Lee Lauderdale's Random Thoughts: Misinformation Campaign Frustrating

http://celticsgreen.blogspot.com/2014/10/misinformation-campaign-frustrating.html


By Lee Lauderdale







Is it just me or does it seem that the noise to signal ratio of Celtics' postings has become way too high. There have always been a lot more web sites catering to the Celtics population than any other NBA team, and the differential seems to be growing. There has always been a significant amount of shaky logic and skewed observations, especially in preseason, but this year it has gotten totally out of hand. There have always been certain sites that I avoid due to the fact that they often leave my mouth agape or me yelling at the screen of my computer. These past several weeks the avalanche of dis-, mis-, or at least fanciful information threatens to bury any coherent thought about my beloved Green.

It may be that I am just sucking the print off of more web sites than usual. It may be that there are more writers feeling compelled to produce articles on the Celtics. It may be that the demand for content of the burgeoning number of sites is outweighing the time and thought processes available to permit rational analysis. Whatever the reasons, enough is enough!

I find several concepts in dire conflict. I try to adhere to the old precept that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. I always hate those that complain in generalities but fall short of specifics. I believe in calling them as I see them. And then there is the “people who live in glass houses” warning; or the never argue with a fool, some might be unable to tell the difference. Yet, I've took all I can took and I can't took no more!

Without calling out any individual or site, here are some of the opinions (too often stated as facts) that have raised my ire, and blood pressure. I have seen a serious discussion of how Joel Anthony could be the starting center for this year's Celtics. A suggestion that Brad Stevens is a bad coach due to the fact that Brandon Bass is practicing the corner 3-pointer; this was further supported by the fact that Sullinger was encouraged to take the three point shot last season (supporters of this second notion alluded to his poor percentage while conveniently ignoring the fact that he played much of last season first still recovering from back surgery and then with constant pain from the lingering effects of a dislocated finger on his shooting hand.)

I have seen an indictment of Danny Ainge for a disastrous off-season. This carefully crafted knife attack cited such telling points as his inability to trade for Love (as if he had two first-overall picks to sway Minny), failure to sign any big free agent (yeah, he missed on LeBron, Bosh, Stephenson, Gasol, Carmelo, all of whom were readily available with the Celtics nearly $9.5M available [if they renounced every option, TPE, and their own free agents]), failure to pull off any major trade, and his acquisition of Zeller (deemed worthless due to his second year's stats falling from his rookie numbers [in spite of the fact that he underwent an emergency appendectomy during training camp, and saw minutes limited by the return of Varejo and addition of Andrew Bynum]).

I've seen multiple suggestions that Ainge should dump those draft picks garnered in the Brooklyn and Cleveland trades because he won't be able to use all of them. Obviously they should be used to rid the C's of Wallace this year rather than next, shed Green's albatross of a contract before he sinks the whole franchise, and sell off Rondo for a bag of expiring contracts since he will leave and the Celtics will get nothing in return (hold it, isn't that what an expiring contract would be?) I've read Smart referred to as a draft bust (wouldn't he actually have to play first?). Did you know the Boston Celtics are stuck in a ten year rebuild? How about the “fact” that the Celtics are stuck in an eternal do loop of middle of the pack finishes? Yeah, neither did I!

And yet all these rather outlandish ideas have been trotted out as absolute fact. I think I'll just wait until a few games are played, a few more moves made, and a liberal dose of tincture of time applied. I think the waiting, and the trip, are gonna be rather fun! First game Monday night and then we can all read a whole bunch of new premature speculation spun off that initial outing.




bob
MY NOTE:  Where ya been, Lee?  I've missed ya.  Well, we've all come to our own conclusions about Bleacher Report.  I'm not as nice as Lauderdale is and will say bad things about other sites if I believe they deserve it and I can back my opinion up with something more substantial than incredulity at what I perceive to be their stupidity.  I certainly have come to my own conclusions about most of the contributors on the Yahoo Contributors Network but let's not also give a pass to those writers who recycle yesterday's watered-down farina and sometimes try to gussy it up by adding a poll to the end of it (I've nothing against polls but can we not make them about issues that are at least legitimate and have multiple reasonable options?).  There's even one, I won't mention any names (ok, it's Blakely), who will even re-publish the same as-plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face pap from earlier in the summer.  Column-inches.  Hmmm.  Maybe size really doesn't matter?

I didn't realize there were more Celtics sites than any other.  If true, that's excellent.  It indicates active thirst in all things Celtics.  The downside of that is we're also going to get more crap.  The larger the population, including online populations, the more trash that population creates.  We don't generate a lot of original stuff on this site, I don't at least, but our discussions are not only steps above just about every site I've seen, it is whole flights of stairs above.  If we asked for dues, or accepted advertisers, I'm sure we could hire bloggers to write original pieces, but we don't and I'm good with that.  That is why, though, I am so grateful when Sam and others like kdp and dboss take the time and effort to produce their own work.  The BBIQ on this site is stellar and our conviviality is not only unmatched, it is virtually unheard of on online sports boards.  I can't talk about other sites, but we're doing our share of holding down the quality side of the scale and we do it without nastiness, innuendo and/or ad hominem attacks.

The democratization of the media, thanks to the internet, has had both positive and negative effects.  Now, any dumbass can spout nonsense on a global scale.  Any arsonist can ignite fires just because they like to watch the fire drill and feel safe sitting anonymously behind a monitor, thousands of miles away and insulated by a series of ISPs and server farms.  That's why I use my real name.  If I'm not prepared to defend what I write, I shouldn't write it.  I suspect, but am not sure, Lee Lauderdale is his real name.  To the best of my knowledge he lives in Texas, so he's not just using the town he lives in as the last name of his handle and, if you've noticed, his efforts have been reasonably well put together and substantiated.  



 
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Bob, I appreciate the kind words, and I'm sure kdp and dboss do too.  Frankly, it's the basketball IQ on this site that encourages one to produce original insights.  The high level of expectations sort of carry one along with them.  And, by providing so many external perspectives, you and others such as 112288 and kj are constantly infusing the board with fresh and provocative topics.  That's part of what I was referring to recently (in my post about the retirement that never was) to the effect that members have unilaterally taken it upon themselves to fill various roles—from starting Game-on Threads to behind-the-scenes technical support.

This really is a special place, and here's hoping Lee will some day favor us with his presence.

Sam