Around The League 2022-2023 Season

dbrown4 wrote:Here's an idea for the All-Star Game revamp.  Vote/Elect, etc. same way it's done now so you wind up with 24 players, 12 on each roster.  I can't claim this idea as it's a spin-off from Red's.  

Then pick 8 teams of 3 each.  Not sure how to go about that part but since AS has been in charge for quite a while, I'm sure he can come up with yet another a whack-a-doodle selection process.  It won't matter.  

Then set it up tournament style, 4 games to 2 games to 1 game.  

Red used to have those halftime 3-3's all the time in the 70's.  This would give a fresh face to the NBA ASG and honor the NBA past as well.

Just a thought.  I'd watch that!! 

db

I’m with Van Gundy on this one. Cancel the entire weekend, have a fashion show or something. Gives the players some rest so they can get after it going down the stretch.

Yeah, Ktron, canceling the whole thing was my only other option. 3-on-3 would definitely be more competitive as the players would probably relish it more, but then again, it would have greater risk of injury. Catch 22. (Great book, BTW, IMHBAO)

db

The main question here is would anyone here watch a NCAA Tournament-Style, single elimination 3-on-3 showdown with the All-Stars instead of what we just witnessed or didn't witness due to severe lack of interest? This would hopefully replace what's coming with the mid-season bs tournament which nobody will watch.

I would have to say I would definitely watch this at least in honor of Red. It could be named the Auerbach Invitational or something. I can't remember what he called the halftime 3-on-3 showdowns back in the 70's. Anyone? Bueller?

db

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/sport/ja-morant-gun-nba-instagram-trnd/index.html



Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant apologizes after video appears to show him holding a gun


By Matt Foster, CNN
Updated 5:05 PM EST, Sat March 4, 2023



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Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant apologized via his representation Saturday after posting a video of himself earlier in the day, appearing to hold a gun.

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” the statement read. “I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies had already announced earlier Saturday Ja Morant would “be away from the team for at least the next two games,” after the Instagram Live post.


The star point guard’s Instagram and Twitter accounts have now been deactivated.

The league is investigating the star point guard and the video, according to NBA insiders.

“We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating,” Mike Bass, NBA spokesman told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic.


In the clip, posted early Saturday morning and shared widely on social media, the 23-year-old briefly flashes what appears to be a gun while reportedly listening to music at a nightclub, according to Wojnarowski.

CNN has reached out to Morant’s representation for further comment.

The rest of the team will travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Sunday and the Lakers on Tuesday, both at the Crypto.com Arena.


Bob
MY NOTE:  Young, famous, ultra-rich and testosterone-driven is a military-grade high explosive mixture.  Paul Pierce, as we all remember, was stabbed in a nightclub by some idiot who thought a knife made him tough, so it wasn't even The Truth's testosterone that was the problem.  This is a tough life for these young men.  They can't really "just go out".  They love being recognized but being recognized can come with complications.  If they're not ready to get married and settle down with a family then what kind of life can these early 20-somethings have?  A plush one for sure but, other than team-organized charity events and hanging out with the same teammates you spend all day every day with, what activities can they safely engage in other than basketball?  Unlike the overwhelming majority of us these young'uns get off work at 10pm and are still pumped up by adrenaline and screaming crowds.


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I am not sure if the 2 game suspension is going to be enough in this case. I assume the suspension is from the Grizzlies, is the league going to take it a step further? Testosterone driven or not, this was really stupid of Morant’s part. Here he is being touted as one of the new faces of the NBA and he does this. Grow up young man, this is the real world we are living in

America has a pervasive gun culture at work.

The optics generated by Ja are bad particularly when you consider mass shootings at nightclubs.

It seems to me that if you feel the need to carry a piece when you go to a nightclub, you may want to consider alternative sources for recreational enjoyment.

He's young and will have an opportunity to contemplate how he can be great off the court.

Just another Mark Cuban/KI/Luka interjection/jab. What are we at now, 2-6? NOT TOO GOOOOOOD! Luka hamstring? Let's see how quickly this whole thing turns sours like a jug of milk sitting out in the desert at high noon. Oh, never mind. That would mean Kyrie's now the leader of the team. He's been there before. No worries.

Also, one of the two rails on the PHX train snapped with KD out for what looks like a freak fall in a layup warm up drill last night. MRI today. 4-6 weeks initial ESPN guess, but we'll wait for the official call by tonight on the MRI. That might be it for a shooting star championship run this year.

Again, if it all looks too good to be true....

db

There are just so many things going on in the NBA, stars falling, stars not shooting, stars with guns, guys out for ridiculous amounts of time. All this, and they are making more $$$ than the guys who busted their tails to build the league ever got a whiff of. Lonzo, Williamson, Durant, LeBron, where does it all end. And need I add, our own problems with Rob and now, Pritchard.

Wait…….I will tell you who is coming……it is….Gallinari!!! I am telling you he is going to play this year, I may eat my words, but I do not think so

I'm with you, Rosalie. His injury can't be that bad and take this long. Something is indeed amiss!!

db

He tore his ACL in late August.  The timeline  for recovery is 8 - 12 months or longer

As much as we want to see him get back I just do not see it happening.  If he comes back too soon he could jeopardize playing next season.  

This is not his first ACL injury.

I would lean on the side of caution.

https://us.yahoo.com/sports/chael-sonnen-claims-lebron-james-142819699.html



Chael Sonnen claims LeBron James uses performance enhancing drugs

Robert Marvi
Fri, March 10, 2023 at 7:28 AM MST


LeBron James is not only one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he is also likely one of the two or three greatest athletes the game has ever seen.

What has made James even more impressive is the fact that, even at age 38, he is still one of the NBA’s most athletically gifted players, not to mention one of the most productive players in the world.

Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen made explosive claims about James on a recent episode of the Flagrant podcast, alleging that James uses a performance enhancing drug to increase his endurance. According to Sonnen, he and James “have the same drug guy.”


Via The Sports Rush:

“If you know what these performance enhancers did, then you would know why it does matter… We have the same drug guy, I know exactly what he’s doing…. EPO matters, it’s the reason LeBron takes it, it matters. EPO increases your red blood cells, which gives you endurance so you can play all game long.”

The substance Sonnen mentioned is erythropoietin, which is also known as EPO. It is a naturally-occurring cytokine that stimulates the production of red blood cells.

Sonnen failed multiple drug tests during his fighting career, and was busted for using EPO and human growth hormone. In the same clip, Sonnen also accuses Tiger Woods of using EPO, HGH and testosterone.

When used as a performance-enhancing drug, it is intended to increase one’s ability to carry oxygen through his or her body, which can improve stamina and performance during workouts and competitions.


Bob


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Well, if this is true, LeBron can kiss most of his Billions goodbye to the lawyers. Just ask Lance.

db

dbrown4 wrote:Well, if this is true, LeBron can kiss most of his Billions goodbye to the lawyers.  Just ask Lance.  

db

And Kareem is going to want his ball back.

It is a known fact that LeBron spends Millions of dollars to keep his body at the level it is right now and has been his whole career. Much as I am not a big LB fan, I find this story just an attention grabbing story. Would he honestly put his career, reputation and life up for this kind of accusations and rumors, and that is all it is. Put up or shut up, LeBron will bury this guy if it is false

A while back I happened to watch a back and forth between Michael Rappaport (an obvious LeBron Hater) and another commentator. Rappaport was saying that the 2-weeks break in Miami resulted in a miraculous recovery for LeBron and that he was speculating that it was more than just rest that contributed.

Check the link below and it says that LeBron was planning to defer more to Kevin Love at 4. However, all that changed later.

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-lebron-james-took-the-break-2015-10

I have grown more respect for LeBron for challenging the status quo and driving more player empowerment. At the same time, his championship hunting has not sat well with me.

What is odd with all this is that on each of the previous big doping scandals, they all reveal themselves in the exact same way and the accused all turn out to be guilty.

First, everyone in the respective sports world is enamored in the moment of what is happening. It is amazing and everyone is watching. Sosa and Mcguire. Sosa vs. Maguire in the friendly confines of baseball and the Cubs. Everyone is in love with all the homeruns. It's so unusual but everyone is rallying around the two. It's saving baseball. Then an announcer or two starts bringing it up all the time. These guys are great, they have a great workout regime, it's amazing. Same with Lance, in the moment, winning 7 consecutive Tour de France's. It's amazing.

Then someone starts to look back, suggests there must be something up and then there is a leak. Someone launches the grenade, either someone close or someone who uses the same drug dealer.

Then the rest of us all come out of the moment and say, "Oh yeah, as great as this has all been for this athlete and the sport, the grenade launcher is possibly right. How is he doing so much better than everyone else? How did I miss that? How is he in so much better shape than everyone else with the same access?" Then the accused has to do the denial dance when point blanked with the question. Then gazillions of dollars are spent on lawyers, careers are wrecked, titles are removed/vacated, etc.

You all know my trek over the years with LeBron on this site. Didn't like him to start with and enjoyed his struggles to a 4-6 Finals record, respect him now. Similar on the college level to Dean Smith for me. He's been great for the league. We would have loved him as a Celtic.

Let's see, though, what if anything that comes of this. The deadly grenade has been launched. Someone is going to have to answer the question. This never gets swept under the rug. I'm guessing by the silence after this report that other news agencies are going after Yahoo Sports and Sonnen and the drug companies for EPO to corroborate everything before launching the bigger grenade.

It's a dangerous, slippery slope. But in the meantime, we've got a playoff run to worry about.

db

Lebron has always been obsessive when it comes to taking care of his body. IT said that when he was in Cleveland, They would go out to dinner and Lebron  would have his therapist working on his body (shoulders and arms ) while he sat at the table.
However, I believe and have always been of the belief that Lebron indulges in PED’s. There are certain tell tale signs that accompany the use of such. I’ve been told but never attempted to confirm that his early receding hair line is one of the side effects of using. (Someone correct this if I am wrong).
I know a few body builders and my Bro in law is a trainer. From what Ive observed and have been told is that it takes quite awhile to go from where he began and where he was 2 years down the road. It’s possible, but improbable. (Side eye at Giannis, Dwight and a few others).
In my opinion there is some truth to this story.

I too have tons of respect for Lebron for what he can do on the court. He has to go down as ONE of the greatest to play (I have him no higher than 5) but I have little to no respect as to how he has won 3 of the 4 titles.
I’m not against player empowerment but I don’t think that Lebron is as much about player empowerment than he is Lebron empowerment.
As one of the greatest, I have no respect for the way he’s reinvented Hip Hop, moving around from team to team, getting teammates traded and coaches fired  to try and win a title.
I can’t name one other player that fits in the category as one of the greatest that has won championship(s) moving from team to team.
The truly great ones make their teams greater and find a way to win.

The NBA tests for steroid use. However, I do not know if they test specifically for EPO.

In any event this, is all quite speculative and until such time as verifiable evidence comes out that LJ is a user, I would not assume it to be true.

The Lakers have pushed their way back into the conversation.

The West is a mess. At 33-34 and in 9th place they are only 1 game behind GSW (35-33) in the loss column for 6th place and LAL could avoid the playin round.

LA/Pelinka has made a lot of great moves and if they can get healthy they could be a very dangerous playoff team. With D’Angelo Russell, Schroder, Beasley and Reeves they suddenly have a very deep fast backcourt. AD and Lebron are still very capable of leading if they can get and stay healthy.

cowens/oldschool,

Good luck with your last statement!!

db

Apparently we are not only team that went thru a bad patch of games. Nuggets just lost 3 in a row despite Jokic’s triple doubles.

dbrown4 wrote:cowens/oldschool,

Good luck with your last statement!!

db

Considering where they were, Pelinka has done a great job acquiring assets IMHO

Screw the Lakers.

Ktron, +1!!

Lakers aren't passing my sniff test.  Looks too good to be true.  Us, now Den?  Those are believable stretches.  I'm not a big believer in "momentum" in basketball. Yes, you can win a series of games in a row and like the Bucks did against the bottom feeders for the most part, but that's not momentum.  That's a false sense of security.  And it will come to smack them in the face in G6 or G7 of the ECF vs. Boston, if they even make it that far.  

db