheppard the best HOU backcourt option right now?

Scary thought. He was worse than Dilly last year.

[Klomp]

I'd expect Amen to serve as the team's point guard.