Ryne Ween

Quick follow up question for flames24rulz. Honest question. Do you think it was misguided for the heat to go 37-2 down the stretch last year? Do you think it was misguided of Spo to play Lebron 38mpg for that stretch? Do you think it was stupid that he played: 48 minutes in a 12pt game against the kings in Feb? And then 42mins and 42mins the next two games against NYK and MIN? Or do you think the Heat were able to play at 80pct effort during that stretch so it's ok?

Flames24Rulz, I think I get your point. The bulls need to try less hard during the regular season building up their effort reservoir so they can go max effort in the playoffs sort of not always using the turbo button all time in video games!

It gives you a roll of the dice that you won't be able to get aside from wooing a big FA name to your team. Now if we're talking about a small market team like the Bucks, rolling the dice is the ONLY way that they can improve their chances winning a NBA title. What is your surefire answer? To bring back a healthy rose. Add Mirotic amnesty booz and bing in the best free agent possible. HOPE for a rotational player I'm the middle of the first round. Usually the 6 pick is a rotational player. A good selection at 17 has a very very real chance of being better than the 6 pick. Look at past drafts. Soooo many bums go high lottery.

This team only needs to be healthy.

Bernstein is an idiot. He is not insightful about basketball either. His article about rose earlier this year made me want to vomit. I assume this article is dumb also.

I understand there is a prevailing attitude that the bulls play too hard in the regular season and that this is a negative and presumably Thibs fault. For all you folks who hold this opinion or some variation of it, I want it explained. Is it that you want Thibs to play worse players more or that you want the players to try less hard when they are on the floor? Bulls minutes Noah 2820 Jimmy 2592 Dunleavy 2584 Taj 2351 Booz 2141 Kirk 2116 Dj 1857 Snell 1230 Wiz Minutes Wall 2989 Ariza 2723 Gortat 2655 Beal 2530 Webster 2157 Nene 1560 he was injured. Booker 1553 So since there isn't really a cumulative minutes issue for the bulls relative to the wiz, am I too assume your argument is that Thibs players play with too much effort and a better coach would coach that effort down? You believe our players need to try less hard during the regular season that's the argument right? And offensively Thibs can coach. This isn't football. NBA coaches are capable of understanding offense and defense. In 2010-11 and 2011-12 when thibs had the teams that the front office envisioned, we were 11th in offensive rating and 5th in offensive rating with the best defensive ratings in the nba. Best in differential both seasons. They only lost 1 playoff series with a healthy team and that was to the Heat in a competitive albeit 5 game series. The idea of the bulls in nba hell is laughable and the people who say it are idiots and are absolutely ignorant of how the nba draft works. No team can take a top 5 player with a max hold on the cap off their team and expect to do better than the bulls have done the past two years. Yes they have not won anything but they have delivered two fun seasons for us fans. That's a mission accomplished. With Mirotic coming an potentially a healthy rose and some cap space we are in great shape going forward.

This is like the mcdonalds all American game crowd. A little applause on a made basket and that's it.

First, it's not ok to say that. Second, who the [expletive] is that person to say what God thinks is an abomination. Chris Broussard. He's leading the reporting on the Sterling story currently for ESPN. The same outlet that he originally made those statements six months ago.

Mark Wohlers must be thinking that Sterling was arrested. Yes, now I'll tie back to my original reason for bringing up Chick-Fil-A and Duck Dynasty. And it's not rocket science. You have a right to think and say whatever you want, but you aren't immune from any consequences. If there is public backlash and loss of income or advertisers, etc., well, you should have thought about that. The "private conversation" thing just strikes me as a red herring used by people looking to defend the guy as everyone's old racist grandpa or whatever. I'm not trying to defend him or disagree with his punishment. Basically the nba is an antitrust exempt business and his right to own a franchise may be taken away by 75pct of the other owners (which actually surprises me). No disagreement from me on those items. However, I see a more far reaching issue. A lot of what we feel comfortable saying privately now is either not appropriate by today's standards or will become not acceptable in the future. For example it's ok to publicly say gays are an abomination living in open rebellion with god today. In 15 years you will lose your nba team for saying it privately while secretly recorded. The lines are blurring between private and public actions. In sterling a case I don't care he's publicly done multiple things that justified this result a long time ago.

Whatever he may have been fined. The point remains. You can agree with sterling a punishment and understand the NBA did what they had to do while understanding that he's being destroyed over a private conversation. This guy happens to deserve it. But the precedent is uncomfortable. For example, for guys, think of the many many horribly sexist things that get said. In contexts where they seem appropriate or maybe even when they dot seem appropriate. It could be that in 30 years that sort of discourse is so unacceptable that you could get fired or fined for saying it or even publicly destroyed for it. I'm absolutely not equating racism with sexism. But saying some things are widespread an tacitly acceptable now that won't be in 30 years same as sterling comments would barely raise an eyebrow 30-40 years ago.

Apparently it is against the law in California and the girlfriend may face legal issues because of it. But what is the NBA supposed to do? "Sorry, players/fans/fellow owners. We know Donald Sterling is a racist POS and have proof of that but because the proof obtained by TMZ was recorded illegally we have to pretend that Sterling really loves black people." People are already saying things like RW said on my Facebook feed. Generally the same people who supported the Duck Dynasty and Chick-Fil-A goofs. Supported duck dynasty how? I don't get this. A guy has been fined 5mln due to the contents of a private phone call he had with his girlfriend. I'm some right winger because I think that's fucked up? What was acceptable in private discourse or even public discourse 30 years ago? What's acceptable now? What's acceptable 30 years from now?

I agree with the punishment because he has documented findings of discrimination to go with multiple claims made that he is absolutely everything he seems like on the TMZ call in public situations (especially the baron Davis things and the Rollie mossimino thing). So in his official capacity as a business owner and nba owner he did these things and deserves the outcome. However I will never be comfortable with te fact a private phone call was secretly recorded and sold. That's bs and a bad precedent.

You have to had it to silver he did everything he could do as commissioner and then pressured the owners to force a sale. Personally I'm cynical and believe this was about PR and the harshest punishment possible was what the mobs demanded and clearly the popular move. But even so there was no mercy by Silver he went all out on this one.

I think both of those teams can add a bunch of salary. But yea if you took 1/30th of the total salary pool you would need to make ashustmenys to the cap to not screw over the rest of the free agents.

Doc Rivers to the very least help orchestrate his trade there despite knowing full well that sterling was what he was. I agree with you now that the exterior pressure will be on people to not sign there lest they be complicit with sterling. But you do have a number of unsavory owners, other owners historically making suc tacit comments and players will still sign there. I don't fault players who take good money to play for a bad guy. My qualifications would be money city and a teams ability to compete in that order. Conceptually, JVGs thing makes sense. In practice it ultimately gives both the lakers and the Knicks superstar players and for that reason I cannot allow it. More than anything I want the Knicks to continue to fail and handing Phil Jackson Blake Griffen and Chris Paul would be more than I could take.

Exactly. The tickets for these games have been purchased and the team deserves fan support. Now what the fans need to do is not spend a penny at the game. No alcohol, food, souvenirs, etc. Sterling likely has more money than any 81 year old can spend. He bought a team for 10mln that he could sell for 700mln. So trying to "hit him where it hurts" Vis a Vis money is pathetically ineffectual. Sterling is being totally and completely destroyed on a public reputation and social level. He will likely be strong armed into selling his team to a minority buyer. Fans and players etc have no obligation to try to make any sacrifices. They don't need to. So Mark Jackson essentially making clippers fans seem complicit with sterlin for continuing to support he team was wrong on his part. Expecting other people to make sacrifices that you won't make is wrong. That's my point. Ditto to S Jax for saying he'd sit out if he was a clipper or Lebron intimating he'd consider it.

He's only suggesting it because he will be the visiting team and would love for the Clippers home court advantage to be neutralized as much as possible. Sports owners are like promoters. If Mark Jackson feels so strongly he Shouldn't go himself. But he's not putting any money in Sterling's racist wallet by coaching. Yea he is. If the warriors didn't play the fans wouldn't come. Concessions and merchandise sales wouldn't occur. Sterling gets a piece of the TV deal so all of GSWs national games regardless of who they play a piece gets to sterlings wallet. If he feels so strongly than the warrior should not make the trip.

He's only suggesting it because he will be the visiting team and would love for the Clippers home court advantage to be neutralized as much as possible. Sports owners are like promoters. If Mark Jackson feels so strongly he Shouldn't go himself.

And losing the turnover battle by less than 10 would also help. Or maybe a member of our starting lineup playing like an NBA basketball player would help greatly.

The rockets usage of Dwight is all wrong. They should be establishing his post game early and not exclusively at the end of the game 4. He's a great player but he allowed a help defender to strip him in some huge moments.

The bulls should be able to win tonight. I really think the pressure is on Washington win game 6. I still believe. Things like this can happen. The Wiz are not some unstoppable force. The bulls just need to play well tonight and Thursday. Get it to a game 7.

That Hibbert picture is hilarious. I read Kareem's sterling article and it's perfect. It's ridiculous that Mark Jackson suggested fans shouldn't attend the game. Mark Jackson is an idiot.

I'd like to add that USC played at UCF last year which was UCFs only loss. The AD was widely criticized prior to the game by most fans. That was a dumb no-upside game and even though UCF ultimately won a BCS game USC didn't get a lift from that win. A loss, even against a really good team at their place, is so much worse than a quality road win is beneficial in the eyes of the votes. When that changes teams will be incentivized to schedule a solid home and home.

I'd like to add that USC played at UCF last year which was UCFs only loss. The AD was widely criticized prior to the game by most fans. That was a dumb no-upside game and even though UCF ultimately won a BCS game USC didn't get a lift from that win. A loss, even against a really good team at their place, is so much worse than a quality road win in the eyes of the votes. When that changes teams will be incentivized to schedule a solid home and home.

This will go to a game 7.