Renegade7

I hate to agree here, but i don't trust the NBA to look at this offseason intrigue and rush to change it. It's like we know this escalation is wrong but not sure if we can or should do something about, desensitized since the Durant move to this new world order. It may take something like some recruiting Gainnis out of Milwaukee before we admit it's gotten out of control, which we all know is next.

You bring up a good but, but still believe you need to do both. Mind control? Look, if you don't want to have a serious discussion about this, just say that. This was absolutely at the detriment of OKC that was already having a weak offseason them put the nail in coffin by PG wanting out. OKC can't compete with just one star, now they have to rebuild and wait for this to happen all over again at some point in the future. It should tell you something that OKC felt blindsided by the request then Clippers shows up with biggest trade offer in history simultaneously. On one hand you have some who feel this is wrong but don't know what to do about it, I get that, but acting like this doesn't matter, I can't cosign with that. It's only a matter of time until someone does that to my team, so yea I care. I don't care if they talk about women or cars, I care if they are doing the same thing the tampering rules were put in place to prevent. This isn't rocket science. They went to finals three years in a row and only lost the last one because KD got hurt. Maybe we need to go back in time to that series against the Cavs were they got swept as reminder of what actually happened. Because you think it's dumb doesn't mean it is. If you take the stance it doesn't effect you, good for you, that doesn't change the reality on the ground because of your indifference towards it. Ok, I laughed, but Clippers did call about Beal, so maybe that's not true : )

We're in the middle of that discussion right now.

Agents aren't under contract, are we talking about the literal definition of tampering or the point of the tampering rules in the first place? If we can't even agree on what tampering is, your right this discussion will go nowhere.

That's an incredible cop out that ignores every aspect of our history looking at a situation and eventually deciding to change the rules counter it. There didnt used to be laws against hacking computers because there were no computers, applying 20th century NBA rules to a 21st century league is lazy. This is semantics, he wanted out of OKC and Kawhi convinced him to push his way out for his own benefit. This isn't just a situation where PG had enough, someone from the outside came in and poured gasoline on the situation. Your confusing a bunch of stuff together like they are the same thing and they aren't. Nobody has said anything about Magic talking to Kawhi after he was already a free agent because that's not the problem here. This particular topic is about a player convincing another under contract to give up in their situation and leave, we don't let front offices do that, why are we letting players? And the problem with Durant going to GS was it created a total competitive imbalance, its the other side of the coin in this discussion of superstars concentrating versus staying with the team that drafted them while they build a team around them. You talk like this hasn't effected you yet or you don't care, you are oversimplifying this.

Congratulations, ladies, an unsung reminder we can kick the worlds ass in soccer if we really want to. Absolutely deserve more credit then they get.

That last goal didn't seem real, she smaller then all them, looking like she was going solo with three defenders. Dutch just broke.

That was impressive getting her whole body to appear like she was going to kick one way then kicks the opposite will still looking she was kicking original way. Pay them.

Some of y'all are making excuses for Kawhi actively recruiting a player under contract to demand a trade. Aren't actually tampering charges investigated by the league? This isn't about how easy a sell this was, its what's been said before that it makes it impossible for certain franchises to build championship teams if players keep picking off their stars versus going there to join forces. Does it matter how many picks you get if the ones that become stars leave to join other stars or demand trades to do the same thing? It's not they aren't allowed to do that, we just don't let other teams front offices tamper to cause that, we should make players follow the same rules with same tools. Team's should be allow to accuse players of tampering and NBA investigate. It won't catch it all, but it will slow that **** down.

That's good to hear on Rui. I'm taking a liking to moves Shep is making. But you don't go to your managers manager to take your managers job. You that frustrated you leave, it's rate holding out until your managers manager sees the light and picks you of all people to take their place versus hiring from outside.

Homie got some of his child victims to start recruiting for him? Nah, he needs to rot in a box.

And they say cornrows look unprofessional. Gonna be the first Executive of the Year with straightbacks.

I feel what you saying cause despite saying my piece early about him, I wouldn't stand in the way of him going to HoF with those stats and effort. I believe he wanted to win, but wanted to win his way, I never felt that was a priority for Melo or Howard, and that just got worse with time.

That is some sad ****. Did New Orleans get caught up in that they could draft him that they didn't really ask if they should?

Howard's and Anthony's should be polarizing enough to keep them out, but it won't. We would be prioritizing their stats and potential over everything else, like having this conversation in a way we could talk about if they played elsewhere and didn't have the personalities they had. No, they bounced around the league because of those personalities, it cost them a chance at any rings to point you couldn't tell if that was a priority to them. I wouldn't want them to qualify and question what it means to be a HOF player that they are let in. Is it really just about the stats?

This is what I'm talking about, this will be fun watching to see how many former stars the Lakers can sign. Already linked to Stodumire and Monte Ellis, might as well call Melo. I'm going to be weak if it comes out they called Kobe after he just had another kid.

We f'd ourselves out of that ever happening by putting him in a Wizards jersey on the jumbotron during a game while he was still with OKC. Even Wall hated it, he never forgave us for that. That doesn't take away from the pattern KD is showing, but we have a pattern, too, not a good one. Hope that changes with new regime.

That just speaks to how toxic the relationship had likely become between them. It was obvious how personal it had gotten with the first couple games between them, so whatever goodwill RW gotten from you being right that was low, he went low too nulifying it. This was not just KD being soft, it takes two to tango and both of them cats was dancing.

Which begs the question: Why did PG want out then? Reading they may both of gotten tired of the OKC front office, but PG was also tired of dealing with Westbrook. I agree with you that KD has paper-thin skin, but don't agree Russell did what could've been done to keep him in OKC, he was fine with him leaving so he could be "The Man". Russell is his own worst enemy, we've seen that twice now.

That's fair. I've seen what 100% effort into something the doesn't work looks like, but he doesn't seem to get that, which bothers me. An alpha so territorial he doesn't have a pack makes no sense.

Hate is a strong word, but he basically ran off KD because he wanted to be face of the franchise costing him chance at a ring and breaking the NBA simultaneously. OKC doesn't deserve him either having two future MVP players on the roster with him same time and getting nothing out of it. Time to hit the reset button. It's also probably closest Knicks will get to relevancy as incompetent as they are while giving something that can somewhat entertain that fanbase that keeps showing up regardless. NBA has more storylines then a Wrestling league, bringing the Knicks in wouldn't hurt.

I would pay money to watch OKC get Knicks to make a desperate trade for RW. Just to see him get riped to shreds by their media and see what Thunder would do with all those picks.

I keep saying it, Wizards can't be serious about a rebuild if Clippers offered anything close to what OKC got and we turned them down. Clippers were just as desperate as the Lakers, it of been like taking advantage of someone like the knicks while still keeping Beal happy sending him to a contender. How they are handling Beal is overshadowing the other things they are getting right lately, like a Bruce Allen regime that gets more stuff right but still does stupid **** to hold us back. And for the record, id rather trade a player for multiple picks in hopes of drafting well and luring a Max player to go over the top then trade all my picks for foreseeable future just in hopes of a single ring. Clippers feel like this interesting hybrid of doing one then the other, smart having KL for 4 years and PG for 3, so much different if they were on expiring deals, Toronto paid a steep price for one ring because of that and it will get worse next offseason.

This is something I could see Beal trying to put breaks to that, as he said he wants to be in a contender, whether its here or not. I know its supposed to be obvious we in a rebuild, but refusing to trade him with these historic deals going down feels more like they don't really want to do that or it take too long. If Beal says he wants to see what happens this offseason and wants to be on a contender, are planning to give him that to keep him happy?

We should be calling the Thunder now while they still have all that trade ammo.