ATL - NBA to investigate Lowry/Ball deals for tampering, pg. 81

[TroyD92]

Ι don't understand it how is it possible for the fans who listen to their national anthem every - **** - game to not GAF about their national team. I understand how they players don't GAF, it's a thankless task for them. Give up their summer for free and if they win everybody is like meh who cares, another gold for team USA, but if they lose they will hear about it for a decade. So I get it for the players but for the fans I don't know how it's not fun to watch your hyper athletes abuse various slow unathletic dudes from allover the world

What if i dont care about the olympics at all. Do i get a pass.

[crkone]

USA team needs Khris and Jrue to bail them out.

[blazza18]

Matisse Thybulle on the Boomers is so freaking cool.

[Plossum]

Good warm up for the Boomers against an Olympic medal hopeful.

[soxperry]

Ι don't understand it how is it possible for the fans who listen to their national anthem every - **** - game to not GAF about their national team. I understand how they players don't GAF, it's a thankless task for them. Give up their summer for free and if they win everybody is like meh who cares, another gold for team USA, but if they lose they will hear about it for a decade. So I get it for the players but for the fans I don't know how it's not fun to watch your hyper athletes abuse various slow unathletic dudes from allover the world

I personally dont care at all about the Olympics. When it comes to basketball, i love the bucks but i dont really have any attachments to other players. I feel like we are supposed to win, so there's nowhere to go but down.

I dont know, i cant really explain why i dont care but i dont. Im also not really into the national anthem thing before each game. Even as a veteran, I think its a really weird practice.

[ReasonablySober]

Ι don't understand it how is it possible for the fans who listen to their national anthem every - **** - game to not GAF about their national team. I understand how they players don't GAF, it's a thankless task for them. Give up their summer for free and if they win everybody is like meh who cares, another gold for team USA, but if they lose they will hear about it for a decade. So I get it for the players but for the fans I don't know how it's not fun to watch your hyper athletes abuse various slow unathletic dudes from allover the world

I personally dont care at all about the Olympics. When it comes to basketball, i love the bucks but i dont really have any attachments to other players. I feel like we are supposed to win, so there's nowhere to go but down.

I dont know, i cant really explain why i dont care but i dont. Im also not really into the national anthem thing before each game. Even as a veteran, I think its a really weird practice.

I can explain why I don't: they're professionals.

[GoldenAntlers]

As an American, is it wrong for me to find joy in their losing? I grew up thinking of the Dream Team as some sort of super hero/pro athlete hybrid. I had that shirt where they were all cartoon caricatures with big heads and gold medals. Had the McDonalds jumbo plastic cup, specifically Moses Malone. All the trading cards. And now. Now, all I see is a flag I feel embarrassed to claim as my own. Call me a traitor, call me what you want, but it's hard for me to root for America these days, what with world history and all. Maybe when the Bucks players are with the team I will have some interest, but I wonder, is it special for kids nowadays to see the stars align?

Do you really think Moses Malone was on the dream team?

I had the whole set of skybox dream team cards.

The cartoon big head shirt was the coolest thing about summer of ‘92.

I actually didn't think he was, but I did have a McDonalds cup of him. I was like 9 years old, so my memories may not be the most clear.

[raferfenix]

Forget Masai Ujiri’s new contract, no one really knows if his old contract is still in effect.

The NBA’s business year has always ended on June 30th, which is why free agency – in normal times – opened July 1st.

Pre-pandemic, Ujiri’s status as the president of the Toronto Raptors – or not – would have been sorted out and put to bed by now.

But because the NBA’s business calendar has been pushed back by a month – the draft is July 29th and free agency opens August 2nd — it’s presumed Ujiri’s deal has simply rolled over.

Or that’s certainly the appearance the just-turned 51-year-old has been giving.

While he’s yet to sign a new deal with Raptors owners Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment or – conversely — indicate that’s he’s leaving after a spectacular, franchise-changing nine-year run, Ujiri has been doing what he always does in the build-up to the draft – eyeing talent, working the phones, laying out scenarios for free agency and beyond.

“He’s working like someone whose team’s problems are his to fix. He’s all in on the draft, he’s looking at free agency,” said one player agent. “He’s coming back.”

Even at this late juncture, there is anxiousness that another team could swoop in – the Washington Wizards, for example, made a run at Ujiri in the past and there was industry speculation that if the Los Angeles Clippers had been knocked out of the playoffs as easily as last season, standing pat would have required more patience than Steve Ballmer – the richest owner in professional sports – could possibly muster.

Getting into a bidding war with someone worth an estimated $100 billion offering a job in the NBA’s premier market would be less than ideal.

But the expectation is that Ujiri will get the deal he wants and deserves, sooner than later.

“The richest deal for a president/general manager in team sports history,” said one source.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/business-usual-masai-ujiri-encouraging-sign-raptors/

[GoldenAntlers]

Ι don't understand it how is it possible for the fans who listen to their national anthem every - **** - game to not GAF about their national team. I understand how they players don't GAF, it's a thankless task for them. Give up their summer for free and if they win everybody is like meh who cares, another gold for team USA, but if they lose they will hear about it for a decade. So I get it for the players but for the fans I don't know how it's not fun to watch your hyper athletes abuse various slow unathletic dudes from allover the world

I don't think the few dudes here are very representative.

I would say I'm representative of a more or less unspoken undercurrent of American society. Most people are afraid to appear unpatriotic and don't want to deal with the social backlash.

I think one of the most patriotic things a person can do is call their country out on its bull and not "stand" for it obediently. I'm not a veteran, but I appreciate what they've done. I don't appreciate the reasons they've had to do it most of the time.

The pledge of allegiance is a brainwashing project targeted on children in kindergarten or before. Celebrating bombs when you are one of the most devious nations in the history of the planet Earth isn't really my idea of gearing up for a sportsball game.

Give me a nation that doesn't manipulate the world while ignoring the needs of it's people and propagandizing a hidden agenda and I'll gladly sing.

Also, the pledge of allegiance has deep roots in slavery from what I recall. No thanks.

[chonestown]

Ι don't understand it how is it possible for the fans who listen to their national anthem every - **** - game to not GAF about their national team. I understand how they players don't GAF, it's a thankless task for them. Give up their summer for free and if they win everybody is like meh who cares, another gold for team USA, but if they lose they will hear about it for a decade. So I get it for the players but for the fans I don't know how it's not fun to watch your hyper athletes abuse various slow unathletic dudes from allover the world

I don't think the few dudes here are very representative.

Cheering for the Americans is like cheering for the house in Vegas.

I want the Americans to win, though. Between the adversary's soccer-style histrionics used to goad the refs into whistling fouls and the disagreeable musks of our overseas neighbors, I am left with no choice but to support the US.

[Matches Malone]

Forget Masai Ujiri’s new contract, no one really knows if his old contract is still in effect.

The NBA’s business year has always ended on June 30th, which is why free agency – in normal times – opened July 1st.

Pre-pandemic, Ujiri’s status as the president of the Toronto Raptors – or not – would have been sorted out and put to bed by now.

But because the NBA’s business calendar has been pushed back by a month – the draft is July 29th and free agency opens August 2nd — it’s presumed Ujiri’s deal has simply rolled over.

Or that’s certainly the appearance the just-turned 51-year-old has been giving.

While he’s yet to sign a new deal with Raptors owners Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment or – conversely — indicate that’s he’s leaving after a spectacular, franchise-changing nine-year run, Ujiri has been doing what he always does in the build-up to the draft – eyeing talent, working the phones, laying out scenarios for free agency and beyond.

“He’s working like someone whose team’s problems are his to fix. He’s all in on the draft, he’s looking at free agency,” said one player agent. “He’s coming back.”

Even at this late juncture, there is anxiousness that another team could swoop in – the Washington Wizards, for example, made a run at Ujiri in the past and there was industry speculation that if the Los Angeles Clippers had been knocked out of the playoffs as easily as last season, standing pat would have required more patience than Steve Ballmer – the richest owner in professional sports – could possibly muster.

Getting into a bidding war with someone worth an estimated $100 billion offering a job in the NBA’s premier market would be less than ideal.

But the expectation is that Ujiri will get the deal he wants and deserves, sooner than later.

“The richest deal for a president/general manager in team sports history,” said one source.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/business-usual-masai-ujiri-encouraging-sign-raptors/

Swoop in and get him, LED!

[raferfenix]

Swoop in and get him, LED!

That Masai report is mostly about why it appears he's on track to extending in Toronto after negotiating “The richest deal for a president/general manager in team sports history."

The sheer threat of Ballmer engaging in a bidding war gives him plenty of leverage.

Either way until it's done I'm holding out hope Ujiri could be waiting it out until the Bucks are ready to talk after the finals.

That would take a level of humility we haven't seen from LED, however, even if we win it all this team could really use all the help we can get making moves at the margins to maximize Giannis' prime years.

[Matches Malone]

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[Ron Swanson]

I'm not even the biggest Horst fan, but the optics of firing a GM who just built you a roster currently within 3 wins of a championship would be all sorts of terrible. And c'mon, there's a less-than-zero chance a team ever fires anyone if they win a championship. You can feel however you want to feel about it, but Bud/Horst's jobs are almost guaranteed to be safe for next season at a minimum.

[Frank Nova]

Hasn’t been pointed out to my knowledge but I think Austin Rivers would’ve helped so much more this postseason than Teague has... theoretically he could’ve slid into the DDV role and we wouldn’t have sacrificed so many minutes with Teague. Maybe it’s not discussion worthy but DDV missing in this series has been somewhat a topic of conversation and we kinda blew an opportunity to have a solid answer. Idk, not trying to be a downer, just seems like a missed opportunity. I know, no sense in crying over spilled milk.. but still. Maybe we aren’t down 2-1 right now tho? Anyone?

[Matches Malone]

I think most people realize the Masai thing is a pipedream. Just need to poke the Raptor bear once in a while for their Giannis courting.

[MickeyDavis]

I don't care a bit about Olympic basketball. I enjoy most of the other sports. Track for example.

[buckboy]

Read on Twitter

This is an amazing stat.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

37 years means since 1983

ok, horace grant in first 3 bulls titles. horry rockets titles. ron harper and rodman last 3 bulls titles. horry 99 spurs.

ac green some of those magic lakers. rodman from pistons. not sure who from bird celtics?

Greg Kite was on the '92-'93 Magic. That covers the finals every year from '84 to '87, which gets you to the Pistons and Rodman in '88, and from there it's obvious.

'83-'84 was the first year of the streak according to the numbers and his former teammate in that finals was Byron Scott who was on the '96-'97 Lakers with Shaq.

Mystery solved.

[raferfenix]

I'm not even the biggest Horst fan, but the optics of firing a GM who just built you a roster currently within 3 wins of a championship would be all sorts of terrible. And c'mon, there's a less-than-zero chance a team ever fires anyone if they win a championship. You can feel however you want to feel about it, but Bud/Horst's jobs are almost guaranteed to be safe for next season at a minimum.

Yeah I have a hard time seeing the Bucks firing Horst.

In theory Masai could come in while we retain Horst like Morey did with Elton Brand.

But more likely it's pipe dream message board fodder.

Main roster miss we had was the Bogdan fiasco which doesn't appear to have been Horst's fault. However if we had a respected and empowered executive like Ujiri I don't think unauthorized leaks and /or the kind of agent f*ckery we got from Bogdan's guy would have been as big of a problem.

[MikeIsGood]

I don't care a bit about Olympic basketball. I enjoy most of the other sports. Track for example.

I am Olympic-obsessed and very literally and truly care 0% about the basketball team. It doesn't feel part of it. It probably doesn't help that our players seem to feel the same way about it, generally - maybe I'd be more hyped if our guys really treated it seriously.