John Denton Appreciation Thread

[Blue_and_Whte]

The NBA, Blazers, Wolves and Spurs all did mass layoffs last month. I think the Jazz did so months ago.The Magic weren't the first and they won't be the last. Teams are playing basketball in one city in a bubble with outside staff and no fans, and it will likely take a year for the NBA to return to normal operating conditions for a number of reasons... it's unfortunate, but certain jobs have become unnecessary or redundant. Not surprised at all by layoffs.

Yeah. I suppose we should all feel a bit bad for not considering the hardships the DeVos family is facing in this time of economic turmoil before posting these careless comments. The difference between $5 billion and $2 million is about $5 billion. Let's be clear, they didn't need to do this. They chose to. And these holy rollers putting out a PR message emphasizing their "family values" when announcing the layoffs is hypocrisy at its best.

I don't think anyone is actually surprised by this or fails to understand why it is happening. I know it's banal and expected, but it's still important that we point out and highlight scumbaggery wherever it pops up. I get it though. It's just another drop in the ocean of evidence proving that everything they taught us in school about Adam Smith's invisible hand was a load crap. It's just a rationalization as to why it's beneficial for everyone when those that give so little take so much. This is why supply-side stimulus is so remarkably stupid. The greedy mongrels will just sit on it and collect interest. Demand-side stimulus ends up in the same place, but at least the corporations have to provide some goods and services to get that money.

When this has all passed, they will hold a groveling competition where only the most obsequious wage slaves will be rewarded with a paycheck. All they have to do to keep it is surrender their right to free speech.

I am not your therapist, buddy. Don't worry, magic basketball starts tomorrow and you can put this fake outrage behind you as you resume religiously following the family team.

Right. "They give so little" yet these mofos have been watching the NBA team,that these "scumbags" brought to this town. Nobody in here knows a damn thing about what they have or haven't done for the community. They act like John Denton is begging for scraps on the street. Cry me a damn river. Cant stand that bleeding heart liberal/socialist BS. " Give everyone free money, it'll work this time guys."

[SOUL]

Two questions:

Since when is job "free money"? You are providing something that you worked hard for that your employer finds valuable and is paying you for. I'm not even a fan of Denton really but obviously he provided something for the Magic, and circumstances outside of his control led to his dismissal--not a lack of talent or lack of demand. They chose to fire him, there wasn't a gun pointed at their head.

And since when does siding with billionaires over the working class become a political statement for right leaning people? It's really baffling how things like calling out owners doing **** things (or God forbid, masks) have become political statements. If George Soros did it, Bezos, Paul Allen (RIP), anybody that owned the Magic, it would be justifiably called out, maybe with less groveling about other things (related to the DeVos family), but still rightly criticized.

Its not a disgrace its a business. Its sad but thats life. Tell them to put their pants on and go find another job. If you pay people to do nothing then that's exactly what they'll do. I Don't blame businesses for cutting costs during a pandemic.

"Pick yourself up by your bootstraps" is just a **** and old mantra that doesn't apply to a lot of situations. I can spend 5 years building the most perfect sandcastle close to the shore and if I know there's a high chance a wave is going to hit it, you know, that's just a risk I'll have to take and if it happens, so be it, I build a new sandcastle further back where it's more stable. That's an analogy of me losing a job because of a situation I could've handled better or caused directly, and realizing I can't be sad about it or feel bad for myself and look for another one.

Now, imagine I'm building it, the waves are nowhere close, and someone comes and kicks it in for no reason and tears everything down because they felt like it. Whether their reasoning was good or not, it was entirely preventable and only caused because they felt like it. Then imagine siding with the person that kicked it down while saying "just build a new one lol" and that's pretty much how you're approaching this. It's baffling to me.

The first example is "stuff happens" and yes, the statement of "pull your pants on and find another job" makes sense there because life doesn't always go how you want it. The second one requires empathy which a lot of people don't have. Yes, ultimately he will have to find a way to make money, duh. But the person kicking the sandcastle down should at the very least get an earful from people around them so it doesn't become a common occurrence.

It's just insane to me how we can be in the middle of a pandemic nobody has experienced before, a job market akin to the Great Depression with people struggling to make ends meet and still find a way to criticize people who WOULD be doing a job if asked. Denton can be paid to talk about basketball since it's restarting, he's not doing nothing. Billionaires are not sympathetic figures.

Also I hope all of that free hippy money you're complaining about from your stimulus check was donated to a nice charity since you don't need it, unless it's somehow a non-socialist idea if it's named Freedom Dollars or signed personally by Trump. Hypocrites are on both sides of the aisle when it comes to America but your particular scenario, you randomly whining about "free money" in a **** pandemic where people are badly affected is like asking someone to blow out a fire on their stove instead of using a bucket of water. The buckets of water aren't going to keep coming, but one or two of them will damn sure help the current situation, while blowing on it may eventually work OR set the entire house on fire and kill people inside.

[SOUL]

Sorry, just the whole "free money" thing in a pandemic is beyond eye-rolling to me. And I don't think it's a political statement to be critical to companies or people that you have zero affiliation to other than cheering for a team they own. Mr. Rogers could've owned this team and I'd be critical about certain things if he did them, it comes with owning a team.

[Blue_and_Whte]

Now teams are needing to raise money to cover incoming expenses including selling first round picks. No shiat....

[J-Mezzy]

I think people need to separate personal wealth with business performance.

A business, in this case the Magic, are its own entity. If the business is losing money or expected revenue, the logical reaction is to make cuts to expenses regardless of how much money the owners have. It sucks, but it's business.

And this is coming from someone who is politically on the left.

[fklt]

Capitalistic concepts, such as limited liability companies or incorporations that segregate the ownership and the management so that wealthy can keep earning without having to be capable, are part of our societal contract on the assumption that they provide the best human experience for the most amount of people. On the assumption that if we provide wealthy with these capacities, their wealth would trickle down to other people through employment.

When they start firing people at whim so they can continue to be gold hoarding dragons, if you say it's their f***** right to keep their businesses as profitable as it can be at all times no matter the human cost, then I hope you realise you also throw out any reason, for us the people to say yes to this s***** system.

edit: I also find it so funny that almost everywhere else in the world owning a sports teams would be considered a rich men's hobby that they burn through their wealth for fun. but of course in US, you also have to guarantee that they should earn more playing fantasy games, through systemic protections like salary caps and everything. and then you go ahead and nod in approval when they go around firing people. jesus ****** christ.